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.