Supporting women navigate transitions in life to reconnect with themselves and find balance on a physical, mental and emotional level.
About
Awake Yoga supports uniqueness, inclusion and agency.
When I first set up this website, it was named Art Awake, after a program I created to help reignite creativity using the tools of yoga. Creativity, joy, and connection are a natural part of a balanced life, therefore, for simplicity, I shortened the name to Awake Yoga.
For me, being awake describes a process of deepening self-awareness, and being guided from a certainty within myself. This awareness empowers me to take steps to bring my life to balance, Wherever my starting point is.
Awake yoga is for women going through transitions on a physical, mental, and emotional level. In the process of realigning with their meaning and purpose in life.
We are all unique, and there is no one pathway to balance. Each one of us is on a journey that remains dynamic as long as we are alive. Change is a natural part of our journey.
As a Yoga Therapist and trauma-informed teacher of functional yoga, I love helping others reconnect with themselves to find balance in their lives on a physical, mental, and emotional level.
Awake Yoga collaborates with several talented yoga teachers, therapists and medical professionals to offer relevant information, training, and practices.
Our Vision and Mission
Helping women in transition take steps to
balance and fulfillment.
Sharing knowledge and embodied practices from traditional yoga to modern science, Awake Yoga supports women, especially in the 50+ age group, nurture resilience and move to balance on a physical, mental, and emotional level, aligning with their meaning and purpose in life.
About Natasha Gunn,
Founder of Awake Yoga
As a child, I traveled a lot with my family, opening me to the diversity and wonder of other cultures and countries.
I appeared to have everything I needed. But the meltdowns I had in my early years turned into an eating disorder in late adolescence. I had a fear of commitment, was fiercely self-reliant, and rarely asked for help.
In 1987, things fell apart in my life, I left my job in London, UK, and moved to Paris, France. I articulated my emotions through painting, drawing, and writing poetry, which got things off my chest.
In 1997, I moved to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where my career as a writer and editor flourished. But something was missing and I never felt ‘good enough’.
“In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself.”
~ U. G. Krishnamurti
Before discovering yoga, I attended a silent Buddhist retreat. An inspiring experience, but sitting still in meditation created a dead-leg sensation almost more disturbing than the critical, nagging voice in my head.
In 2003, I discovered yoga and I was so inspired I took my first teacher training. My yoga journey had begun.
Recently, I discovered I am ‘neurodivergent’, with the accompanying strengths and challenges. This qualifies my childhood feeling of not being validated in a society geared to the norm.
Clearing the past isn’t easy, but neither is constantly going back to wallow in the narrative, believing we are the labels that stick to us, or the many roles we play. My way of balancing my life is through embodied practices. Art and creativity are also important to me. I never stopped writing. But this year, after many years of abstinence, I have returned to drawing, and painting as a non-negotiable way of channeling my energies and relaxing. I encourage my clients to do more of what brings joy to their lives.
Along with a degree in Psychology, my diverse yoga training includes Ashtanga Vinyasa, Yin, Vinyasa Krama, Trauma-sensitive yoga, and Yoga Therapy in the Krishnamacharya tradition. Now I am in a better position to help others celebrate their uniqueness and manifest their strengths. Life is a practice of bringing ourselves to balance, again and again.
“Since attending yoga classes with Natasha, my mobility and strength has improved, I can walk further than before, my leg is hardly giving way and l have more of an acceptance and understanding of my body since my surgery.
“The overall positive impact in using yoga as a therapy
for recovery has been the connection of mind and body.”
My Approach
- Exercises to clarify and prioritize the first step
- Access resources within yourself to help support your growth
- Nurture your resilience
- Develop a sustainable practice
- Create relevant lifestyle changes
- Experience how steps in one area positively impact other areas
For instance, by working on strengthening your bones or improving your posture, using movement and breathing, will change how you approach relaxation, sleep and nutrition.
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more
painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
~ Anais Nin
Free Video
What ground am I standing on?
In this FREE video I invite you to investigate where you are now in relation to the world, yourself, and others. You can also Download the PDF to accompany the video in this exercise.
