This week’s interview is with Charlotte Inglis.
Charlotte is a graduate of Contemporary Yoga’s 200 hour teacher training from January 2018, and 100 hour pregnancy Yoga teacher training (2019).
In this interview, she shares her gratitude for the transformative power of Yoga in her life and her experiences getting started as a Yoga teacher.
CY: Why do you practice yoga and how did you first come to practice?
Charlotte: Yoga allows me to live life. I’m a better person with yoga and meditation in my life - just ask my kids!
I first came to practice yoga over 20 years ago when I walked into a school hall in Sydney looking for physical well being. I only lasted a few months, but then found the practice about seven years later during my first pregnancy and with each year my practice has developed.
CY: Why did you decide to become a yoga teacher?
Charlotte: I wanted to share that feeling I had of utter bliss when I walked out of a studio or finished a practice. It was when we were in Bali over 5 years ago, that it really dawned on me this was what was important to me. And, so, it has become important for me to share the practice … I want to help people develop tools to create harmony and presence in their daily lives.
Yoga reminds you of who you are. And of course ‘that feeling’, bliss or whatever you may name it, everyone should experience that in their lives.
In the words of Donna Farhi:
‘Practicing yoga does not eliminate life’s challenges, and neither does it provide us with a convenient trap-door to escape from life’s distractions. Instead, Yoga gives us the skills to meet life head-on with dignity and poise. Our breath, like our heartbeat, is the most reliable rhythm in our lives.’
CY: Who/what has been an important influence on your teaching practice?
Charlotte: The CY team has massively changed my practice, and then further studies during lockdown last year changed my practice again from focusing on the physical to inviting more meditation into my now almost daily practice.
Contemporary Yoga opened up pathways to a whole new way of not only practicing but living. I am so much more conscious and aware of how I live and want to live my life.
CY: What do you remember to be the most challenging as a new yoga teacher?
Charlotte: Just getting started. My first class was to cover for a friend, in a gym with over 40 people, and I was so nervous. I was worried that it wasn’t where I wanted or thought I should be teaching but that helped me build my confidence to start and put myself out there to other studios.
CY: We asked Charlotte to complete the following sentences:
Since completing my CY teacher training … I am a different person for the better. I am more open. The CY trainings and practice have helped me to heal and I am so much more aware of the person I am - in all my roles in life. My practice has meaning now in a deeper sense. It kickstarted this deep desire in me to be constantly learning.
To me, Yoga is … a way of life. A holistic approach that includes but is not limited to encompassing physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.
As a Yoga teacher, I am most excited … to share that we have all the tools we need inside of us. Joy, compassion, strength, and so much more. Our breath is such a powerful tool once we get to really know and experience it.
Someday soon… I look forward to sharing this practice regularly with pregnant mamas.
Charlotte’s current favourite quotes:
May you be happy, May you be well, May you be peaceful
May you be at ease.
Neal Ghoshal
Your beliefs create your experiences.
Octavio Salvado
Charlotte predominantly teaches at Yogawest in Titirangi, Auckland, on a Thursday and Saturday morning.
instagram.com/charlotteinglisyoga/
facebook.com/essentiallymeyoga/