This is the first in a series of interviews to help you get to know our teachers.
First one off the block is Jo,
Jo Teaches at Yogasol in Ferny Hills on a Monday Morning at 9;30 Beginners and a Monday night 6pm Hot Vinyasa. She Also has her own classes that she runs under the name Brew Yoga. you can find out where she teaches and when at http://brewyoga.com.au
What were you in a former life? ( Before Yoga)
Funny you should ask! I often think about my life so far as two distinct periods – Before Yoga and After Yoga. Before rediscovering yoga (having dabbled with and discontinued it years ago) I was a big ball of stress and anxiety! If anyone needed yoga, it was me. Yoga effected on my body and mind such profound change in a relatively short time. Firstly, it helped me calm down. A lifelong worrier, yoga made me realise I had a choice about what I thought about (who knew?!) and where to direct my energy so I began to worry a lot less. I learned to relax and let go of thoughts, feelings and behaviours that did not serve me and generally not “sweat the small stuff”. I feel like a different person AY than BY and I’m still growing every day.
Before I was a yoga teacher I worked in office admin/client service roles in diverse industries in Sydney, London and for the past 20-something years in Brisbane. In my early 30s I took a break from office work and trained as a florist (something I’d wanted to do since I was a teenager). I worked as a florist for 5 years and really enjoyed the creative side of it and being surrounded by nature’s jewels but it was often lonely work and not the best way to pay off a mortgage! I still work 2 days a week as a Client Relationship Manager for a financial planning company in Brisbane’s CBD and I really enjoy it.
How long into practicing Yoga did you decided that this was the direction in which you wanted to move?
The thought of teaching yoga first entered my mind only 6 months into practising. At first I dismissed it as a crazy idea… who was I to teach? However, the thoughts kept popping up and felt more like a calling – I can’t tell you how overjoyed I was to finally experience that! Eventually I confided in my yoga teacher and her reaction was one of absolute support and encouragement, for which I was and will always be grateful. Thankfully when I told my husband he too supported, encouraged and believed in me, despite the fact he probably initially thought it was another of my hair-brained ideas! 😉
How has teaching yoga changed your general Health and well being?
Honestly… whilst regularly practising yoga has had only positive effects on my health and wellbeing, teaching yoga has had some other effects! I’ve been teaching yoga for just over a year now and there have been times when my health and wellbeing has suffered as a result. Keen to take opportunities to teach, I took on a bit more than I should – for a few months I worked from 6am to 8.30pm on Wednesdays! I pushed through life and work when I should have rested, retreated. It was entirely my own doing and I learnt from those experiences and have made a Note to Self, “Jo, you are not invincible…do not ignore what your body is telling you!”
Do you see yourself becoming a full time Yoga Teacher?
I doubt that will happen in the near future although I plan to teach yoga for a long time to come and eventually I want to teach near the beach!
What can we see from you in the next Year any new teachings or learning experiences coming up for you?
I’m excited about 2017 and opportunities that are coming my way to learn and grow with yoga. I plan to complete post graduate teacher training in February including modules in Restorative Yoga and Advanced Adjustments and Modifications. I’m also considering gaining my qualification to teach Pregnancy yoga. Who knows what else will present? Stay tuned!
