16/02/2024
Bethany Marshall: Founder of Soul Genie Kids- Yoga & Mindfulness
As a child, I found that the world was a difficult place to navigate with all the different social and academic pressures it encompasses. I found that performing arts and dance boosted my self-confidence and gave me the space to explore myself and my creativity. I went on to train with the Young Actor’s Company (YAC) and later at Hurtwood House Performing Arts School. Later on I found yoga which has become such an important foundation to my wellbeing. After training as a yoga instructor, I found that using my knowledge of dance and drama can integrate with yoga beautifully and turn it into a practice filled with imagination and self-expression.
My academic background in Health and Human Sciences led me to specialise in community-based interventions promoting wellbeing focusing on bodywork, connection and childcare. The external pressures of the modern world have made it more challenging to people in some of these areas.
I began working in social care and family based therapy which has helped me to learn about the individual needs of parents and children for trust and communication. While working with refugee children, I introduced a dance and play therapy program which provided a platform for them to express themselves and build self-esteem. I loved seeing how allowing children’s natural creativity to grow supported their interpersonal and self-development. Later on, I began supporting children with special educational needs by introducing them to woodland tasks and I found that the practical and creative nature of the activities helped their family and peer relationships flourish.
I’m fascinated by the body and how it reacts to and stores all of our past experiences and emotions. I went onto train in Trauma Informed Movement and Trauma Release Therapy which has given me insight into how incredible the body really is. I believe that the body has a natural ability to heal and restore itself if we can learn to listen to it. I want to support individuals on this journey towards listening to their own inner cues without having preconceived judgements of how they ‘should’ move or behave.
I am currently teaching performance arts, yoga and mindfulness to primary school children as I love seeing the role of movement, creativity and community in child development. I like to introduce fun and imaginative learning themes which allow the children to explore their bodies and create their own poses and tasks. It is important for me to build trusting relationships with the children where I can offer them choices within the classes and allow them to feel like they belong no matter what they bring to the table.
