Margaret Willcocks – CEO, Principal Teacher, Trainer and Assessor
When and why I commenced yoga
It was in 1985 that I first discovered Yoga. I had a car accident and my GP recommended that I attend yoga classes to help heal the tensions within my body & mind.
Why I chose to continue to learn about yoga
I continued my practice of Yoga because I fell in love with the effect the gentle postures and breathing techniques had upon me. The benefits I received from the practice of Yoga were also evident to my family.
What made me decide to become a teacher
I had an affinity with the physical side of yoga as I came from being a student and teacher in Callisthenics which led me to being an aerobics and tai chi instructor for many years. I realised that Yoga was a path to healing and wellbeing suitable for all ages and abilities and therefore I wanted to share its teachings with others.
Where I did my training
I commenced my practice and training at the Therevada Buddhist Centre in Nollamara where I was the resident Yoga teacher for 5 years before establishing my own Yoga centre. I studied for my qualification with the International Yoga Teachers’ Association (IYTA) based in Sydney and then went on to practice with many local teachers and attend many workshops and conventions with interstate and overseas teachers.
Why I chose that source of training
I chose to study with IYTA because of its standing in the Yoga community and because it taught a very eclectic style of Yoga where all forms and styles of yoga were introduced to the students. This suited me well as I like to explore different paths before I choose what is right for me and because I like to be creative in teaching and practicing yoga. This allows me to use methods from all different styles to suit individual students as I believe we are all unique and need a practice suited especially to the individual.
Other qualifications
Personally, I am a Registered Training Organisation trading as Greenwood Yoga Academy. This means I am qualified to train people on a national level. Along with this and my Diploma of Yoga teaching from IYTA I have a Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training, Senior First Aid Certificate and Mental Health First Aid Certificate. I am also a Level 3 member of the Yoga Teachers’ Association of Australia (YTAA) and a qualified Reiki practitioner. I have been involved on the National committee of YTAA as WA’s State Representative and prior to that was on the local committee of IYTA where I served as WA Secretary, Newsletter Editor and finally President. For a number of years I also acted as the Teacher Training Course Liaison and Assessor in WA for IYTA.
My special interest in yoga
My special interests in yoga are teaching beginners, over 55’s, and restorative and pregnancy classes as it gives me great joy witnessing change in people through yoga after a very short time. It gives me a sense of great satisfaction and real joy to share my interest and understanding with people from all ages and abilities. In particular, the pregnancy class is an opportunity to make a difference for the new generation.
My interests outside of yoga
My outside interests of course include my family. I have three adult children and to this date I have 4 grandchildren who all give my husband and I great happiness and love. I enjoy going for walks, camping, dining with friends, listening to music of all kinds (other than real heavy metal) and watching good movies. I love to cook soups and enjoy making salads!
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Sandy Walker – Assistant to the CEO, Yoga Teacher, Trainer and Assessor
When and why I commenced yoga
I started yoga in 1999 upon recommendation from a massage therapist to counter the early stages of a frozen shoulder. I was also looking for something to help me find some relief from the stresses of my work and personal life.
Why I chose to continue to learn about yoga
From the very first class I knew that this was what I had been looking for and the physical, mental and emotional benefits were immediately evident to me and my husband. I decided to continue and soon built up from attending one class a week to two and sometimes three.
What made me decide to become a teacher
I had got so much from yoga and I wanted to share this with other people. I also wanted to learn more about the history and philosophy of this wonderful science, two areas which are of particular interest for me with respect to many subjects.
Where I did my training
I started my training in a less formal manner as a teaching assistant to Margaret Willcocks who runs Greenwood Yoga Academy (GYA). I wanted to formalise and develop this training and after doing some research settled on studying with the International Yoga Teachers’ Association (IYTA).
