Why I Became a Yoga Teacher: A Personal Story of Transformation

Hi I'm Cathy. I am a Yoga Teacher and Crystal Bowl Practitioner passionate about sharing my practices online. But I didn't get to where I am today in one day, and it definitely wasn't what I always knew I'd become from day one...

I worked in fast-paced corporate environments 10+ years executing billion dollar deals living in Hong Kong, London and Singapore. I first turned to yoga with a vague desire to "be healthier" and more flexible. As I progressed through the poses, I felt a very satisfying sense of accomplishment and I couldn't wait to learn the next.

As the career, social and family pressure grew, yoga started to become more of a space where I could solely focus on myself and away from the demands of work to always deliver the best for someone else. 

But it was not until stress, anxiety and grief caught up with me that I started to find something beyond the eye in yoga - it became a catalyst for deeper emotional growth and healing.

My career ingrained in me a client-first mindset while the moves across cities made me adaptable to new environments. I had also grown up moving every few years, studying in 3 different languages and taking on responsibilities from a young age. I didn’t realize it then, but I was always conforming to the flow of events and needs of those around me.

Then more recently, I lost a close family member to a sudden diagnosis of severe cancer, only to be followed by my own health scare within months, which I was treated for but which left me with chronic pains I had to manage for the rest of my life.

I had lost touch with my identity as well as my body - I wasn’t doing the best for myself. It took me losing control over my healthy body to finally realize this. It was as if my body was screaming for my attention, and it worked. And a flip finally switched.

One of the first big decisions I made for myself was to embark on my 300-hour yoga teacher training with my favorite yoga teacher. I initially trained because I wanted to learn the detailed techniques and the rich history behind yoga. I began to tune in with my body as I moved on the mat more intentionally and in that process I started to hear my inner voice (and it wasn’t a pleasant one).

"Why can't you perform that a headstand it's so easy" "What is wrong with your spine in that backbend" "How do you still look so flabby after practicing yoga for years" only scratched the surface of the critical voices that would get louder on the mat. My mind knew I was not supposed to be saying these things, but my heart wouldn't listen, and my body would tense up, sending my heart rate skyrocket high and profuse amounts of sweat running down my armpits.

I realized that, these were the exact patterns of thinking that would show up elsewhere off the mat and probably also adding to a lot of the stress I was already feeling. I also realized that simply thinking my way out of those thoughts did not help, because they would return every single time I was back trying to balance in crow pose.

I started to apply compassion towards myself, even though it was incredibly awkward and at times it self silly. I started to connect somatically with my body by focusing my attention to my breath and body sensations whenever I felt anxious or overwhelmed. My yoga practice also started to evolve as I grew stronger both physically and emotionally.

Learning to apply these tools from on the mat to my life was the start of my personal transformation towards feeling healthier, happier and more present with things and people that mattered and building resilience to deal with transitions and challenges, because I realized change is the only constant thing in life.

This is what I became committed to sharing and led me to becoming a yoga teacher. I am now a RYT-500, having undergone 500+ hours of yoga teacher training with a focus on vinyasa and trauma-informed yin yoga. I am also certified as a Level 2 Sound Medicine Quantum Alchemy Crystal Bowls Practitioner. Along my journey, I studied meditation, neuroscience, somatic healing, Chinese meridians and most recently Lagree (now a Lagree instructor at H-Kore Singapore)!