Claire has recently graduated from our full-time 200hr Yoga Teacher Training. Claire is a working mum of 3 who enjoys running, gym and yoga and starting the exciting journey of taking on a Hotpod Yoga Franchise, which will be launching in Leeds in 2024. We caught up with her to find out more about her journey from Hotpod Yoga customer, to qualified yoga teacher, to the owner of her own studio.

When did your yoga journey start?

I have always been a gym-goer, and realised I need to complement the fitness with something more holistic. I would attend yoga in cold studios, churches and community places.

When did you decide to do teacher training and why?

I fell in love with the brand of Hotpod Yoga and decided I wanted to become a franchisee. This was pre-COVID, and I wasn’t considering YTT at this stage but managed to follow the London studios online throughout the pandemic and became more experienced within my own practice.

How would you describe your teacher training experience? Was there anything that surprised you?

Wow what an experience, 5 solid weeks of Yoga teacher training! It was so immersive and engaging, in both physical and theory work, I would love to do it all again. I didn’t realise that I would learn so much about myself and that there is so much depth and richness within the history and philosophy of yoga.

What would you say to anyone thinking of doing teacher training, and what advice would you give?

Just do it and don’t question why! That said, plan it all carefully. Take time to research accommodation and read suggested books beforehand to help you feel fully prepared.

What are you planning to do now that you are a qualified teacher?

Concentrate on the franchise to begin with, and then see where my skills can fit into the schedule.

How do you feel this experience will help you as a future franchisee?

I completely understand the Hotpod way, and this will help me to keep the brand in line with their core values and will definitely help to recruit the right teachers. I will be able to understand what it feels like to teach in the pod with the added extras of heat, the pod and headsets and I now know the vinyasa flow sequence.

Claire will be launching her own Hotpod Yoga studio in Leeds. Find out more about Hotpod Yoga, Yoga Teacher Training