Natalie Aris Jones

Natalie understands that life is messy, with many aspects and demands on our lives. Coming to the yoga practice to find focus and strategies for a calm mind has helped her navigate her way into living in the present and making the most of every moment. Natalie has experienced a number of transitions in the last 10 years, moving from the UK to Melbourne, then Sydney and now living on the Sunshine Coast; moving away from a career as an organisational psychologist dealing with blue chip organisations creating executive learning programs to 1:1 coaching and onto yoga. By far the most interesting journey has been to yoga; learning that our external life is created within and the many aspects of yoga – asana (postures), pranayama (breath) and the guiding practices and observances – give us all we need to lead a
balanced life.
A yoga practice with Natalie is a gentle flow, using a San Kalpa (intention) to guide thoughts and leave the yogi feeling refreshed.
Natalie has two grown up sons, makes good use of various video calling apps to enjoy a good laugh with family and friends from Canada, UK, Malta and Austria, and loves to walk her dog on the beach.

Getting to know the Zenko Team

Do you have a mantra/quote that you often turn to? 
A quote I have used many times over the years is ‘be careful what you wish for’. For me, this means thinking beyond instant gratification, considering whether what I am wishing for or aspiring to will give what I need and giving myself time to really think about consequences. This sits so beautifully with yoga where we calm the mind and train ourselves in slowing our thinking to gain clarity. A neat tool is to work through the layers of the Koshas model to find ultimate consciousness. 

How do you fill up your love tank?
I regularly pay attention to my love tank! My quick fix is to wonder at nature by stopping to literally smell the coffee, wonder at a bird as it flits around a bush, watch the waves crash on to shore, take in the colour of a flower. I could go on... I am not the only one who expounds the power of nature on well-being, it’s scientifically proven! Should I mention that my nervous energy goes into getting the house sparkling! I notice that if I go too long without speaking to special people in my life or exercising (including at least four hours a week of yoga) my love tank starts to empty. Making time to engage and purposefully not browse time away gives me a real energy boost. 

What advice would you give someone wondering whether to try yoga for the first time? 
My advice for someone who has even got to the stage of considering yoga is come! roll out your mat and be guided by yourself as much as the teacher. The environment calls for you to be reflective, energised, soothed, warm, cool, and that’s before you move! Find a time and practice that you love and you will soon be exploring more yoga, deeper thinking, better self discipline and you’ll wonder what took you so long. 
​