About me
Welcome to South West London Yoga, based in Wimbledon Village. My name is Serena and I am a Qualified Yoga Teacher RYT 500 certified by the British Wheel of Yoga and Yoga Alliance Professionals. In addition, I am a Certified Pregnancy Yoga Teacher, having trained with the Sitaram Partnership, as well as a Birthlight Certified pregnancy, postnatal and baby yoga teacher. Also. I am a Qualified Children's Yoga Instructor, having been trained to teach Yoga for the Special Child, which enhances the natural development of infants and children with special needs.
I've taught yoga since 2008 and practiced since 1997. I came to yoga whilst pregnant with my second daughter and as a mother of two (grown up) children, I have first-hand experience of how yoga can help in the transition to motherhood.
I also offer functional medicine and wellness coaching over at Health by Serena.
My style of teaching
My teaching style is focussed on breath awareness and alignment in each posture, with some Vinyasa Flow sequences incorporated in my classes. This style of class will help you to gain strength and flexibility. In addition, you will release stress and find a general sense of wellbeing. I teach private classes and small groups in Wimbledon Village. This setting allows for individual, focussed teaching. All classes have a strong focus on movement with the breath, and meditation is part of the entire practice. I also teach online classes which may be more convenient for some. I started teaching in 2010, and taught at Triyoga, one of London’s premium yoga studios, between 2018 and 2020.
British Wheel of Yoga
After completing a yoga teacher training course with Triyoga, London's leading yoga studio, studying under the guidance of Susannah Hoffman and Jeff Phenix, I hold the British Wheel of Yoga Accredited Teaching Diploma. My yoga and meditation have many influences and I have been taught by some wonderful teachers, including Shiva Rea, Max Strom, Cyndi Lee, Angus Ford-Robertson, Carlos Pomeda, and Anna Ashby.
India training
In addition to my training in London, I have practiced and studied yoga in India, the spiritual home of yoga. ThereI trained to teach Vinyasa Flow Yoga with Frog Lotus Yoga, under the guidance of Vidya Jacqueline Heisel and Jennifer Yarro. Vidya is an inspiring teacher with 35 years of Yoga teaching experience, and a profound knowledge of Yogic philosophy and meditation. Jennifer has devoted much of her life to the study and practice of yoga, health and healing, and I was lucky enough, as one of her students, to have her impart her extensive knowledge of anatomy to me.
Mindfulness and breathwork trainings
In 2022, I completed another 300 hour Advanced Teacher Training with Buddhist chaplain, Cyndi Lee and also became a qualified mindfulness meditation teacher with Cyndi. Another of my esteemed teachers is Max Strom, author of A Life Worth Breathing. I trained with Max for over 10 years, and in 2018, completed his Inner Axis Teacher training, which focusses on healing trauma through breath work.
Yoga and foundations
A building needs strong foundations if it is not to fall down with the first strong wind that strikes it. Similarly, each asana (yoga posture) needs a strong foundation on which to build its other components- stability, alignment and extension. In short, one must build awareness in the feet and hands in each pose. If the feet and hands are subjected to incorrect alignment, one may eventually end upcreating imbalance and discomfort in the body.