There are some yoga journeys that stay with you.
Not because of how many teacher trainings someone has completed or how advanced their practice has become, but because of what yoga has meant to them along the way.
Fiona’s is one of those journeys.
Over the past four years, we’ve had the privilege of watching Fiona return to Byron Yoga Centre time and time again. We’ve seen her come for retreats, study with us, travel with us to India, form friendships, continue learning and, slowly but surely, find more confidence in herself.
But when Fiona first arrived at BYC in 2022, simply being here was a huge achievement.
It started with a yoga DVD
Fiona’s first experience with yoga was a long way from a yoga retreat in Byron Bay.
As a young stay-at-home mum, she bought a Simply Yoga DVD from the post office.
At the time, yoga was simply a way to move her body and work towards getting her “before baby body” back without waking her little one.
Later, as a firefighter and self-described “gym junkie”, yoga became part of her stretching routine.
And that was about it.
She couldn’t have known then how important the practice would eventually become.
Taking the first step
Almost two years before coming to BYC, Fiona had experienced a breakdown and was diagnosed with PTSD.
The world outside her home had become a place of fear, and she had barely left her four walls.
Then her friend and fellow firefighter, Sandy Hearne, invited her on a yoga retreat at Byron Yoga Centre.
Sandy had been to BYC before and loved it. She knew something about the place that Fiona didn’t yet know.
So she encouraged her to come.
Fiona describes Sandy as having “literally held my hand” through that first experience.
For Fiona, arriving at BYC wasn’t just arriving at a retreat centre.
It was the first time she had stepped outside her home since her breakdown.
And something about that first visit gave her enough space to begin taking the next step.
Coming back, again and again
Since that first retreat in 2022, Fiona’s BYC journey has continued to unfold.
She completed our live-in 200hr Level 1 Yoga Teacher Training, an experience she remembers particularly fondly for the friendships and bonds she formed.
She returned for further study, including Restorative Yoga, Yin Yoga and Remedial Yoga.
She travelled with us to India, where one of her most unforgettable moments was visiting the Matrimandir at Auroville.
“I still get goose bumps and cannot believe that little ol’ me got to experience something beyond belief, almost not of this earth!”
But alongside the courses, travel and experiences, something much deeper was happening.
Every time Fiona returned, she could see her own progress.
Her most recent training was Remedial Yoga with Bec Isaacs.
And in August this year, she joined us for our very special Yoga Teachers Retreat.
Finding hope through yoga
When we asked Fiona whether there had been a teacher or experience that particularly shaped her practice, she immediately mentioned BYC founder John Ogilvie.
“Just listening to John, his story, his way of sharing yogic philosophies — could listen for hours!”
But perhaps the most powerful part of Fiona’s story is what yoga has helped her discover within herself.
“BYC and yoga helped shape my practice, my belief in myself and truly gave me hope for me and my future.”
Her relationship with yoga has changed completely since those early days when it was simply something she did for stretching.
Today, she describes yoga as something that is equally good for her as it is for the people she serves.
Sharing what she has found
Fiona now has her own little yoga studio in her converted garage at home in Drouin.
She teaches two to four classes each week, including Purna, Yin, Restorative and Yoga Nidra.
She also teaches Chair Yoga at her local lifestyle village.
And just as her own journey continues, so does her learning. Fiona is currently studying Reformer Yin and, in her words, is “always learning and enrolling in new courses”.
It feels like a beautiful continuation of where her journey began.
Something that once helped her simply move her body has become something she now shares with the people around her.
The completeness of yoga
For Fiona, part of what keeps her coming back to yoga is its completeness.
“I love the completeness of YOGA. Even a single class covers mindfulness, meditation, movement, breathwork and rest. All so good!”
It’s a sentiment that feels very close to our own philosophy at Byron Yoga Centre — that yoga is so much more than what happens on the mat.
It can meet us wherever we are.
Sometimes it helps us move.
Sometimes it helps us breathe.
Sometimes it gives us a place to be still.
And sometimes, as Fiona’s story shows, it can help us find our way back to ourselves.
Do it for you
We asked Fiona what she would say to someone who is just beginning their own yoga journey.
Her answer was simple:
“Do it for you. Listen to your heart and do it for you. The rest will follow.”
It feels like the perfect advice from someone whose own journey has been about learning to trust herself again.
From a yoga DVD bought at the post office, to stepping outside her home for the first time after her breakdown, to becoming a yoga teacher, travelling to India and creating a little studio of her own — Fiona’s story is a reminder that we never really know where one small step might lead.
We’re so grateful that one of those steps brought Fiona to Byron Yoga Centre.
And even more grateful that she keeps coming back.
Fiona, thank you for allowing us to walk alongside you, for trusting us with your story, and for sharing the practice with your own community.
We can’t wait to see where your yoga journey takes you next.
Follow Fiona’s yoga journey: Fiona Miller Yoga on Facebook.
