Amy Degnan
Yoga has offered me a philosophy and way of life to integrate my psychological and spiritual curiosity, personal and ethical values, and passion for mindful movement. Coming from a dance background, embodied movement has always been my creative outlet and brought me joy and a healthy mind-body connection.
Yoga has always interested me, but my passion truly developed during my mid-twenties whilst I was studying for my PhD alongside full-time work. I was living in Manchester at the time and joined a local studio, One Yoga, founded by certified Jivamukti yoga teacher, Andrea Everingham. During this time, I started practising with senior Ashtanga teacher, Donna Southwell and attended bright and early Mysore self-practice at the Life Centre in Manchester, which set me up for my working day.
It was not long before I realised the benefits of yoga – I would enter class feeling disconnected, in my head, stressed out and tense and leave feeling centred, grounded and calm. Yoga soon became my anchor and coping mechanism, supporting me to slow down, de-stress, be present, and reconnect with myself, others and my environment. I feel so grateful for the practice, which has allowed me to create positive changes in my life and find more balance, clarity and space amongst all the yang - striving and doing.
I have consistently been practising yoga for over 15 years now. My teaching is inspired through experience practising within different schools of yoga, including Ashtanga, Jivamukti, Rocket, Dharma, Mandala and Yin. I completed my foundation Yoga Teacher Training with Sammy Nwokeka and Sophie-Rae Martyn at Yoga Soul Manchester. I have since completed additional trainings in Mandala Vinyasa, Rocket Vinyasa and Yin yoga (blending Chakra psychology,
traditional Chinese meridian theory, and modern depth psychology with deep, introspective Yin practices).
Alongside teaching yoga, I work four days a week as a Clinical Psychologist in a trauma-informed care pathway for adults with mental health needs in the NHS. My work as a psychologist complements my yoga practice, and I apply trauma-informed care, compassion and mindfulness-based approaches to all my therapeutic work and when holding space for others in their own practice.
Through breath, body, and movement, the aim of my classes is to offer an experience that supports students in reconnecting with themselves—providing a space away from all the noise to just land and find a sense of inner peace and balance in their lives.