An opportunity to give back to the country that created this system is exactly what was missing from my role as a teacher. I am also a feminist and am aware that women have been treated poorly in some corners of the yoga community, particularly historically. YGB supports women and children to find security and thus a sense of power in their own lives. It sounds a bit OTT, but everything in my teaching feels more authentic, connected, and purposeful now that I know I am a YGB ambassador!
I end each of my classes with a moment of gratitude: “Gratitude for the yoga system, for our practice together today, and for anything else that brings you joy.” I have done this since my earliest classes, acutely aware of the benefit that I derive from yoga practices as well as from teaching and being part of a yoga community in Scotland. I am also aware that I have never yet visited India, and that there is much suffering and poverty in the home of yoga. It feels extremely important to me, this honouring of the yoga system and the origins of something that brings such healing, nourishment and inspiration to my life. I feel humbled by (and to be honest at times uncomfortable with) the fact that I am a white woman in Scotland making a living from the yoga system.
www.lindalovesyoga.co.uk
@lindalovesyoga
Linda had been practising yoga for over twenty years when an experienced teacher whose class she had recently joined suggested she explore teacher training. Despite never having considered such a thing, it was a pivotal moment in her life where everything else just fell into place around this clear path ahead! She started her training with Seasonal Yoga just before her 40th birthday, having found new levels of harmony unfold in her life after attending a local seasonal yoga class. Seasonal yoga blends Hatha with wisdom from traditional Chinese medicine, referring us always back to the cycles of nature and the five elements.
Linda’s background was in community arts, inclusion and facilitation; the skills and qualities she used in that career have fed into her role as a yoga teacher (and celebrant). A priority for Linda is creating a nurturing and inspiring space, where people are welcomed to come as they are. She loves incorporating gentle and accessible ritual, as well as creativity, into her classes.
Linda completed her 200 hr TT in 2018. Since then she has trained in pre- and post-natal yoga, and is currently undertaking her training in Seasonal Yin.
