Back in 2016 I joined Estelle (YB creator) to help manage LYS the busy amazing health facility based in Liverpool City Centre. I joined the LYS family from a position within a Bank for which I'd worked for many years.
Have you ever heard of the phrase 'institutionalised?'
Well that was me....I'd survived 15plus years working in the corporate world, chasing titles & deals, managing teams and learning how not to drown in a sea of bureaucracy when aspiring to be something I wasn't even sure I wanted to be.
Leaving to join an SME was a big leap of faith or was it?
The false financial security that came with working for a large organisation had been rocked year after year with redundancies, highlighting to all that no job was really safe. The danger to us all was the belief that our job was and not starting to think outside of the box for your next move. Daily jobs became harder as teams become smaller and threatening sales targets and managerial expectations became bigger!
So I leaped....
The transition between worlds was strange, beautiful, exciting and nervous all at once. There was a new me, reestablishing herself in this new world and here is how YogaBears changed everything.
When doing something everyday actually makes a difference.
When I first came on board with YogaBears it was as though I'd been allowed into a parallel universe. This universe has always existed along side mine but there were these incredible people aka Estelle and her team, who were literally trying to change the world. Estelle an early years scholar, now yoga business owner had combined her knowledge of both worlds, drawing upon her experiences working for charities such as ChildLine and made these 7 YogaBears.
The word Yoga was changed forever!
Yoga to me before joining YogaBears was a workout that helped me, greatly during an extremely stress-full time. It was one I recommended to as many as I could but I never thought of it as toolkit for life. YogaBears changed this for me... Estelle and I were working together one day and she begun to explain the bears, their super-powers and how they related to everyday situations from the classroom to mental illness from physical disabilities to challenging home lives - all of sudden I realised this was no longer 'YOGA' it was emotional intelligence, it was emotional & mental survival techniques, it was strength building-both physically and mentally......it was 'WOW!'
Where had this been all my life???
Over the coming months and years I watched YogaBears in action. I became ferociously passionate about the concept and wanted every child I knew or met to have access to it. I also wished I'd of had YogaBears when I was younger. At the grand age of 38 it took along time for me to 'come into my own' as us scousers say and find my self-belief and balance. I always remember a lady who had heard about YogaBears asked if it would help her daughter whom was suffering grief induced Alopecia and was desperate for help. The YogaBears Teachers alongside this girls amazing parents did everything they could and well this little girl is now a beautiful ballet dancer whom we still follow to this day!
YogaBears was no cliche...it was life changing
It really is and children up and down the UK now have access to YogaBears and all the amazing things it can do, thank you to our teaching community. In 2019 just before Covid hit YogaBears was going from strength to strength. Teacher Trainings were full but then as lockdowns ensued our ability to facilitate anymore courses halted. This was gut wrenching for us, we knew that at a time children needed us most the accessibility to classes and teachers was extremely difficult.Here was are post lockdown and YogaBears courses are back and once again are filling up.
The demand has increased
Whilst our courses are filling up with aspiring teachers so is our inbox by parents asking for class information. Never before have we seen such demand and we believe this to be due to the pandemic and also the volatile state of world affairs in 2022. If you are thinking about changing or adding to your career, I implore you, the time is now. Never before have the children urgently needed access to such tools as YogaBears. Take that leap of faith like I did! Understand your current position and forecast your change. If you want to feel a sense of fulfilment and pinch yourself regularly that this is indeed your job, then look no further. As the saying goes,
"find a job that you love and you'll never work another day in your life"
Vicky Willis - General Manager YogaBears & LYS
