Meet the Health and Fitness Tutors

David is a qualified City of London guide, and has his own guiding business. He is also a local lad, having lived in Bethnal Green all his life. He has a keen interest in London, and guiding has given an extra dimension to his explorations of his home town, uncovering many of its hidden and forgotten stories. He is particularly keen to increase an appreciation of the rich heritage of Tower Hamlets by experiencing it at street level. The 'Tour Guiding in Tower Hamlets' courses are suitable for the newcomer and the experienced guide. They help you develop presentation skills and give you a thorough grounding in guiding skills. Also, they give you a detailed familiarity with the history and character of Tower Hamlets, the original East End.

Heather is a Hatha, Vinyasa and Yin Yoga teacher. Her classes include music, imagery, poetry and stories to share spiritual teachings. She uses clear, mindful guidance that allows students to get to know their bodies. Heather loves connecting with people and meeting them where they are on their journey. Whether that be in relation to their physical or their spiritual practice. She believes that we don’t need to race ahead or imagine where we should be. Instead, we can use yoga as a tool to get to know ourselves and to love what we find. It’s not always easy to make the time, but the more we do, the more profound ways we can see the beauty of who we already are.

Christine is a member of Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs), a Mindfulness practitioner, Fitness tutor/coach and Early Years instructor. She has been in the wellness industry for 32 years.

She delivers Pilates, Dancercise, Chair based exercise, Aerobics, Body Conditioning and Mindfulness courses and workshops for corporate and community organisations, such as: East London NHS, Sport in Mind, Sport at The Heart, Brent Carers, and further education establishments, and she owns her company called ‘Wellness In Your Box’. Her fitness classes encompass elements of mindfulness as well as advice about nutrition and wellbeing. She designs and adapts exercises to each person’s level and ability.

Antoinette is a qualified beauty and complementary therapist and presently teaches NVQ beauty and massage courses in London. She has worked in salons, spas and has run her on mobile business Amythyst Health & Wellbeing. Antoinette’s aim at the Idea Store is to spread the awareness of health and wellbeing. Teaching short introductory workshops in complementary therapy - Swedish massage, Deep tissue massage and reflexology - all to help develop massage techniques and improve the mind and body.

Sonia has been involved in fitness for most of her life. She is a qualified teacher, and she has worked within many settings such as further education, schools and within her own community on a variety of health and fitness projects. She has managed and taught a variety of sports and fitness course over the past 25 years. She has also been a freelance fitness instructor, teacher, and assessor on a range of fitness courses across London.

She is a personal trainer and have a variety of fitness qualifications. She is a strength and conditioning coach and life and mentoring coach. Her love of fitness is something that has been consistent in her life, so it has been a wild ride. She has been a competitive weightlifter, so strength and conditioning are a big passion of hers and is also a large component of fitness that carries us through life. She loves music so her sessions are filled with fun laughter and an opportunity to really enjoy yourself and get fit.

Emily teaches Vinyasa, Hatha and Yin yoga with an emphasis on the breath and practice as a moving meditation. Yoga has been a deeply transformative practice for Emily and one she hopes to share with anyone looking to explore what it means to inhabit our bodies more fully and live from a place of loving presence. Emily believes in bringing people together to share this beautiful practice, together developing greater trust in the innate wisdom of the body.

Yoga is for everybody, and Emily aspires to make her classes as accessible as possible so that more people can experience this practice, and through it build caring communities.

Richard is a qualified life and voice coach. He specialises in personal performance and achievement, public speaking and accents for actors. He works around the UK, leading a variety of courses and workshops. His students have included people from around the world and from a variety of occupations. His courses for Idea Store Learning include workshops and introductory courses in Life Coaching and Public Speaking. He holds a PGCE in Lifelong Learning, as well as a certificate in English language teaching for adults and also teaches Functional Skills as part Preparation for Life and Work.

Matthew Leavey is an expert Shiatsu massage therapist and Tai Chi instructor with over 26 years of clinical and teaching experience (Fellow of Shiatsu Society and Cert Ed. Tai Chi Instructor, Wu Kung Federation). Matthew practices an advanced form of Shiatsu utilising acupressure points; Zen methodology; and extended qi (energy) meridians. He has worked with a wide range of clients ranging from elite athletes to people living with chronic pain and severe mental illness.

Matthew joined Idea Store Learning in 2012 and developed introductory workshops and courses at beginners and improvers level to bring Shiatsu and Tai Chi to the local community. His philosophy is that everyone should be able to benefit from learning about Shiatsu and Tai Chi regardless of their circumstances. Matthew supports learners to develop their own practice of regular exercise to promote a sense of lightness in the body together with an overall improvement in their state of wellbeing.

Tracy initially qualified to teach group exercise in 1990 and worked as a freelance instructor for a number of years before combining this with a career in ergonomics and health and safety. Tracy has numerous academic and fitness qualifications and has taught exercise in health clubs, adult education and the NHS. Tracy has a particular interest in exercise for older adults and the community-setting as a place in which to promote physical activity and exercise for health. Tracy’s Pilates classes are based on contemporary Pilates and draws from her experience in other exercise formats. Tracy actively encourages learners to work independently, to work within their own limits and with experience, to choose their own modifications.

Clare has been teaching yoga since completing The Life Centre Teacher Training in 2007, and is an active member of the British Wheel Of Yoga, the governing body of yoga in the UK. Clare teaches a variety of classes to meet the needs of all ages, ranging from antenatal and postnatal Yoga to chair-based Yoga. She teaches a form of Hatha Yoga with classes offering exercises to stretch and flex the body, develop breath awareness, relaxation and sometimes meditation. Once ability is improved she teaches a ‘Vinyasa’ or ‘flowing style ‘of yoga which can be adapted to suit beginners and the more experienced. Clare strongly believes yoga has something for everyone no matter what their level of fitness or ability.

Caroline has several years’ experience in teaching Pilates in adult education and health clubs. Most people develop habits of movement, which cause them to overuse some muscles and underuse others. Caroline’s Pilates courses tend to be about stripping movement back to the fundamentals, then building up new patterns that give the body all round connected strength. By freeing the body, it can reconnect with its natural openness and strength. Caroline’s classes are particularly beneficial to those who need to improve their posture, increase back strength, release the spine, and strengthen and lengthen muscles throughout the body.