MEET THE TEAM
Sara Matchett
I have been involved in YHET since the beginning, as a founder member. By chance (or fate?) I found Ickwell Bury and managed to take part in one of the last Teacher Training courses and the final Remedial course before the venue and all its associations were lost to us. Since completing these courses, I have taught a varying number of classes in different places and for different audiences including Adult Education.
When I moved to Scotland 15 years ago, with my husband and various dogs, I couldn’t be as involved due to the distance but I stayed connected by attending residentials and teaching when possible.
The people who attend YHET weekends are so receptive and open to new ideas and very supportive of the way we teach. The importance of working with your own body and mind is so essential within our ethos that it doesn’t need explanation and this can be eye-opening for newcomers to Yoga for Health-inspired classes.
I’m proud of helping expand the yoga provision within Dumfries & Galloway, in quite a big way. When I first moved here, there were just a few teachers in the whole county. Now there are several in the Newton Stewart area, where I live, and a growing number of others across the rest of the county. Not all my own work, but I certainly encouraged a number of people and got involved in various things to promote the benefits of yoga locally.
About 6 years ago, I was asked to become Treasurer for YHET, as in my ‘day job’ I am a book-keeper.
My journey reflects dedication, commitment, and ongoing service to YHET. It’s been about growing the organisation, having an impact on lives, and spreading the word about the beneficial practices of yoga.
June Skeggs
My journey has been one of transformation, driven by the healing power of yoga. Once filled with boundless energy and immersed in various sports, my life took an unexpected turn when illness struck. Physical activity began to worsen my condition, leading to collapses and fainting spells. In the midst of this struggle, I found an advert for a 5-day course at the Yoga for Health Foundation at Ickwell Bury. Curiosity led me to give it a try, despite my doubts about enduring a 90-minute yoga asana session given my limitations. I emerged from the experience feeling better than before, which I realised as a result of working with the breath throughout the practice. Incorporating breathwork into my physiotherapy made a huge difference. I was expected to be in a wheelchair permanently more than 20 years ago but, I am not.
I sought to understand why yoga was so beneficial and I embarked on a journey of study, eventually becoming a certified yoga teacher and specialising in Remedial yoga. I was asked to help and share many Multiple Sclerosis (MS) courses by the former director and founder of the Yoga for Health Foundation, Howard Kent, which I did for several years.
Despite our efforts, the Foundation and Ickwell Bury could not be saved, so Yoga for Health and Education Trust (YHET) was created in 2006 to continue its legacy. I have proudly served as a Trustee ever since, focusing particularly on organising transformative events and yoga breaks. My dedication to spreading the therapeutic potential of yoga goes beyond traditional classes. I have reached out to people, including aiding a stressed university student prior to her final exams, supporting a young individual grappling with stress and hearing issues, and engaging with groups such as Trefoil Guild.
The exploration of yoga’s subtle energies led me to profound experiences during courses I attended under the guidance of Dr. Mukund Bhole, research director of a Yoga Institute in Pune, India and respected patron of YHET. Delving into the intricacies of inner yoga opened new dimensions, as I felt the flow of energy through the nadis and beyond, and we continue to incorporate these teachings into YHET.
In these interesting times, authentic yoga will take centre stage in the pursuit of health and well-being. As research continues to validate its benefits, I remain dedicated to my role in making yoga accessible and transformative for all. My journey serves as a testament to the boundless potential of yoga as a catalyst for healing, growth, and inner discovery.
Gill Ansty
I am a recently made trustee for YHET, just finding my way, but not a recently made yoga teacher, I first discovered The Yoga for Health Foundation (YHF) many years ago in the late 1990s.
Having walked into my first class with a YHF teacher and found a place that I felt was my home, I was encouraged by my teacher to go there and train. At Ickwell bury I trained for my Remedial and General certificates. And was lucky enough to be there when its remedial courses were thriving and able to gain so much knowledge and experience from the people there. I was also, sadly, at the last meeting there, on the evening the Bury closed.
