I first began practising yoga in a small way over 25 years ago – mostly because ‘Lyn Marshall’s Everyday Yoga’ was a 15-minute daily programme that followed ‘Sesame Street’. My young son and I would watch Sesame Street together, then watch and do the yoga together. The yoga drifted to the back of my mind as my son outgrew his daily dose of the big yellow bird.

It didn’t drift back until quite a few years later when my mum was diagnosed with arthritis and I was fearful that the painful stiffness in my neck and shoulders were the onset of arthritis in me too. I joined a weekly local yoga class and recognized of course that this pain was all due to the stress and tension I carried around with me.

I had attended classes regularly for about 8 years before yoga became an essential part of my life when I realised how significant it had been in helping me come through into the light at the end of one of life’s dark tunnels. It was at that point that I knew I wanted (and needed) to give back to yoga what it had given me (or perhaps more accurately, what it had enabled me to find in myself) and I sought out a British Wheel of Yoga Teaching Diploma course. Luckily, Sadie Lant was offering a course at the right place and at the right time.

In order to maintain my BWY teacher status I am required to do Continuous Professional Development, but I really can’t imagine not doing so – the more I learn, the more I realise there is to learn! I'm immensely grateful to some amazing and generous teachers.

After completing my Diploma, I studied the BWY Yoga for Pregnancy module with Judy Cameron and Wendy Teasdill in 2008, the BWY Pranayama self-development module with Philip Xerri in 2009 and the Sitaram Mother & Baby yoga course with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli in 2010-11. All these teachers are leading figures in their respective fields and it is a blessing and an honour to study with them.

I continue to be inspired by some of Huddersfield’s most respected teachers: Liz Cooper, Margaret Money, Manuela Meadows and Dorothy Campbell. I am always grateful for opportunities to partake in Jane Cluley/Jayadhara's very thought-provoking courses. I know I am fortunate to have taken workshops with national and international teachers Donna Farhi, Amanda Latchmore, Richard Roberts (Krishnadhyanam), Rob Nairn, Paul Harvey, Swami Dharmananda, Muz Murray, Peter Blackaby, and to have attended the amazing Satyananda International 4-day yoga meeting in Harrogate in 2009. I sincerely hope I reflect the learning along my personal path of yoga back into my teaching.