I’m Mary King. I went to my first yoga class in 2010 looking for a welcome alternative to the gym. Since then I have learned how yoga is as much a practice for the mind as it is for the body. Through the practice of yoga we cultivate awareness, focus the mind and train our attention to come back to what we want to focus on. This is a skill that helps us to manage difficult thoughts, feelings and sensations. For this reason I started to find ways to bring aspects of yoga into my work as a Clinical Psychologist within the NHS. Training with Trauma Therapy Manchester (https://www.traumatherapymanchester.com/) helped me to begin bringing the body into psychological therapy sessions. Developing awareness of and making links between what happens in the mind and body can help people to manage a wide variety of physical and mental health conditions. My wonderful clinical supervisor suggested I take it further and train to be a yoga teacher – and that is what I did.
I completed my BWYQ Level 4 Diploma in Teaching Yoga with the British Wheel of Yoga (BWY) in 2021 with Rosemary Bennett. This qualification is regulated by the Office for Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and bench marked to national educational standards. It is recognised as the highest level of yoga teacher training in the UK. The BWY (founded in 1965) is the largest yoga membership organisation in the UK. “The British Wheel of Yoga is committed to promoting a greater understanding of yoga and its safe practice through experience, education, study and training.”
My yoga teacher training included:
- Applied anatomy and physiology in the teaching of Asana
- Yoga breathing practices and relaxation
- Teaching asana: observation, adjustment and protection of vulnerable areas of the body
- Hatha yoga and pranayama
- The teaching and philosophy of meditation
- First aid
To find out more about the British Wheel of Yoga, please visit their website https://www.bwy.org.uk/
mindandmovementyoga.co.uk 