I’m Ntathu Allen, (she/her)

I’m a Yoga Writer + Yoga Nidra Facilitator & Mindfulness Meditation Teacher + Yoga Breathing Coach – based in London, UK and Grenada.

I teach online and in-person meditation classes, Yoga Nidra and mindfulness meditation classes… 

To support women, especially Black Women and Women of Colour, going through a difficult time and feeling stuck, breathe, rest, heal and cultivate a calmer, kinder, more loving, fruitful inner life.

So you can show up, trust and love yourself more and move forward with your dreams as you enjoy life again–without fear, shame, or pain.

 

15 Years + In-person Teaching Experience

Over the last 15 years, I have been teaching in-person yoga and meditation classes for all sectors of the community – from corporate companies to community groups and organisations specialising on wellbeing for focused groups, e.g. Chair Yoga for Women over 60, Mental Wellbeing Programmes for marginalised communities, Young Offenders, Yoga & Meditation in Prisons to the inmates and Prison Officers, and tons of private clients plus random sessions with mum and dad 🙂

With the onset of Covid, I pivoted to teach online yoga and meditation classes, specialising in offering Yoga Nidra (aka specialised guided meditation for relaxation), and mindfulness meditations for individuals and as a faculty Guest Meditation Teacher for various online mentorship and mastermind programmes.

The people I work with are kind, care about others, appreciate the planet and want to make the world a better, fairer, sustainable place for all. They have big dreams, hopes, aspirations for their lives, work ambitions, and well-being for their families.

However, they are tired, worn out and exhausted from decades of societal conditioning trying to fit in and keep up with the demands of life, the emotional labour of caring for others – and neglecting their own care.

They long to have more energy, and fewer worries- fears about their children’s safety, health, financial concerns and uncertainty about the state of the world.

They yearn for a space to unwind from the pressures they feel, to clear their mind, get their thoughts together and feel settled in their bodies, so they can fall asleep at night, wake up rested and have enough energy to do all the things they dream about and desire. 

This is our work together. 

I hold healing spaces for women, especially Black and Brown Women.

Online and in-person Yoga Nidra and mindfulness meditation classes where you can step away from the external stressors of life and have time to unwind, clear your head, breathe, rest and be.

I want you to know how to get to your place of self-trust and joy, no matter what happens around you.

My Experience of Yoga & Meditation As A Healing Practice

I believe we are here for a purpose, to care for each other and create a kinder world. 

I have lived a life in service – from working 14 years as a Probation Officer in high unemployment and poorly resourced inner-city boroughs in London, UK, to teaching yoga and meditation for the last 15 years to all community sectors. 

As a divorced mother to three young adult daughters, I have had my fair share of parenting during high-stress situations. I’m now caring for my elderly parents and keeping an eye on older relatives.

And so, like many of my clients, I am a woman of experience.

Life is challenging.

And my daily yoga asanas, pranayama and meditation practices keep me anchored and fortified and restores my sense of ease, peace, trust in myself, and hope in the world. 

So when I’m feeling scattered, overwhelmed, stuck or losing it, (hello 2020 & more…) I know how to rebalance my energy, and get my inner peace, confidence and tranquillity back. (And that’s what I want for you!)

Using Yoga to Heal My Pain

I stumbled into the world of yoga, meditation and healing following a miscarriage in 1992; the sudden deaths of my close cousin, Sherry, aged 26 in 1995, and in 1997, my kind-hearted older brother, John, aka Johnnie, aged 37. 

Until then, I was struggling to keep my head afloat from working as a Probation Officer with young offenders in the community and adults serving custodial sentences, being a mama to three young children, and coming to terms with the broken promises of my childhood. 

As children, Sherry and I dreamed of travelling. We were going to backpack and travel to “The Mountains”.

We were going to go travel around Brazil.

Sherry wanted to do road trips to and around America (I am thankful Sherry had achieved her American Dream).

I dreamt of being a truck driver or a bus driver and driving worldwide!  

To be a writer and write storybooks for children. 

To become a world-class athlete and win gold medals at the Olympics. 

I thought John and Sherry would be around forever…

In addition, as I navigated my broken dreams and promises of our society, yoga & meditation gave me hope and strength to carry on

• I promised after leaving uni to speak up, to ask for what I wanted – at home and work – and instead, my light got dimmed. 
• As a newly married wife, I promised: “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death.” — that promise ended in a devastating, ugly divorce. 
• As an idealist who promised to help people change their lives, I suffered in silence. I played safe in professional workplaces that pledged justice but were dominated by cynicism, hypocrisy and constant microaggressions from white colleagues and clients.
• And then, the biggest promise of all. As a young mother, I promised to always be there for my children. I struggled to get home in time to watch a movie together before bedtime and failed too many times to be first in line for their school plays and Parent-Teacher Evenings. I felt like I failed at doing crafts, baking, or being the always-fun mum. But without support, working mothers rarely have the resources they need to be the ‌mother they’re dreaming of. It’s heart-wrenching. A promise–of support and care–gets broken to us, which means we break promises to ourselves and even our children.

All of that made me question myself, which manifested physically–in lack of sleep, panic attacks, and not eating or taking care of myself.

Fortunately, through counselling, I met my first yoga teacher, Shola Arewa, around 1999. I started attending her weekly yoga lessons and monthly Sistah Moon Meditation Classes. 

That kicked off a decades-long journey. (Read more about my training lineage here.)

Now, aged 59, with 20-plus years of being a yoga and meditation student and teaching for the last 15 years, I love myself and am at peace with past broken promises. 

I am anchored in self-trust. I know who I am and what I want. I speak up and I have a practice that prioritises my wellbeing. 

Even when others – and our society – breaks their promises to me, I know how to honour myself. I know how to get back into balance and be kind to myself. I have that trust -and practices, that I can get back to myself.

And that’s a source of power and inner peace.

My life’s work aims to heal suffering and promote human flourishing–especially for black and brown women. 

I am here for you when you are tired of broken promises, feeling betrayed, tired of pushing through, and ready to reclaim your dreams and your self-trust. You deserve to be wrapped in self-care; you deserve to feel that unshakeable sense of self and self-acceptance.

And that is our work together.

Let me help you develop a daily meditation practice that helps quiet the noise so you can hear your truth, heal, rest, reclaim your self-trust, prioritise your well-being and recommit to promises precious to you.

Supporting you to rest, reclaim your self-trust and prioritise your well-being.

To stay connected and updated with my work and news, you can follow me on Instagram

Watch my meditation videos on YouTube.

Read my articles on Medium and subscribe to my weekly-ish newsletter Pockets of Peace (here) to help nourish, nurture, and cherish yourself as you navigate life’s difficulties – and joys. 

May the fruits of our practice heal ourselves, our families, and our community, and bless our world with truth, kindness, care, beauty and joy.

And, click here to learn about the different ways to work with me – thank you. 

Thank you, Dear Reader, for showing up, listening to your inner heartbeat and blessing the world with your care, joy and beautiful presence.

…