Meet our Ambassador Kirstie and find out how she found her way to practising yoga and later becoming a yoga teacher. She talks about the connection between yoga and psychology and shares her story about volunteering in Uganda. Read and find out what are Kirstie’s favourite vegan eats and sustainable tips.
Tell us a bit about yourself – where did you grow up, what did you go to school for, etc.
I was born in Tortola – a tiny island in the Caribbean! I lived in this beautiful paradise until the age of 6, when we moved to Jersey (the Channel Islands between England and France). As a result, I’ve always loved being by the water of any kind.
I moved to the UK when I was 18 to go to university – I studied psychology at the University of Bath, including a year out working as a research assistant in Melbourne, Australia. When I finished my degree, I moved to London where I was working as an assistant psychologist, as well as studying family therapy part-time. I then went to the University of Surrey to do my doctorate in counselling psychology and qualify as a psychologist. I lived and worked in London for 6 years, before leaving at the beginning of 2017 to go travelling for a year with my husband Ben. I’ve been in Kampala, Uganda, since January 2018.
How did you get into yoga? How has yoga affected your mental health? Your day-to-day life?
I started yoga as a teenager with my mum. I dipped in and out of it during university, but it was once I moved to London that I really started having a consistent practice. I went to all types of yoga around my local area, but it was when I discovered Indaba (a studio in west London) that my passion for yoga was really ignited. The teachers there are all fantastic. I particularly loved Lolo Lam’s rocket yoga classes as they were challenging but also fun.
I went to acro yoga (acrobatics and yoga) courses with Ben too, which is how I got him into yoga! Acro is so different to ‘regular’ yoga, it requires both strength and flexibility, trust and balance – and importantly – communication!
Yoga has been amazing for my own mental health – it provides much needed ‘breathing space’ when things feel stressful, or to wake me up for the day. Meditation has been an important aspect of that too. I decided to train as a yoga teacher when I realised through my work as a psychologist that our bodies had so much to tell us, but those signals were largely ignored. I trained in Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga in Goa, India – and it opened up a whole new world for me. The yoga philosophy was my favourite part, as it had such a significant crossover with the psychology I had been taught. I’m excited to take this yoga/psychology crossover one step further next year, through training in Embodied Yoga next year.
Tell us a little bit more about the volunteer work you do in Uganda
I’m currently volunteering in Kampala, Uganda where I’ve been for almost a year now. The last National Health Service (NHS) trust that I worked for in London has had links with Butabika Hospital for over 10 years.
I work on the inpatient children’s ward of a mental health hospital where I see children from all over Uganda. I do assessment and therapeutic work too. A big part of my job is also supervision of other professionals, where I’m aiming to incorporate more psychological thinking in a country which is really low in psychologists and psychiatrists! I’m also facilitating and teaching on an advanced diploma on the topic of child and adolescent mental health, to help train up various professionals as child specialists. It’s been really challenging but rewarding, and I’ve learnt so much whilst being here.
I’ve been lucky enough to travel all over Uganda whilst I’ve been here – it’s a beautifully green county, with the source of the Nile and the world’s most powerful waterfall, and animals from tree-climbing lions to endangered gorillas. It’s super safe and I’d really recommend it as a tourist destination, it’s totally underrated!
What’s your favourite vegan food?
My favourite vegan foods are probably cake and pizza! I went vegan for the animals and the environment, not at all for the health aspects (although it’s a nice bonus – if you don’t eat cake and pizza every day!). I also love sushi, Thai food and banana pancakes. The fantastic thing about going vegan is you don’t have to give anything up – you can get vegan versions of all your favourite foods, but they’re cruelty-free! I try to eat mostly whole foods during the week, but at the weekends I’ll definitely indulge in some vegan junk food.
What are some choices you make in your day to day life to live more sustainably?
The number one choice I make, 3 times a day, is to eat vegan food! I highly recommend watching Cowspiracy – many people are aware of the need to reduce the amount of water we eat or the Co2 we produce – but most people don’t know that the biggest culprits for those things are the meat and dairy industries. One hamburger uses the same amount of water as 2 months of showers! Even by starting to have 1 or 2 vegan days a week can make a huge difference.
Secondly, I’m currently on a journey to reduce my plastic as much as possible. When you start looking for it, you can’t stop seeing it! I say no to straws, take my own water bottle and coffee cup out with me, I have reusable cutlery and straws. I’ll be moving back to the UK next year and I’m really excited to see that Bristol has several zero waste shops where you can take your own containers to fill up with a selection of dry goods.
Thirdly, I’m trying to swap out all of my toiletries for more sustainable options. I’ve ditched makeup wipes for reusable options, I’ve swapped out pads and tampons for a mooncup and Thinx underwear, and I’m switching shampoo and conditioner bottles for solid versions.
Last but not least – I try to buy sustainable, ethical clothing options – including my yoga wear made from recycled plastic bottles! 😉
What advice do you have for people just getting started with yoga?
My first piece of advice is to try not to be too overwhelmed at the beginning! I know many people who go to a class and then feel totally out of their depth when they see people binding and contorting and popping up gracefully into inversions. Remember that everyone was the same when they started out, and that person next to you might have been doing yoga for 20 years – or maybe they were an acrobat in their previous job!
Try to find a studio that offers classes for total beginners, it helps to get your head around all the different poses and names and to learn the vinyasa flow, which can seem super confusing at first. Otherwise, watch some youtube videos at home.
Also, remember that there are so many teachers and styles of yoga out there, so don’t be put off if at first you don’t ‘click’ with the teacher’s style – it’s a really personal thing. Keep trying out different ones until you find the one that works for you.
Who or what inspires you in your practice or life in general?
I’m inspired by those who dedicate their lives to tirelessly campaign for important issues all over the world – like vegan activists James Aspey and Earthling Ed, who explain their message in such a calm and compelling way, Malala Yousafzai who is doing amazing advocacy work for girls’ education at such a young age, Chimamanda Adichie’s novels but in particular her talk: ‘The Danger of a Single Story’ and her essay: ‘Why we should all be feminists’, and the extensive work of the late Dr. Maya Angelou – she had such an incredible life and was really ahead of her time. I’m also inspired by ‘regular’ people who campaign for things they believe in – whether that’s signing petitions, writing to their local government, marching or starting a new business that aligns with the values they want to see more of.
