I first came to yoga at university and then thirty years ago discovered Iyengar yoga through my mother and under the guidance of my first teachers, Ursula Schoonraad, John Shirbon and John Claxton, all who inspired me individually.
I worked in international policy juggling work and travel with my young family; it was yoga which helped keep the balance. I began teacher training with Ursula and subsequently Sheila Haswell which deepened my practice further and I have enjoyed teaching a variety of classes since I qualified in 2009. I continue to learn with Sheila, Julie Hodges and Julie Brown; their wisdom, patience and in depth teaching have been all inspiring and they provide invaluable guidance and support in my practice and teaching. In 2019 I qualified as a Level 3 teacher.
As a student and teacher I continue to be challenged on the vast subject of yoga. I attend workshops, exchange of learning days and conventions across the UK led by senior teachers, including teachers from Pune and the Institute, Abhijata Iyengar and those who worked closely with BKS Iyengar and his daughter Geeta Iyengar, most regularly Uday Bhosale based in the UK. I have been fortunate to have visited Pune and been taught by Geeta, Prashant and Abhijata Iyengar during the Centenary celebrations of BKS Iyengar’s birth in 2018. I will be forever grateful to have been a recipient of Geeta’s last days of her devoted teaching and wisdom.
I continue to study yoga philosophy and completed modules on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali led by Sheila Haswell and Gitte Bechsgaard, an expert on philosophy, Sanskrit and Eastern psychology, studying the meanings and Sanskrit of the Sutras and how we apply them to our practice and everyday lives.
Yoga has brought only benefits: to my health and well-being, to my attitude to life and dealing with its challenges, on a personal level and in the wider world. The teaching and sharing of yoga is so rewarding, even more as I continue to learn and develop through my students.