Why I chose that source of training
I chose to study with IYTA as despite being based in Sydney, at the time there was strong support for students in WA through the student liaison representative Margaret Willcocks. I had (and still have) enormous respect for Margaret’s knowledge and skills and her generosity in sharing this with the students. I was also drawn to IYTA as they provided students with a good overview of all styles and lineages of yoga as well as its many components.
Other qualifications
Besides my Diploma of Yoga Teaching from IYTA my significant qualifications are a Bachelor of Economics (Hons), Certificate in Basic Counselling Skills, Certificate IV in Assessment & Workplace Training, Senior First Aid Certificate and Mental Health First Aid Certificate. I am a Level 2 member of the Yoga Teachers’ Association of Australia (YTAA) and have been involved on the national committee of YTAA as a State Representative. I also helped develop Greenwood Yoga Academy’s Teacher Training Course and to this day continue to teach on it and look after various administrative aspects of the course.
My special interests in yoga
My special interests in yoga include bringing the holistic experience of yoga to people who may not otherwise try it – that is, teaching in fitness centres and for corporate sessions. With respect to the latter, having spent more than a decade working in the corporate world as an Economist and with my own consultancy business and restaurant, I well understand the mental and physical tensions that these environments can create. It is wonderful to see people grow with the realisation that yoga is not just about physical stretching but can benefit them in all aspects of their being and lives. I also have an ongoing interest in researching, understanding and applying yoga history, philosophy and physiology.
My interests outside of yoga
My outside interests include touch rugby which I have played for nearly two decades, travelling, especially through Asia, walking my two dogs, reading fiction and autobiographies, sharing inspiring meals with good friends and enjoying the company of my husband on those occasions when our busy timetables allow.
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Joanna Hoskins – Yoga Teacher
When and why I commenced yoga
I have always had Yoga in my life. My mother practiced Yoga all through my childhood and I was lucky enough to be taught Yoga at high school, but I didn’t start practicing Yoga consistently until after the birth of my second child. I had a very difficult pregnancy and was hoping to increase my physical strength and fitness. I am not a very athletic person and don’t enjoy team sports, but I remembered how comfortable I had felt doing Yoga at school and wondered if Yoga would help me regain my pre pregnancy vitality. It certainly did! As soon as I started Yoga classes in 1999 I knew that I would never be without Yoga again.
Why I chose to continue to learn about yoga
As my body became stronger with my Yoga practice I started to become interested in the other aspects of Yoga. I was getting a taste of the other limbs of Yoga in class, and I was curious to learn more. I felt that there was a vast wealth of knowledge in the teachings of Yoga that could perhaps enhance my every day life. I was asking my teacher so many questions about Yoga at the end of each class that she suggested I do a Yoga Teacher Training Course!
What made me decide to become a teacher
My reason for doing teacher training was to learn more about Yoga. I didn’t envisage myself as a teacher, more as a student on a quest for knowledge. Of course, as I met more Yoga teachers during my studies, I realised that we are all students and that no one gets to the point where they stop learning, regardless of how long they have been teaching. Teaching my first class was very humbling. Since then I have taught many classes and each has been a wonderful experience. I never stop learning, and I hope that I can open up that sense of wonder and learning for my students.
Where I did my training
I enrolled in the International Yoga Teachers’ Association’s (IYTA) teacher training course on the recommendation of my then Yoga teacher, and at the same time began attending classes at the Greenwood Yoga Academy where I met Margaret, the CEO, and the other IYTA students. She was extremely generous in taking me under her wing and mentoring me. She was exceptionally helpful and encouraging and gave up much of her spare time to help the teacher training students. The IYTA course is very well respected and, with Margaret’s practical help, I enjoyed every minute of my studies.
Why I chose that source of training
I chose the IYTA course because of its long tradition of turning out well rounded Yoga teachers. It was important to me to choose a course that fully incorporated all the eight limbs of Yoga.
