joyfulyoga durham
Hi I am Shola Cochrane, a British Wheel of Yoga certified teacher of 7 years and
hold qualifications in Physiology and Anatomy and a Degree in Counselling and
Psychology. Over 30 years ago, before beginning on my yoga journey, I had many
issues that haunted me from my childhood that were still affecting my life in
the 'now', which I tried to ignore for many years. I woke up one morning and
thought “I’ve had enough! I WANT to change how I feel." Through a dear friend, I
was introduced to the calming effects of Buddhism which ultimately led me to
yoga (initially Iyengar Yoga) and I was immediately hooked to both. Along with
talking therapies, yoga helped me to stop focussing on the past and stressing
about the future, ultimately enabling me to be more in the present moment. In
those moments I found an inner peace and calmness, of which I wanted more. Years
later, training and qualifying as a mental health counsellor and working within
Mental Health Services for 10 years, I witnessed the long lasting physical and
emotional effects of stress and anxiety on both the body and mind of the
individuals I worked with. This was the catalyst for my taking a leap of faith
and retraining and becoming a yoga teacher.