Meet Sarah - Breath & Rest Facilitator
You’re a pretty big nature nerd (in many ways) - What cultivated in you such a deep reverence for the earth?
I was born & raised on a farm down on the Lower Yorke Peninsula and spent every January camping down at the beach with family & friends for 15+ years. I spent a lot of my spare time during my kid & teenage years horseriding and doing farm things - choosing to get outside and connect with the land was always a priority for me…over parties and sleepovers ha! Being exposed to wild, natural landscapes from an early age instilled in me a sense of deep receptivity and awareness for the beauty and awe of nature and everything living within it. It also began a curiosity of traditional cultures and ways of living, that ultimatley led me to Adnyamathanha Country (Flinders Ranges) later in life.
You used to be a nature scientist…did this also stem from your early years on the farm?
Absolutely. After highschool I spent 5 years with my nose in a book, eyes scrolling research papers on screens, asking all the questions in lectures, and trudging through forests around the world collecting data and leading research expeditions. I completed 2 degrees - a Bachelor of Science specialising in Animal Behaviour, and graduating with Honours after a year of research on native Fijian bees and their susceptibility to invasive species and climate change. I also combined this degree with a Bachelor of Behavioural Science in Psychology, in order to specialise more in Primatology, and go on to study the Capuchin monkeys of the Atlantic Forest in Paraguay. I dabbled in animal welfare a few times, rehabilitating Spider/Capuchin/Howler/Tamarin monkeys in Panama and Orangutan in Borneo - all from the pet trade or orphaned from habitat loss.
Transitioning to tourism & science education
After tying up loose ends to a few projects and publishing a handful of papers, I decided I needed a break from the ‘computer & lab’ before heading into a PhD. This landed me on a Great White Shark Cage Diving and Snorkelling with Sea Lions boat running out of Port Lincoln (which was where I met Elise!). Here I discovered my greatest impact - by facilitating experiences for thousands of people to fall in love and awe with nature too (and hopefully, want to protect it in the future). Still to this day, 8 years later, tourism is how I practice my conservation work - educating others and facilitating a hopeful love and awe for the earth.
I still am a scientist - I’m always curious, questioning, digging deeper, asking why. I love to combine my science/analyst brain to the practices and education of yoga which always makes for such interesting and engaging discussions during workshops. It has also impacted how and what I teach - I like real-life application, useful practices that you can bring into your day to day life. My students appreciate this too ;)
You’re a yoga teacher now, what inspired you to make this transition?
To be quite honest, it was a yoga class on the dirt, in the remote north west dry forests of Madagascar, mid 2018. I was managing a research field expedition at the time and was the head of base camp (we also had 2 other satellite camps about a 2hr hike away). Each morning I’d get up when the field teams were starting to head off on their projects (about 5-6am) and make sure everyone was ok and set to go. After the camp cleared out I would roll out my mat under the trees and try to get some yoga in before the sun came up and people started ‘needing’ me. It wasn’t long before staff and students were coming up to me asking me to do a yoga class for them. Over time, I realised that I loved creating spaces of transformation/impact for people to realise their best self and for those ripple effects to reach even wider!
I couldn’t share this story without also sharing that during one of these many yoga classes, I had a wild Sifaka Lemur literally fall out of a tree and bound up to me (in fear…it had just fallen out of the tree remember!) and cling to my leg for a good 5 minutes. My new camp nickname became Mama Sifaka. Luckily for my time spent in primate rehab in close contact with the animals, I wasn’t afraid to have a wild lemur clinging to me searching for safety again.
You’ve obviously been practicing for some time now, what led you yoga in the first place?
As a 20/21 year old I experienced social anxiety. It wasn’t until a ‘dark night of the soul’ that I sought out therapy & help. My psychologist recommended trying yoga (which I had been thinking of doing anyway for quite some time) so I took my dad to a yoga class close by. I loved it, dad hated it haha. It was the first time I felt good doing something ‘active’ with my body. I was always a ‘team sports’ person (netball, basketball) but never really enjoyed sweating and puffing and ‘pushing hard’. The gentler approach (of yoga) to taking care of my body felt so much more ‘me’. I then continued to practice for 6 years, dabbling in hot yoga, yin, vinyasa, meditation, qi gong, hatha, meditation…until eventually I did my yoga teacher training in New Zealand 5 years ago.
What led you down the path of breath?
I was curious about pranayama (yogic breath practice) for a long time but knew that to begin a practice I needed to find a teacher. I stumbled across Uma (from BOTH yoga) via Instagram and took my first pranayama (breath) class online in 2020. I was taught how to breathe properly for the first time in my life (!) and after just one day I instantly noticed huge changes in my breath. I regained an ability to take a FULL nourishing breath with ease, and had repatterned my previously tight and shallow breath (which I’d been using for the past…probably 20 years!). It was the realisation of such immense impact and change from such a simple, basic and automatic function of my body - that spurred me into a rabbit hole of research, practice, and eventually - teaching. This one class changed my life forever and I love seeing those same impactful transformations happen time and time again in every workshop on retreat.
What has shaped the way that you teach, and what you teach?