Other qualifications
My work background is retail sales management and travel consultancy. My undergraduate honours degree is in Psychology and Literature and I am currently studying part time at Murdoch University for a Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling. When I graduate I hope to complement my Yoga teaching with a counselling practice.
My special interests in yoga
There is so much I enjoy about Yoga that it is hard to narrow it down. I would say I particularly enjoy teaching beginners and seeing their amazement as their body and mind opens up to Yoga. I also enjoyed teaching my son’s under twelve football team during the last football season.
My interests outside of yoga
I have two sons- one in primary school and one in high school and therefore family life is very busy. My greatest enjoyment outside of Yoga is to travel with my sons and husband- whether short trips within the state or longer trips overseas. I also enjoy good food, immersing myself in a good book, movies, and catching up with friends over a coffee.
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Ethel Drummond – Yoga Teacher
When and why I commenced yoga
I commenced practicing Yoga in 1971 after reading a book about Yoga. Finding it difficult to read and practice at the same time (especially in a twist) I decided to find a class. My first experience was as a student of the Satyananda style of Yoga
Why I chose to continue to learn about yoga
I have continued learning about Yoga, as I consider it to be an integral part of my life. The physical, mental and spiritual benefits of Yoga have helped me through the various challenges of life
What made me decide to become a teacher
In 1976 I moved to Nigeria, to an area where there were no Yoga teachers. Before I left I heeded the advice of my Yoga teacher and did a short course with The British Wheel of Yoga, which prepared me for the rewarding experience of sharing the gift of Yoga as a teacher
Where I did my training
After immigrating to Australia in 1988, I commenced teaching at various community centres in the northern suburbs. My recent training was with I.Y.T.A. under the supervision of Margaret Willcocks (who was the student liaison officer and assessor for IYTA at the time) at Greenwood Yoga Academy. I became a full teaching member of IYTA in 2003.
Why I chose that source of training
I chose that source of training as the support network at GYA was excellent and the environment positive and encouraging. It also caters for a variety of Yoga styles and lineages
Other qualifications
YTAA Senior Yoga Member; current Resuscitation Certificate; Mental Health First Aid Certificate; Associate of The British Display Society
Special interests in yoga
Restorative Yoga; Relaxation Techniques
Interests outside of yoga
Snorkelling, Art and Design
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Robin Williams - Yoga Teacher
When and why I commenced yoga
I experienced my first yoga session almost 30 years ago. At that time I was working as a nursery school teacher in Toronto, Canada and had had a particularly busy day. I was tired and hungry and it was a long way home on the bus but I had organised to attend my first yoga class. This had been recommended by an elderly, very spritely and serene lady friend who I had always said I would aim to be like in my older years. That day I found out the reasons why she had remained so youthful. I walked into my first yoga session tired and hungry and came out of the session 1.5 hours later as if I had had a good sleep and a good meal. I was sold!
Why I chose to continue to learn about Yoga.
I was happy to continue to experience yoga, not from the yearning to learn more so much, but from the good health and well being that ensued. I never tried to analyse the reaons why and if I ever did, it was for the freedom I had gained with my new found flexibility and being able to cope better with stress. I loved the natural and logical experience of yoga. In my travels of those earlier years I attended many classes with many teachers, so experiencing quite a cross section of yoga. I found this very interesting and stimulating, enticing me to remain a yoga follower through the years.
What made me decide to become teacher
Throughout my life whenever I had experienced anything pleasurable I would always recommend these "pleasurable experiences" to anyone I knew. Yoga was one of these "pleasurable experiences" I would try to teach people but it was somehow never the same experience for them. I knew there was something missing in my teaching. So, when an opportunity presented to attend a yoga teacher training course at Greenwood Yoga Academy I took it and haven't looked back.
Where I did my training
My first lot of training was gleaned from the many yoga teachers that had taught me through my earlier years. The training that cemented 27 years of yoga experiences together and has taught me much, much more was completed at Greenwood Yoga Centre in 2007 - the Holistic Yoga Teacher Training Course involving 1.5 years of training in all aspects of yoga.
