Open Water Swimming

There is no experience quite like immersing yourself in the crystal clear waters of a mountain lake. floating under a vast sky as your worries melt away and you become one with the world around you. Feeling part of; not separate from the rest of nature.

I have always loved the water. growing up around boats and spending summers by the sea.

I began my working life age 16; teaching swimming.
Having swum competitively in my teenage years, I had always felt most at home being in and around water.

In my early 20s I found myself spending more and more time sat at a desk and becoming increasingly stressed with the pressures of work, studying.

I turned to yoga and there discovered my sanctuary. Every time I stepped onto my yoga mat it was like pressing the reset button.

Fast forward a few years and I found myself in the position of teaching people with a phobia of water. Adults who had experienced trauma, were scared to even step foot on to poolside.

I began using breathing and relaxation techniques I had practiced in yoga classes to help my group; and that, in a nut shell was my first step on a very long journey to becoming a yoga teacher. I have now been teaching yoga for 25 years, and have have studied and practiced extensively in the UK and in India with some of the worlds most inspiring teachers.

When I moved here to North Wales I fell in love with the landscape. The idea of swimming lengths of a chlorinated pool lost its appeal somewhat. Here I had Snowdonia National Park with its breathtaking lakes and rivers to explore, and the beautiful coastline of Anglesey with its stunning beaches to swim and surf.

I completed training as an open water swimming coach. I studied the effects of cold water immersion on the central nervous system, and of swimming as a therapy to improve mental health and reduce anxiety.

The Benefits of swimming in cold water for both physical and mental health are well documented. I’m proud to be part of the Chilled Mind team working with clinical psychologists to deliver a program of open water swimming and ACT therapy to patients dealing with mental health issues.

I now run Yoga and Open Water swimming retreats here in beautiful North Wales. There is a feeling of in some way completing a circle, of joining together the dots. It brings me joy to help people to experience the peace and joy that both swimming and yoga have brought to my own life

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