Michelle Mackay

My passion for teaching exercise classes began in the 1990’s after an Exercise Teacher told me that I should train to become an Exercise Teacher myself.  At the time I couldn’t think of anything more frightening that standing up in front of a class and teaching in front of a room full of people.  However, this seed was planted and in 1998 I qualified as an Exercise to Music Teacher and began teaching a variety of classes in gyms and village halls in the local area.  I travelled to the North of England to train as a ‘Body Max’ Instructor, which was one of those faddy exercise regimes, but as this involved using weights, I had to complete a workbook about the human musculoskeletal system, which triggered my interest in becoming a Physiotherapist.  At that time, I had no idea about the wide spectrum of areas that physiotherapists worked in and had no idea about the journey on which I was about to embark.  I qualified as a Chartered Physiotherapist in 2006 and have since worked in a wide variety of areas, with people with a vast array of conditions, although my favourites have been working with patients with neurological conditions and in palliative care.  Whilst working as a Physiotherapist I continued to teach classes but also became much more aware about the benefits of ‘core stability’ when this became very fashionable and in 2007 gained Pilates qualifications with the Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute and soon began teaching regular Pilates classes. As much as I loved working as a Physiotherapist and teaching Pilates, I really felt that there was more to our human condition and began taking an interest in mental health and psychology.  Although, of course, these aspects are parts of our being, I still felt there was something more to know and really didn’t know what it was I was still looking for.  I even completed a ‘Christianity Explored’ course to see whether it was religion that was missing, but that still wasn’t it.  In 2014 I took part in my first Yoga class and I was hooked.  I really couldn’t explain what it was that sparked my passion for this concept of exercise.  I felt as though I walked taller and felt more energised, but as well as that I found a real sense of inner peace that I really couldn’t explain.  I continued to attend Yoga classes, sometimes 5 times a week and then decided to enrol in a Yoga Foundation Course, just to learn more about this for myself.  The whole concept of Yoga became more and more fascinating to me and I quickly learnt that there was so much more to it than just physical postures.   I then decided to enrol in a Teacher Training Course to further develop my knowledge.  I completed my teaching diploma in September 2017. Read my Blog on the camyoga website (camyoga link). I have just received an award in teaching Restorative Yoga in March 2018.  In April 2018 I attended a Teacher training programme for teaching Yoga to patients with cancer and long- term conditions and in November 2018 qualified as a Healing Space Teacher. I am keen to share my passion for Physiotherapy, Pilates and Yoga.  I can offer 1:1 or small group sessions to clients and can vary exercise programmes so they are tailored to suit their needs using concepts from Pilates and Yoga, incorporating my knowledge and experience as a Physiotherapist.  I am also available for corporate events and can run small workshops.  .

Michelle Mackay