Francesca Quaradeghini -Wise teacher, mother, woman. October Edition.

This woman, a teacher, a wise yogini, a mindful mother, a gorgeous healer. She is always ready to nourish with her love whoever is around her. She is fire and water and soil and air. An integrated woman with her 4 elements aligned into a full-on higher service journey. She is a wonderful powerful force of creativity and action. Meet her here... and if you feel like more, we are doing a retreat together in the weeks coming ahead in Portugal... let me know if you want to know more about this (or peek into events to get info about the Portugal retreat with Francesca and me!). In the meantime, here Francesca opens a door to herself through these questions: 1. Tell us 3 things about you?

* I make friends in unlikely places and once I do I am constant and unswerving in my love for them, they are always in my heart regardless of distance, difference or deference and, just like my clothes, I keep them for years and never grow out of them.

* I once spent two years learning to sleep only on my back, it paid off as it is now the only way I sleep!

* I am so lucky to be on the board of trustees of the Ashok Tree foundation, raising funds and awareness for a little free primary school in Tamil Nadu, India among many other socially conscious projects including homes for the elderly, women's wellness camps and Food banks for the most vulnerable.

2. How did yoga happen to you?

Yoga kept knocking for me but it was only when I was working as a PR and the company's personal assistant, Susie, asked me if I would like to come to a class that I eventually said yes. I fell in love with my body piece by piece over the ensuing years. Lovely Susie is now an Ayurvedic Doctor and I thank her every day for getting me on that sticky sweaty mat!

3. How do you handle teaching with motherhood?

I was back on a mat very soon after having both my children, I was lucky that I was able to take them with me to classes, holding their little warm bodies on my shoulders or hearing them breathe as they slept on a mat by me as I taught. There was a lot of teaching, feeding, teaching and feeding but it worked for us. My babies grew up with yoga classes in their daily routine and that felt very natural and part of my silent commitment to them, myself and somehow also to practice itself. My children are a part of every aspect of my life, work and education. I try to involve them anywhere I can and although I always had children on our retreats, I now make sure that there are specific family retreats as I now truly know the value, as a parent, of being able to practice while also enjoying time with them in a way that is inclusive. Kids have fun, parents have some quiet time and everyone has a great time!

4. What is your best advice for parenthood ... pranayama pranayama pranayama!

My mantra for parenthood is 'just keep going!'

5. What feels like love to you?

I think love is being able to accept an ugly piece of furniture that is not yours and that you hate in a room that you long to be different but know the room would never feel so beautiful without it and learning to being able to work with it, until it's no longer an obstacle and until you are even happy with the rooms eccentricity and with other peoples judgement of it. This to me is freedom from the mind and freedom to me is love.

6. What is your favourite thing in the world when you feel downbeat?

Good music, Strong physical yoga practice, water, meditation, savasana, children, warm food, snuggle, sleep: in that order

7. The best advice you had been given.

Always look to yourself to make you happy. Every experience is subjective. The minute we believe otherwise we are lost.