Im Sian

Welcome to Little Light. Im Sian – a yoga teacher and studio owner. I came to yoga teaching quite late in life and now I can’t imagine doing anything different. I teach most of the yoga classes at the studio and I am utterly passionate about helping all bodies and abilities find a yoga practice for them that is sustainable and injury-free in an environment that is inclusive and welcoming.

I did my first (hatha) yoga training over 350 hours with Triyoga, London in 2018. And since then Ive gone on to complete further specialist trainings and CPDs – all of which are either accredited by Yoga Alliance or the BWY – or both! The more in-depth trainings Ive done are listed here, but as a teacher, Im always learning.

My journey

I’ve practiced as a yoga student (on and off) for over twenty years. I originally came to yoga to manage anxiety and panic attacks. As I got them under control, the yoga teacher I like moved away so I stopped going.

Some years later when I fell pregnant, I yearned for yoga to help me manage my growing bump and emotions – I always found peace and contentment. It was this point when I first started to think seriously that I would like to teach.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Rumi

However, after the birth of my second child, life got in the way. Getting to classes seemed a struggle, so I began running and trying to get to the odd yoga and pilates class when I could. Then when I went back to work, life was busier than ever. I threw myself into running to keep fit and manage my mental health, as I could put my trainers on when it fitted around everything else.

The realisation

As my two children became older and more self-sufficient, about the same time, a yoga studio opened up locally, I found myself going about three times a week (thank you Melissa Ingles!). I also joined a gym and took as many yoga classes as I could. Classes I favoured were generally quite fast-paced, from the Ashtanga/Vinyasa tradition. I loved the physicality and dynamism of the practices with the space for stillness at the beginning and end that mixture of exertion followed by time to be still and clear the mind. Yoga, again, really helped me to cope with the ups and downs of life. I loved the way I felt after practice. I wanted to share this with others.

I wasn’t quite sure what type of yoga I wanted to teach so I looked for a general course that would give me a good grounding to start from. I enrolled on the Triyoga diploma in 2018 – the most comprehensive one I could find in the UK that would fit around my usual job and my family. Covid struck so an 18 month diploma turned into two years.

However, the course taught me so much about yoga, myself and the type of yoga teacher I wanted to be. It also taught me to slow down and look a little deeper at what I needed from the practice. And Im so grateful to have had the training that required me to practice with teachers who don’t just teach flow. Not that there’s anything wrong with that – it’s just there’s a beauty in simplicity and wisdom in stillness.

My way of teaching

Yes, sometimes I do like to be challenged, but I’ve learned not to put any expectations on my body. There are some shapes it won’t ever make. And that’s OK. It is more than OK! In fact, my own practice now favours slower, introspective styles of yoga and more meditation as that’s what I need. Occasionally, I will delve into Ashtanga again (a physically demanding practice in a set sequence), but generally a more slow gentle form of movement that suits me.

Everything I have experienced and learned has made me the teacher I am today. I think of yoga as a complete practice. Something to be lived on and off the mat. It’s bigger than the pose you are trying to perform.

The most important thing in yoga is practicing intelligently for your body. The connection to the breath, the steadying of the mind, finding balance and evenness in your practice – and everything else will fall into place…….Which won’t always mean trying to stand on your head.