— Carmen, originally from Halifax, began her yoga journey on her first trip to India in 2003. Always intrigued by yoga and its offerings, it was not until she was in the foothills of the Himalayas while backpacking with her sisters that she decided to ‘dive in’. Having been a competitive long-distance runner for some time, she was accustomed to hard work and discipline. Carmen was amazed after walking away from her first two-hour 'power yoga' session with a local Indian practitioner that yoga asana would take more than her existing cardiovascular energy.
Returning to London, UK—her home at the time—she continued her exploration and purchased a yoga mat, DVD, and started each morning with 20 minutes of gentle Surya namaskars. At this point, flexibility was not a forte! Over time, Carmen found that this early morning ritual shed a new light on the start of her day, and she found a simple yearning for her mat. Within months, Carmen was trying out the many large yoga centres in London—everything from Iyengar, and Vinyasa Flow, to Ashtanga, Bikram, and Kudalini. Carmen found herself most drawn to Ashtanga, due to its fluid vinyasa system allowing the practitioner to be fully present with her or his body, mind and breath. She quickly developed her own daily personal practice, leaving her running shoes at the back door. Wishing to take her practice deeper, she took the only Ashtanga teacher training offered in the UK at the time with Brian Cooper of Union Yoga in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Once Yoga Alliance certified, Carmen discovered that there were many who were interested in learning Ashtanga. She began to teach privately and in local private gymnasiums while still maintaining her own personal practice—and learning constantly. Since this time Carmen has studied with Danny Paradise, Richard Freeman, Shiva Rea, Dharma Mittra, Phillipa Archer, Gingi Lee, and Anna Forrest. She has also travelled back to India to study with Lino Miele for one season, and Rolf and Marci Naujokat for the past 2 seasons.
Carmen teaches in the traditional Ashtanga vinyasa style as her teachers have taught her, and she likes to bring playfulness and discovery to the mat. Carmen had been living in the UK since 2003, and nine months ago returned to Halifax to work as a full-time occupational therapist. “My yoga journey has allowed me to awaken and become more curious about myself. Yoga is in every moment, not just on the mat, but it is this practice that has altered how I approach and embrace the world around me.”
