About Sam

Hi, I’m Sam!

My pronouns are she/her, I’m a full-time office worker, and part-time yoga teacher, mindfulness practitioner, and guided meditation facilitator.

After trying & giving up on yoga in 2003, I returned to the mat in 2014 and fell in love with the effects on my mind, body, and – eventually – lifestyle, as I discovered there was much more to yoga than just making shapes on a rectangular mat. After five and a half years of consistent personal practice & learning, I completed my teacher training in 2019 under the guidance of the wonderful teachers of Frog Lotus Yoga International, at Suryalila Retreat Centre in the beautiful Andalusian countryside.

I share the practices of FLY vinyāsa flow yoga, restorative yoga, chair yoga, and yoga nidrā in person and online, and have a special passion for helping people who also spend many hours chained to a desk feel more comfortable in their bodies – as that was one of my earliest benefits from yoga, and my practice continues to help me stay this way. I also find great joy in sharing various ways we can support our bodies & minds through dealing with feelings & emotions, especially anxiety – as I’m a lifelong warrior/sufferer.

I enjoy supporting each student to investigate their own experience while honouring their body, free of judgment & competition; and I believe it is only by using the full range of yogic techniques that we can truly bring about a sense of peace, calm, and bliss.

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Qualifications and Professional Development

In the UK there are currently no requirements for yoga teachers to complete any sort of formal qualification and/or continuing professional development (ongoing education). The discussions around this topic are very nuanced, and it is outwith the intention for this page to say which opinions are right or wrong.

Irrespective of that, due to my love of yoga as well as my desire to be a safe, inspiring, and empowering teacher, I am a voracious learner – the below may illustrate as much – it shows what CPD I’ve completed since I became a yoga teacher; omitted from these lists are the books, articles, and journals I’ve read, the discussions I’ve had, and practices I’ve completed.

I don’t know it all, and I never will – but that doesn’t stop me from always being interested and wanting to learn more.

Yoga

Frog Lotus Yoga International 200hr Yoga Teacher Training

Continuing Professional Development

As of autumn/winter 2022, having undertaken the below courses, I currently have over 400 hours of CPD, which includes:

• Mantra: Songs of Yoga
• Prāṇāyāma Training Course
• LGBT+ Inclusion for Yoga Teachers
• Mantra & Meditation for Personal & Group Practice
• Bringing Prāṇāyāma to Life
• Sign Yoga – making yoga more accessible to the deaf & hard-of-hearing
• Bhāṇḍas Masterclass
• Mindfulness Diploma, with distinction
• Kumbhaka

Other Qualifications

I have also pursued further knowledge outside of the broad field of yoga, although it’s still in some way related to it, which totals over 250 hours