Hi
I am Leah Bracknell . Many of you will know me as Zoe Tate from Emmerdale. In my real life I am the mother of two girls and I am studying for The Yoga Teacher Diploma with the British School of Yoga.

Most people I know lead busy and demanding lives. I myself find it increasingly difficult trying to juggle the demands of a career with raising a family. I am always running late, I don’t get enough sleep, the stresses of modern life take their toll on us all. There never seems to be the opportunity to relax and unwind. Four years ago I felt out of shape and lacking in energy. Then I walked into a yoga class.

It had taken me two years to pluck up the courage to join. I thought yoga would be something I would like to try, not only as a means of exercise, but as a tool for relaxation and an aid to combating stress and fatigue. I remember my mother attending classes in the 1970’s and practising headstands in the spare room. But I was convinced everyone would be super flexible, I wasn’t familiar with any of the terminology, and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to follow the sequences.

However, that first session changed my life. I emerged feeling fitter, invigorated yet wonderfully relaxed. I was hooked.

Yoga has completely changed my outlook on keeping fit. I used to find any form of physical exertion a chore, it was an obligation. I have been a member of a gym for ten years, but I lacked commitment and never attended regularly. I was very good at finding reasons NOT to go to the gym, so of course I never achieved any results.

As a work-out yoga is energising yet it helps to calm my mind and combat stress.
Since practising yoga I feel toned, my flexibility and strength have increased and my posture has improved. As a result of my first pregnancy thirteen years ago I used to experience a lot of irritating lower back pain and neck problems, but these conditions have eased considerably since my yoga practice began.

Now I have discovered yoga, I look forward to making time in my life to practice, even if it is only for 10 minutes in the morning before I start work. As often as filming permits, I still attend the same class run by Janet Kaye who appears with me in yoga & you. On Sunday mornings I practice with my husband.

As I approach my 40th birthday I feel fitter and in better shape than ever. I owe this to yoga.
Last year I completed a Foundation course with the British Wheel of Yoga, which inspired me to consider becoming a Yoga teacher. I am now studying a Teacher Diploma Course in Hatha Yoga with the British School of Yoga.