Natalie Austin BA (Hons), VTCT Dip HT – is a Yoga & Meditation teacher and Holistic Therapist who has worked in the wellbeing industry for over 20 years.
She has YTT (500 hours) in Vinyasa Flow and Yin Yoga. She is a member of the Independent Yoga Network and Federation of Holistic Therapists.
Natalie has set up Yoga & Well-being Retreat businesses in Scotland, Devon and Thailand.
You can find out more about Natalie at her website or email her at natalie@loveyogatree.com
We sat down with Natalie and asked her a few questions about herself and her career.
Hi Natalie! Thanks for speaking to us!
Firstly, we’d be interested to hear what habit do you do everyday?
Meditate for 10-15 minutes every day.
We all need a break sometimes. What’s your favorite way to spend a day off?
On the beach in the hot sun.
What are you most proud of in the last year?
In a year we have built 3 glamping huts and my dream yoga studio in our field!
What are the most immediate issues in your field that you believe need to be addressed?
Over the last 20 years I have seen a huge increase in stress and anxiety-related issues. More and more people suffer with daily life and the pressures of modern living, particularly with the increased influence of social media, working from home and smart phones. Many of my clients and students I see have completely disconnected with their bodies, themselves and with others and bouts of depression are now very common. If this is not treated, these feeling of stress, anxiety and depression can manifest themselves physically in the body with illness and injury. My work ethos and purpose in my career is to help people heal themselves, to help them back on their path to wholeness and happiness in a safe and supportive way by incorporating little changes to their lifestyle.
What is your favorite thing about your career?
My absolute favourite thing about my career is seeing the physical change in people’s energy before and after a yoga or meditation class or a holistic wellbeing session.
People arrive in my therapy space or my studio and I can see and feel how distracted they are, how busy and agitated they are. They are fidgety, talk a lot and look visibly uncomfortable in themselves. Watching this transform over a session and/or a class is an amazing thing to witness. To see and feel how people have calmed and relaxed, how they have come back to their bodies. They can often seem like different people. The worry and stress in their faces has gone and been replaced with peace. To be a part of this healing process is a complete privilege for me and something I value and cherish about my job every day.
How do you deal with work stress?
I am quite strict with boundaries. Being self-employed and very entrepreneurial it can be hard to switch off from work so I make sure I allocate specific time for emails and work-related communications and don’t check these after a certain time in the evening or at weekends. I have a young family so it is really important for me to make sure I am present for them.
I make sure I spend time outside daily doing something I enjoy – I get a lot of pleasure from bright colourful flowers so enjoy the process of watering them and tending to their health.
I meditate every morning for between 10 and 20 minutes. I have done this practice for nearly 20 years and it sets up my day in a much more focused and peaceful way.
I do a yoga practice every day, especially when I feel particularly stressed. Sometimes this may only be for 10 minutes but I find getting on my mat is instantly calming and even a short practice calms my mind and brings me back to my body.
At the end of every day, I have a candlelit bath with no interruptions. This is part of my bedtime ritual and prepares me for a good night sleep.