Lucy EM Hunter

MA (Hons) Religious Studies Dip.Ed.

Lucy taught yoga for many years having originally trained in the Iyengar method in Edinburgh in the early 80’s. She later studied Pilates with the Pilates Institute. Her emphasis was always on precision, moving from the core and paying attention to the biomechanical aspects of the body. John Stirk's Structural Fitness was a great source of inspiration to her.

An inner motivation to be embodied, no doubt led her to choose to become a yoga practitioner and teacher back in the 80’s, rather than pursue an academic career. Her MA was in religious Studies, specialising in Jewish Mysticism. After 45 years of yoga teaching, she has stepped back in order to dedicate herself to more fully birthing her books. Although it might be more accurate to say she was prised away from teaching by a recent heart issue which changed her energy levels and rather left her with no choice but to turn into her interior world. Luckily this suits her very well! And she does still run a couple of private classes for a few stalwart pupils.

Group Facilitation:

Back in the early 80’s Lucy and her then partner and father of her son were busy bringing Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects or Despair and Empowerment, as it was called then, to Britain. They established a newsletter Threads back in the days of cut and paste on the kitchen table, which was sent out from their home deep in the Welsh hills to those interested. Many of the people in this little network have gone on to become pivotal in the deep ecology movement. Seeds sown back then have grown into trees! They used to organise regular peer run workshops where folk could share deeply in groups following the format of exercises Joanna had set out in her books, as well as facilitating workshops for the many Peace Groups which were active at that time. Lucy’s next book Freya Walks for Life will draw inspiration from those days.

Healing:

Lucy discovered a healing gift aged 5 or 6 when her mother wrenched her knee out of alignment whilst tripping bringing food to the table. Without a thought she shot under the table put her hand on her mother’s knee and something clicked back and her mum was instantly fine again. It happened so fast no one really noticed.

It wasn’t until the early 90’s that she started to train in Healing, first with Ruth White of Gildas fame at Le Plan International School of Healing in France where she had the great joy to study and explore over 2 years in the delightful surrounding of Le Plan in France, with Ruth and other healers. Later in the 80’s she studied for many years at the feet of renowned spiritual teacher and healer Mike Robinson where she received a Certificate of Excellence in his Advanced Healing Skills Course in 2003.

Past Lives:

Lucy’s healing journey led her to be faced with many disturbing ‘memories’ of another time and place and this led her, in the mid 90’s to Diane Park an Australian Past Life therapist. Lucy subsequently spent several years studying intensively with her and learning many of her amazing techniques. Diane trained in India and had an extraordinary grounding in so many aspects of inner journey work. She was incredibly thorough and a real stickler for proper procedure. Sadly, she died some years ago but her work changed many lives and all who studied with her carry her teachings with them.

Yoga

Chakra Exploration Teaching:

Lucy ran courses for interested yoga pupils on Chakra Exploration using lots of the wonderful techniques and exercises she herself had benefitted from during her studies. For a few delightful years, before the pandemic put a stop to it, she teamed up with Achim Brandenburg a gong and sound bath practitioner. Together they created Into the Present! where participants could combine connecting into their bodies with the yoga; each week focusing on a different chakra; to then going on to enjoy one of Achim’s legendary sound baths. In this way consolidating the insights from the yoga exploration, bringing grounding and healing.

Community Activities and Initiatives:

In 2015, Lucy set up Family Walks for the Edinburgh Ramblers. These ran for quite a few years right up to the pandemic. These were an opportunity for families to be introduced to some of the great walks in and around Edinburgh and allow that magic connection with nature to happen when opportunity is given. They became quite an international affair with sometimes more than nine different nationalities represented. Lucy set these up to honour her father John Bate after his death in 2015, as he was a great leader of walks for all his many offspring. FBugggyWalks image

On the back of this venture Lucy was invited by Edinburgh Council to tender to set up a new initiative Edinburgh Buggy Walks. Lucy teamed up with Oddny Johnsdottir and they won the tender and spent some 2 or 3 years perfecting the format before handing over to a committee. It a source of great satisfaction to see these walks are still flourishing; giving those with young babies a great way to get out and about in the fresh air and beautiful green spaces of Edinburgh together with those others at a similar stage of life.

Lucy lives contentedly in Edinburgh and enjoys trips to London and beyond. Visits to her beloveds including her two grandchildren, give her the perfect excuse to do what she loves best, which is to play! When not at her desk, she dabbles with dowsing having done courses with Rory Duff and discovered an aptitude. She enjoys tending to her garden - green vegetables and roses are her specialities, and she loves the connection she finds dancing Argentine Tango. Little strolls in nature bring her great joy.