ABOUT ME

My approach

It would be fair to say that I am not in the first flush of youth, so if you are looking for a young pretzel teacher then look away now as I am more of an old squishy dough ball! I believe that yoga is for EVERYONE and the people who say "I am too old, too inflexible, too over weight etc to do yoga" are exactly the kind of people who should be getting on the mat! Yoga is not about tying yourself in knots and looking good on Instagram - it is about caring for your body and your mind so that you are able to be happy and live the best possible life! My approach to classes is gentle, fun and relaxing!

How I got to train to be a yoga teacher!

Yoga has been on my radar since I was about 11 when I watched Richard Hittleman’s Yoga for Health on the telly. I was so inspired that I set up yoga classes for all the other kids in the street on my parents' front lawn! I don’t think they lasted very long but the practice sowed a little seed in my consciousness that has been with me ever since.

My next brush with yoga was on, what my husband calls, “my hippy drama degree”. We did all sorts of weird and wonderful things in the name of “total theatre” (one rather gruesome session involved real bulls' eyes!) and yoga was one of the tools that we used to “centre” ourselves. My memories of that time are mixed – from an amazing session on a deserted beach in Cornwall with our drama group to an overweight tutor who would often wear very small loose shorts that really did let it all hang out!

Perhaps that is why it took another 20 or so years before I came back to yoga (!!) which I have now been enjoying since 2004. However various changes in my personal life in the last year prompted me to start digging a bit deeper with my yoga practice and to look at the option of teaching. I’ve done a fair amount of teaching in a variety of areas over the years – from English and Drama in secondary schools back in my 20’s to event management at a local FE college to, most recently, teaching IT to silver surfers.

After hours of reading, information requests and deliberation I finally opted for a level 3 Diploma course with the YMCA. This is a fully credited 500 hour blended learning course that includes online tutorials for the theory modules (health fitness practice, anatomy and physiology).

After a pretty intensive but amazing practical course in London I was thrilled to pass my practical exam at the end of March this year and in August I sat the final anatomy exams  which I am pleased to say I  also passed making me a fully qualified teacher!

I started teaching local classes in 2018 and since then have added to my qualifications undertaking trainings in Chair yoga, yin yoga and children's yoga. But the end of 2019 I was offering four classes and had new ones in the pipeline along with plans for more day retreats and sessions in homes for the elderly. Then COVID hit and everything stopped.

Going forward into 2021

Fast forward to spring 2021 - and what a time we have had of it! I used time in lockdown to record nearly 100 online videos to support my classes but with the lifting of restrictions I will be going back to face to face teaching from 17 May. There are lots of stipulations about undertaking this safely and within the regulations but you can rest assured I will be following these to the letter. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to restarting classes (if a little nervous) and have lots of ideas and plans in the pipeline  for more classes as we move further out of lockdown. for details about booking classes please visit the bookings page.

I look forward to seeing you all in person on the mat very soon!