Ms Kate Oppel - Yoga Teacher
I trained as a singer and guitarist at the Guildhall School of Music in London in the 1960’s and subsequently worked as a singer/guitarist and guitar teacher. I was introduced to yoga in my early 40s, by a Harley St. speech therapist that I consulted over a speech problem. She said ‘I can’t do anything for you but I suggest you take up yoga’.
I took my Sivananda Yoga Teachers’ training course in the Bahamas at the age of 53 and have now been teaching yoga for 12 years. During this time I have read widely and explored different schools of posture work at the many workshops that flourish in the south of England. This includes the British Wheel of Yoga Congresses in 2007 and 2008.
I also continued with my Sivananda Yoga training and took the advanced course in Canada in 2001 and a Sadana Intensive (this involves working through the Hatha Yoga Pradipika) in the Himalayas in 2004 and repeated it in France in 2006.
Teaching experience. I taught yoga and meditation at Inglewood Health Farm near Newbury for 5 years, before it closed down in 2005. I have taught for many years and continue to teach at Cannons in Newbury (now Nuffield Health), Newbury College and Reading Recourse Centre (this supports people with Mental Health problems). I have also taught at Reading Prison and Prospect Park Hospital and teach privately in the Newbury area.
Publications. I self published ‘Blues Guitar Play it Your Way’ in 1994. This was followed by ‘Yoga Sequences’ in 2003, ‘Yoga Sequences, Book 2’ in 2007 and ‘Yoga Expanded & Simplified’ in September 2009. I have always been involved with the visual arts and illustrated the books myself. The yoga books are written under my spiritual name, Vani Devi. This means Goddess of speech and song.
Practices & Specialities
Qualifications
L.G.S.M., L.R.A.M., ITEC and both Sivananda Yoga Teachers’ Training certificates