Anna at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Pune, India

“… Having avoided all sports at school and generally been a ‘couch potato’ I found Yoga really hard to begin with.So I was drawn to the Iyengar method as it was not just for the naturally fit and supple.

I had skeletal problems that would not respond to conventional treatment. But Yoga helped from my very first class. Since then I have used yoga to help rehabilitate myself after both serious illness and surgery.  I feel that having to come to terms with my own physical limitations has made me an understanding and empathetic teacher.

My classes focus on learning rather than simply ‘doing’. Ex- dancers and ex- gymnasts seem to be able to ‘just do it’. For the rest of us it is about finding the healthy action for us as individuals, so we need to work more mindfully.  I like to create a light-hearted atmosphere in class, with plenty of  humour to encourage students to challenge their habitual way of doing things.

I have a natural love of teaching that I hope is evident in my classes.  I see myself as a ‘professional Yoga teacher’.  What does that mean?  Well, for me it means a lot of small things that all add up.   I take my responsibilities as a teacher very seriously.  I  adhere to my professional body’s guidance carefully.   I undertake ongoing professional development  (for the last few years this has means that I have used about half of what I earn as a Yoga teacher to fund my higher level training).    It also means I take great care as a teacher to  take care of my students and to ensure their individual improvement-  regardless of their level.  This takes careful class planning to allow progression over time.

I also aim to encourage people to develop a home practice, so I design homework sheets for my students.   I’m always reviewing each students progress, and I teach in a way that encourages students to remember  poses.  I  have found that this makes them feel more confident to practice at home, thereby seeing greater improvements.

For me, yoga asana is about finding the healthy action for us as individuals rather than ‘the perfect pose’.”

In 2010 I spent a month studying with the Iyengar family in Pune.
In 2012 I passed the Junior Intermediate Level 3 Iyengar Yoga Teaching Assessment.
I continue to work and learn with senior teachers in England.
I now live with my partner and son on the South Coast, teaching classes in Worthing, Hove and London too. “