Helen Cushing

Helen is a freelance writer and yoga teacher living in Tasmania who writes extensively on plants, gardening, rewilding, nature, travel, yoga/spirituality, and peace.

Helen is a freelance writer and yoga teacher living in Tasmania. She came to Tasmania many years ago as an environmental activist and stayed out of love for its natural beauty, wild places and friendly community. Helen has also lived in Christchurch, Sydney, Bellingen and India. Helen has written, and continues to write, extensively on plants, gardening, rewilding, nature, travel, yoga/spirituality, and peace.

Helen was born in Christchurch and grew up mainly in Sydney. After school she qualified in Horticulture and later, did a B.A. in Communications (University of Technology, Sydney). Much later she completed a Graduate Certificate in Peace and Conflict Studies (University of Sydney) and is now enrolled in a Masters of Social Justice (Peace and Conflict Studies).

In between all that Helen trained as a yoga teacher, taught horticulture and creative writing, worked for ABC TV's Gardening Australia, and managed yoga businesses in Hobart for 20 years.

Helen's yoga teaching took an unexpected direction when she was asked to teach Vietnam War Veterans. She developed an interest in yoga for trauma recovery, ultimately producing a short documentary (Heroes of Peace) and writing a book on the subject (Hope: How Yoga Heals the Scars of Trauma). She travelled to Colombia, Serbia, Finland and other UK and European countries teaching yoga for trauma recovery, including to Colombian war victims and Ukrainian refugees.

Helen lived in a yoga ashram in India for two years where she edited books, took photos and taught yoga.

Helen has two children and a grand daughter in Hobart, where she lives with her partner.

Helen's writing circles around anything to do with plants, from gardening to rewilding, plus travel, yoga/spirituality, peace and, long ago she used to write fiction. Find out more about her writing at www.helencushing.com