Hello!

I am Paula, creator of Happy Yoga Wales, 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance International and certified Laughter Yoga Leader.

I am also a fully-qualified Secondary School Teacher and Level 3 Personal Trainer with over 20 years experience working in the Health and Fitness industry.

I like to think of myself as a ‘recovering perfectionist’ who would strive to be the best at any particularly school subject, hobby or activity.

Like many people, 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. I have always loved the playfulness of movement and the human body fascinates me.

It’s understandable, then, that it was the physicality and playfulness 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!

In fact, 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.

Check out the Happy Yoga Wales blog for some of my discoveries, thoughts, and questions about all things yoga, mindfulness, and wellbeing.