It was my desire to maintain my flexibility that took me to my first yoga class, a Hatha yoga class at a gym that had the desired effect, a lovely stretch and feeling pretty chilled at the end. I continued with this class regularly until I plucked up the courage to enter an ashtanga yoga class, a beginners class where you were taught the sequence of two sun salutations and a series of postures. Well, it was hard! I clearly needed to build some strength and stamina. So I continued with both the Hatha and Ashtanga class, though if I’m honest I only stepped into the Ashtanga class when my mind was strong enough to get me through the class. 

A while down the line a Bikram yoga studio was opening up half an hour away from me with an opening offer of 20 days for £20, I was curious and took this offer up. I loved it! Everything about it appealed to me 26 yoga postures which I was pretty good at, in a room that was hot! 90 minutes in 105 degrees Fahrenheit….pure bliss for me (anyone that knows me knows heat suits my constitution!) The only downside was the lack of clothing on my fellow yogis due to the heat! 20 days of this and I felt amazing, strong, lean, mentally I felt like I could achieve anything. Unfortunately I was unable to continue my bikram journey due to work commitments, I was travelling a lot with work at the time so stuck with the Hatha and Ashtanga yoga classes when in the UK. 

I moved from north London to south London. This is when I met Colin. To this day I still remember my very first class with him it was Ashtanga based and I was determined to get my legs higher than him! Unlike all the other teachers I had had previously I came away not knowing why but there was something different about him. I was doing Colin’s classes 2/3 times a week for a over a year. His classes were subtlety changing from the dynamic Ashtanga classes to more focus on breath and mindfulness when I experienced something I never had before. Again I remember the class vividly, it was a Friday morning, Colin had focused the class on backbends and it was a great class. After the class I got ready for work got in my car and this overwhelming feeling of grief washed over me, (it was if someone had just told me my parents had died). Tears flowed and I couldn’t stop them. I drove to work bawling! It felt good to cry but I thought nothing of it, sorted my mascara out and went to work. Next Friday the same thing happened I was confused something was happening but I was unsure as to what? So the next week before class I pulled Colin aside saying that unfortunately I would have to give up the yoga classes as I was crying after every class! Luckily Colin spent time with me explaining the affect the yoga was having on releasing all the energies I’d stored within me for so long coming to the surface and being released, I thought about all the times I stopped myself from crying suppressing my emotions, denying my feelings and if all started to make sense, I can tell you I spent many classes crying on my mat, thinking will I ever stop crying! This lead me to do my foundation course and then my teacher training with Colin.

Whilst embarking on my teacher training I was poorly for a while and the doctors solution was to take a small dose of antibiotics for the rest of my life. Knowing the affect antibiotics can have on the system I really wasn’t keen and came to a compromise with my GP I was given 4 weeks to holistically resolve the situation first. I went to Colin for a yoga therapy session we looked at my lifestyle, my constitution, my pulse. I came away with a yoga practice with mantra and visualisation which I did daily and an Ayurvedic approach to my diet and I was ecstatic when my GP was astounded I had not had another illness attack and have not for over 10 years. With the my own experience of how yoga therapy can empower you to progress towards better health I did my advanced yoga therapy training with Colin in