anna oldfield

Whenever I’m asked to write a bio I feel like I’m starting a game of ‘yoga stereotype bingo’ where I could just be on to a winning streak. It is this awareness which drives me to dig deep into the uncomfortable feelings around the privileges which have smoothed the path to where I stand today. Being part of a teaching programme which strives to improve inclusion and increase diversity is therefore a great honour. 
 
I’m an Oxford-based yoga teacher and sound bath facilitator with an academic foundation in literature and language, and a background in  inclusion for arts events. I’m not really sure who I am, who I’m becoming, or where I am going, but yoga is always part of the answer. 
 
My teaching is anchored in nature’s cycles as a way of living and understanding what lies within and outside of us. Cultivating curiosity as a state of compassionate awareness is the theme which underpins all of my offerings, whether I am sharing yoga or meditation, holding a women’s circle or facilitating creative practice; curiosity about the relationship between body and mind, self and space, inner and outer worlds, physical sensation and emotional response…I bring this sense of enquiry to all aspects of my life and teachings, and feel richer for it (even on a yoga teacher’s salary). 

My own journey into motherhood bloomed into a specialism in pre- and post-natal support, and also brought the analogy of midwifery to the role I aim to embody: a watchful presence holding space and maintaining a safe environment for individuals undertaking what may be(come) transformational journeys. Whether I meet a student for an hour, or walk beside and learn alongside them for many years, I strive to stand as a witness to their own processes of unfurling and growth. 

trainings & education

200hrs Vinyasa Flow : YogaLondon, 2010

Pregnancy Yoga: Brigit Kramer-Woods, 2013

Introduction to Sound Healing: Sheila Whittaker, 2014

Gong Master Training: Don Conreaux, Tom Soltron and Abby Delsol, 2015

Postnatal Yoga: Yoga Mama, 2019

Mental Resilience Trainer: Tough Cookie (2020, ongoing)

workshops & cpd

Theo Wildcroft: Post-Lineage Yoga in a nutshell (online), 2020 (ongoing)

Introduction to Yin Yoga: Shanti Atma, 2020 [10 hours]

Uma Dinsmore-Tuli & Lucy Arnby-Wilson: Total Yoga Nidra for children, 2018 [6 hours]

Uma Dinsmore- Tuli & Susie Ro: Dreamsong Yoga Nidra and Your Voice: Vocal Explorations for Yoga Nidra teachers, 2018 [6 hours]

Uma Dinsmore-Tuli & Sivani Mata Francis: Creativity, Sexuality and Cycles of our lives, 2017 & 2019 [6 hours]

Uma Dinsmore-Tuli: Yoga Therapy for Menstrual Health and Fertility, 2019 & 2020 [6 hours]