Hi, this is Gladys!
As a certified yoga therapist with over 1,280 hours of training and 14+ years of yoga practice, I’m passionate about empowering individuals cultivate physical, mental, and emotional well-being to unlock their full potential for a joyful and vibrant life.
Through personalised yoga therapy sessions I create a safe and supportive space to empower clients develop sustainable self-care practices for long-term well-being and allow them to experience a sense of calmness, inner peace, and self-confidence.
I also offer a unique 21 day to restful sleep yoga program, a comprehensive online program designed to guide individuals towards deeper, more restorative sleep through a combination of yoga practices, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques.
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I’m often asked about my story and how I started with yoga
Yoga wasn't always a love story for me. Never would I have imagined it could transform my life.
My first encounter with yoga
Yoga wasn’t always a love story for me. At 25, I reluctantly landed in my first yoga class, completely unfamiliar and uninterested, only because my friend who didn’t want to go alone had pestered me for months to come with her.
I remember it being so hard and uncomfortable: I was out of breath and my entire body was shaking. I couldn’t hold any of what felt like awkward positions for more than 20 seconds. I felt so weak, stiff and vulnerable. I hated it!
I’m not sure how my friend convinced me to take a yearly membership after that first experience, but I did. Unsurprisingly, I went to only 3 or 4 classes within the first 6 months…
And then I lost my job. It was the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis and the prospect of getting another job was gloom. I hit a low point in my life: I had already experienced burnout, was suffering from severe anxiety and insomnia, and this event tipped me over to depression. I had lost all sense of purpose and self esteem and my days felt long and empty. I couldn’t afford to do much, the only thing I had was that membership…
That’s how I started to commit to a regular yoga practice: out of utter boredom. Sometimes life can take an interesting turn when you least expect it! Never would I have imagined yoga could transform my life.
Unexpectedly, my outlook on life brightened and I recovered from depression without medication.
The transformation
Committing to a regular practice as itself wasn’t an easy journey. The physical struggle was real and my only motivation to do yoga was to get myself out of my flat… not the most enticing!
But it was nice to connect with new people. And the teacher was amazing, making the classes fun, humorous and light hearted. Surprisingly, I rapidly progressed and soon was able to get into postures that seemed impossible just weeks earlier. It instilled a powerful lesson: with patience, dedication, and courage, anything is achievable both on the mat and beyond.
As my interest in the practice grew, I regained a sense of purpose and my self worth was no longer fully tied to my career: I was more than just a job. Unexpectedly, my outlook on life brightened and as I became physically stronger and emotionally more resilient, I recovered from depression without medication.
That was the first of a series of major transformations that happened in my life through yoga. In every major life transition over the years, my yoga practice became an anchor through life challenges and struggles and opened doors I never suspected existed.
Today I cannot imagine how my life would have turned out without yoga, but it took another hit to lead me towards my first yoga teacher training.
As I dived deep into the philosophy of yoga, I was blown away by the new perspective that just opened: one that was bigger and brighter.
Delving deep into the practice
It wasn’t until I hit another low and consequently moved to London that I considered taking my first yoga teacher training. At the time, my dream of working in the film industry had been crushed and I was stuck in a job that was sucking the life out of me. I felt lost and powerless, not knowing which direction to take.
Supported by the teachers and studio owner where I was practising, I signed up for my first teacher training, with the inspiring Suzanne Faith. My only goal at the time was to deepen my physical practice, but little was I prepared for what was to come. As I dived deep into the philosophy of yoga, I was blown away by the new perspective that just opened: one that was bigger, more expansive and brighter. Through purposeful exploration of the mind body connections, subtle yet noticeable shifts took place: I was feeling calmer, more joyful, and my compulsion to stress eating gradually subsided.
I was so thrilled by these transformations that I signed up for my second 200-hour teacher training a few months later with the vibrant Mathieu Boldron, where I discovered the power of breath to manage emotions and energy levels.
Eager to keep learning and exploring, I soon after started my level 2 teacher training with Suzanne Faith, where I experienced deep connection through meditation and delved deeper into the therapeutics application of yoga.
Fascinated by the healing power of yoga and how it was transforming my life, I went on training as a yoga therapist with the Minded institute. I was keen to explore the depth of yogic practices to heal the body, mind and spirit. That’s when I had a major breakthrough.
On the brink of burning out again, I realised deep rest had to become a priority.
The breakthrough
Juggling between a demanding training in Yoga therapy and an intense job in tech for 3 years was really challenging and took me to the brink of burning out again. That’s what it took for me to realise that deep rest had to become a priority.
In our societies, we are often taught to push through, chase performance and strive for ever-better results in pursuit of elusive perfection. But rarely are we taught how to rest. Like a muscle our capacity to rest needs to be trained and requires commitment and dedication.
It is during my journey in pursuit of restful sleep, through committed practice and exploration, that I gradually healed myself from 20+ years battling with insomnia and developed a set of practices that promote deep rest.
Reconnecting with our innate ability to rest is key to living an emotionally balanced and joyful life. That’s what enticed me to share the tools and practices that helped me recover from insomnia through my 21 days to restful sleep online program.
How I can support your journey to self-discovery & transformation
- Cultivate emotional well-being – by befriending my emotions through regular asana (physical) practice and reconnecting to a deep sense of calm through prāṇāyāma (breathing) practice, I learned to manage anxiety and find inner peace.
- Transform self-perception – through mindfulness (sati) and meditation (dhyāna) I developed self-compassion, regaining self-esteem and confidence, allowing me to see myself in a new light.
- Embrace a joyful life – exploring spirituality and applying yogic philosophy to my daily life guided me toward equanimity, harmony, faith, and joy.
Sharing my personal journey, I hope to inspire you to explore your own potential for healing and growth. With dedication, taking one step at a time, you will be amazed to see which path opens before you and where life might take you. I’d be honoured to guide you along the way.
Like a muscle our capacity to rest needs to be trained and requires commitment and dedication.
Skills & professional qualifications
I’m a passionate Yoga Therapist, certified through the Minded Institute (accredited by IAYT, BCYT, NCIP). I specialize in helping individuals overcome challenges like insomnia, anxiety, and chronic pain through a holistic and multidimensional approach that integrates traditional yoga practices with evidence-based treatments.
As a Yoga Teacher with extensive training (including 300-hour YTT and specialized programs in pranayama and yin yoga), I create personalized yoga experiences that utilize asana (physical postures), pranayama (breathwork), meditation (dhyana), and yogic philosophy. Through these practices, I empower individuals to manage stress, improve sleep, and achieve greater self-awareness.
My additional expertise in spinal anatomy (gained through AnatomYoga® training) allows me to offer safe and effective guidance for individuals with specific limitations.