We recently had the pleasure to talk to Chau who started as a member at Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre before deciding to train up as a Yoga instructor.

First, tell us a bit about yourself.

C: " I currently live in Glebe and work as a consultant at Westpac. I have lived in Sydney since 2019 after growing up in Vietnam.

Originally I came here to study with plans to return home soon after finishing my degree. However I decided to stay for the long term after meeting my partner Anthony."

When did you first start health and wellbeing journey?

C: "I started training at Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre after moving to Glebe in 2021.

To help cope with the daily pressures, I started to attend Yoga and Barre classes.

Although I've always exercised my whole life, Yoga was very different. I found these classes really helped me with my mental wellbeing.

What made you decide to make change from participant to instructor?

C: After doing Yoga for a while, I became curious about how it was so beneficial to my mental wellbeing and started looking more into it.

I spoke with Lauren, who was one of the Yoga instructors, and learnt about her own personal journey from working in corporate, then transitioning to teaching dance and Yoga, and becoming a Naturotherapist.

I was inspired and decided to undertake a Yoga Teacher Training course myself.

Initially I just wanted to deepen my understanding and practice but as I went through my training, I realised that I love teaching.

I have now been been teaching Vinyasa Yoga at Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre since mid August 2023.

What do you love about teaching Yoga?

C: I love teaching Yoga because it goes beyond the physical body, it taps into our holistic wellbeing. Being a Yoga teacher allows me to pass on this knowledge and passion to members which has been incredibly rewarding.

Book your spot in a Yoga class today.