Maria Pettman

My Background

I have been interested in yoga for around 30 years but it’s in the last 10 years that my passion and practice has intensified. I completed my nurse training in 1991 and have been nursing ever since. I have worked on surgical and oncology units but have spent the last 20 years as a Colorectal Nurse Practitioner/Nurse consultant, I have completed an MSC in Advanced Nurse Practice as well as a diploma in oncology Nursing and a certificate in nursing genetics.

I absolutely love being a Nurse and feel immensely privileged to be able to care for people. I also feel the same about yoga.

Yoga Training

Some years ago I moved away from the city, changed my work schedule and decided to go to Thailand to do my yoga teacher training (YTT200). The training was physically challenging but with the support of our amazing teachers and my fellow pupils and also my husband who had accompanied me and was able to work remotely, I completed the training.

I learnt huge amounts from my training and will be eternally grateful to Rory and his team for igniting my passion to do and teach yoga but also for demonstrating purity in practice and how humanity shines when our ego is kept in check. I returned home and immediately started a yoga class at the local village hall.

I am still nursing full time but now run 2 classes per week as well as regular workshops and retreats. In summer 2018 I travelled to Holland to undergo my Yin Yoga training. This was a 100-hour course and although shorter than the basic training, it was equally intense and has given my practice and teaching diversity and a new perspective in body structure and function.

My Yoga Style

My classes are based on Primary Series Vinyasa Yoga but I incorporate Yin postures. My workshops will combine both styles of yoga achieving a feeling of balance and wholeness. Vinyasa style yoga focuses on body alignment, giving the entire body a work out (whether gentle or strong), calming the mind, releasing emotions and harmonising the breath and body. Regular practice will help with many chronic ailments such as back and joint problems, migraines, digestive disorders, stress/anxiety, poor posture and weight loss.

Yin Yoga is a very different style of yoga, and entails holding postures for longer periods of time. It focuses less on cardiac output and more on fascia release. Other benefits include calming and balancing the mind, reducing stress/anxiety, increased circulation, improved flexibility and balancing the internal organs by improving the internal energy flow.