Birch Moon - Yoga & Chant

Birch Moon - Yoga & Chant Holistic Yoga | Mantra as Medicine |
Vedic Chant Teacher |Retreat Leader
Classes, workshops & Retreats Perfectly imperfect...welcome to my page!

I'm a Holistic Yoga Teacher (500 hour Devon School of Yoga + Yoga for Resilience Practitioner). Cross-cultural Healing Chant Teacher (25+ years study and experience)
A Positive Psychology Wellbeing Coach...

Having experienced severe ME/CFS (Chronic fatigue syndrome) and through that, anxiety, depression and insomnia (quite normal with those health conditions) I have lived through some very challe

nging times...my yoga, chant and positive psychology all significantly helped me to recover. Offering these healing practices to others is a real joy and privilege...I've lived a life (also a mother, survived a divorce and breast cancer..)so whatever you're going through - I can genuinely empathise.

Hello! I'm away for a long weekend on an art course (I'm a mixed-media artist inspired by nature and the landscape) and...
18/06/2026

Hello! I'm away for a long weekend on an art course (I'm a mixed-media artist inspired by nature and the landscape) andvery lucky to have a campervan.

Technology...has just enabled me to enjoy a Vedic chant lesson via Zoom with my teacher who lives overseas.

So here I am, in a field, surrounded by fog, chanting! Bizarre in some ways, but incredible too. So when I'm travelling, I also teach my own students via Zoom.

Using technology allows so many of us to connect and keep the tradition alive...nothing can compare to teaching/learning in person, in the same room...but it does work well.


I'm delighted to be joining the teaching team again for the upcoming Yoga by Nature 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training. I'll...
09/06/2026

I'm delighted to be joining the teaching team again for the upcoming Yoga by Nature 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training.

I'll be teaching healing chant (with a dash of Sanskrit) and supporting trainees as they develop their own understanding and expression of yoga.

One of the things I love about this training is its emphasis on inquiry, embodied learning and helping teachers find their own authentic voice.

Perhaps you're a yoga student who realises there's so much more to yoga than a weekly class, and you'd like to learn more? This course is for you too.

If you've been considering teacher training, you're warmly invited to join us for our Yoga Teacher Training Taster Day on 27th June, 10am-3pm.

A Gift for you: Youโ€™ll also receive ยฃ100 off the training fee if you mention my name when you register.

Yoga becomes a way of life that holds, guides, and supports you...Come along to the Taster Day to find out more ๐Ÿ™

05/06/2026

I'm away teaching this weekend and in one of my happiest places...on the edge of Dartmoor, by the River Dart.

Just listen...the sound of flowing water is incredibly soothing ๐Ÿ™

In Sanskrit Jalam is the most common word, and
(Vฤri) translates as flowing or moving water.

(I'm no expert... may have been better translations? ๐Ÿ™)

03/06/2026

Om purnamadah purnamidam purnat purnamudacyaye...

You may have seen last week's beautiful video with the deer? I chanted this peace - Shanti mantras really, really quietly (she stood still and seemed to really listen! Such a blessing).

Here's the mantra at normal volume...enjoy โœจ๏ธ

The Art of Healing chant (2026) is in full flow now...we started with our opening retreat weekend and just had a retreat...
01/06/2026

The Art of Healing chant (2026) is in full flow now...we started with our opening retreat weekend and just had a retreat day. In between times, each amazing woman has been chanting and practicing...and already there is a palpable shift...

On Saturday we worked with just two chants (one for Ganesha to remove obstacles and bring auspiciousness, and the other for Lakshmi - goddess of abundance. Usually associated with financial abundance, texts suggest this is more about health, wisdom, protection and material abundance (what we need, not what we want).

Chanting with the correct pronunciation, adding to asana/postures, mudra and Yantra (sacred geometric symbols) and meditation...

It was a beautiful and powerful session with energy shifting - and a few joyous tears!

I feel so blessed to be on this path - studying, practicing and teaching healing chant.

The 2027 Art of Healing Chant is open for enquiries/expression of interest - drop me a CHANT below or DM directly and we can arrange a chat.

27/05/2026

Oh my goodness! I often see deer when walking around the local fields...but this beauty was literally feet away from me as I turned onto a footpath...

We just looked at each other for quite a long time...and (sound up), I very quietly chanted Om Purnamadah - a Vedic peace mantra...

What an absolute privilege ๐Ÿ™.

๐Ÿฆ‹ Yoga in the west has become misinterpreted...so many see it as physical exercise, a way to be flexible, stronger, and ...
27/05/2026

๐Ÿฆ‹ Yoga in the west has become misinterpreted...so many see it as physical exercise, a way to be flexible, stronger, and of course calming for the mind.

All true.

However...

