Hi, I'm Mary

I may not be exactly what you'd expect from a yoga teacher.  I'm not super bendy, I've never been a dancer or a gymnast and I'm not suffering from corporate burn-out.  My path to becoming a yoga teacher has been slow and steady, building up my own personal practice over many years and now I'm sharing that with others - in a way that, I hope, is welcoming and accessible to everyone especially beginners and anyone looking for a small, friendly class with an understanding, mature teacher.     

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I first discovered yoga when I was in my teens, desperate for a way to exercise that I could do in my own way and at my own pace.  I hated PE because I wasn't sporty or, in fact competitive at all, but with yoga I found a way to stretch and keep fit without being judged or compared to others.   That was in the 1970s when Lyn Marshall had a TV show called "Wake up to Yoga" on Sunday mornings.  I was particularly impressed by her claim that anyone could do yoga and it didn't matter how far into the posture you went - as long as you reached your own comfortable limit you would get the same benefit.   

I continued to practise yoga at home and classes over the years but it wasn't until my first visit to the Om Yoga Show in  2009 that I realised I wanted to share my passion with others by becoming a teacher.

Although I was initially drawn to Dru Yoga (they had an impressive stand at the Yoga Show so I was able to try out their classes and meet the senior teachers) I decided to do the BWY (British Wheel of Yoga) Foundation course first.  Then in 2014, almost 40 years after I first caught the "yoga bug", I qualified as a L3 Hatha Yoga Teacher with the YMCA Yoga Professionals Diploma in Teaching Yoga. 

I finally felt ready to embark on the full Dru Yoga teacher course so I could incorporate their gentle, flowing style with the use of energies and visualisation into my teaching.  Following my graduation as a Dru teacher I've continued to train and have added Meditation, Mindfulness and Breathwork diplomas to my list of qualifications.

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My style of yoga is fun and accessible to all ages and abilities.  I teach a blend of classic Hatha, flowing Dru sequences (think Tai Chi meets yoga) and Yin inspired stretches.  Groups are small (usually between 8 to 12 students) with chairs and blocks available to adapt poses.  Venues are chosen for access to outdoor space (the RAFA has its own garden and is situated directly opposite a park while Thames Chase is surrounded by forest and interesting nature walks and even HASWA opens out to a green space behind the centre).  

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After lockdown I retired from my "day" job teaching ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) to focus on building the Body and Soul yoga community.  However, for non native English speakers, I am developing an ESOL Yoga programme combining my passion for yoga with language teaching.

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When I'm not practising yoga I enjoy cuddles with Bob, the "Cockney Cat", spending time with my family and watching "Mind your Language" on YouTube.

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Mary