AINSLIE SPEEDY

I’m Ainslie, founder of I AM Yoga.  Yogi.  Farm girl.  Total foodie. Lover of the outdoors and summer.

My story starts in 2016.  I was doing a lot of competitive, high intensity exercise while working and studying a bachelor’s degree for a career as a Vet Technologist.  I was busy all day every day. Literally did not know the definition of slowing down and could never relax. I was running on empty.

My physical and mental health suffered for years, and I finally realised something needed to change pretty quickly.  On doctor’s orders, I reluctantly sought out to slow down, and yoga was where it started, as a more gentle way to move.

I’ll always remember the moment I stepped onto the yoga mat for the first time. It was much more challenging both physically and mentally than I ever thought it would be. But there was also something magic about mindfully getting into my body and out of my monkey mind. For the first time I felt a little bit of calm and space. This was the start of my healing journey to be a healthier person in mind and body.

Over the next two years, I learnt so much.  I gained a huge appreciation for what my body was capable of, and what my mind craved – space for clarity, calm, and a slower pace.  There is something truly nourishing and honouring about moving our bodies with deep, full breaths.  Yoga philosophy taught me to look within, and stop searching for answers from outside sources.  It has taught me how to ‘be’ more and ‘do’ less. It helped me find mental and physical strength, stability and balance that I’d never felt before, and I feel the healthiest and happiest I have ever been.

I craved sharing what I had discovered with communities that I love, knowing that it would bring them all what it continues to bring to me.