Working full time in the health service, I saw yoga teacher training as a new string to my bow, a side hustle, a project just for me. I had no idea it could enhance my current career. Flash forward less than five months from qualifying from a 200-hour YTT, and teaching is now part of my job. No, I haven't packed in the day job, but I have been able to introduce yoga practices to my colleagues in a year where taking time out to recharge has proven more important than ever.

If you've been thinking about Yoga Teacher Training, but you already have a career, you're wondering if it is worth training if it's not going to be your full-time job? Let me tell you that this has been the best thing I could have done for my career. Employers, more than ever, are seeing the value of looking after their employees' health. As a mental health first aider, I was always looking for new ways to introduce wellness practices to my workplace. Yoga teacher training with The Kali Collective opened my eyes to the benefits that yoga has on mental health and how to share this with others. I now deliver training on wellness practices, breathing techniques, and 30 min vinyasa flows for my colleagues across Scotland. Steph Wall's interest in how the mind works and how to create a mind-body connection makes her the best vinyasa yoga teacher training in Glasgow.

YTT awoke something in me that has also enhanced my career in some unexpected ways. As well as yoga immersion, you can quickly learn to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, having deep conversations, acknowledging ego, and questioning EVERYTHING when you train with Steph. I find myself speaking up more, trusting my convictions, and backing myself at work. Looking back on the past few months, I have a lead on bigger projects and have been given the responsibility I was yearning for before. This is no coincidence.

It is one thing to be open and honest with a group of like-minded individuals who you meet on YTT (be prepared to meet a whole host of friends for life). It's quite another to do it at work or at home. Steph teaches in a way that helps take these practices out into your own life as transferable skills. One thing I will take away from my 200 yoga teacher training is active listening. It might sound simple, but learning to truly listen will open up your life to meaningful conversations. Take this skill into the workplace, and you might just be surprised where your career will go.

I loved my work before, but I yearned for something more meaningful. YTT has given me the confidence and conviction to be more authentic. In turn, I am opening doors to a career path that just feels right. Being my authentic self has also resulted in a new network of like-minded colleagues, making every day that little brighter.

I will look back on YTT with Steph Wall as a turning point in my career, and I can not wait to see where I find myself in a year's time.

By Fiona Shields