Ruth McGugan - Yoga teacher

My name is Ruth and I am a hatha yoga teacher and art psychotherapist living in Brightlingsea with my partner and our two children. I started attending yoga classes around 15 years ago. My original goal was to increase my strength and flexibility but I soon started to notice the positive impact yoga was having on my mental health and well-being in general. I had respite from the stream of thoughts going through my mind and I felt present. After years of attending classes I decided I would like to train as a teacher. I attended a residential teacher training course in an ashram in India. Here I learned about yoga philosophy and practices including asana (posture), pranayama (breath control), yoga nidra (deep relaxation) and meditation. After the course I travelled in India and taught yoga to travellers and locals I met as I journeyed. I continued my regular practice when I returned to the UK but this fell by the wayside when I had my children. I missed yoga and I made a commitment to myself to come back to a regular practice. In the autumn of 2016 I was offered an art psychotherapist post in a residential treatment centre for people with eating disorders. Understanding the benefits of yoga as adjunctive treatment for mental health conditions the centre were also seeking a yoga teacher. In order to revise my teaching skills I offered a class in Brighlingsea. What started as a teaching practice endeavour became a class with regular attenders. I now offer two classes a week.