Meet Jane

Hi I’m Jane

After a successful corporate career in social health research and educational studies, I experienced a major health crisis, and turned to yoga for healing.

I’m a dedicated and passionate yogini and have been practicing yoga for almost forty years and teaching for ten.

I’m inspired by the divine feminine to share the teachings that have helped me, by supporting others, many of whom find themselves in similar transitions, to create a life of ease, grace and full potential. 

My childhood & beginnings of yoga

I grew up in Tasmania, on a small lifestyle block just outside of Hobart. I had three brothers and lived a healthy outdoor, creative life.

My parents were academics and inspiring teachers of teachers. They had grown up Catholic, but left it behind in African Mission Schools before I was born. They remained very spiritual people. Despite this, I found that the spirituality and the new-age stuff I was interested in was not supported nor explored. Instead, I followed an academic path. 

My Mum was a successful, independent women. She suffered from acute anxiety for most of her life. She had discovered the benefits of yoga in relieving these stresses in her mid-life.

My mum took me to my first yoga class at 15.

She took me to her yoga classes and retreats, where I was first introduced to pranayama, asana and meditation. I feel so grateful to have been introduced to yoga by her at a time when yoga was relatively unknown.

 

Young adult years

While yoga became an important part of my life, at that time I saw it as an activity that could support my wellbeing to support my academic and career path.

I loved the study of psychology and pursued many interesting multidisciplinary degrees. 

I even wove a spirituality thread into my PhD thesis in educational studies! 

I travelled a lot in my twenties. I lived in the UK for twelve years, where I met Glenn, my life partner, and where we had our twin sons in 2000.

We returned to Australia in 2004. Here I started working in leadership roles in health and educational organisations. I was deeply passionate and committed to social change.

I continued to practice yoga, ritually attending my weekly classes, and intermittently following a home practice of my own. My intention was to keep my busy life in balance and to seek calm and relaxation.

 

Leadership roles & adrenal crisis

In my corporate leadership roles I would frequently find myself frustrated at the dysfunction that is all too common in organisations. I changed careers many times, tinkering at the edges, moving from Social Health Research roles into Organisational Change Management. 

I found myself working on an exciting (and necessary!) cultural change project in the education department. It was a very complex and stressful project. The stress of the job hit a peak with a change of government. In an instant, three years of work had turned into a political hot potato. This was difficult for me with my ethics and principles.

Little did I know that my adrenal glands were heading for a crash.

I was also experiencing the beginning of peri-menopause, which at that time I had no awareness of what this was or what I needed to do to support my transition.

The sleepless nights were becoming more common, and turned into chronic insomnia. If I did have time off, I was so exhausted that all I could do was sleep. I thought I was going mad.

 

Discovery of feminine yoga

And then my naturopath, who was holding me upright with endless supplements, suggested I go to a tantric feminine yoga class.

It was unlike any other yoga I had done.

It was deeply nourishing. It was an energetic practice that helped release tensions, awaken pleasure and (what I now realise) the Divine Feminine Shakti.

It was exactly what I needed to heal deep life patterns and offered a powerful antidote for the many years of working too hard and fast in the patriarchy. I was hooked!

I left my job, as I needed time to heal my adrenals. I was diagnosed with PTSD from the repeated stressors of the change management role. I knew in my heart of hearts that I could not go back, not to this job, nor this sort of career and way of working. 

We decided to move our young family to the country, Goldfields region in Central Victoria, with a vision to live a more sustainable simple life.

 

The transition to yoga teaching

I embarked on a series of yoga teacher trainings, to deepen my practice and healing. I developed a passion to share these teachings with others, many of whom find themselves in similar big transitions. 

I teach a gentle, nourishing, feminine style of yoga.

It is non-traditional, drawing from diverse teachings and traditions from my 40-years of practicing yoga. I tend to use English terminology and minimise the use of Sanskrit, to make yoga as accessible as possible for a broad range of people. 

My formal yoga teacher training is in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Yin Yoga, Tantra, Bhakti and Jnana yoga. I am deeply grateful to my teachers: Lorraine Taylor, Tina Nance, Devashi Shakti and to many others who continue to inspire me including: Uma Dinsmore-Tuli, Sally Kempton, Kavitha Chinnayan, and Angela Farmer.

I am inspired by earth-based shamanism which is woven into all aspects of my life and work. I’ve had a lifetime long love of herbs, flowers and gardens since my childhood. 

The birth of a healing retreat centre

Building works are underway, converting our family home Tara Springs, a lifestyle, healing and retreat centre, in Taradale, Central Victoria just over an hour out of Melbourne,.

I look forward to holding many nourishing classes, workshops and retreats in the beautiful grounds of Tara Springs. The teaching studio is due to open its doors in Autumn 2023. 

Here in my beloved garden we grow an abundant food garden, to share with family and friends, as well as the volunteers who help us on the farm. I have always had a passion for growing herbs and flowers. I enjoy collecting beautiful varieties of flowers to adorn the house including my yoga altar, and diverse herbs for culinary, medicinal and magical uses.

We look forward to welcoming our community to our beautiful garden and teaching studio.

Glenn and I will share our professional offerings from the teaching studio as well as collaborate with other educators to provide authentic and experiential opportunities for holistic living through permaculture gardening and food and a wide range of healing modalities.