Meet The Team
Anne-Marie Pearson
Anne-Marie completed her first 200-hour teacher training back in 2012 and since then has taught in London, India and Thailand before returning to her hometown of Wigton, Cumbria.
In-between travels, Anne-Marie has dedicated much of her time to her own continued personal and professional development, undertaking a 12 month mentorship with Dylan Ayaloo, Yoga therapy training at Yogacampus in London, Integrated Healing and Thai Massage Training with Dr Kamaraj, Yin training with Cynthia Naydini, Functional Anatomy and Forrest Yoga CET with Jambo Truong and Yoga Bodyworkers 1 & 2 with Jambo Truong and Brian Campbell.
In amongst all the supplemental training she has also manged to rack up over 3000 hours of teaching time.
Anna Blair
I completed my first teacher training in 2016, and have been teaching in Cumbria since. I enjoy learning and regularly dedicate time to continuing education, I have completed further training including Yin & Restorative and most recently Sustainable Yoga.
My classes draw on the different elements of the knowledge I have gained through my different training's alongside my own personal practice. I particularly enjoy delivering classes which are supportive to the body and mind.
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Yoga to me is the opportunity for my mind and body to be in the same place at the same time, an opportunity to be present, to build connections, to be inquisitive and explore the connections between body, mind, movement, breath and stillness, and taking all of this into every day life.
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My aim of my classes is to help you feel good! I believe yoga is for everyone. In my classes expect a warm welcome, to move in a variety of different ways, some fun aspects of challenge, build some strength, work on your balance and time to find some stillness.
Shirley Muir
I have practised Hatha, Ashtanga and Iyenga yoga over the years and I enjoyed different elements of each. Then I came across Anne-Marie's Yoga Flow class in Wigton and I knew I had found my home yoga home. I went on to do my 200hours yoga teacher training in 2019, taught by Anne-Marie - a hard, tiring, fulfilling and amazing experience! I'm really pleased to be part of the Evolve yoga family and I aim to share all the best bits of my yoga practice in my teaching. See you on the mat!
Sandra Blair
Sandra works as an energy therapist from her studio based in the grounds of her home. She loves assisting clients develop a greater sense of wellness in all aspects of their lives. Her initial training in Reflexology at the University of Cumbria came from an increasing interest in complementary therapies which family members had used to assist recovery from debilitating health conditions.
Further energy therapies followed and the most recent addition of tools to her ‘wellbeing kit’ has been Taiji Shibashi a form of Qigong which Sandra travelled to Glasgow to complete. Initially intended to develop her own knowledge and practice she soon realised that so many people would benefit from this gentle yet very effective discipline so began teaching to local groups and at wellbeing events.
Qigong involves connecting physical movement, with the breath and the mind to increase awareness of energy flow through the body. Some of the positive benefits the Evolve community have noticed following a class are calmness, inner peace, relaxation and contentment yet also sensing how Qigong works the muscles, mobilizes and energises the physical body.
Laura Armitage
I completed my first teacher training in 2019 with Anne-Marie here in Cumbria. I regularly teach at Evolve as well as attending classes and workshops there myself.
I have been practicing yoga since I was 18, when my school began a sixth-form only class at lunchtimes. I really enjoyed the focus and relaxation I experienced from a yoga class especially during exam time!
Following a degree in Outdoor Leadership and many years as an outdoor instructor, I have developed a fascination with the human body, how it moves and what it’s capable of. I enjoy coaching people of all ages in class, especially watching people surprise themselves when they realise how you don’t have to be super bendy or inspector gadget to be able to do yoga. I firmly believe that yoga is for everyone.
Jo Critchley
Jo first practiced yoga many years ago, during her first pregnancy, but it was only after rediscovering it during a very dark time in her life that she experienced first hand it’s deeply transformative powers, as it helped her strengthen, heal and reconnect her own body and mind.
Today, yoga provides an incredibly important keystone for her own personal development and healing journey, bringing much needed balance, connection and grounding. This personal experience fuels her passion for sharing the benefits of yoga, it fires her passion for continued learning and drives her fascination for a deeper understanding of yoga and indeed of people generally.
With her inclusive style, Jo brings a gentle compassion and acceptance to her teaching, in order to allow students to feel safe and nurtured on their mats. With this in mind, students are encouraged to listen to their own bodies and to move mindfully, in an environment where there is no judgment as to ‘right or wrong’. All experiences, both physical and emotional are welcomed and accepted in class, as being important learning and deeply valuable.
Jo believes that yoga often begins on the mat but that the true practice of yoga happens off the mat, she therefore encourages students to invest in themselves and their own self care in class, but also, to take this learning with them and apply it to their daily lives wherever possible. She believes that this approach can be incredibly beneficial for everyone, from those who simply need a little respite from everyday stresses and work/life pressures to those who are coping with deeper difficulties and traumas.