About me
- 200-hour foundation qualification (Yoga Alliance, 2020)
- Registered with Yoga Pros in the UK
- Over 130 hours of further professional training
- Over 1,000 hours of teaching experience, mostly in leisure centres
- First Aid certificate
- Professional liability insurance
I have been practising yoga regularly since 2008. I first began by attending classes at leisure centres or community centres and have practised with several different teachers in a number of different styles. For me, yoga was the kind of ‘workout’ that suited me, as someone who does not enjoy sports or going to the gym very much. I also liked the fact that it is a practice you do by yourself. I enjoyed the stretches and the building of strength and stamina.
After a period of feeling like I had reached a ‘plateau’ in my ability, I began reading about yoga in books and studying the postures in more detail to try to improve. I went to workshops (extended classes or events focused on technique or particular aspects). I also found tutorials online to study the poses in more detail, and eventually signed up for an online membership as there were no yoga studios nearby. Some of my teachers have been very inspiring and I started to develop a serious interest in yoga and I wanted to learn about the ‘principles’ of yoga, how to structure a practice and what yoga is really for.
I soon felt called to share my knowledge with others and to learn to teach. I completed my foundation 200hr teacher training in 2020 with senior teacher Janine Leagh, Director of Sacred Alchemy Yoga, at Soul Fire studios in Sheffield. Since then, my practice has changed at a deep level and I understand so much more about what yoga means, generally and for me personally. In the meantime, I have undertaken further training and am currently working towards my 300-hour teacher training certificate.
I mostly practise at home, mainly Ashtanga yoga and including some meditation and self-study. I have a particular interest in anatomy and how yoga can provide therapy for common physical ailments through movement, improved posture, and greater awareness of the body. My aim in my classes is to build strength as well as flexibility through a mix of hatha postures and elements of vinyasa flow, with a strong focus on safe and healthy alignment. I believe in inclusive classes for all body shapes and levels of ability, as well as finding the appropriate modifications for students so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of yoga.