How did you come to be a yoga teacher?
What do you love about your job?
The people. I take it as a compliment that people turn up to my classes and it's my job as a yoga teacher to ensure they leave feeling amazing - it's called 'The Art of Feeling Good'.
What do you find challenging?
Not being able to do enough to make a difference when some students are suffering on many levels - whether emotionally, mentally or physically. Like certain diseases or illness where the body or the mind deteriorates and although you do everything in your power as a yoga teacher - sometimes life is cruel.
How do you differ from other yoga teachers?
Whew, I don't really have any profound answer to this question. I think maybe if God gave me a gift he gave me the gift of being a good communicator and a good teacher. I lace that up by constantly reading to update my knowledge and with huge dollops of kindness because I just love my job.
What do you do to care for yourself?
I train relentlessly hard, year in, year out. I practise my yoga, I do the gym. I call it the software and hardware of exercise. B.K.S Iyengar (my guru) always said you must be strong to get flexible. I love training so it makes it easy. I also eat the best organic raw foods with fish and eggs for protein because I also believe you are what you eat.
What's your advice to people seeking yoga instruction?
Turn up and try it and I'll do the rest. It's the feeling that you get after you have done
a yoga class that will drive you back. It's a bit love/hate in the beginning because yoga is working on your weakness in many ways, and in exercise people always love to do what they are good at. But the style of yoga I teach is the most respected and the best in the world and after a while you just get addicted. Deep down everyone really wants to be flexible - mind elastic, body elastic - and it keeps your body out of aches and pains and gives you good coping and management skills in your life.
MANDE WHITE YOGA, 283 Ponsonby Road, Three Lamps, T: 027 490 8020,
www.mandewhite.co.nz