About me
Lillian Linsley - Bodhi Tara
Diploma of Advanced Yoga Teaching
Certificate IV in Pilates Instruction
Diploma of Remedial Massage
IYS Therapist Training
31 years experience in the fitness industry
57th year of life experience
I have not always been interested in alternative modalities, health and fitness. When I first left high school after Year 10 in 1980, my lifestyle was quite the opposite. I had trained as a secretary and over a very short time, the weight piled on. My childhood was a difficult one and my teenage years were fraught with the pain of an eating disorder. The gym was the place I ended up. Although I lacked direction, these dark years taught me many lessons but above all it led to an interest in health and physical fitness. I became a gym junkie from my late teens and I found physical fitness a great outlet for energy and a great way to manage stress and weight.
After a crises in work where I was forced to abandon the secretarial path, I returned to TAFE and completed my HSC in 1987. It was also around this time that I experienced my first heart opening. A friend had given me a book on Sai Baba and as I read through it, I would cry as my heart expanded in ways I never thought possible.
My HSC enabled me to get into university to further my studies. During my university studies, my interest in fitness turned professional. Teaching aerobics and resistance training was a great way to supplement my income whilst studying for a degree in Economics. I qualified for fitness instruction in 1992 and I have remained a registered fitness instructor ever since. Not long after this, I completed a Diploma of Remedial Massage.
As my formal studies progressed to include a Master of Industrial Relations and a Bachelor of Laws, my interest in physical fitness never waned. Instead I started seeking out a more efficient and effective way of keeping fit and strong, without the wear and tear on the joints. Due to increasing back pain, I sought alternative treatments and discovered Pilates. Joseph Pilates’ teachings significantly assisted with the back pain I suffered from and also introduced me to a new way of moving, without pain. Pilates continues to be one of the most effective modalities around for people who want to change the way they experience their bodies.
At this time, I found astrology increasingly relevant and helpful as my life unfolded in unexpected ways so I undertook informal study of astrology with Brian Clarke. My knowledge of astrology is both book learnt and experiential, but I find it amazing that this ancient modality continues to be relevant in this day and age.
I started practicing Satyananda Yoga in Wollongong in 1996 and mainly practiced for my own wellbeing. When I was doing some research on Pilates, it was a surprise to discover that yoga was one of the modalities Joseph Pilates used to develop the Pilates method. After practising at home for 15 years, it seemed natural to progress to teaching Yoga. The mind body connection absolutely fascinates me and my most recent studies have confirmed the strong connection between the way we think and the way our bodies move.
Even though I went on to open my own law practice in 2008, I have continued to follow my passion for Pilates and Yoga, completing my Certificate IV in Pilates in 2007 and a Diploma of Yoga Teaching in 2011 and an Advanced Diploma in Yoga Teaching in 2012.
After suffering from breast cancer in 2013 and the associated treatment, I found a modality of healing that changed my life by changing the way I think about myself and my experiences - Ignite Your Spirit Therapy. So in June 2014, I started training to become an Ignite Your Spirit therapist so that I could assist others in the same way I had been assisted in recovering from cancer and living in an empowered and loving way.
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All of the above has led to my life now - if I change anything from my past, it will change who I am now and I love who I am now. So no room for regret, we are always experiencing the polarities. Without darkness, how would we know light? Without bad stuff, how could we appreciate the good stuff? Have a look around, our world is full of opposites - we have to make peace with that and celebrate our beingness.
