Originally from Finland, Laura found yoga in her late teens after finishing her contemporary dance studies and fell in love with the strong, graceful, precise yet flowing movement of Ashtanga Yoga. She continued to practice this style on and off for many years and in 2008 after moving to London, began practicing with Norman Blair. It was Norman who first introduced her to Yin Yoga at one of his 3-hour workshops – the first hour of which she remembers as being ‘agonisingly slow’. With encouragement from her teacher, Laura embarked on a 7-month Ashtanga Vinyasa & Yin Yoga Yoga Alliance accredited 200hr training with Norman & Melanie Cooper at Zolder Studio in London, completing the course in November 2015, and has been teaching both Yin & Ashtanga ever since in and around South East London and the City.
Over the years Laura has enjoyed exploring her own yoga practice with wonderful teachers such as Scott Johnson & Andy Gill at StillPoint Yoga, Roberta Giannotti at Ashtanga Yoga London, studied anatomy with David Keil, and deepened her Yin yoga practice with both Emma Peel and Sarah Powers amongst others. In 2018 Laura completed Sarah Powers’ 10-day Level 1 Yin/Yang Yoga & Mindfulness Meditation teacher training, and followed this with Sarah’s 5-day Level 2 Yin Yoga & Inner Practices course in November 2018. In June 2019, Laura started her journey into Yoga Nidra with Melanie Cooper & Jennie Wadsten, and in July dived deeper into Yin Yoga & Meridians by completing a 7-day training with Murielle Burellier & Sebastian Pucelle of With-Yin Yoga.
Over the years Laura’s own practice has shifted away from daily dynamic yoga towards softer and more nurturing practices including daily meditation, and this is reflected in her style of teaching which is calming and nurturing, creating a space for her students to soften and slow down, allowing them the time and space for exploration of the physical body, the breath and the mind. Emphasis is placed on each student listening to their own bodies and letting go of expectations of what yoga should look like.
As well as teaching yoga, Laura is also the owner of Brockley Nordic Walking and has been teaching Nordic Walking – sometimes likened to ‘pilates with poles’ – since 2011 in South East London. She has so far encouraged over a thousand inactive adults back into regular physical activity in the Borough of Lewisham. Laura teaches regular group classes, beginners’ courses, and runs yearly winter walking retreats to her native Finnish Lapland. A keen learner, Laura is currently studying Seiki Shiatsu with Tzvika Calisar-Sensei of Seiki Shiatsu International Association and hopes to gain her Level 1 qualification in January 2020.