I was born in Canberra in 1972 and was brought up in Yass, a small country town of about 10,000 people. I stayed till I was 18 and went to college in Canberra. I lived in Townsville for about 6 years in my 20’s and I travelled to Israel where I lived for 3 years volunteering in a Kibbutz. I have dived in the blue hole in the red sea. I travelled a lot through Europe and lived in London for 3 years.
I worked in investment banking and it was there that I was feeling very dishevelled about life and thinking, we’ve all become robots. Catching the tubes to work, feeling claustrophobic and I wasn’t connecting to any of that. I would go and sit by the lake and watch ducks in Wimbledon Park every weekend and think, what are we actually doing on the planet? Surely I’m not just here to work and consume things, retire and die. I was after more, the undercurrent of human existence.
After a week in a Buddhist Monastery I took a week off from my job and went up to Amaravati in Hertfordshire and it was there that I learnt to meditate and be still. I’m always an over-thinker and I was trying to find my way in the world. I’ve suffered from anxiety and depression in the past. I’ve also suffered from Anorexia and Bulimia. Being a sensitive soul I’ve always struggled with myself so how can I exist in this world being who I am? I couldn’t go along with society as that would just numb me. I needed to find peace in my soul after all these struggles.
In 1988 coming out of a tube station in Wimbledon a lady handed me a flyer on Yoga classes. I went along and a light bulb went off. I felt like I found something that really connected with me. Long story short I practised over there but my mum had a stroke back here in Wellington so I came home and cared for my mum. Ten years prior Mum had a Cerebral Haemorrhage so she was already blind. I lived there for 12 months, saved and went back to complete my Yoga teacher training.
I’ve written a book called Keeping Cool in the Cosmos by Aurora Blue. It’s available on Amazon. It’s only a little book but we can all relate. I’ve already had some wonderful reviews. We all need to be true to ourselves. Life is not all love and light and finding what moves your soul is paramount. I’m a vegan, I love animals and I’m passionate about their welfare and the environment of course.
I had a yoga studio in Dubbo for years and I use to come here for holidays. There was a house on line I looked at everyday for 8 months. It’s pink and it’s in Goonellabah. I prayed that it would be mine one day. I had a vision board beside my bed and guess what, I moved here and bought it.
I absolutely love Lismore. I work here at Ishka and I adore it. We have lots of markets, the arts and it’s very welcoming. I also teach yoga at home in my studio. We go to Whian Whian waterfalls, Dalwood Falls, we love the beaches and the enchanting energy around here. We are all accepted, fuzzy hair, pink hair, whatever. I feel I totally belong here and my soul is at home. My house has a deck which looks over the night cap ranges and sometimes I cry because I feel so grateful. I love it.