{"id":17787,"date":"2023-09-27T06:31:31","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T06:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yogabeez.com\/?p=17787"},"modified":"2023-09-27T09:32:08","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T09:32:08","slug":"south-african-yogabeez-success-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogabeez.com\/south-african-yogabeez-success-story\/","title":{"rendered":"A South African YogaBeez Success Story"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
This is a true South African YogaBeez success story which we are very excited to share. Melissa Bland is a proud South African and was born and bred in Cape Town.\u00a0 She has a finance background, but has always had a deep longing to work with children. One of the things which drew her to this calling is the simplicity and raw honesty which children possess and she connected with this authenticity.<\/p>\n
Melissa now has a beautiful 6-year-old boy of her own called Liam. In 2018 her family moved to Malaysia due to her husband\u2019s business. For the first time, she was faced with being a stay-at-home mom and not active in the workforce.\u00a0 When the pandemic hit, she began taking some yoga classes online for fitness, but also because she has always been interested in the mind, body and soul connection.<\/p>\n
After 3 years in Malaysia, and after going through the pandemic, Melissa\u2019s family decided to return home and they settled in Noordhoek.\u00a0 Here she joined an amazing studio and she started to truly immerse herself in the yoga practice. Out of this, she discovered that she possessed a great \u2018toolbox\u2019 filled with amazing and powerful techniques, which she wanted to share with others.\u00a0 The epiphany struck that teaching yoga to children would be a truly powerful way to combine her two loves. From here she started to think how to integrate children\u2019s yoga into their everyday life \u2013 on and off the mat\u2026<\/p>\n
And so the journey to find a suitable children\u2019s yoga teacher training began!\u00a0 Through a word of mouth recommendation, she was directed to the YogaBeez platform, and she was pleasantly surprised by the educational Montessori tone which underlies the YogaBeez philosophy.\u00a0 Feeling that this was possibly the road she wanted to take, she called Bryony personally and after a lengthy conversation, she felt that this was most definitely the perfect course for her to take.\u00a0 In her own words, \u201cBryony just got it. Her values and motivation for starting YogaBeez in the first place was so aligned with mine, that it just resonated with me. I just knew this was the right course for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The most appealling aspect about the YogaBeez online platform is that it was self-paced and part time. Even though she lives in Cape Town, the online option made the dream possible.\u00a0 She was able to tailor-make the study sessions and course times to fit her lifestyle and commitments.\u00a0 The freedom of this was liberating and lifted any barrier which she could have foreseen.<\/p>\n
Melissa is passionate about transferring what she has learnt to young minds.\u00a0 As she says, \u201cHaving been empowered with all these amazing tools, I would like to share it with children.\u00a0 It is easier to learn new, healthy habits from a young age than to unlearn unhealthy habits down the line.\u00a0 YogaBeez was amazing compared to some of the other available courses, in that it was so well rounded, because of the Montessori philosophy that they have. It was also just really relatable. The course itself was amazing, and both Sophie and Bryony have continued to be so responsive and supportive. After finishing the course, I felt truly empowered to go out and teach.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is wonderful that there was always someone to reach out to when there were questions or fears about real-life teaching. That interaction proved to be invaluable during the learning curve of feeling confident enough to go out and teach professionally.<\/p>\n
After graduating from YogaBeez, Melissa has started her own business called Floga Kids Yoga. <\/em><\/strong>She is working on laying the foundations for her budding business, and she is looking forward to her vision blooming into the reality she is already building upon.\u00a0 Now that she has opened her own children\u2019s yoga business, she says that one of the benefits is that it is forcing her to practice what she preaches.\u00a0 One cannot teach children all these amazing life skills if you are unable to practice them yourself. So important lessons like sitting with discomfort, perseverance and working hard without having a guaranteed outcome are becoming a lived lifestyle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She is focusing on getting into schools in her area in order to integrate children\u2019s yoga into the South African School system.\u00a0 Children have become so overscheduled, stressed and overwhelmed, so this provides a balm for their minds and souls.\u00a0 Logistically it is also difficult for working parents to take time off to transport their children to extra-mural activities.\u00a0 Having the schools offer the programme in-house solves a lot of these issues.<\/p>\n As somebody who believes in the power of giving back to the community, Melissa has partnered with a charitable organization, called Bongulethu.\u00a0 This primary school for underprivileged children, which is located next to an informal settlement, is now happily receiving the benefits of children\u2019s yoga. They would definitely not have been exposed to was it not for Melissa\u2019s generosity of spirit. She teaches yoga to these kids, which is extremely fulfilling, and also enables her to gain greater experience and confidence.\u00a0 She also offers yoga playdates and parties \u2013 anything which can bring the philosophy and benefits of yoga to children.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Her goal to change one child\u2019s perception of where they are in any given moment. This is a wonderful way of making a tangible contribution to the world \u2013 one child at a time\u2026\u00a0 This is just the beginning of a true South African YogaBeez Success Story.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SOUTH AFRICAN YOGABEEZ SUCCESS STORY – A JOURNEY FROM TRAINING TO TEACHING Meet Melissa Bland! This is a true South African YogaBeez success story which we are very excited to share. Melissa Bland is a proud South African and was born and bred in Cape Town.\u00a0 She has a finance background, but has always had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17797,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,57,89,58,59],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow is business now?<\/h6>\n
Tell us more about your community service work?<\/h6>\n
What is your ultimate goal in achieving success?<\/h6>\n