My Yogi Story

I first began yoga in 2017 at Yoga Bomb York when I was just starting sixth form. Going into my first session, I only expected it to be a few stretches that would help relieve my tight hamstrings from running and hockey. From my first session, I was hooked on the power of breath and mindfulness that yoga taught. I looked forward to the peaceful yet challenging time on my mat every week and even began to practice by myself in my room. One practice I found particularly beneficial would be to journal whilst I was practising yoga as I focused on myself, and the physical tension relief helped me think through any problems I had at the time. I continued to practice yoga weekly throughout my time at school and first year at university.

During Lockdown, in order to stay sane, I set myself the goal of practising yoga every day – whether that be for 10 minutes before bed or an hour session to start my day. This goal prevented me from neglecting my body and my mental health. Quickly I began to see improvements in my practice which would make my day. Yoga became less of a box to tick on my to-do list and more of what I looked forward to most. Practising during the heatwave in my garden was a particular highlight of my lockdown experience. No matter what bad news was broadcasted, I knew that I would always have my mat to fall back and take a deep breath on.  

By the end of 2020, I was back at university in Edinburgh and enjoying my second year. I threw myself into every academic, social and sporting commitments and even ran a half marathon for Young Minds Charity. However, although I enjoyed myself, I wasn’t taking care of my body and mental well being. I was never checking in on how I really felt and whether I was tired or not, but instead committing to every plan asked of me. After two months of saying yes to everything, I began to experience symptoms of burn out which eventually led to me experiencing a state of Depersonalisation. I was no longer able to partake in the sports and social engagements that I adored so much and even had to stop practising yoga flows at one point as it worsened my state. I ended up speaking to a therapist who helped me understand what was happening to my body and showed me the importance of breath-work in calming your heart rate. I mainly found alternate nostril breathing to be the most effective in slowing my breathing and heart rate and reducing tension in my body. Thankfully, by February 2021, these techniques had caused my body to almost fully recover, and I now hardly ever experience the disorder. After finishing my last therapy session, I made a promise to myself that during 2021 I would commit to fortifying my mental health by being mindful, taking time to check in with myself and recognise what really makes me happy and energised.

This is essentially what led me to apply to the Power of Yoga Company 200hr Teacher Training, as I wanted to expand my knowledge of a practice that has always helped me so much. The idea of teaching a practice that is so close to my heart to help others is the biggest inspiration for me. I began doing my first three modules of the teacher training online and was fascinated by the expansive field that is yoga: We learnt about Sanskrit, anatomy, the history of yoga, yoga philosophy, chanting, breath-work, meditation, chakras and diet, as well as a set sequence and the art of teaching. I did the last two modules in person with the most amazing group of other students. The diverse group taught me so much about more than yoga. We laughed and cried throughout, saw each other at our highest and our lowest points. I found it amazing how kind and caring every single person in the Yogi community was. The whole training was inspirational, in life on and off to mat, and I am so glad that I was lucky enough to have had this experience so early on in my life. Now I hope to be able to pass on any of what I have learnt to anyone that may find it helpful.

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