Paula Roberts
Hello! 👋🏼 I’m Paula Roberts, Head of Happiness at Happy Yoga Wales!
I am a passionate advocate for accessible wellness with over 20 years of experience in education, first as a fully qualified school teacher, and now as a 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance International, a Level 3 Personal Trainer, and certified Laughter Yoga Leader.
My teaching journey has allowed me to work with a diverse range of individuals, including those with additional learning needs. I also hold a post-graduate diploma in Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD), which helps me tailor my approach to suit different learning styles.
But beyond the credentials, I’m a recovering perfectionist and over-achiever with a busy brain and ADHD tendencies! After decades of self-study, I’ve realised my mission in life is to embrace my curiosity, grow into the best version of myself, and have a lot of fun with my fellow humans along the way.
Before starting my yoga journey, I would fill every minute of my day with things from my to-do list yet still feel that I hadn’t achieved enough. Over the years, I have tried practically every sport, fitness-craze and outdoor activity going – from climbing and surfing to hula hooping, Zumba and kickboxing.
Yoga has helped me slow down and given me the tools to find ease and balance in my every-day life while still having lots of fun! Of course, I still get stressed and – like all of us – I’m a work in progress!
I have always loved the playfulness of movement and the human body fascinates me.
It’s understandable, then, that it was the physicality of yoga that first attracted me.
I would look at Instagram posts of contorted, upside-down yogis and think how cool it would be to do those advanced poses with ease. Early in my yoga journey, it was all about ‘getting it right’. I would concentrate hard on the anatomical position in every single pose to make sure it was ‘perfect’.
For me, this single focus helped to calm my busy mind and, with the guidance of my teacher, Steve, I learned to soften and be content – regardless of the shape my body was making!
Slowly, I’ve come to understand how much more there is to yoga than just cool shapes and challenging postures!
Even though I still love a daily handstand or three, these days, my personal yoga practice is often pretty slow and basic in terms of the way it looks from the outside.
But that’s exactly the point.
Yoga isn’t about how you look. It’s about how you feel.
And that is the reason I roll out my yoga mat and practise every single day. Even if I don’t have time for more than a few minutes on my mat, I know that I will always feel better in every single way allowing me to show up for those around me with joy and compassion.
Want to start your journey to Less Stress & More Yoga? Let’s chat!