I hope you find my page informative, easy to follow, interesting and relevant. We are all seeking some magical formula for good health and inner peace in a world that is charged with tension and anxiety. Essentially, yoga is a search for health and well-being on two levels - physical and spiritual. Yoga is a way of life, an art of living that holds the key to youthfulness, vitality and long life. It leads to harmony and peace of mind. Its ancient teachings apply with special urgency to our needs for a calmer, healthier way of life, today when tension is the number one killer in our society. It works for people of all ages and all walks of life. I have been helped immeasureably by yoga and I have also observed its effects on others. The tradition of Yoga began in northern India over five thousand years ago among a learned aristocratic society of philosophers, scholars and warriors who examined the quality of life. They sought to give life deeper meaning and purpose. These principles grew into a tradition of practice and culture, and were first formulated into a science of physical and mental health by the Indian philosopher Patanjali around the second century BC. When Yoga was adopted by the Brahmins, a priestly caste, its doctrines were incorporated into the Hindu faith and were made part of its scriptures as a method of attaining union with God. The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning union or yoke. Yoga is a practical aid, not a religion, and its techniques may be practised by Buddhists, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus and atheists alike. I teach Hatha Yoga, the way of physical training to prepare the mind and body for meditation, and Raja Yoga, the way of meditation. I have practised Yoga since 1977. In 1991 I started the Teacher Training Course with the British Wheel of Yoga. The course duration was 4 years. I received the Teacher's Diploma in 1995, which is recognised both nationally and internationally. I have taught in many establishments including colleges, schools, health clubs, professional football clubs and hospitals. As part of my professional development I visit India, usually once a year, where I can enhance and embrace my Yoga for the benefit of myself and others. In April 2000 I set up Yoga with Julie. I run weekly drop in classes in Great Harwood and Oswaldtwistle. Students are welcome to attend any venue and class. In 2003 - 2004 I studied and gained the Pregnancy Yoga Module, then in October 2009 - April 2010 I studied Baby Yoga in Galway, Southern Ireland. I now run weekly Specialist Pregnancy Yoga classes & Post Natal Mums and Baby Yoga. Every 10 weeks I teach Parentcraft Classes, which focuses on labour and birth with birthing partners, with an option for private sessions if required. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
