I am Glasgow born, but grew up in South Africa where I met and fell head over heels in love with my wonderful husband Gerrie. I have a National Diploma in Performing Arts Technology and worked for several years in theatre and events as a stage manager, technical crew and make up artist. We came to Scotland in 2001 to travel and ended up staying when we found out, to our surprise, that we were expecting our first child. Our beautiful boy, Adam was born in February 2004. I worked, full time as an event manager in Glasgow up until 2008 when my path in life changed very suddenly leading me to train as a doula and to work in child care. I am now the proud mummy of two wonderful sons: Adam who is 15 and Noah who is 8.

For Adams’ birth I had hoped for a natural water birth and the midwife was about to start filling the birthing pool but examined me first and found that Adam was coming feet first (and he still has not stopped running)! So after a good six hours of steadily progressive labour and at six cm dilated Adam was born by emergency caesarian.

in 2010, wee Noah swam his way gently and happily into our lives after an exhilarating, empowering natural water birth. The midwives commented on our “text book birth” and that my breathing had been” incredibly controlled”, I remember replying through my hormone induced euphoria “must be all the yoga I practiced!”

I first began to practice yoga when I was 21 (feels like a lifetime ago). I taught myself from a rather large book by a ridiculously bendy women whose name now escapes me. Over the years i continued to practice on and off for and when Adam was small we played at yoga together. Being a full time, working mum struggled to find the time to keep up my practice but I made a concerted effort when I was pregnant second time round and I definitely felt the tremendous benefits for my pregnant body, my growing belly, my connection to my baby and especially through labour and birth.

Having undertaken the wonderfully enlightening doula preparation in 2008 I am passionate about promoting birth preparation and informed choices around birth. I encourage positive thinking around natural, normal births and about restoring women’s’ lost faith in their astonishing, astounding, amazing birthing bodies!
Having experienced such opposing birth experiences, I know first hand the outcomes both positive and negative and the challenges that mum and baby may have to overcome.

After almost 9 years as a YogaBellies teacher I still feel honoured and excited to be working with women at all stages of their lives offering support, nurturing and providing tools not just for labour or mothering but for life!.

I am delighted that the amazing Elizabeth has joined YogaBellies Newton Mearns & East Ayrshire this year as I take a side step away from teaching classes for a while to focus on my 500 hour YogaBellies qualification and to continue to train and support or new YogaBellies teachers country wide!

Meet Elizabeth:
I grew up in Ayrshire, studied Mathematics at Glasgow University then spent over 10 years in Edinburgh working in the IT industry. I now live in Newton Mearns with my husband and 2 lovely children – Zoë (born 2008) and Adam (born 2011). I’ve always had an interest in holistic fitness and enjoyed regular yoga and tai chi classes in Edinburgh for many years. As well as yoga, I also love running, hula hooping, playing piano, dancing to 80s music, avocados and dark chocolate … not all at the same time!

During both of my pregnancies, I attended a regular yoga class and yoga birth workshops. I also practiced self hypnosis and read numerous books on holistic pregnancy/childbirth as I really felt strongly about having a healthy pregnancy and natural birth. My first birth however didn’t quite go as planned when the midwife discovered that Zoë was coming foot first, so at 6cms dilated, I was given an emergency c-section.
2 years later, I was trying for a VBAC 10 days overdue with my posterior baby and it wasn’t looking hopeful… but finally, after shiatsu massage, acupuncture and countless walks in the woods, Adam was born naturally using self-hypnosis, yoga breathing, some well chosen music and all those wonderful birthing hormones. It was such an empowering experience.
So I know only too well that when it comes to birth, things don’t always go to plan and no two births are the same. But whatever the outcome, I believe that yoga, breathing and self-hypnosis can play a huge part in helping women to look forward to their labour and to have the most positive birthing experience they possibly can.

I discovered Yoga Bellies a few years ago and started attending weekly Luna classes with Audrey in Newton Mearns. This is when my love of yoga really started to grow and I haven’t looked back. YogaBellies classes are so much more than an exercise class. Not just yoga and breathing – but aromatherapy oils, blankets, scented eye masks, lovely ladies … what’s not to like!! Elizabeth xx