My name is Yinka and I identify as she/her. I wanted to work clinically for as long as I can remember. Initially I planned to go along the more traditional allopathic routes of training as a medical or allied medical practitioner, but once I heard about Osteopathy I decided that it fitted my personality and skills. I trained at the University College of Osteopathy which was then the British School of Osteopathy, gained my degree in 1992 and began practicing. After many years working as an osteopath in NHS General Practice, I started to build up Holmewood Osteopathic Practice. In recent years I have become an osteopathic educator and clinical manager. I balance practice and teaching life with spending as much time on my allotment as I can, playing tennis and living life!

How did your yoga journey begin?

It started with me very reluctantly attending a yoga class at the insistence of a friend in 1994. The idea was to go along with my friend to support the teacher, but my real plan was to slouch about at the back of the hall waiting for the class to finish so that we could grab a bite to eat. The teacher, had other ideas! I joined in very grumpily and much to my confusion I loved it. This was despite finding it challenging. I kept going and with the help and support of the teacher, Shola I learnt how much there was to yoga and my teacher supported me to apply for the British Wheel of Yoga teacher training course. In 2000 I qualified as a yoga teacher.

What do you enjoy most about sharing the practice?

It is about enabling people. I can lead, I can instruct, I can share my knowledge; but what happens when people embrace the practice is an increase in self awareness and sometimes transformative change which comes from them. They are then on a journey which may be similar to the one I went on when I started yoga. I love that, and don’t think I will ever tire of seeing people “get it”. Getting it may mean that by sharing the practice an individual decides that it is not for them, and as my teacher would say: “feeling nothing, is something”.

How do you find your Osteopathy work compliments your yoga teaching?

It is a great union, rather like yoga, haha!. When I trained I did not plan to teach classes, my aim was to use yoga prescriptively to support my patients. At the time that I trained as an osteopath teaching exercise prescription was not of the standard that it is today. I felt that I wanted to be able to put together movement sequences or postures that would improve ranges of movement and help patients to get stronger and in some cases more flexible and become more comfortable with moving and living. My love of teaching yoga came as an added bonus, and over the years not only have I been able to use yoga in the way that I planned, I have also had the opportunity to teach osteopaths how to use yoga-based movement in a similar way.

What would be some advice that you would give to an individual experiencing an injury and thinking about starting yoga?

My advice would be to do it! Start gently, pay attention to your body, but do not be overly scared about moving. Returning from any injury, it is not uncommon to feel some discomfort or feel odd or stiff. If you are not sure it is for you, before you decide to stop, try a different teacher or style of yoga. Not all teaching is of a standard or coming from a knowledge base that it should be. If you are going to seek the advice of an allied healthcare practitioner such as an osteopath or physiotherapist ask if they know anything about yoga. Not all of us know about yoga sufficiently to advise and there are some myths out there about the practice

What is your biggest learning from your Osteopathy work about the human body?

That the brain and how we think plays a huge role in how our bodies work, react and perceive change such as injury or pain. This does NOT mean that persistent pain is all in the mind, but that the way we adapt to and live with it can have an effect on the outcome. The human body has an extraordinary capacity to change, and cope. Mindful movement has a huge role to play and has been recognised in the NICE guidelines for low back pain.

Tell us about your beginners course and why you enjoy introducing new people to yoga?

This goes back to my thoughts on question 2. It is a joy to share with people what I have learnt, to pass on the practice in as whole a manner as I can. It is a privilege to be an enabler of change, and to instruct people about how yoga can bring about a sense of calm and freedom. I think yoga should be easy to access, once this has happened depth can be pursued. Nobody should feel that they are not able, not welcome or less than, and I would like to think that attending my beginners course will show people that yoga is for everybody and every type of body that wants to experience the practice of yoga.

What does 2023 have in-store for you?

I am not entirely sure yet, but I have plans to deliver a new osteopathic postgraduate course with a colleague in January 2023. I am also collaborating with a yoga teacher friend to develop a women’s health workshop, and working with osteopathy and physiotherapy colleagues on a piece of research around underrepresented groups in osteopathic education. I will continue to deliver my yoga-based movement courses for osteopaths face to face which during the restrictions I managed to deliver online. I am continuing to teach my studio based courses and classes after a 2 year hiatus, as well as enjoying teaching online live yoga which I started in 2020. This year I have set a goal to grow a wider range of vegetables on my allotment. If I am lucky there will also be unseen opportunities on the horizon to make for an exciting 2023.