TeenYoga Founder - Charlotta Martinus
Charlotta started working as a school supply teacher for I.B. Swedish literature aged 19; later on French and Swedish O’Level whilst working in Sweden for a year. She has a degree from UCL in modern languages and subsequently taught this in the UK. Charlotta then worked as a TV Production Assistant, Researcher and Producer between 1993-2000 at BBC London. She became a yoga teacher in 2003 within the Sivananda tradition, followed by several years of training with Mukunda Styles, Dr Krishnamurti, Bangalore University and then took the 350 hour Minded Institute Yoga therapy for Mental Health course with Heather Mason. She started Teenyoga in 2004, supported and encouraged by Jo Manuel of the Special Yoga Foundation and inspired in part by her then teenage boys.Together with many colleagues within medicine, osteopathy, psychiatry and psychology as well as steeped in the yoga tradition, the TeenYoga course was born and developed in subsequent years. It now has 3 trained teachers who deliver the course worldwide and 1300 alumni.
Known widely as an expert on yoga for young people, Charlotta contributes to Om yoga magazine on a regular basis, as well as BBC Radio and TV with Thought for the Day. She collaborates with the Psychology Department at Leeds University, UCL, Westminster, NTNU, Trondheim and the European Union in researching the outcomes of the work of teachers within various teen populations. Recently publishing her book Teen Yoga for Yoga Therapists, Charlotta presents at conferences globally, keen to speak publicly about the work of the Teen Yoga Foundation. Including highlights such as the solidarity work in Sierra Leone and Kashmir to celebrating the Hippocampus Research study findings. She is also involved in two APPG at the Houses of Parliament promoting yoga as a form of preventative health measure in schools.
The main aim and mission of the research, training and work that is undertaken by the Teen Yoga Foundation is to promote wellbeing among young people. While many young people are well, vibrant and have a strong voice in the world today, yoga supports and helps those who do not, through simple tools that alleviate stress, relieve trauma and empower young people. This is the work of Teenyoga and the Foundation. We do this by regularly consulting our team of Yoga Youth Ambassadors and including them in our annual conference to ensure a strong pupil voice.
If you would like an interview, conference workshop, speaker or to find out more about our work and collaborations, please get in touch on Wednesdays 10-5pm on 01761 470 658 or email info@teenyoga.com.