Over the years I have done other trainings, I am a Sadhana Mala Yoga Therapist having completed the course with Ranju Roy and Dave Charlton (Viniyoga) and have a British Wheel accreditation cert and am CNHC registered.
I Zoom classes, teach 121, and since Covid have also gone back to teaching in “real life”. And with my husband (a British Wheel teacher), have organised and taught on many retreats, in England and abroad, under our name of Canoe yoga.
Over the years I have taught yoga in many places including, The MS Centre in Wendover Bucks, and the Recovery College at the Mental Health Hospital, the Whiteleaf Centre in Aylesbury Bucks, and classes through Breathe Easy, for the British Lung Foundation, for those with COPD and breathing difficulty.
And now as I have come to a quieter place in my teaching, a slowing down but not stopping place, my joy at coming back, and finding YHET continuing the great work YFH started is great, that the ethos of Yoga for All is still being practised, and facilitated, here, in this community, has brought me back to that feeling I first had in my first class, that I had found my home. And I am excited to be helping YHET continue their journey.
Apart from yoga, if it’s possible to separate from it, I am an artist and with five grandchildren all living in the same small town I am kept busy in many ways.
David Cosserat
I have been enjoying the wonders of Yoga for many years. My journey began over 30 years ago when I attended a Meditation session. Its effect was profound. I became happier, calmer and serene. This led me to Yoga Classes. Again the effect was transformational and my whole lifestyle began to blossom and grow.
During my travels around the world and especially in India, I experienced many different types of yoga from the very strong to the soothingly gentle. But in all the different forms that Yoga takes, the underlying themes of inner peace, love and well-being shine through. Living becomes a joy and opens you to the magic of yourself.
I am now director of The Inner Healing School of Yoga , a family run business for over 40 years . The school is based on the philosophy of Yoga is for all, regardless of age, sex, or religious background. Yoga, when properly taught is a therapy which opens you to a higher level of fitness and radiant health.
Over the years I have gained many qualifications:
Diplomas in Yoga, Indian Head Massage and Touch for Health (Kinesiology) and Laughter Yoga. At university I qualified in Film Documentary BA (Hons) and TESOL. And as a Yoga teacher I specialise in Yoga for Sleep (Yoga Nidra) Pranayama (breath work) and the Yoga of Sound (Mantra) both very healing and nourishing.
Philip Williams
I was born a goodly few years ago in the beautiful countryside of the upper Wye valley in central Wales. I mention this as it was there that I spent the most wonderful time getting to know the person who has been the greatest influence on my life, my grandfather. He taught me many life lessons that have remained core to my beliefs to this day. Not least among these are staying close and in deep respect to the natural world: care for it and it will care for you. Do not allow others to tell you what you can or cannot see, nor what you can or cannot believe. Above all else, be kind, for kindness is the greatest of gifts that we can bestow upon each other. Do service to others and to the world around us, both physical and spiritual, without prejudice, judgement or expectation. Do not seek what you already have. These beliefs will be very familiar I’m sure in the practice of yoga. My grandfather probably did not know the word yoga, but he lived and died by its principles.
Oh yes, he also taught me this very important thing:
“Listen to the birds, they are the messengers of god, then tell the bees so that they can tell everyone else.
I grew up and did all the usual things got a job and a career, for ten years as an Archaeologist and then in IT. Always trying to do things ethically and with some pride. I met my wonderful wife, Linda, and together created a family. All through this my grandfathers voice was a great influence though it grew quieter under the pressures and stresses of a modern life and the business world.
Then one day everything changed, suddenly career and work and the pressure was to much. I stumbled and I fell. Linda picked me up, and having persisted over many years, she finally succeeded, by taking me to a YHET weekend, in getting me practicing yoga.
Now my grandfather’s voice is much louder and more familiar again.
I am a teacher of Ascension and Meditation and a Nature Guide but have no desire to be a teacher of yoga. I do however genuinely believe that the business and life skills that have come my way over the last half century, can be of benefit to the Trust, especially in this period of change. The ethos and objectives of the trust, and most importantly the genuine behaviours of inclusivity, service and support make it an organisation that I want to be part of; and to help where I can.