About JaniceKate - Your Body Positive Yoga Teacher

All sessions are led by me Janice Kate. I am a fully trained classical Hatha yoga teacher with coming up to a quarter of a centuries worth of teaching experience. I work with yoga as the foundation to support the mental and physical health of my students. I welcome you from wherever you are right now, mentally, energetically, emotionally, physically and spiritually. I find many of my students myself included have become habitualised towards an internal dialogue of self criticism and censor, leading to unconsciously performative and competitive movement. I will always encourage somatic awareness (body awareness) and nervous system regulation (balance), and a kind, soft and forgiving relationship with our bodies and with ourselves.

I am particularly drawn to working with people who are ‘othered’ as this is something I grapple with myself. I work with whoever is drawn to working with me and I especially welcome people living with chronic conditions, people who are fat, neurodivergent, global majority folks and/or people of minority faiths, tribes or ethnicities. If you are looking for safe welcoming yoga guidance outside of conventional yoga and wellness spaces maybe my classes could be your new home from home.

I offer group classes and one-to-one sessions online so that you can attend from wherever you are in the world. I also offer some in person classes, group classes and one-to-one yoga in St Leonard’s on Sea in Hastings

My Story

I was born and raised in Liverpool, trained in London, the Canadian mountains, the French mountains and India, and I’m now living on the South East English coast

My early yoga training had me submerged in a traditional ashram lifestyle. I practiced 2hrs of Classical Hatha Yoga daily for years and my practice included meditation, pranayama, karma yoga, bhakti yoga, vedanta, yogic lifestyle practices and more.

My continued professional development has included adapted hatha yoga for pregnancy, study of Sanskrit, chanting, yogic literature and philosophy, and later adapted yoga for ‘curvy’ bodies, and anti racism training.

In my twenties and early thirties I developed a strong organic physical practice and opened a yoga studio in Dalston (see the paragraph on Light Yoga Space at the bottom of this page).

In my late fourties and to date I have been uncovering a number of undiagnoised neurological and health states. It began with a debilitating Fibromyalgia flare, a baffling a long-term central nervous system disorder with symptoms that include all over debilitating chronic pain and stiffness depression, fatigue, anxiety, and IBS. This flare over a number of years chipped away at my joy in yoga practice having a hugely limiting impact on my positivity, motivation and drive and on what I could manage physically. My fibromyalgia diagnosis led me onward to getting diagnosed with ADHD and ASD, and I am currently coming to terms with also being hyper-mobile and living with complex PTSD.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because it has also made me a much kinder, more nuanced, intuitive, connected and compassionate teacher for you! I can guide you with deep empathy and a sensitivity to what you need in any given moment. I get more excited when a student lies down to give themselves a rest, than when they perform some kind of acrobatic pretzel pose. I am a better teacher for my limitations than for any physical ‘achievements’. I teach from a deep well of lived experience when it comes to neurological differences, chronic pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, heaviness, hormonal changes, and I will never ever observe or judge you through a superficial lense.

NOTE: I first came to yoga in the 90's and the peak of my training was in the early 2000's, before mobile phones had cameras, and well before the selfie and social media! This set of photographs below were taken by a friend and are pretty much the only record I have of the dynamic physical practice I once had. I include it here as part of my story, as it shows where I have come from and is a way for me to celebrate my own life experiences and this particular time in all it’s fragile, momentary glory. I have grieved the loss of this dynamic physical practice and it was a painful letting go process, and as such if any of you were once physically and energetically strong and agile, and now have a very different body, you will receive absolute acceptance and lived experience empathy from me.

A few more things about me

I am a practicing visual artist with a fine art BA from Central St Martins College of Art & Design and a Fine Art Printmaking MA from The Royal College of Art. My artistry and creativity informs everything I do. I am available for commissions and creative projects, and am actively pursuing my journey towards a PHD. Link of my work coming sometime soonish…

I have always had a deep connection with animals and find healing and delight from being in their presence. I share my home life with Frida, Asher, Teddy and Emmy-Lola Willowbella. Animals are a HUGE part of my life and my yoga offerings and you can read more about how I work with my own animals and animals in other environments HERE

Who do I work with? Am I the right teacher for you?

Everyone is welcome to work with me if my ethos and style appeals to you.

I have spent 30+ years of my life doing deep excavative inner work, through yoga, Jungian psychotherapy, coaching, art, and using multiple 12-step recovery methodologies to tackle the ways certain addictive behaviours played out in my life as I grappled with undiagnosed neurodivergence and complex PTSD. More recently I have accepted the help of medication and psychiatry especially to get my diagnoses of ADHD and ASD. All of which have led me on an incredible inner spiritual journey of transformation. As such as a yoga teacher/mentor/guide call me whichever, I am able to swim alongside you with yoga as our main anchor as you dive inwards.

Are you living/grappling with/through any of the following conditions or life phases and experiences?

• grief and loss

• fibromyalgia

• neurodivergence,

• POTS

• MCAS

• menopause,

• chronic fatigue

• burnout

• long covid

• complex PTSD

• coming to terms with ageing

• addiction recovery

• pregnancy

• new parenthood

• ongoing parenthood

• gender transition / gender identity acceptance

• weight gain/retention

• body image issues

• eating disorders

• smoking addiction

• emotional recovery from abortion

• emotional recovery from miscarriage

• depression

• MS

• ME

• chronic illness

• mental health challenges

• physical health conditions and challenges

to name just a few. I will work intuitively with whatever you bring to me, to assist and empower you in developing you own unique way to use the practice to enrich your life.

Connect with me