In this episode of the Chai Sessions I'm talking to clinical research and health professional Heather Gwyneth Bird.

I first met Heather way back in 2015 when she joined our Yoga Teacher Training programme here at MCY. Heather has a first class degree in physiology from Edinburgh University, a master's in psychological sciences from Glasgow University and 20 years of experience working in the health research industry, both here in the UK and in the USA. As well as completing her training to become a yoga teacher, Heather is a certified life coach too.

In this conversation she tells me about discovering yoga while working in Seattle, the challenges of her first ever yoga class and, in sticking with it, what yoga brought to her own life. She became so inspired that she decided to become a yoga teacher herself and her exploration of yoga philosophy led her to further her studies in psychology and life coaching.

We explore the concept of well-being and the intersection of self-improvement, self-acceptance and personal development from a yoga perspective. We talk about some of the significant challenges people are facing with their wellbeing just now and what role yoga might be able to play.

Heather mentions a recent study showing the effectiveness of yoga for depression and another for fatigue management following cancer treatment. There's a lot more work to do to integrate these findings into communities and health care settings, but it's really exciting.

I so enjoyed our conversation and feel there was much more we could have covered. I hope you enjoy it too.

Listen below or look for 'The Chai Sessions' on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon Music. You can also watch our chat on Youtube.

Heather's Yoga & Personal Development Workshop is here at Merchant City Yoga on Saturday 22nd June. This one day workshop blends together yoga, psychological resources and practices with a focus on improving your overall health, helping you better understand yourself and helping you make more beneficial decisions. You'll find all the details and booking HERE

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Until next time, thank you so much for listening.

Judi x

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