'I love yoga because it’s a bit of ‘me time’ where nothing else matters'

She has turned to this ancient form of gentle exercise to strengthen her body, build her confidence and provide moments of calmness during times of stress.

And now, Debbie, known as The Curly Yogi, shares her passion for yoga with others by running classes and retreats.

“I’ve been doing yoga since I was 20. I was trying lots of different exercise classes and I was rubbish at them all I’ve never been sporty.

“I tried yoga and it was the first thing I really enjoyed because you don’t have to do what everybody else is doing, you do what is right for your own body,” she explains.

But despite falling in love with the practice, Debbie, who lives in Telford, didn’t train to become an instructor until many years later.

“I had wanted to do it for a long, long time. I wanted to do it in my 20s but I had a strong phobia of public speaking,” she explains.

After undergoing therapy, she overcame her fear, the first step towards realising her ambition of teaching.

“Once I was able to speak in front of a room, I discovered that my voice wasn’t loud enough to be heard so I then had a few voice coaching lessons to learn how to project it.”

After completing her instructor training, Debbie began teaching in 2016. Over the years, she has trained extensively in various disciplines, and specialises in Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga, Beginners Yoga, Pregnancy Yoga, Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra.

On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, she can be found teaching two back-to-back classes at Ketley Community Centre in Holyhead Road. Her youngest student is 16 and her oldest is in her 80s. Over the years, Debbie has also taught yoga in workplaces in Shropshire and worked with the NHS.

She prides herself on offering classes that are friendly, suitable for all abilities and welcoming to beginners. “We always start with a bit of stillness, which allows us to connect with our body and breathe. We do this before we start on the poses.

“Generally, I like to start on the floor and work up to standing and then work ourselves down to the mat again,” explains Debbie, who likes to use yoga props such as blocks and straps in her classes.

There are many known benefits of yoga include improved flexibility, strength, and mental health.

“People come for lots of different reasons – they might be struggling with back or shoulder issues or they have might have heard it can help with sports like running and football. They come for lots of different reasons but they get more than their initial reason for coming because as they get into it they realise it’s good for their mind and body,” says Debbie.

“It’s all about working with your own body. You build strength and flexibility. It’s calming. It’s a bit of ‘me time’ where nothing else matters.”

Yoga has become one of the most popular forms of exercise in the world, but its roots can be traced back more than 5,000 years to northern India. “A lot of fitness fads come and go but yoga has always been there,” says Debbie.

“Once people have been to four to five classes, they really start to feel the benefits. They might stop and start as life happens and babies are born, but they will always come back to it. It’s going to be in their life forever like it has been for me.”

Debbie says it’s very rewarding to see the difference yoga can make to people’s lives.

“I enjoy seeing people enjoy something I’ve enjoyed for so long. I see people come in who are hassled because they’ve been stuck in traffic or they have had a long day and they walk out a different person. It resets them,” she explains.

Debbie has also trained to become a Women’s Circle Facilitator and runs Women’s Circles every four to six weeks in Telford. She describes a Women’s Circle as “a small group of women sitting together to chat, support, and uplift each other in a friendly and nurturing space”.

Each gathering features meditation, breathwork and deep relaxation as well as the opportunity to share thoughts or stories. “Women can talk about how they are feeling and what’s going on in their lives,” explains Debbie.

For more information and Debbie’s yoga class timetable, visit www.thecurlyyogi.co.uk