Why I chose that source of training
I was always interested in all forms of yoga and felt that by following just one sort , I would somehow be limiting my knowledge. Also, in order to on-teach what I had experienced in my own yoga life, the "holisitic" method - teaching about different styles of yoga which the Greenwood Yoga Academy embraces - was perfect.
Other qualifications
I am a member of the Yoga Teachers Association of Australia and have certificates in First Aid and Mental Health First Aid. I also have Nursery Nursing Examination Board qualifications enabling me to teach in 4 year old playgroups. I also have various other qualifications for Office Secretarial work.
Special interests in yoga
Now I have trained as a yoga instructor my main interest is to pass the same benefits that I have gained throughout my 30 years of yoga experiences to my students in the most positive and beneficial way I can.
My interests outside of yoga
My family which comprises two lovely daughters, their partners and a soon to be grandchild! Music is a big part of my life and I sing in a 6 piece classic rock band. I also love gardening and walking on the beach with friends.
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Eda Merenda – Teacher
Many of the classes at GYA have Assistant Teachers to provide support and assistance to the principal teacher of the class. Eda has assisted Margaret for many years in a number of classes and is now teaching her own Beginners and Over 55's class at GYA on a Thursday.
When and why I commenced yoga
After returning from a holiday through Europe in 2000, one of my sons returned from Melbourne with his wife and three children to live with us. This increased the members of our household to 10! He said he only needed to stay for 2 months, however, this turned into 8 months. Although it was a joy to be able to have all my adult children as well as the grandchildren live with us, I needed some time out. A good friend suggested I attend Greenwood Yoga Academy for this and so along I went. I enjoyed it so much that from 2001 I attended 3 classes a week for many years.
Why I chose to continue to learn about Yoga.
I soon learnt that Yoga was also helping me with my netball umpiring. For about 15 years I had been umpiring up to about 20 games a week. My back and legs were quite fatigued by the end of the week. I also found that I was benefitting from learning how to quieten my mind. As I continued to practise yoga the mental and physical effects were fantastic.
What made me decide to become an Assistant Teacher
When GYA decided to present their first Holistic Yoga Teacher Training Course in 2004 I approached Margaret Willcocks stating I would love to take the next step. I also asked her to be my mentor and she kindly agreed. As I wanted to participate in the course to learn more about yoga but thought I would find the exams difficult I asked to be exempt from assessments and exams. Margaret agreed to this request and allowed me to continue with my study and practice of Yoga. I completed the course and received a Certificate of Participation. Whilst studying, in 2004 I agreed to be Margaret's assistant on Saturday mornings for both the general and pregnancy classes. I found this to be a truly rewarding way of furthering my knowledge and understanding of Yoga whilst helping others. I have recently completed a Mental Health First Aid Certificate in order that I can continue to assist the students at GYA in the best way I can.
Why I chose to keep studying
I have such a passion to practice and learn about Yoga and am grateful for the opportunities that GYA offers. GYA has General, Restorative, Pregnancy and other specialty classes. My pregnant days are over but I have daughter-in-laws and a daughter who can benefit from my knowledge. Some days I need a Restorative class because I am getting older. I love the fact that my family benefits from the effects of my practice and understanding of Yoga. I hope my journey through Yoga is a long one. To learn and be taught by attending classes at the Greenwood Yoga Academy is my passion.
My interests outside of yoga
I regard looking after my husband of 35 years, enjoying my children and grandchildren, (who seem to grow too quickly), walking and rewarding myself with a coffee most mornings whilst reading the paper at the coffee shop as my great interests other than Yoga. Other interests are my network of girlfriends who play a very important part in my social life as well as my continued role in netball umpiring, (just 6 games a week now) which is great fun.
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Helen Bennett – Teacher
Information to be posted soon.
