1 Year Yogaversary

Since graduating as a yoga teacher with the Chi Kri school of yoga, this last year of developing my yoga teaching has been so eventful & rewarding.

Here’s a recap…

One of the first things I did was set up my online class which I run monthly. I made a conscious decision to run this as a free class out of service to yoga for all it has given me. If you’ve read my “Who Am I” post you’ll know that yoga pulled me out of a hole & helped me heal. Moreover, it helped me to deal with lifelong fears & insecurities, making me the best version of myself. This is my thank you, by offering this free class to help others get onto (or back onto) the yoga path. Client study: One friend decided to join. His wife used to practice regularly but stopped after having children. He decided to join to encourage her. Seeing him join, gave her the courage to join. They are now my most regular attendees. He did it for her. She’s now thinking of returning to her old yoga studio 😀

I was very keen to create a class for the parents at my son’s school. I started this in 01/25. This class hasn’t been without challenges as finding a suitable time for parents with young children, taking into consideration demanding evening routines, has been a balancing act. The important thing I’ve learned is to continually listen & adapt. I’ve been changing my offering through the year & I’m happy to say that we’re still going & my most regular students have learned the value of their own self care & how it allows them to give more to their families.

I talked about how yoga pulled me out of a hole. I was in this hole as I was suffering from grief after losing my Dad. Earlier this year, I had a chance encounter with someone who works at the hospital where we said goodbye to my Dad. This person, Tim made it possible for me to teach a class to the staff at the hospital. It was possibly the most important class I will ever teach and all the more surreal as it took place in the very room where I wrote a letter to my Dad, which went on to become my last words to him. I’ve written a post about “Harefield Hospital” if you’re interested in reading how the Universe made this happen.

Throughout this year, all of us on the course have been thinking of our dear friend Shani. She completed the course and graduated with us 1 year ago. Shani was a person with a unique ability to understand complex situations and break down her interpretation in an easy to understand way. For me, she became my go to person when I was experiencing challenges on the course. The universe sadly lost Shani on 31/01/25. In the time since, I’ve built a bond with her lovely family and they have trusted me to lead meditations & yoga classes for their wider family to help them heal.

I have to mention certain friends who have welcomed me into their space and entrusted me to teach their students. Firstly, Carole who has been a very important mentor to me. I was fortunate to teach at Carole’s studio for 5 weeks this summer, managing a schedule of diverse classes to a variety of students including some very experienced yogis. Through this, I was able to expand my existing capability and grow into new areas. Secondly Jaymie. We met through our YTT and in our first days of trainee teaching (way back in 11/23) we often team-taught. Jaymie has a very successful Monday class but she is emigrating to Kenya and has entrusted me to continue serving her students. This is a class I really enjoy as we all gel so much!

Above everything, I owe this year to my Dad. If it wasn’t for his sudden departure, I wouldn’t be talking to you today as a yoga teacher. This year in particular, I have been communicating a lot with my Dad through my Vishuddha (Throat) Chakra. He has left us in his physical form but I know that his spirit remains close to us from the way he is facilitating the universal alignment for me to respond to my calling - to follow the path of teaching and spreading yoga.

Hari Om