14: Deborah Hill

This week I’m talking to Deborah Hill.
This is a special podcast as Deborah joins me from the Namkhan Eco Lodge in Luang Prabang in Laos where she is teaching yoga and hosting yoga retreats. (Have a laugh at me pronouncing that one!) Yes, all of this in the middle of a global pandemic!
So, how on earth did she (a fellow Midlander) get there, and more to the point…why? Well, if we rewind a bit, Deborah has worked in the fitness industry for over 20 years and has been practicing yoga since 2014. She became an Ashtanga Vinyasa teacher in 2017. I met Deborah during our Yin yoga teacher training a couple of years ago and was really surprised by her journey, even then, when she told me a bit about herself.
Deborah used to be work in the UK Prison Service and as such had a very demanding and challenging career (both physically and emotionally). I’ll talk to Deborah about what it was like to work in that environment, as well as how she came across yoga, reconciling that work environment with yoga and then deciding to become a full time teacher and leave her career behind. At the end of 2018 she spent 6 weeks studying yoga in India and then, in the spring of 2019, Deborah decided to rent out her house and go travelling firstly to Thailand (where she completed another 200 hour TT and a further 300 hour TT), then to Malaysia, Indonesia and now Laos - I’ve been following her journey ever since. I’ve often wondered how she managed when the pandemic kicked off being so far from the UK, so we’ll find out what she’s been doing while we’ve been stuck indoors. I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation.
Please let Deborah know what you thought of this episode - you can contact Deborah through her Facebook which is Deborah Hill or she all has a page called The Bee Community and her insta is The_Bee Community
She recommends Lokah Peace on Earth by Carrie Grossman as her Savasana Sounds, as well as Spark in the Night by Singh Kaur and another by Devi Sukhtam (which I can’t find!) so plenty to have a listen to.
Support Enjoyed listening? Then please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast. If you’d like to support That Yoga Woman’s Podcast you can donate via www.paypal.me/thatyogawoman
About Your host is Jules Buchanan, a British yoga teacher in her forties. Married (without children, but with a gorgeous Labrador called Diesel), she’s Brummie born but is now based in Bedfordshire and has been teaching yoga for 3 years.
Find out more about Jules by visiting www.thatyogawoman.com Check our her range of organic cotton, yoga inspired tops at www.thatyogawoman.com/shop Follow her on Instagram @thatyogawoman Like and follow her Facebook page @thatyogawoman
If you have any feedback or know a yogi, teacher or studio owner that you think would be a great guest, then email me: info@thatyogawoman.com
The next episode is out in a fortnight.