AMY JOY
BARBER
- Guest Yoga Instructor -
G'day guys,
Today I introduce you to a very talented young Australian - Amy Joy Barber. Welcome, Amy Joy ...
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR
PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY.
I love life – I
am creative, enthusiastic, positive and happy. I love making people feel better
and better everyday in everyway.
In order from present to past I have worked as a –
Yoga teacher
Yoga teacher’s aide
Sales assistant
Contact centre consultant
OSH childcare assistant
Soft sculptural fabricator (Walking with dinosaurs,
How to train your dragon and R&D on King Kong)
Touring/ promo suit dresser (Australia, USA and
Japan)
Administration assistant
Costume designer/ maker/ coordinator (Beyonce tour,
Eurobeat, Commonwealth games, numerous circus shows, feature and short films,
theatre …)
Sewing teachers aide
Pattern maker
Costume hire sales assistant
Retail team leader
Receptionist
Hairdresser assistant
Nanny
Babysitter
I have a thirst for knowledge and have studied -
Clothing production
Costume design
Small business management
Reiki
Kids yoga
Dru yoga
HypnoBirthing
Prenatal yoga
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A YOGA TEACHER? WAS IT
SOMETHING SPECIFIC?
I first tried
yoga in 1999, after my first session I cried. I felt amazing and I was hooked.
I felt like I had come home and everything was right in my world.
After this I
found I was falling in love with yoga more deeply each year, I had the urge to
learn more and more until eventually getting to the point of craving training
in more depth so I could share it with others.
I started my Dru
yoga teacher training in 2009 and have not looked back it has been one of the
best decisions of my life so far.
It not only gave
me the skills to teach yoga professionally but personally helped me become more
aware of myself and this magnificent world around me.
This love affair
continues to deepen and I continue to want to study more and more.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR WORK?
I love sharing
my passion for yoga and helping people find calm within themselves so that they
can feel good and enjoy life more.
If my students
get what I get out of yoga I am happy.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A YOGA
INSTRUCTOR?
Waking my
students up from deep relaxation – Every class I teach ends in a 15 – 20 minute
guided relaxation.
They always look
so peaceful and the energy of the room is so blissed out I am often tempted to
leave them all there for a good well deserved rest!
WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE? BE SPECIFIC.
For 5 years
before I became a yoga teacher I worked for a company that makes huge
animatronic creatures for film and theatre. I worked as a soft sculptural
fabricator which involved sewing, pattern making, sculpting. I worked long
hours often with deadlines looming. Through this job I got to travel with the
shows when they went on the road often participating in media events, auditions
and promotional activities. I loved this job it was fun and very interesting.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CHANGE DIRECTION?
A severe case of RSI sent me in search of a
career sea change.
Yoga not only gave me a new direction in life
but it helped ease the pain and anxiety of my condition.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
I teach 6 weekly
yoga classes
I run school
holiday kids yoga workshops, Sunday bliss yoga workshops and Acu yoga workshops
I write a blog
http://inspiredbyyogainspiredbylife.wordpress.com
I regularly post inspiring snippets on my Facebook
page http://www.facebook.com/inspiredbyyoga
I design and maintain my own website www.inspiredbyyoga.com.au
I volunteer in
my friends yoga class working as a yoga teacher’s aide helping to care for a
lady with MS.
I am currently studying
Dru Meditation teacher training,
I have a part
time job working in a beautiful gift shop.
I make lavender
eye pillows, candles and wheat bags to sell to students and at markets.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
Everything and
anything! The beauty about yoga is it opens your heart to inspiration
everywhere.
WHAT BOOKS DO YOU READ?
This is a
picture of my bedside table and all the books I would like to find the time to
read.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR US UNHEALTHY PEOPLE?
I have lots but
there are no rules that suit everyone.
Find what works
for you and make healthy living a joy not a chore.
Aim to thrive
not merely just survive this existence.
Our body is
designed to feel good.
Lots of small
improvements make a difference.
Not only what
you feed your belly is important – what feeds your soul?
Look at your
health and wellbeing big picture for example
Physical health
– exercise, diet.
Find the
exercise that is enjoyable and suits your body.
Find the diet
that is delicious and suits your own needs – see a naturopath/ nutritionist for
help.
Energetic health
– what drains your energy? What boosts it up?
This awareness
can help you learn to top yourself up after a draining event.
Emotional health
– do you release strong emotions or hold on?
Holding onto
strong emotions is bad for our health – find the activity that helps you
release, it could be – writing or journaling, talking it out with a friend,
yoga, walking, deep breaths, running, boxing, being in nature, meditation,
having a good cry…
Social health –
do you have a supportive network?
Feeling part of
a community can help you feel useful and part of something bigger than you.
Mental health –
could your thoughts be more positive?
This is a big
one because we attract what we think. Daily affirmations can help.
Spiritual health
– do you trust that god/universe supports you?
Dreaming big,
believing in yourself, planning well then giving up control and trusting everything
works out for the best is healthy.
All these layers
of your being are intertwined and are just as important. Enjoy exploring your
own personal path to wellness.
DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED SCHEDULE EVERY DAY? WHAT IS
IT?
I am a big fan
of morning routines. If you have a positive morning ritual your day flows on from
this.
My weekday
routine is - I wake up drink warm water with lemon, do 15 minutes of yoga
outside, I come inside light a candle and practise 15 minutes of breathing
which is a nice lead into 20 minutes of meditation. I then take a few minutes
to write down everything I am grateful for then jump in the shower ready to
bounce into my day.
You
don’t have to do as much as me – I am lucky enough to have the time to do this
at the moment.
It’s
all about creating healthy positive habits that you can easily integrate into
your life.
You might like to start by spending
5 minutes to set some really positive intentions
for your day before getting out of bed.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST JOY IN YOUR WORK?
Another beauty
about yoga is it easily transforms, I love seeing this positive transformation
in my students.
When students
leave my class looking like the sun is shining out of their eyes I know their
yoga practise has settled deep within.
DO YOU HAVE A MENTOR?
I believe this
is very important. I mentor kids, I have mentors and my mentors have mentors
and their mentors have mentors…The wisdom being handed down is like gold.
WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT
HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
Yes I quite
often get lessons in my personal life which I then transfer into my yoga
lessons. If I am to learn some wisdom through a challenging lesson I need to
share this to help prevent others needing to learn the hard way…
OTHER THAN YOUR WORK, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
I love a lot here
is the shortlist –
My partner
Blair, our dog Leroy, our cat Middi, my family, my friends, my students, my
teachers, yoga, meditation, water, oxygen, sunshine, sleep, laughter, colour,
nature, food, coconut water, the beach, animals, acupuncture, bowen therapy,
epsom salt bath soak….
DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.
I see perfection
in everyday if I am going with the flow.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO
WORLD LEADERS?
Please add more
love and compassion to everything you do.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
I aim to
continue to nurture, inspire and empower people to be the best version of
themselves possible through yoga and meditation.
In the near
future I am studying these short courses Reiki 2, Thai yoga massage 1, Health
and Wellness coaching 1.
I follow my
heart and have lots of ideas who knows where they might lead!
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP FIVE BOOKS?
Happy Yoga by
Steve Ross
How yoga works
by Geshe Michael Roach and Christine McNally
The tree of yoga
by BKS Iyengar
Practical yoga
psychology by Dr Rishi Vivekananda
Dru yoga -
Stillness in motion
Clancy's comment: Well done, Amy Joy. I guess it's all about - healthy body, healthy mind.
I'm ...
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