Qualifications and Training

Yoga Teacher & Yoga Therapy Training Qualifications

Below are some of the trainings I’ve done to become the yoga teacher I am now.

Yoga teachers are eternal students so I continue to evolve and learn from teachers I respect and follow. Often, we measure our training in hours but I believe in quality over quantity.

The minimum standard yoga teacher qualification is 200 hours - I’ve done well over a thousand hours of training (not including academic work) and thousands of hours teaching and delivering courses to yoga teachers.

• 2009 Foundation Yoga Course with the British Wheel of Yoga (BWY) in Yorkshire.

• 2009 Yoga Teacher Training Course 200 hours in India, Kerala. Accredited by Yoga Alliance.*

• 2010-15 Professional Yoga Teacher and Yoga Therapy Training course with Paul Harvey, Bristol, UK.

Accredited by the BWY, European Union of Yoga Federation and the Complimentary and Natural Healthcare Council. Paul is a direct student of T.K.V. Desikachar (son of Krishnamacharya).

The five years of training with Paul Harvey in the Krishnamacharya tradition were the most influential on how I now teach yoga. My teaching focuses on the therapeutic application of yoga to the individual, breath awareness, mindful, meditative movement and the study of yoga philosophy. I am committed to accessible, inclusive yoga and am adept at designing chair-based classes, slow classes and practices for support specific needs such MS, postpartum, stress, anxiety, back pain, fatigue. Since my training I have been teaching yoga one to one and to groups.

The principle of applying yoga to the needs of the student(s) remains central. This idea comes from viniyoga, a term found from the text the Yoga Sutras (3.6) meaning the application of yoga. ‘Viniyoga’ was used by both Desikachar and Paul Harvey to describe their teaching style, for many years. The term ‘viniyoga’ is a useful shorthand but it has also been commandeered by some people with whom I do not, and cannot align myself, for ethical reasons. But I still adhere to the principle.

Over the years I’ve had many teachers and influences; my teaching has evolved - as I hope it will continue to do so as I learn and grow - so I now consider myself to be a post-lineage teacher - a term coined by Theo Wildcroft, who I have learnt from and collaborated with.

• 2011 Yoga for Pregnancy with Paul Harvey, Bristol UK.

• 2014/15 MA in the Traditions of Yoga and Meditation at SOAS, University of London.

• 2017 Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training with Uma Dinsmore Tuli, Yogacampus, London.

I have included pregnant yoga students into my general and yin classes, and taught people who are pregnant and post-partum on a one to one basis, since 2011.

In 2017 I trained with Uma Dinsmore Tuli in pregnancy yoga and now teach classes specifically for those who are pregnant. These classes give you a chance to meet others at this stage in their lives. They provide space and support as your body changes and to learn from others also experiencing pregnancy.

• 2019 Total Yoga Nidra Immersion Experience, Yogacampus, London.

• 2019 Yin Yoga with Norman Blair, Yogacampus, Manchester.

I assisted Norman on this yin yoga training, in person, and again online in 2020.

• 2020 Restorative Yoga: The Art and Science of Rest and Relaxation with Adelene Cheong, Yogacampus, Manchester.

• 2020 Post Lineage Yoga & Trauma and Teaching Relationships with Theo Wildcroft.

*Given the allegations brought against the organisation (Sivananda Yoga) and some its leading members, I do not recommend this course. I have included it for transparency. For more information please see the survivors group Project SATYA.

Mentoring & Teaching Experience

I have been mentoring and training yoga teachers since 2016 - this includes formally observing and assessing classes as part of trainees qualifying process, assisting teachers on training courses, co-teaching, teaching and facilitating courses for yoga teachers. Here are some recent highlights.

• 2020 - present. I have been facilitating the Yogacampus online course A Comprehensive History of Yoga: Research and Scholarship. I manage the online discussion forums and hold live discussion groups. I call this facilitation rather than teaching as I am holding space for people to learn, rather than lecturing. I also mark final essays.

• 2022 - 2024 I was a board member of, lead trainer, and teach on the Manchester Yogacampus Yoga Teacher Training Diploma course for 3 years. I previously worked managing the Yogacampus diploma courses, supporting students behind the scenes. As a board member and trainer I worked face to face with the students, teaching and assessing throughout the 16 month diploma course.

• 2021 & 2022 I co-taught a course with Harriet McAtee and Theo Wildcroft, ‘Yoga, Trauma and the Nervous System’, online. This was practical, theoretical and emotional.

• 2019 & 2020 I assisted Norman Blair on his 5 day Yogacampus Yin Yoga training course in person, in Manchester and then online. I supported Norman, the students and gave feedback during assessments.

• 2016 - 2021 I worked as the Yogacampus Diploma Operations Manager, overseeing the 200 hour yoga teacher training diploma and yoga therapy diploma courses.

Are you a yoga teacher in need of support? Maybe you need feedback on your teaching, advice about where to market your classes, whether or not to take a job or how to approach studios.

I can help - get in touch for more information.

Academic Work

I am currently a PhD candidate at SOAS, University of London researching modern transnational yoga movements and spiritual abuse from a feminist perspective, supervised by Dr Sian Hawthorne and Dr James Mallinson.

I completed my MA in the Traditions of Yoga and Meditation at SOAS in 2015 with Distinction and specialised in the representations of women in pre-modern yoga practices. To find out more visit my academic page here.