What EMPOWER Students Have Said
Georgie Ward RYT-300
1. What is your name, age, where are you from?
Georgie Ward, 35 and I live in South Oxfordshire
2. Do you have any children, if so how old/who?
I have two children – Daisy (6) and Hugo (4)
3. What did you do before you become a yoga teacher? How long did you do that for?
I worked as a Project Manager in R&D in the pharmaceutical industry for 8 years
4. Why did you decide to become a yoga teacher?
My corporate career became very stressful and I turned to yoga more and more as a release from the stress of my job. After the birth of my second child, I realised something was going to break if I carried on trying to juggle homelife with two young children and a stressful career. It then dawned on me that if I retrained in something that I love and am passionate about, I could help bring the benefits of yoga to other people that might need it.
5.When did you retrain with YogaBellies?
2021
6. What course did you do?
Empower 300 hrs
7. How helpful was the course? Why did you enjoy it / key benefits?
The course helped me find the confidence within that I was lacking after not returning to my career after my second child. It put me outside of my comfort zone having never taught a yoga class before but the team delivering the course as well as my fellow students were so supportive throughout. I enjoyed the aspects of the course that were more than you might find in a traditional yoga teaching course from discovering more about seasons and cycles to deep diving into femininity the content was really interesting and more than I had expected. The added bonus of the online element was that I could work it around my home life, if the children were around or I needed to be on the school run etc. I could catch up on course content in my own time. More than anything, the course encouraged us as students to explore our own limiting beliefs which helped me massively overcome my own self doubt.
8. How has becoming a yoga teacher changed your life for the better?
It encourages me to keep up with my own yoga practice, it keeps my head in the books to always be further expanding my knowledge for myself and my students. The biggest thing for me is that it has enabled me to start working again, alongside a happy homelife without the stress from my old corporate job.
9. Who do you teach now/how many hours do you ?
I decided I wanted to grow my business gradually and find my fee first before jumping in with lots of classes and I wanted to scope out the demand in my area first. I currently teach a pregnancy class which is 1hr 15 and a Mum and Baby Yoga class which is 1 hr. I also teach a family yoga class for Mums and babies that have recently left the neonatal care unit at a hospital in Oxford.
10. What are the benefits of teaching yoga?
You get such wonderful feedback from people that are benefitting from their practice, for many people its their first time trying yoga. You maintain your knowledge, its always growing. You share something you love with other women and see communities start to build and friendships grow by bringing likeminded people together.
11. Do you have a high res (+1mb in size) picture of yourself in your yoga gear that you can share with us and that you’re happy with us sharing with the media please?
Attached – I can send some others if you would like
Katieanne Duncan-Bruce RYT-300
1. What is your name, age, where are you from?
I’m Katieanne Duncan-Bruce, I’m almost 36 and from Buckie – a small town on the North East Coast of Scotland.
2. Do you have any children, if so how old/who?
The proudest moment of my life was the birth of my identical twin boys Alfie & Charlie – now 5. Nothing could ever have prepared me for the shock of expecting twins but they were the best thing that ever happened to me.
- What did you do before you become a yoga teacher? How long did you do that for?
My background has mainly been in the Performing Arts industry and I have over a decade of professional experience. Holding a BA(Hons) in Dance and a Diploma in Live Events & Promotions, I have worked around the world as a performer as well as undertaking various productions and management roles – most significantly in Clarke Quay (Singapore’s Entertainment Capital). Before I took the plunge and decided to study yoga, I was working full time as a dance teacher &
team leader in the Central Belt of Scotland.
- Why did you decide to become a yoga teacher?
Carrying twins was very challenging, both physically and mentally. Following my C-Section I had to undergo a further 2 abdominal surgeries including a full muscle repair for Diastasis Recti. It was during this time I felt really isolated in my recovery as I found there was a real lack of pre and post-natal focused exercise available – ultimately it was what led me to seek out the specific training to help myself and to be able to help others.
- When did you retrain with YogaBellies?
