I began practicing yoga in my teens, and taught classes in the late 1970-80s with my first diploma from the All India Board of Yoga. At that time Hatha yoga was a minority interest with much less diversity of styles on offer today.
Classes helped to fund my university & medical school study but life as a junior hospital doctor made it too difficult to continue. My teaching and practice fell away. As a GP the therapeutic potential of yoga was clear to me but unrecognised by NHS. Family life and career filled the following years but the imprint of yoga remained with me, patiently waiting.
In preparation for retirement I studied MA Coaching & Mentoring (Brookes) which made me reflect on what was important in my life. I realised after many years, I was missing yoga. Over the last 2 years I have studied at TRIYOGA (London) and am again accredited to teach yoga and insured with BWY (certificate 19/AG11/011 BWY 0035907). I train with Anji Gopal (NHS yoga teacher & osteopath) to provide Yoga for Back Care (certificate 21/YBC001/004). I have completed Restorative Yoga training and continue to study with Anna Ashby and her team, to deepen my yoga practice.
Times have changed. Yoga is now recognised to have a therapeutic benefit - even in NHS - and provides me with opportunity to bring together my years of experience as a doctor with my personal experience of yoga practice. I know that regular practice brings benefit - without it things stay the same. I benefit from in-personal guidance and feedback which prevents injury which deepens my practice. Accepting what i can do, balancing effort with ease, to develop a strong but kind practice allows me to find a peaceful stillness which is rejuvenating. I would like to share it with you.