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Richard Beggs - Teacher
When and why I commenced yoga
I started yoga in my first year at university in 1984 as an antidote to the muscle-shortening effects of track athletics and long-distance running. Immediately I discovered that yoga was much more than just a physical discipline and I had some profound and initially inexplicable experiences with altered states of consciousness that suddenly opened up a faith in a whole different dimension of experience. That interest and search has continued ever since.
Why I chose to continue to learn about yoga
When I finished university and took a year out to travel the world (which lasted about 12 years full on and still continues to be a major interest today) I continued to practice on my own but was always fortunate to meet people who encouraged me to investige those other dimensions of consciousness more deeply. During a two year stretch in Mexico I had some intense experiences with a Shaman of the Mazateca people and whilst working as a volunteer at a Quaker centre in Mexico City I received much support from one of the Quakers who had spent time with Swami Vishnudevananda in Canada. Vishnudevananda had been a disciple of Rishikesh based Swami Sivananda and went on to establish the international network of Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres to which I seemed drawn by fate again and again. Still in Mexico, a travelling companion lent me the yoga book he never went anywhere without - Vishnudevananda's The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga. With this I began to expand my repertoire of postures and my understanding of the wider philosophy of yoga. As I continued to practice, I found that it was my yoga that helped me maintain equanimity through the difficult times of life. When I left Mexico via California I walked into a second hand bookshop in Santa Cruz one day and asked if they had any books on yoga. Aftter a short search the vendor pulled one off the expansive shelf marked "Esoteric" and, apologising that it was the only title they had on the subject, put it in my hand. it was of course Vishnudevananda's classic.
What made me decide to become a teacher
Back home in the UK a few years later a friend in London mentioned that there was a great yoga centre just acorss the river from her flat. It turned out to the London Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre. So on my next visit to the capital I accompanied her to an asana class and satsang (group meditation, chanting and philosophical discourse). That was my first experience of the very wide teachings of yoga espoused by Swami Sivananda whereby the aspirant is encouraged to pursue the four principal paths of yoga simultaneously - Jnana Yoga (philosophy), Bhakti Yoga (devotion), Karma Yoga (selfless service) and Raja Yoga (Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga of which Hatha Yoga is considered to be a development).
Already friends had begun to show an interest in the yoga and meditation that I was practising with increasing discipline and often they would join me for informal sessions. The more I practiced, however, the more I realised how little I knew, so gradually I realised some formal training was what I needed. Meanwhile, through my visits to the London centre I had become aware of the teacher training courses that they ran.
Where I did my training
I completed my first teacher training course thorugh the London centre in 2004. This was a 30 day retreat at a stately home in the Dorset countryside. Thirty days may not sound like much but it was intense: from 5am until 10pm the unsuspecting student is immersed in the practice, study and ethos of yoga. One is pretty much cut off from the outside world, free of the distraction of radio, television, internet and newspapers and there is strict prohibition on stimulants like caffeine as well as alcohol, sex and meat. Two meals a day of healthy, yogic vegetarian food are served and 3-4 hours a day are devoted to the practice of asana and pranayama. The effect, I found, was immediate and profound: a sense of great physical well-being combined with mental serenity and clarity that was beyond anything I had experienced. As a bonus, after 30 days the thoracic back pain that I had suffered for almost 20 years following a climbing accident had also left me.
In 2005 I completed their Advanced Teacher Training Course at the Sivananda Ashram in the Austrian Alps. This was another 30 day retreat but of even greater intensity and demanding of even more discipline! I loved it and it further developed my knowledge of the classical yoga texts. We were also priveleged to attend an intensive course in Sanskrit conducted by a professor from Heidelberg University.
