About Yoga Teacher Caroline Brindle

Caroline Brindle

Caroline’s yoga journey began when she started practising Iyengar Yoga in 1997.  She trained with the British Wheel of Yoga in 2002 and started teaching Yoga at gyms and local leisure centres alongside her day job as a Computer Programmer. Over the years she attended classes, workshops and trainings with numerous teachers who have been inspired by the teachings of Vanda Scaravelli, and she continues her personal practice along these lines.

The birth of her daughter in 2010 was a positive, empowering experience for her.  She felt the Yoga helped her remain centred, calm and gave her the strength and confidence to birth at home at the age of 40.  She wanted to share the teachings of Yoga with women, to help them enjoy their pregnancy, prepare for birth and motherhood.  She embarked on the YogaBirth Teacher Training in 2017.  She is now a full time Yoga teacher.

Qualifications

  • British Wheel of Yoga Foundation Diploma (60hr) – 2002
  • British Wheel of Yoga Diploma (500hr teacher training course) – 2002 to 2005
  • Natural Bodies Diploma (500hr teacher training course) – 2004 to 2006
  • YogaBirth (300hr pregnancy and birth teacher training course) – 2017 to 2018
  • Developmental Baby Massage Teacher Training with Peter Walker – 2018
  • KG Hypnobirthing Teacher Training – 2022 to 2023

In the Beginning

Hello, I’m Caroline an older mom to a daughter, who’s 12.  I’ve been with my husband since 1987 (we met in South Africa), probably longer than the age of some of you!!  I spent my first 11 years growing up in Yorkshire, then my parents decided to emigrate to South Africa in the early 80’s, my dad worked down the pit and was looking for a better life for his family. So I spent my teen years and early 20’s growing up in THE most beautiful country, which will always be dear to my heart.  It was a fantastic experience to move countries at an early age and experience a totally different way of life.

When I finished school I attended college to train to become a computer programmer, and that was my career for 30 years.  A well paid job, but I found it very stressful and eventually lost interest in trying to keep up with technology, as the pace was forever increasing.

In 1996 I decided to return to England and chase ‘money’, in those days there was the ‘millennium bug’, and loads of IT contract work available.  However I didn’t find contract work easily. I took a permantent job and after 11 months decided to return to Cape Town.

In 1997, I decided to try Yoga at the local gym. I’m not a Madonna fan, but it was her profile and the fact she attended Yoga classes that initially sparked my interest.  I started classes basically to ‘stretch’, after weight training in the gym.  Then eventually Yoga replaced my gym workouts.  I found I always felt good after a yoga class, and that was probably because it was an antidote to the stresses of my day job.

Yoga Teacher Training

In 1998 I decided to come back to England and try again, this time I was successful in finding contract work, and my partner came over to join me, the plan was to be here for a few years and return to SA.

I started my Yoga Teacher training with the British Wheel of Yoga in 2002 with Derek Thorne and completed the 3 year diploma course in 2005.  Prior to that, I had attended the 1 year Foundation course with Janet Long of the British Wheel.  As part of the teacher training we were expected to start teaching, so my teaching journey started back in 2002.  I had originally started the course to learn more about Yoga, not necessarily to teach.  However I found I really enjoyed teaching.

Between 2004 and 2006, I attended Gary Carter’s Teacher Training Course at Natural Bodies, mainly to gain more anatomical knowledge.  This course was very much steeped in the teachings of Vanda Scaravelli, there were many guest tutors who had been students of Vanda who came along to share their knowledge.  My personal practice was already moving in this direction (Breath, Ground, and Spine). I had met Peter Blackaby in 1999 and Gary around the same time, so feel very fortunate to have met teachers who still inform my practice today at such an early stage of my learning journey.

For years I taught evening classes at local gyms, leisure centres and the local Yoga Studio ~ Yoga for Harmony after my day job as a computer programmer.  I also covered classes for local teachers, in village halls and leisure centres.

Becoming a Mother

In 2010 I gave birth to our daughter in our birth pool at home at the ‘grand old’ age of 40!  My wonderfully positive birth experience ignited the spark. I wanted to share the power of Yoga with pregnant women.

When our daughter was old enough for me to be away at weekends, I decided to embark on the YogaBirth Teacher Training Course.  I chose the course because it too was steeped in the teachings of Vanda Scaravelli, and had plenty of birth education in its content. At this time the local Pregnancy Yoga teacher and good friend Carole Rolls was nearing retirement. The time was right to start teaching my own pregnancy yoga classes.