Ellie Smith is the Founder and CEO of Ellie Smith Yoga Ltd, a small business aimed at helping new and returning professionals get started with yoga, stick with it, and apply its principles and techniques to help them reduce public speaking anxiety and improve their overall public speaking presence. Since moving to Japan in 2005, Ellie obtained a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics and has worked in several educational institutions, including Japanese universities, where she primarily teaches Communication and Cultural Studies courses. In 2021, after 14 years of personal practice, she obtained her yoga teaching certification from Akasha Yoga Academy. She is a trauma-informed yoga teacher and holds several qualifications, including certifications in breathwork, yin yoga, and teaching yoga to beginners.
Ellie Smith, Yoga Instructor
What is your business name and how do you help your clients?
My business name is highly imaginative, Ellie Smith Yoga Ltd. When I was just starting out with this idea, I couldn’t come up with anything clever that wasn’t confusing, so I went with who I am and what I do!
I aim to help new and returning professionals apply beginner-friendly principles and techniques from yoga in two main ways. First, it will help them reduce their public speaking anxiety. This is one of the most common fears we humans have, and it can create a substantial obstacle in helping people achieve the success they desire. Secondly, to help people improve their public speaking presence. There are many practices and concepts in yoga that can help with public speaking components such as improving vocal tone and posture and even harnessing the power of silence.
Tell us a bit about your story – how did you build your career until this point?
After graduating from university in 2005, I came to Japan for a working holiday. The intention was to stay for a year before continuing my studies in natural disasters, but 19 years later I appear to still be on that gap year! I began, as many of us do here, teaching English as a foreign language, gaining a CELTA qualification and a Master’s in Applied Linguistics in the process. I began practicing yoga in my tiny living room in 2007, which was recommended to me by an ex as a means to lose weight. I found that it gave me something I’d been missing for a long time: a sense of calm and self-confidence. (And self-acceptance when it came to my weight, hence why the ex is now an ex). I began to accept who I was and even to like who it made me. I’ve stuck with it ever since.
What is your purpose, mission, and driving force for your work? What inspired you to create Ellie Smith Yoga Ltd?
While teaching English is enjoyable and valuable, this has never been my sole true calling. While teaching at a university during the pandemic I stumbled across what I do now. We noticed an exponential increase in students dealing with anxiety and subsequently, depression. It was during presentation weeks that I noticed an increase in absences. Digging deeper, many students confessed to feeling so anxious around presenting in front of peers they’d rarely interacted with (due to the pandemic) that they felt unable to perform. This was preventing them from flourishing both academically and personally.
It was during one particularly awkward presentation where I was questioning all my career choices that it hit me. The thing that keeps me calm and grounded is yoga. If it works for me, why not them, too? So, we began including simple yoga practices including breathwork, poses, and meditation.
Fast forward a few months and the same members of the awkward presentation were again up in front of the class. One of the most nervous members stumbled over his words. Previously, this would have derailed him entirely. This time, he took two deep breaths, regained his composure, and started again. He carried his team to the finish line. This was my Eureka moment. Though Ellie Smith Yoga was (and still is) originally aimed at yoga beginners, this moment felt like a true calling. Use it to help people like this. Ones who have been searching for answers to help ease PSA, who’ve done all they know to do and are still at a loss.
What is your motto?
Focus on the feeling and adjust accordingly.
Often, in yoga, we push ourselves too hard, too fast. We ignore signals from our body that it’s not quite ready yet and end up injuring ourselves. I make it a personal promise to use this motto throughout each yoga class, enabling my students to develop the skill of really listening to their body and modifying a pose when they think they need it. This helps them maintain discipline with the practice, reduce the risk of injury, and develop a sense of agency – they get to decide what feels right for them, and they don’t have to follow a one-size-fits-all blueprint that may not be suitable for them.
This motto also works off the mat. I encourage students and clients to use it whenever they are about to do something they perceive as a little bit scary. For example, just before an interview, take a few moments to tune into how you feel. Try to label it. Then, try to discern if there is anything you need to adjust to feel a little bit calmer. If you feel nervous, that’s OK. Label it, then take a few deep breaths, making sure to exhale fully. This might not eliminate the nerves, but it will take the edge off a little, meaning you can put your best foot forward in the interview.
What are some common misconceptions about your industry? How do you and your business address them?
I think the biggest barrier to many people when it comes to yoga is the idea that you need to be young and flexible to practice. This just wholeheartedly isn’t true. If you can breathe, you can practice yoga. Being able to touch your toes or gracefully slide down into the full splits without so much as a grimace is not a prerequisite to practicing yoga. If it was, I shouldn’t be doing it either. To that end, I try to design classes that are accessible – meaning I provide modifications and variations for poses that many might find a bit of a struggle. Once we take the struggle out and learn to coordinate movement with breath, that’s when we can start working on our mobility.
Another misconception regarding yoga is that it is confined to the four corners of the yoga mat, and is purely a fitness regime with some spiritual quotes thrown in for good measure. Yoga is and always was meant to be a practical guide for how to live a peaceful life. To emphasize this, I always remind my students that yoga poses are just one small facet of a much larger landscape. I incorporate tidbits of yoga philosophy where relevant and ensure that breathwork and meditation receive just as much attention as yoga poses. I also endeavor to demonstrate how these practices can be used in our daily lives. I do this by showing how yoga can be used to improve our public speaking presence and reduce public speaking anxiety. At some point, we will all have to do some sort of public speaking, and yoga can be a great tool in helping us to get through it successfully and with confidence.
What are your current goals for your business?
This year, my goals are to expand my reach and to build awareness around who I serve and how. I’m hoping to release a podcast towards the end of this year that aims to do just that. Additionally, I am currently in the process of developing several online workshops and on-demand courses that give my clients quick yet sustained results. I am very excited about this and can’t wait to see the impact it has on my clients.
For readers inspired by this conversation and eager to start their journey, what first steps would you recommend?
I think it’s brilliant that you’re curious (perhaps even a little suspicious) about how yoga can help you. The first step I’d recommend is to sign up for my weekly newsletter, “Simply Yoga.” This will provide you with resources and tips to help you get started and stay the course. You’ll also get a free guide on how to get started with yoga at home and how to address some common misconceptions you might hold about yoga.
The second step I’d recommend is to start developing a breathing practice. Your breath is your anchor, your guide. It gives clues as to how you’re feeling and what adjustments you need to make to feel more at ease. The guide mentioned above contains simple instructions for belly breathing. Honestly, it’s my go-to breathing practice these days as it instantly helps me feel calmer and more in control.
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