Waking up feeling terrible after his 30th birthday, Paul Collins looked at the various roles he was playing in life with a great yearning for something more. He was the professional career guy working in an Investment Bank, the social party animal always trying to out-drink everyone else, the out-of-shape and unhealthy former jock, and the eternal cynic whose only belief was a complete lack of beliefs. Looking for a cure for his aching and disfigured spine, Paul had Yoga recommended to him by a friend and so began a long process of transformation that continues to this day.

Paul quickly realized that Yoga was not a magic elixir, but rather a scientific process by which individuals can bring their body, mind and breathing into greater harmony through steady and aware practice. Coming from an academic family, the science and philosophy of Yoga appealed greatly. There seemed to be a clear path to follow using the scientific method and the encouragement of skepticism and questioning. And having spent a lifetime playing every sport available to the highest level possible, the physical exertions involved in Yoga seemed natural and comfortable to Paul. Flexibility was, and remains, an issue but it was quickly discovered that despite appearances, in Yoga the flexibility of the practitioner is unimportant. Instead it is the effort, awareness, and honesty that are the hallmarks of the serious practitioner.

Having spent his entire life being told by friends and family that his “calling” was in fact to become a teacher, Paul soon decided that it was to be the teaching of Yoga that would fulfill his destiny. Teacher Training Programs in England and India followed shortly afterwards, as well as long periods of intense study with experienced teachers in India, England and the United States. No one style dominates Paul’s teaching methods, instead there is a fusion of every style practiced and every teacher encountered. The thirst for knowledge has always grown deeper, and further studies in Vipassana, Tai Chi, Chi Kong, Thai Massage and Reflexology only served to further Paul’s education and increase the desire to learn even more.

It is an education that continues daily, and should never cease. Paul now finds most of his education comes from his students, acting as mirrors to his own teaching and awareness of a Yoga practice. For Paul, each one of his students are his “guru” and from them a great enjoyment is attained each and every class.