Hello¡ My name is Sarah Hopwood.
I am also known as Genki – 元気 – the Japanese word meaning energetic, enthusiastic and lively. Originally born on the island home of Australia, now living in England, navigating the day-to-day waves of a teacher.
My journey into the therapeutics of sensory yoga has been through experience, personal and professional. The benefits of yoga resonated with me when I was in a stressful workplace and I naturally gravitated towards Bikram Yoga – my island home heat roots were seeking this sensory feedback – and I found the combination of heat and a repetition of postures, cathartic psychologically and physically. I then trained as a Hot Yoga Instructor in 2013 and begun to introduce the skills and strategies I acquired while teaching the English national curriculum and managing a challenging year group.
I have a strong professional career as a secondary trained English teacher who now supports in a variety of settings as a hearing impaired advisor for a local authority. I have a strong professional interest in specialised areas of education recently training as a Multi-Sensory Impairment Specialist, Level 2 Counsellor and a Mental Health First Aider. I have continuing professional devleopment in trauma and neurological stages of development, grief and depression support associated with a permanent medical diagnosis, social, emotional, mental health (SEMH) issues, family and relational communication tools, therapeutic strategies for development of emotional intelligence in young people with diverse needs, interpreting behaviours as a tool for understanding non-verbal communicators and a specialist in pathways into adulthood for special needs young people and their families.
I feel humbled to be able to use the knowledge and practice of sensory yoga with the young people and families that I work with; the impact of even the smallest of tools and/or strategy can have an incredible influence. The power of active listening and observation is the greatest skill a therapist can have and allows interactions to be authentic and centred on the voice of the individual. Every day I learn something new, challenged to use the skills I have in my therapeutic toolbox, and for that I will always feel incredibly fortunate to be able to offer therapeutic advice in a system that is often fast paced and focused on academic progress.
It is a privilege and honour to be working on the education development for Yotism alongside the extensive knowledge and practice of Nicole and Veronika. It is exciting to be bringing an innovative and practical approach to schools; fusing knowledge, experience and understanding of neurological differences into a practical and informative training program.
sarah@yotism.co.uk