Hazell Cockle

I'm Hazell, mum to three young children and I'm a yoga teacher. My yoga journey began almost 18 years ago when I found a practice that allowed me to let go into the flow of life, explore my body in a healthy way, manage my mental health and importantly make space to relax. In 2011 I completed my yoga teacher training in India and my first gig was teaching a yoga class for 50 children in the north of Sri Lanka with our local Swamiji translating - no pressure then! When I returned to the UK in 2014 I began to specialise in yoga for teenagers and yoga for mental health. Then in 2016, I became a mum for the first time and realised that yoga wasn't just a practice that supported me, it was a lifeline. I was lucky enough to attend pregnancy and postnatal classes with senior yoga teacher Gillian Shippey. These classes were so different from any others I'd ever attended and were exactly what I needed as a new mum. I felt nurtured and connected. The classes lifted my mood and really helped me manage many difficult pregnancy and postnatal symptoms. They also helped me have a positive and breath motivated birth. When I became pregnant with my second child, Gillian was no longer teaching in my area. I tried many classes in the Calder Valley and Leeds (where I worked and ran teen classes) but none had the same impact. So at 2 months postnatal with my second child I decided to under take my pregnancy and postnatal training with Sally Parkes Yoga, and I haven't turned back. In all my classes I endeavor to nurture and connect with my students, and allow them to connect with each other. We explore our bodies and do what feels good. And we rest. And sometimes we eat chocolate. It's all yoga!