Teacher Feature: Anna Cowlishaw
Which class/classes do you teach? I teach at the yoga centre on Mondays. Beginners level 1 at 10:30am and 8pm.
How long have you been doing/practicing Iyengar Yoga? I started practising Iyengar Yoga in 2006.
How long have you been teaching yoga? I qualified as a teacher in July 2018.
What drew you to this style of yoga? I had a personal recommendation from my son’s baby yoga teacher (who was training as a Iyengar yoga teacher at the centre at the time) and was hooked from the start.
What do you love most about it? The attention to detail and alignment. I find that this really helps to focus my mind and informs my understanding of anatomy and movement within my own body.
What do you do to motivate yourself to do a regular home practice? I start my day with my personal practice. I know it will set me up for the day. Having my equipment together in my yoga space helps to achieve this.
What is your ‘go to’ posture when you need to relax and when you need to energise? For relaxation – Savasana. I always finish my practice, no matter how short with Savasana, it is a brilliant practice for seeking out and releasing tensions in the body, and can be called on at times of stress and overwhelm. To energise - I love full arm balance (Adho Mukha Vrksasana). This uplifting, exhilarating pose helps to bring a new perspective on any situation.
What is special for you about teaching at Sheffield Yoga Centre? The sense of community - Teachers and students from different backgrounds, coming together with a common interest of sharing the practice of yoga. I once heard one student say to another when presented with a new pose “don’t worry, we are all friends here”. I love this supportive attitude.
What work do you do outside of teaching yoga? I am a emergency nurse practitioner and Sister in the Paediatric Emergency department. My work helps to keep me grounded and gives me a healthy respect for the intricate workings of the human body.
Quick fire round…
For breakfast this morning I had……. I don’t eat breakfast! But always look forward to lunch. Today was a peanut butter and jam sandwich followed by my husband’s homemade banana and dark chocolate loaf.
My most enjoyable holiday in the last few years has been…… Dinghy sailing in North Wales. I spend a couple of weeks in Abersoch every summer, racing in regattas with my husband and kids.
When I am not teaching yoga , I enjoy… ,,Sailing, an inappropriately fast boat for a relatively small inland water.
My favourite music is….. The violinist Nicola Benedetti always has an interesting piece to listen to.
A book I would recommend is…. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
If I ruled the world, I would…… Build protected cycle lanes along every road.