member spotlight with ainslie speedy
Q: Tell us about yourself and I AM Yoga?
We are a yoga and wellbeing business based in the King Country, passionate about sharing yoga with communities in the region, and online. After struggling with my own mental health and multiple stress-related illnesses I started practicing yoga to help with these. It changed my life and I knew I had to share this with more people. I started my business in 2018 after returning from an incredible 2 month solo trip to India where I completed my first (200hr) yoga teacher training. Since then I've completed over 600 more hours of study (I am a bit of a science/personal growth/mental wellbeing nerd) It's been my mission to make yoga accessible and inclusive to every body.
It started out with just me, then Covid happened so I had to pivot to online and I created an online yoga studio - I thought it would just be a temporary thing but even today it's still going strong! I now have a team of 5 teachers (both online and in-person) and I couldn't do this mahi without them! I love that each of us has our own magic to share and that our communities get that variation and different perspectives. Over the years I've expanded my offerings into retreats, day retreats, workshops, kids yoga, 1:1s, small groups, community based wellbeing projects, and online courses. I am a manifesting generator in human design so I love variation and am very multi passionate.
To me, practicing and teaching yoga is about creating space to move out of the monkey mind, stress management, connection to self and community, nervous system nourishment, resilience, being playful, self awareness, listening to our bodies and giving ourselves permission to slow down from the incredibly fast pace of life.
I love bringing real life struggles to our mats and shedding yoga wisdom. The power is when we start to integrate what we learn on the mat and bring this into our everyday life. My most recent fascination (and slight obsession) is how to be with and process emotions via the body-mind system (somatics), the journey from our heads to our hearts, body and innate wisdom (embodiment) and how to communicate effectively and compassionately with others.
Our in-person classes have us travelling every week around the King Country, from Otorohanga to Piopio, bringing people together through the practice of yoga. We teach all sorts of groups including working professionals, farmers, kids, Mums n Bubs, teachers, rugby teams etc.
We are all about educating our communities that you don't have to be flexible, strong, thin or spiritual to practice yoga. It truly is a practice that anyone can do if they want to gain a better connection to themselves, feel stronger and more mobile in their bodies, and help find better ways to manage stress, anxiety and the mental struggles we all deal with.
Q: What's your favourite and least favourite thing about being a small business owner?
My favourite thing is the time freedom it brings me to make space to do more of the things I love. I also love that it's a full expression of me and my passions and that it expands and grows with my own personal development. My least favourite thing is definitely working alone a lot, and (used to be) at home where I am way less focussed and productive - that's why I am The Business Collective's biggest fan!
Q: What do you like to do outside of work?
I love anything to do with being in nature - hiking, swimming in the ocean/lakes, camping and my daily barefoot grounding walks. I also love spending time with my dog Bela, friends, family and 2 gorgeous nephews. I am a massive foodie too, so cooking and eating food are also up there with my fave things to do!
If you would like to connect with Ainslie, please feel free to contact her:
Website: https://iamyoga.co.nz/
Email: ainslie@iamyoga.co.nz
Instagram: @iamyoganz
Phone: 027 5133692