August 2021. It was something I fancied doing for years but never found the right time. It felt like a natural progression in my career and it also came at the perfect time as my family and I relocated to my hometown after 17 years away.
- What course did you do?
Empower – Full 300 Hours.
- How helpful was the course? Why did you enjoy it / key benefits?
I love learning new things and it made sense to dedicate time to something I was already passionate about – women’s health and wellbeing. It was an incredibly transformative and amazing experience. It’s a very intense and comprehensive training programme so lifetime access to the online resources was a key benefit for me. There was so much to learn and soak up, I refer back to the videos from the course as often as I like. With my dance and teaching background, I felt familiar with a lot of the movements and loved the physical training. I really enjoyed expanding my existing repertoire and studying all about yoga throughout the life stages. It felt very relevant to me after the major transformation I had recently gone through – becoming a mother.
My favourite part was the business training in module 6 – Soulful Entrepreneur. Learning from Cheryl was incredible. Putting everything she taught me into practice has definitely helped get my business off to a great start and it continues to grow! As a licensed teacher with Yogabellies, we attend monthly coaching calls with Cheryl – covering lots of different topics.
- How has becoming a yoga teacher changed your life for the better?
I feel empowered to support women at every life stage! Since I run my own classes I can set the times that suit best for myself and for my family. It’s so rewarding helping others through my classes – I genuinely love it and making a business out of it has been a bonus. I feel excited for the future, I have so many ideas that I am working on and can’t wait to see what the future will hold.
- Who do you teach now/how many hours do you ?
I teach ‘Yogabellies for Pregnancy’, ‘Nurture (with baby massage)’, ‘Yogabellies for Mum & Baby’ (postnatal), ‘Luna’ & my own new style ‘Chilled Vibes’ in a variety of locations around Moray. All my classes are live-streamed and I have online clients too. I offer 1-2-1s and also have regular private clients.
I’m also a certified Les Mills instructor so I teach 3 weekly Body Balance classes too. On average I teach around 10 classes a week – the majority of these are when the boys are at school. I also offer custom private workshops and host my own mini-retreats as well as collaborating with other wellness professionals and practitioners.
- What are the benefits of teaching yoga?
Apart from the obvious physical and mental benefits, it’s a very liberating and rewarding job. It feels empowering to help others and support them on their journey. I’ve met some amazing people through the community I have been building. Many of the mums that attended my pregnancy class have then come along to the baby classes with friends they have made within the groups. Nothing feels more rewarding than the heart-warming feedback I’ve received from clients. Ladies have thanked me for improving their mental health and confidence whilst others have noticed huge physical benefits. Knowing I’ve played a part in them improving their overall health feels truly amazing. Teaching also validates my own understanding and interpretation of yoga. I will always be a student of the practice and I genuinely love learning more every day.
- Do you have a high res (+1mb in size) picture of yourself in your yoga gear that you can share with us and that you’re happy with us sharing with the media please?
- Any other key facts that you’d like to add about YogaBellies?
I launched my business in March 2022 and by the end of October 2022 I was delighted to be shortlisted as a finalist for ‘Emerging Business of the Year’ at The Moray Business Woman Awards.
I was also lucky enough to attend the women’s only ‘Yogabellies Empower Retreat’ in Bali where I had the experience of a lifetime and afterwards in Singapore at Yogabellies HQ learning from Cheryl.
Meet The Teacher
Cheryl MacDonald, BA (Hons) PgDip Psy., E-RYT 500
Cheryl MacDonald is an expert in yoga, women’s wellness and hormonal balance, pregnancy, birth, motherhood and running a successful business. She has over 25 years of experience in the benefits of yoga, mindfulness and birth preparation. She is a hugely inspiring business mentor having helped hundreds of women in the UK to become masterful, inclusive and powerful yoga teachers and business owners through YogaBellies.
Cheryl has helped thousands of women, at every stage of their lives to learn the benefits of yoga and to start their own yoga business.
The start of the year is the perfect time to re-evaluate where you’re going in life and what you want to achieve.