๐Ÿฆ‹ That has never been yoga...I came to yoga 44 years ago as a stressed, anxious 21 year old who'd been offered Va**um by the (very impatient) doctor.

๐Ÿฆ‹ An acquaintance recommended Transcendental Meditation (TM) and having done the training and initiation (that was very weird aged 21, but perfectly normal and beautiful now!) yoga naturally came into my life...

๐Ÿฆ‹ Self-taught initially from a book - the two practices combined changed my life. I still practice TM but also Mantra as Meditation and Vipassana.

๐Ÿฆ‹ The thing is...we don't know what we don't know. So many of my students are surprised when I gently introduce the true meaning of yoga, philosophy or the deeper meanings of the asana/postures or pranayama/breathing practices (not breathwork...that's not strictly yoga).

๐Ÿฆ‹ Yoga will meet you where you are...and then gently, through different practices and time, guide you to a better version of yourself. Well, more specifically, reveal your true nature...

๐Ÿฆ‹ The breadth and depth of yoga are healing for our whole self - offering a truly holistic practice. PLUS Yoga can guide you on your spiritual path...whatever that is for you; there's no dogma, it's a gentle revealing.

This quote sums yoga up perfectly:-

โ€œHowever beautifully we carry out an ฤsana, however flexible our body may be, if we do not achieve the integration of body, breath and mind we can hardly claim that what we are doing is yoga. What is yoga after all? It is something that we experience inside, deep within our beingโ€

TKV Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga.

๐Ÿฆ‹ Having a philosophy or spiritual belief in life can make a huge difference to our sense of connection - with ourselves, others and the natural world. It gives a sense of meaning and trust. It is also proven to support our health physically, mentally and emotionally.

๐Ÿฆ‹ Yoga has been around for thousands of years - and is so important for our 21st century lives. Let yoga support and guide you.๐Ÿ™

HOT!!?? 1. "Sheetali" - This simple yet very effective cooling pranayama (breathing exercise) really works...see he ima...
26/05/2026

HOT!!??

1. "Sheetali" - This simple yet very effective cooling pranayama (breathing exercise) really works...see he image below. Best to do this on an empty stomach.

I crossed out the Crossed Legs suggestion - it's fine to sit comfortably...you can do this seated, standing or walking if you find yourself over-heating when outside.

2. "Sheetkari" If you can't roll your tongue (and that's down to genetics, nothing else), gently catch your tongue between the front teeth, allow your lips to smile creating a narrow space, and breathe in allowing the air to flow over the tongue and around the sides of the mouth. Close your mouth, and exhale through your nose. Repeat.

NB: Neither of these practices are recommended if you have low blood pressure or respiratory disorders (work with a yoga teacher 1-1 for more personalised practices).

(I've used the phonetic spelling for ease here).

Stay cool and calm folks! :-)

I am incredibly lucky to live in beautiful Somerset, and to regularly visit South Devon and Cornwall...very lucky indeed...
25/05/2026

I am incredibly lucky to live in beautiful Somerset, and to regularly visit South Devon and Cornwall...very lucky indeed.

But nature finds a way to show Herself if you take a short walk around your local neighbourhood...a garden, "weeds" that push up through cracks in the pavement, on a wasteland...

Really looking...taking time to See...can have quite a profound effect on our body, mind, heart.

You know this already...can you find 5-10 minutes today to reconnect to Mother Nature and in turn your own True Nature?

If you'd like to immerse yourself in Peace through healing chant, gentle yoga, and meditation - in a beautiful Retreat centre - PEACE WITHIN: my retreat day for women (June 6th, nr Ashburton S.Devon) has just a couple of places left.

Sending love to all - enjoy this sunshine ๐ŸŒž

Our nature is Peace...but if youโ€™re anything like me, that calm, quiet place can get buried due to an overly busy life, ...
18/05/2026

Our nature is Peace...but if youโ€™re anything like me, that calm, quiet place can get buried due to an overly busy life, family, work or relationship challenges - or health issues.

I've gone through all of that...and more. Severely ill with ME/CFS for a number of years, a diagnosis and surgery for breast cancer during the pandemic and the breakdown of my marriage.

So yes, Peace was often overshadowed during those times.

What DID help, was gentle yoga, soothing healing chant and meditation ๐Ÿง˜โ€โ™€๏ธ.

On Saturday 6th June I'm sharing all those practices that helped me through...

PEACE WITHIN: A women's retreat day is your opportunity to come home to your innate Inner Peace, learn practices to easily use in your daily life, and feel supported and nourished.

With over 25 years experience of healing chant, and a senior yoga teacher, I tailor this day to the groups needs.

Held at the beautiful The Hands On Retreat on the edge of Ashburton, South Devon ๐Ÿ™๐ŸŒธ

Address

Overstone
Northamptonshire

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+447974340580

Website

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