Penguin Hills Yoga & Pilates
“There is a light that shines beyond everything…this is the light that shines within your heart.”
Chhandogya Upanishad
Penguin Hills Yoga & Pilates, formerly Forest Yoga/Massage/Pilates, has been operated by Annette Loudon since 1994 in the Northern Beaches of Sydney and from 2008 in many rural and remote areas of Australia. The mission statement is based on the ancient yoga philosophy that our essence is always present and can be illuminated whatever our condition, and through this we achieve improved health and wellbeing.
In October 2018 Annette relocated permanently to the beautiful North-West Tasmanian town of Penguin (yes it does have fairy penguins) and now enjoys teaching in this pristine location at her home studio and in the community.
About Annette
Annette Loudon is qualified and accredited as a:
- Yoga therapist (C-IAYT; AAYT)
- Mentor for Yoga Teachers (YA)
- Senior yoga teacher (YA)
- Senior Fitness instructor (Fitness Australia)
She teaches Yoga and Pilates, provides Yoga Therapy in person and remotely, mentors yoga teachers and has taught on several yoga therapy courses around Australia
Integrating Yoga into daily life has been her focus since being introduced to yoga when living in remote villages in Bali in 1975. She trusts in the words of Krishnamacharya: “If you can breathe, you can do yoga;” and is committed to enabling her students to access her teaching whatever their condition or wherever they live.
For more than 25 years she has taught general classes of yoga and also more specialised yoga to people with MS, people in wheelchairs, the profoundly deaf, intellectually disabled youth, people on probation, disabled athletes, the NSW cerebral palsy soccer team, people with immune disorders, cancer and many other illnesses. Annette has worked holistically with Allied Health Professionals with a focus on rehabilitation in both Yoga and Pilates.
Annette is highly qualified, including with a Masters of Medical Sciences degree obtained by researching “The Effects of Yoga on Women with Secondary Arm Lymphoedema from Breast Cancer” with six peer-reviewed publications on this topic. She runs accredited training courses on “Yoga and Breast Cancer”, “Yoga and the Lymphatic System: Lymphoedema and Lipoedema” and “Yoga and the Immune System” and will soon be adding “Yoga for Osteoporosis”.
Annette has made DVDs for women after breast cancer treatment and those with secondary arm lymphoedema, accessible through YWCANSW Encore and Australaisan Lymphology Asscociation. She is a sought-after speaker nationally and internationally. Trained originally by Yoga for Health in Great Britain in order to teach yoga therapy, she has studied with many other teachers and traditions and continues to learn from the ancient texts of Yoga, evidence-based publications in Yogatherapy, Pilates, health, fitness, and neuroscience as well as completing ongoing education in all her fields.
Annette’s long list of tertiary qualifications* is in Education and Management, ESOL, Yoga, Pilates, Massage and Exercise Science. Her commitment to adult education has resulted in many fellowships to study course deliveries overseas. A full list of her qualifications can be viewed here.
*
- MMedSc; BA; Grad Certs Tesol; Leadership & Management
- Dip Ed; Dip Ex Sc; Dip Fitness
- Certs Yoga Therapy; Yoga (GB)
- Cert IVs Pilates; Massage; Special populations; Personal Training; Training and Assessment
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Testimonials
I first met Annette at the beginning of 2002 when I was wanting to begin gentle yoga in an attempt to gain some flexibility in my back, after having a diagnosis of advanced secondary breast cancer…Annette looked after each individual student and their particular problem in the most caring, gentle and compassionate way. It was almost as though we each had a private lesson. Particular movements were altered and modified to suit the capabilities of each one of us. Relaxation and meditation at the beginning and end of each class was inspiring and relevant to us all.
Over the time I attended Annette’s classes I witnessed many students who had very difficult medical problems but who always gained enormously from Annette’s yoga expertise and her unfaltering kindness. I can say without fear of contradiction that all of Annette’s students have nothing but praise for her ability as a yoga teacher and the utmost respect for her as a person.
Annette is an exceptional teacher who provides individual attention and exercises specific to the needs of each member of the group. Annette’s Pilates classes were recommended to me by a sports medicine specialist in order to develop strength, maintain range of movement and postpone the need for joint replacement surgery for as long as possible. Whilst I did have the surgery (hip replacement) 2 years after I commenced Pilates, I am convinced that my rapid recovery was in no small way due to the strength and stability I gained through attending Annette’s classes. I really value Annette’s warmth and her caring approach and I have learned a great deal from her.
Hi Annette,Just letting you know how much I enjoyed your DVD.
You have a really good presence in front of the camera and I found all your instructions for the yoga poses were very clear and helpful. It was good to have the explanations so I knew why actions were performed and I could listen and know what to do without always watching the TV.
Loved the candle meditation and found the information given really interesting. It was good to have both talking and silence.
Overall a great DVD which I both enjoyed and learnt a lot from.
I loved everything about the whole day – the greeting of everyone at the beginning, meeting so many wonderful people, the DVD with those beautiful indigenous women, the privilege of hearing such honest personal stories, but most of all your amazing body of knowledge and the way you presented it…