My own injuries, experiences and needs. Before I became a yoga teacher, I injured myself doing the most ‘common’ yoga pose - downward facing dog (adho mukha svanasana) (!) because after 6 years of practice, no one had ever actually taught me how to properly do downward facing dog without compressing the shoulder girdle and dumping all my weight into the small joints of the wrists. This injury lasted for 2-3 years (meanwhile, I was working with movement therapists and physios to fix it) and my practice completley changed - for the better. My awareness of how different shapes and movements can impact pre-existing injuries, body niggles and different abilities, began to grow and expand. I started to treat my practice as purely body/mind-nourishing rather than having to be a fully rounded practice (which, spoiler alert, it actually isn’t) and my teaching became increasingly more accessible and inclusive of all body types.
Trauma Informed & Life-Applicable Practice
Over the years as I’ve leaned more towards an intention of nourishment from my practice, I have noticed the impact that self-authority, autonomy and gentleness has when being welcomed into the practice space by skilled teachers. Generally, I have experienced these values coming more from trauma informed spaces (which really, are just spaces suited more towards sensitive humans looking for nourishment and support…which is majority of us, right!?). Up-skilling in these areas has been the latest part of my training over the past 2 years - Trauma Informed Yoga & Breathwork with Mei Lai (& her many incredible co-facilitators) from Yoga for Human Kind.
My yoga practice has shifted from structured and rigid to gentle, floor based and functional. I like to practice things that bring real life benefits, allow me to utilise them as tools within my day to day, and are actually useful. Of course, all of our classes and sessions on retreat are themed and structured with this in mind - real life practices that you can bring into your own lives. This is sustainable impact, not just a spa day that makes you feel good for 2 hours until the kids start screaming again…
Where did the seed for Active Rest Retreats get planted?
I have travelled a lot, backpacked solo and worked (research science) through Africa, South & Central America, Borneo & Indonesia. Travelling slowly and living in these places allowed me to connect deeply with the land, people and ecosystems within them. It is truly a privelege to feel connected to so many incredibly wild and wondrous places. One such place that is close to my heart and much closer to home, is Adnyamathanha Country (Flinders Ranges). Over the years I have spent quite a lot of time there and have built beautiful connections with the Adnyamathanha folks. I still visit whenever I can (even if its 40 degrees in December…).
After spending a few years exploring Adnyamathanha Country, diving deep into the local indigenous culture and having my own profound experiences, I wanted to be able to share this amazing place, its people, the land, and the impact that I knew it could have on so many others. First though, I spent time consulting with Uncle Mick (my mentor, and local law & song man) and waiting for his and his communities blessing. This is how our Wilpena Womens Weekend was born.
Ok, final most important one - why rest?
When I entered the workforce (beginning in hospitality, as every uni student does haha) I was confused when my employers would consistently urge me to work harder and faster, even when it meant at the expense of my nervous system, capacity for actually working ‘well’ and left me feeling exhausted and unsatisfied with my job. Of course over time I then became judgemental of others being ‘lazy’ or not pushing hard. For years I felt guilty about resting, about ‘doing nothing’ and prioritising self-care and me-time…especially when being busy, productive, multi-tasking and over-occupied was valued and celebrated.
But I always knew deep down that the hustle wasn’t for me, and that it really wasn’t supposed to be for anyone. Our bodies evolved to meander through forests and savannas, living in bursts of energy (hunting), wide swathes of rest (communing around the fire, or preparing food) and generally living the ‘slow life’ as the only way of life! Over time (and with a lot of support, learning, unlearning and deep diving), I accepted that resting and me-time was totally and utterly valuable to my mental, physical, emotional and spiritual care. Once I allowed myself to honour this, I then had to master the art of resting amongst an adrenaline fuelled and fast paced workplace…that was the tricky (and fun) part. Watching the resistance in others’ when they would see me moving slowly (in many ways) and still ‘getting the job done’, whilst everyone else was pushing hard…initially was pretty confronting, but eventually became a little fun ;) It is now my lifes’ work to help others find their rest amongst the chaos, and unlearn and re-member our right (not privilege) to rest.
These days I work 50% for myself and Active Rest Retreats, and the other 50% for expedition ship companies as a Naturalist Guide (nature tour guide in remote places) and Assistant Expedition Leader. My ability to balance active rest and restful activity even amongst running businesses, companies, and expeditions all at the same time, is thanks to the past 32 years of living and learning. Can’t wait to share it with you on retreat soon :)
Fleurieu Retreat - Breath & Rest Workshop, Yoga on the cliffs.
Join Sarah in this stunning location for all the juice on breath & rest. Yoga classes overlooking the Southern Ocean and Waitpinga Cliffs - what else could you need…?!
Click the image to explore our Fleurieu Retreat.
Wilpena Womens Weekend - active rest from your glamping tent 🫶
Enjoy not only workshops and classes with Sarah on retreat - but time to soak in the sunshine, birdsong and gorgeous Ikara cliffs (Wilpena Pound) of Adnyamathanha Country (Flinders Ranges) with a hot cup of tea.
Click the image to explore our Wilpena Womens Weekend.
Some images courtesy of Emile Pearson Productions.