Introduce yourself:

Hi, I’m Hayley Mia I’m 31 years old from the UK and I predominantly live in Kerala, a state on India’s tropical Malabar Coast along with my husband and dog (best dog in the world I might add). 5 years ago I decided to leave the busy city life in London and opted for a slower pace of life, a life where I am more connected to nature to the people around me, but most of all more connected to me.

Tell us about your yoga journey, how it all started,  and why it started:

If I told you the real reason I started yoga you might not take me seriously as a teacher J! I went travelling to New Zealand when I was 20 and at the time I was working as a massage therapist (still do from time to time) and one of my clients told me that she had been practicing yoga and that it had made her noticeably taller, I wanted to be taller and so off I went. In my defence I was young and impressionable. I also wanted to make some friends and meet people and it seemed like a cool thing to do.

How did Yoga change your life?

In so many ways. The biggest change would be to my confidence. I’m naturally a very introverted character and struggle with social interactions in any environment. Whilst yoga was subtly working on my inner world it also gave me a subject to talk to people about, conversation starters are always a struggle for me. Becoming a yoga teacher gave me a platform from which to speak from and to find my voice. On from that (as if its not enough) it’s changed the course of my life path, in early 2015 I took up a 2 month teaching position at Soul and Surf in India, now I run the Yoga development and direction for the whole company and permanently live in the tropics. Working for a conscious company such as S&S and being surrounded by like minded people every day is a constant source of energy and inspiration, I have so much gratitude for the people I share my days with. I couldn’t finish this without mentioning how it changed my life personally, I came to India for work but also found my love and the person I am sharing this incredible life with.

How did it change the way you think and the way you view life?

The essence of a good spiritual practice is that of change, of constant evolvement. We act, we react, we observe and then we look to do better. Without my yoga practice I wouldn’t have even questioned there were practices that could help you break free from suffering. Without my practice I would have only ever experienced a very limited sense of reality- after all reality is what is created by your consciousness based on all your senses, the more you seek to learn the more you understand and evolve.

What type of yoga do you practice and why?

I practice whatever my body is capable of doing daily, I have a very hectic schedule teaching and managing the yoga world at Soul and Surf. So sometimes my yoga practice is simply Pratyahara- withdrawal of the senses, taking time for me. Other times its flow based, sometimes I just roll around on the floor and call it Yin. My most significant practice is that of reflection to the reactions of my mind during the structure of my days.

What is your favourite quote?

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou

Share 5 life helpful tips:

  • You aren’t learning much if your mouth is moving
  • Don’t wash your hair everyday
  • Put your phone down! There’s a world out there
  • Download a podcast app and learn about as many subjects as you can
  • Its fine if you eat chocolate for breakfast

Hayley Kably 

Instagram: @hayleymia_