In 2006 I travelled to Uttar Kashi, high in the Indian Himalayas, to attend a 14 day Sadhana Intensive course for Sivananda teachers focusing primarily on the pranayama techniques of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. This was even more demanding than the other courses: the first pranayama session took place in that auspicious hour before sunrise (which meant getting up at 4am) followed by three more two hour sessions through the day interspersed with advanced asana practice and discourses on a number of the Vedantic texts. The Sivananda organisation is well known for the excellent vegetarian food served at all events but this time we endured two weeks of unsalted, unspiced food as part of the psychic and physical purification package.
Again I loved it and after the course I spent a few days hiking to the glacial source of the Ganges almost 4000m up in the Himalayas where, Indians affirm, a dunk in the icy waters wipes clean all karma from this and previous lives. After a moment's hesitation I plunged in between the blocks of ice, immersed my head as required, and in a few nanoseconds was back on the stony banks rubbing vigorously with a towel to stave off hypothermia. I think my faith my have failed me on that occassion!
Other qualifications
In 2007 I completed the British Wheel of Yoga's Teaching Diploma. This 3 year part-time course is the most comprehensive I have come across and I found it excellent, particularly on the theoretical side, which looked in depth at teaching methods, the anatomy and physiology of yogic techniques, and safety issues as well as the history and philosophy of yoga and its antecedents. I found the knowledge gained complemented well all the practical experience of yoga gained through the Sivananda schools.
My special interest in yoga
Whilst I enjoy asana practice and the consequent feeling of physical well-being produced, it is the psychological effects of yoga that attract me most and are probably now my principal motivation. The deeply peaceful state of desirelessness attained after a good yoga session, where it is enough just to sit, to breathe and to be, is for me, an answer to the frenetic pace of modern life where we risk becoming slaves to our desires. Even our economic system virtually depends on our continuing to want and consume things so the PR industry does its best to foster those wants by exploiting our insecurities, weaknesses and fears. Yoga practice can help us counter these negative influences and replace them with more positive values by first creating an awarenss of the psychological processes behind the cycle of wants and aversions. Then we can work on gradually replacing our dependence on beer, pizza and television with asana, pranayama and meditation - whilst learning to embrace our daily failure with patience and good humour!
My interests outside of yoga
In no particular order these are the other things that enrich my life and give me meaning: birdwatching, growing my own food, vegetarian cookery, cycling, hiking, snorkelling, languages, exploring this beautiful planet, poetry, history, playing the piano, European cinema, reducing my carbon footprint, constructing a successful relationship with my partner through co-operation and communication, developing personal discipline at the same time as learning to forgive myself on the frequent occassions when I give in to less noble human motivations!
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Sandy O'Keefe
When and why I commenced yoga
I commenced yoga in 2003 because I had heard from friends the positive impact that yoga had on their lives and was keen to experience it myself.
Why I chose to continue to learn about yoga
As I attended more and more yoga classes I found that it helped to centre me, to deal with day to day issues and to put them into perspective.
What made me decide to become a teacher
I discovered a passion for yoga and wanted to learn more so that I could pass on my knowledge to others so they could experience the benefits first hand.
Where I did my training
I did my training at Greenwood Yoga Academy (then Greenwood Yoga Centre) and graduated as a Holistic Yoga Teacher in 2007.
Why I chose that source of training
I chose GYA because I felt comfortable with the ethos of the Academy and its teachers. In particular, the Academy offered a more holistic approach which resonated with me. The Principal Teacher/Owner, Margaret Willcocks, was a pillar of support in guiding me towards my goal.
Other qualifications
I am a member of the Yoga Teachers' Association of Australia with certificates in First Aid and Mental First Aid. I am also a qualified Active After School Communities Coach with the Australian Sports Commission.
My special interest in yoga
As much as I love teaching adults, I also have a special interest in teaching children and teach a teens yoga class at GYA.
My interests outside of yoga
I have a wonderfully supportive partner and have three children, one granddaughter and am soon to be a grandmother again. Relaxing and enjoying nature is one of the many things I love as well as gardening, being creative and just enjoying the simple things in life.
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