And over the past two years, many women have left their successful, commercial job roles to run their own yoga businesses, having felt the physical and emotional benefits of yoga first hand.
Cheryl is available for interview. Please contact Kat Adams – katadamspr@outlook.com // 07852 185967
About YogaBellies
YogaBellies was launched in 2008 by Yoga Elder, Cheryl MacDonald when she first started teaching pregnancy yoga in her spare bedroom after she was made redundant while on maternity leave. She wanted to help women have fun and connect with others while practicing yoga, creating a warm and supportive environment.
YogaBellies has since grown into a hugely successful network of yoga classes across the UK, run by qualified yoga teachers trained by Cheryl and her team.
YogaBellies, the hugely popular yoga brand will be launching their new yoga teacher training and empowerment programme in February 2023, aimed at any women who love yoga, want to become a yoga teacher or would like to feel more empowered in their chosen wellness career. Empower by YogaBellies is a 300-hour programme accredited by the Yoga Alliance that has helped to change the lives of hundreds of women.
Cheryl MacDonald, Founder of YogaBellies says: “Empower by YogaBellies is my absolute favourite programme to teach and it’s an accumulation of over 20 years of my learning about, exploring and teaching all things yoga, woman, birth and baby, throughout life. I’m thrilled to be able to offer this programme to aspiring yoga teachers, and dedicated yogis alike, and I know it will be an incredibly transformative and enriching experience for all women who take part.”
As well as making new friendships for life with like-minded women all over the world, Empower gives women the chance to create an ultimately recession-proof career, where they will be able to teach yoga online or in person – something that is always in demand. The course also teaches you the different strands of yoga so you will be qualified to teach post-natal yoga, baby yoga, infant massage, menopause yoga, menstrual cycle and seasonal yoga and pregnancy yoga.
Cheryl concludes: “Most importantly, Empower provides you with a plan. At a time when we’re all questioning ourselves with so much change in our lives, we create women who know where they’re going in life, who have a plan and are keen to help support others, thriving with a fulfilling career, as well as a ton of time to spend with people you love.”
One graduate who qualified as a Yoga Teacher through Empower and now teaches mum and baby yoga is Georgie Ward from South Oxfordshire. She gave up her role as a Project Manager in Research and Development in the pharmaceutical industry to re-train and she’s never looked back. The mum of two says: “My corporate career became very stressful and I turned to yoga more and more as a release from my job. After the birth of my second child, I realized something was going to break if I carried on trying to juggle home life with two young children and a stressful career. So, it dawned on me that if I retrained in something that I love and am passionate about, I could help bring the benefits of yoga to other people that might need it.”
Georgie completed Empower in 2021. She says: “The course helped me find the confidence within that I was lacking. It put me outside my comfort zone having never taught a yoga class before but the team delivering the course as well as my fellow students were so supportive. More than anything, the course encouraged us as students to explore our own limiting beliefs which helped me massively overcome my own self-doubt.”
The next Empower by YogaBellies programme will kick off online in February 2023. Become an accredited Yoga Teacher in 2023 – the recession-proof career-Empower by YogaBellies now open for February 2022. Places are limited.
You can sign up now to the course for £3497 only!
Contact us today for a yoga teacher training online classes.
🤰DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO TEACHING PREGNANCY YOGA HERE
🤰PURCHASE THE COMPLETE YOGABELLIES FOR PREGNANCY AT HOME PROGRAMME HERE 😍🤰💊
Free download for mums-to-be your guide to probiotics in pregnancy🧘🏽♀️
TRAIN TO BECOME A YOGABELLIES TEACHER ONLINE🧘🏽♀️😍🧘🏽♀️💜
share the love
ABOUT
YogaBellies®
I’m an inclusive, not scary, totally normal yet heavily qualified yoga instructor and founder of YogaBellies® and the Birth ROCKS Method. I’m trained in self hypnosis and meditation and what I love is helping women (ALL women) enjoy yoga without having to whisper all the time and wear fancy activewear that cost a month’s rent.
I believe Yoga is for everyone.