YogaBellies

YogaBellies Teaching Faculty

At YogaBellies HQ, we have a range of experts in their fields who help you from a yoga, therapist and business perspective. Here is a little more information on our team

Cheryl Kennedy MacDonald

BA Hons CYT E-RPYT (Founder and Director Yoga Teacher)

Cheryl has been practicing Yoga for over 17 years and first became interested in yoga while studying for her University degree.

Cheryl is a Yoga Elder registered with the Independent Yoga Network (IYN) and completed extensive hatha yoga, pre and post natal training in yoga, baby massage, birth hypnosis and antenatal education. She created the IAPP accredited Birth ROCKS birth preparation method and authored the book by the same name. She gave birth to her first child in October 2009 and made use of the techniques she teaches to ensure that she had a beautiful, drug free birth that actively involved her husband and baby.

In a past life, Cheryl also worked as a Marketing Manager and Business Analyst and holds an honours degree in International Business and Modern Languages, specializing in Marketing. This comes in handy when helping everyone set up and run their yoga business!

Audrey Victor

BA Hons CYT and Franchise Support Manager

I first began to practice yoga when I was 21 (feels like a lifetime ago). I taught myself from a rather large book by a ridiculously bendy women whose name now escapes me. Over the years i continued to practice on and off for and when Adam was small we played ay yoga together. Being a full time, working mum struggled to find the time to keep up my practice but I made a concerted effort when I was pregnant second time round and I definitely felt the tremendous benefits for my pregnant body, my growing belly, my connection to my baby and especially through labour and birth.
Having undertaken the wonderfully enlightening doula preparation in 2008 I am passionate about promoting birth preparation and informed choices around birth. I encourage positive thinking around natural, normal births and about restoring women’s’ lost faith in their astonishing, astounding, amazing birthing bodies!
Having experienced such opposing birth experiences, I know first hand the outcomes both positive and negative and the challenges that mum and baby may have to overcome.
After three years as a YogaBellies teacher I still feel honoured and excited to be working with women at all stages of their lives offering support, nurturing and providing tools not just for labour or mothering but for life!.

Sophie Keil

BA (Hons) CYT RYT (Certified YogaBellies® Teacher and Shishya)

Sophie has been practicing for around 10 years. As a keen ballet dancer, Sophie stumbled into a yoga class during University to see what it was all about and hasn’t looked back. She really believes that you do not choose yoga, it chooses you. She started practicing ashtanga yoga but then changed styles to vinyasa and loves its flowing and instinctive qualities. Sophie was our first YogaBellies teacher to teach classes in the UK and set up her classes in Northern Ireland where the YogaBellies community has continued to flourish. Sophie believes that pre and post natal mothers have something to celebrate, either the excitement of waiting for their baby to be born, or the excitement of their birth and developmental bond being established with their baby. Sophie teachers Pregnancy Yoga, Baby Massage, Mum & Baby Yoga, YogaBellies® Kidz and Birth ROCKS classes. Her style is lighthearted and fun whilst remaining deeply rooted in the technical, anatomical and physical aspects of the practice. Sophie is excited and honored to be heading up the Training team and looks forward to sharing her knowledge and helping to inspire the YogaBellies® Teachers of the future.

Lauren Soden

CYT, SVQ2 Gym Instructor, (Certified YogaBellies Teacher and YogaBellies AquaBellies Instructor Trainer)

Lauren began in 2007 working as an aquatics programme leader in California at a camp for children and adults with special needs. When she returned to the UK she completed her SVQ2 Gym Instructor, Health Screening and ASA Level 1 qualifications. While pregnant with her daughter Lauren took an Exercise in Pregnancy course and went onto achieve CYQ Level 3 Ante/Post Natal Exercise, Pre-natal Aqua and Postnatal Abdominal Rehabilitation, (accredited by the Royal College of Midwives). In 2011 I qualified with STA Level 2 Adult and Baby Swimming. In 2012 she attended the CYQ2 Water Based Exercise course (final exam in August ’13). Lauren then started up “AquaBellies” classes and joined the Yogabellies family! She has studied Baby Massage, Mum and Baby Yoga, Perinatal Yoga ,Hatha Yoga and Children & Toddler Yoga training with Yogabellies. Lauren is due to graduate with a degree in Sports Injuries Management in June 2014 and also due to complete a diploma in Ante/Postnatal Exercise in August 2013 She has an up to date full lifeguard qualification and I am a member of the IYN, STA and insured through IPTI and STA.

Nicola Bradley

Adult Nursing (BN) Midwifery Studies (PgD) (Midwifery teaching on CYT)

Nicola is a midwife, nurse and mum to three young children and is a true advocate of informed choice. She has experienced all aspects of birthing in hospital and home and believes that women and their birth partners should have the knowledge and information to facilitate empowered choices surrounding childbirth.

Nicola in her early 20’s was a fitness instructor and progressed naturally to nursing and midwifery and practises as both in Glasgow. Skills gained in these areas have been applied to facilitate yogabellies courses including Birth ROCKS and baby massage. Along with her professional qualifications she is also a qualified aquanatal instructor and certified HypnoBirthing practitioner.

Annie Perry

BA (Hons), MSc, CYT (Certified YogaBellies Teacher and Franchise Support Manager)

I have practised yoga since I was 17 but my passion for yoga was only really ignited when I joined a pregnancy yoga class when pregnant with my first baby boy. I developed a fascination with perinatal psychology and the effect of yoga and meditation on both the mother the unborn child. I can honestly say I do not know how mums who go through a pregnancy without yoga do it! The benefits for my aching pregnant body and the chance to have some ‘me’ relaxation and meditation time while juggling a full time job and morning sickness were just invaluable. The breathing techniques I learned and the more supple and strong body I developed also stood me in good stead for the birth. My pregnancy journey and a new passion for yoga only really gave me one option when my maternity leave ran out- I had to teach other pregnant woman the benefits of yoga! To teach other woman and babies is just a complete privilege and a dream come true.

*YogaBellies Reserve the right to change the teaching faculty or teachers, trainers and staff at any given time as is appropriate. At no point is the listing of a name on this page indicative that you will be taught specifically by that teacher.