I got into yoga 16 years ago after my husband said ‘I have a mate at work who teaches yoga, shall we give it a go?’

Well, I was a complete gym fanatic who had what could be construed as a rather full-on obsession and routine for the gym. I never missed my sessions and I loved my personal training. I went to my first yoga class and that was it!! My passion changed from weights and running machines to Yoga, Yoga and more Yoga. I had a lot of chunky muscle from my gym routines, but lost 4.5st and developed a wonderfully strong core as well as toning and keeping my muscle strength. The buzz of yoga combined with the stillness in relaxation and meditation is so wonderfully intense, energising, invigorating with a deep sense of calm that it’s no surprise it became my way of life so quickly.

I qualified in 2003/2004 and embarking on my teacher training journey was the most important thing to me. I was lucky to have the best teachers and my husband Pat was also with me on the course. Pat wanted to do it to deepen his own practice but I always knew I’d like to do both, deepen my own practice and teach others too. A trip to India, ashram life and lots more learning was incredible.

For me yoga can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be. I can jog around the block or take on the marathon, and yoga is the same: we can go easy or we can step it right up!! Yoga is the complete mind, body and soul workout and it keeps me energised and powered up all day every day, whether I am teaching classes or busy with my life coaching clients or delivering training workshops.

I see a lot of clients who have stress and anxiety management issues and I weave a lot of the breathing and relaxation techniques that I have learnt into those sessions and get so much positive feedback and it makes me so happy. Helping people to help themselves and make a difference is paramount to me and a combination of yoga theory and the practical techniques of breath work and movement have so much impact.

I have seen so many positive examples and benefits of how people have been helped by practising yoga. I will never forget the story of a lovely lady who had been travelling abroad for a long time with a heavy rucksack on her back and her sternum and ribs were very painful due to her rounded shoulders and poor posture from the weight of her rucksack. Yoga helped her to realign her body, correct her posture and eradicate the pain. I remember she brought a smaller rucksack and went back on her travels!!

Back pain is a big reason that people give yoga a go and I am always pleased to hear that doctors, physiotherapists and osteopaths recommend yoga for so many ailments. I recently taught an 80-year-old lady how to breathe properly using her abdomen and she reported back within a week that she was sleeping better, her blood pressure was reduced and her asthma was more in control.

I also teach yoga and relaxation as well as de-stress workshops to vulnerable adults who have had episodes of mental health with very high anxiety, depression and, in many cases, panic attacks. To watch how people relax and let go in my sessions is so very rewarding. Yoga teaches us to stay in the present moment and be with the sensations and feelings in the body; we work with the breath to open and expand the body and mind and to guide us to where our points of resistance are.

We have different bodies on different days and practising with an even mind and not being in competition with ourselves or each other is vital. You do not need to be a gymnast or super bendy to practise yoga – this comes in time with regular practice and enjoying your yogic journey. I would encourage anyone considering having a go at yoga to put on some comfy loose clothing and turn up on a mat with no expectations and an open mind – it will be the best thing you could do for yourself!

 

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