Empowered by yoga as a philosophy and the support of The Society of Yoga Practitioners, TSYP teacher Louise Sealy journeyed from recovery to renewal.
For much of her life, Louise Sealy loved high-energy sports shared with her husband and children. But a serious skiing accident — combined with the challenges of menopause — forced her to slow down. It was yoga, and the support she found through TSYP, that helped her rebuild her strength and confidence.
Now 64 and living in Hampton Hill, Greater London, Louise teaches yoga locally and works as a yoga therapist.
Louise volunteers as a cover teacher for seated yoga classes at The Mulberry Centre, an independent cancer information and support charity, which aims to deliver a range of information and support services free of charge to anyone affected by cancer, including those with a cancer diagnosis, their main carer, family members and those bereaved by cancer. In addition, for the last two years she has volunteered at Brinsworth House, a residential home for those who have worked in the entertainment industry and which is owned and run by the Royal Variety Charity. Louise leads seated yoga classes there for many of the residents.
Her journey began 10 years ago, after a skiing accident in France. Louise spent nearly four weeks in hospital before returning home to the UK, on crutches. “At first I couldn’t walk at all,” she recalls. “Even when I could manage with one crutch, I was terrified of anything that might knock me off balance.”
About nine months later, she began one-to-one sessions with yoga therapist Bea Teuten, a past chair of TSYP. Over a year, Bea helped her manage pain and anxiety through yoga breathing and gentle, restorative movement. “Bea never pushed me — she just guided me,” says Louise. “When I finally managed to remain balanced for several breaths in the Warrior III pose without support, I realised how far I’d come.”
Able to return to rowing and working out with a personal coach, Louise continues to work with Bea and credits yoga with helping her heal both physically and mentally. “It was holistic — caring for my mind as much as my body. Once I committed to daily practice, everything changed,” she says.
Encouraged by Bea, Louise went on to complete the TSYP Foundation Course and then the three year teacher training course, finding not only physical recovery but also a new direction in life.
Through TSYP, Louise also began to learn Sanskrit and Vedic chanting. Sanskrit is the language of the Vedas, India’s oldest sacred teachings. Passed down by word of mouth, Vedic chants can be used in yoga to calm the mind, improve focus, and bring inner peace. “When my father was dying, I learned a chant that became very special to me,” she says. “The chants seem to come into your life at just the right time.”
Louise says of her volunteer work: “People come and go, but I learn so much from them — about resilience and adaptation.” She adds: “I love the outreach work at The Mulberry Centre and Brinsworth House. It’s rewarding, full of laughter. My TSYP training has given me the “tools” to share my love of yoga with others because yoga didn’t just help me recover; it gave me a renewed love of life.”
Angelica Lundekesi, Activities Co-ordinator, Royal Variety Charity, Brinsworth House:
We have provided yoga to our residents for just over two years, it is still one of the busiest exercise classes in terms of attendees.
Louise is fantastic, it is often remarked that she has the soothing aura you would expect from a yoga teacher and shows interest in each resident ensuring that she is aware of any injuries, recent operations which could affect performance or general changes to their health/ mobility as is often the case with our service users, Louise will adapt the exercises to suit and often gives advice of how to improve or avoid further injuries in between the sessions.
We love our yoga classes and they have become an integrated part of our activities planner.
The residents reported a great sense of purpose at still being able to partake in physical exercises and those who are less mobile were relieved that there was a form of exercise which they are still able to do, reporting that yoga not being too strenuous was a definite plus. Many noticed that the routines and small movements help with concentration and revoke feelings of relaxation.