Suzanna Thell
Teacher, author, storyteller and founder of The Yoga Garden
What I'm passionate about
Planting seeds of hope and raising consciousness
Movement and Mindfulness in Education
More than just mindfulness and movement, we help children explore their bodies and the spaces within, building up confidence in themselves and a sense of who they are in the world. A non-competitive, safe and fun space for kids to develop essential life-long skills.
Workshops and Mini Retreats for Teachers
Professional Learning Workshops aim to increase staff's awareness of their own health and well-being while learning many yoga, relaxation and mindfulness techniques that can be incorporated into the classroom, bringing out the best in the children you teach.
Dru Yoga - Group & Private Classes; Online and In-person
Treat yourself to a weekly dose of nurturing yoga helping you stay balanced, flexible and grounded. Add to this the magic of breathwork and relaxation to completely rejuvenate and restore your central nervous system. Reconnect to what really matters and be the best version of you.
Deer-lightful, a Yoga Story awakening to the light within
Deer-lightful, my first picture book, is the story of the musk deer presented through Dru Yoga's foundation sequence, Energy Block Release 1. The deer's journey is a beautiful analogy of how we sometimes need to hit rock bottom in life to awaken and come home to the truth of who we are.
I want to express my appreciation for Year 12 student, Trisha Saini, for the stunning video showcased below. Trisha, a student at Canberra Girls Grammar, joined my yoga classes on Tuesday afternoons. After one of our sessions, she inquired about using me as the focus for a media elective project, and I gladly agreed. She has done an incredible job portraying the genuine essence of how Dru yoga has significantly impacted my life, providing a wonderful journey of transformation!
A bit of my story
and why I do what I do
Like many of us, I have navigated the rollercoaster of life, experiencing both triumphs and challenges. At some point, I internalized the all-too-familiar notion that I wasn’t enough. This belief influenced my life for a considerable time — until my yoga journey opened my eyes to my true self and empowered me to change my story. Over the years, I’ve realized how prevalent this belief is; it’s a weight that many of us bear, often without awareness. This understanding drives my commitment to my work: to help transform these outdated beliefs and establish a new legacy for our children — one grounded in self-love, empathy, connection, and the recognition that we are all perfectly unique in our own extraordinary ways!
That’s what inspired me, back in 2005, to create The Yoga Garden, a business offering yoga and mindfulness programs to support children’s emotional, physical, and social wellbeing. Whether in early learning centres or primary schools, these programs offer children simple, powerful tools to help them feel calm, connected, and confident — within themselves, with others, and with the world around them. These tools also support a more peaceful, present, and harmonious learning environment for parents and educators.
At the heart of it all is a belief that every child deserves to know their true worth — not necessarily because of what they can do, but because of who they are.
That same vision inspired me to write Deer-lightful, a children’s story woven with wisdom and wonder. It follows a young deer on a journey to find true happiness, gently reminding all that everything we need is already within us. The story is brought to life with a Dru Yoga sequence and guided relaxation — turning story time into a deeply nurturing experience for body, heart and mind.
Over the years, I’ve had the joy of watching children grow with these practices — becoming more settled, self-aware, and more connected to who they are.
In today’s fast-paced, tech-saturated world, this kind of grounding is more important than ever, which is why I also train teachers. Yoga teachers can train in the 30-hour Dru Kids and Teens course, and classroom teachers can learn how they can better support children in the classroom through professional learning workshops.
Whether you're a parent, teacher, or just someone who cares deeply about children’s wellbeing, I’d love to connect. Together, we can help nurture a generation that feels safe in their own skin and strong in their own hearts.
When you look at a tree and perceive its stillness, you become still yourself. You connect with it at a very deep level.
You feel a oneness with whatever you perceive, in and through stillness.
Eckhart Tolle
Believe in people... they fly for a day.
Teach them to believe in themselves... they soar for a lifetime!