Laura McEgan of Divine Light Yoga
“Making an impact on the world with your work is unlikely to be perfect – just get it started.”
I was curious to learn more about individuals who specialized in kids and youth yoga courses last year and was introduced to Laura McEgan of Divine Light Yoga! When you visit her website you can immediately tell how much time, effort and care Laura puts into the work she does. A former elementary school teacher from the UK having taught in international schools, Laura is committed to life-long learning and to sharing her passion and knowledge of education and yoga with others; she is dedicated to supporting children and young people to become well-balanced, creative, open-minded individuals by sharing the philosophy and teachings of yoga. We recently completed her first 95hr RYCT yoga training online earlier this year and are thrilled to share with you her story and teachings!
Curito:
Originally from UK, an early childhood educator with a love for yoga influenced by your grandmother, to having lived in Hong Kong to Dubai and then journeyed into a nomadic yogi life until settling in your new home in Sayulita, Mexico! Laura, please tell us about yourself!
Laura:
Yoga, education and travel have been a significant part of my life for the last 15 years. For many years, the 3 were very exclusive, my professional life being fully focused on teaching children in the non-profit sector, international schools and special needs schools and my personal life thriving from travel and yoga. It wasn’t until 8 years ago (12 years after starting my own yoga journey), that I merged my 3 passions, to start sharing yoga in educational settings across the world.
After gaining invaluable training and experience in teaching yoga in India, Thailand and Hong Kong, I set off on a 4-year journey of moving from country to country every 2 weeks, to share children’s yoga with communities across the Globe. It was such a valuable and life-changing experience – very tiring at times too!
Now I have the privilege of training teachers, parents, therapists and educators across the world and online in children’s yoga, meditation and healthy mindset.
Curito:
When did you quit your 9-5 job to start Divine Light Yoga? What was the trigger and hook that started your journey as a full time yoga instructor.
Laura:
I was working in an international school in Hong Kong when I decided to leap into full time yoga teaching. I worked with schools, studios and companies all across Hong Kong, teaching back-to-back classes 7-days a week. I gained so much valuable experience during this time and learnt so much about myself, my true passion and yoga teaching.
After 2 years of this intensively busy work life, I impulsively decided to leave Hong Kong to spend 4 months in the rainforest in Thailand, volunteering with TCDF a wonderful children’s charity. My role was teaching children’s yoga in a non-profit school for kids with special needs whilst also leading yoga retreats at the eco-lodge to raise financial support for the children’s charity. TCDF is a charity and community that is so dear to my heart and one of the major reasons that I created Divine Light Yoga and made it a Teacher Training School.
I could see that there was a deep need for children’s yoga in all areas of the world. By living in this small community, working with the children of TCDF, I was able to see that all children needed and responded so well to yoga and meditation, regardless of language, ability, religion or culture.
Curito:
Why did you call your company "Divine Light Yoga" and what is the core foundation of what you offer?
Laura:
After scribbling down a mindmap of all the words that felt meaningful to me, Divine Light Yoga flowed onto my page. It really was that effortless. I believe that we all have a Divine self and that we are all light, no matter what we have experienced or how we conduct ourselves in the world, we are all Divine Lights. Children can demonstrate challenging behaviour that triggers us adults to feel frustrated, anxious or impatient, but if we take the time to see their light, they have an amazing ability to show us our lights.
The meaning of Namaste can be explained as “The divine light in me sees the divine light in you” and I feel that children unknowingly see and feel this, by nature.
Curito:
You have taken over 1000 hours worth of teacher training programs, can you share with us how you find trainings you enroll in and how each training has enhanced your own teachings and offerings.
Laura:
I feel so fortunate that I have been guided into each of my trainings, without any effort or spending hours researching courses.
I chose my first 200-hour teacher training in India because I wanted to have a month away from the confusion and chaos of the ‘real’ world, in order to gather my thoughts and learn more about the deeper meaning and practices of yoga – I never intended to be a teacher. This training was life changing in so many ways! I was actually the only student enrolled onto the course, so it was just me and 3 teachers in the middle of the countryside in India, in complete isolation. It was an unreal experience and clearly what the universe had in store for me.
The other trainings that I attended in Bali, Thailand, Hong Kong and Mexico, were presented to me somehow (I can’t even remember how), and it just felt like the best decision to take them. To me, the most important element to the training is the teacher and the community, and a great teacher can create a wonderful community.
I always recommend my trainees and my community, to try out at least one class with the teacher that they are planning to take a training with. The connection with the teacher is essential to your experience and therefore your learning on the training. So, if there is a disconnect or their teaching style is not something that you relate to, perhaps thats not the training for you.
Location, pricing and timing is a factor that many of us have to consider when choosing a training, but I believe that the teacher is the most important factor.
Curito:
What were some of the challenges you faced when you began Divine Light Yoga, from finding studios to work with and places to host your trainings to marketing and promoting yourself so you could get clients. What did you learn?
Laura:
I have learnt so much and I am still learning, every single day. It’s definitely an ongoing process and when I get to a point where I feel secure and confident, I instantly get thrown a new opportunity and challenge. But that keeps my work-life fun and stimulating.
My major challenges for the first 2 years of founding Divine Light Yoga, was the marketing, promotion and overall business side. I was completely confident in my ability to organise and lead an incredible training in which trainees would leave feeling inspired, knowledgeable and confident to teach but I had absolutely no knowledge or experience in business or marketing. I had no idea of the amount of work and knowledge that it takes to successfully reach the right people that want and need your work.
Despite not having a phone, laptop or money when I first created Divine Light Yoga, having zero knowledge about technology, and a complete resistance to being on video, I have taught myself how to create and build a website, deliver online trainings, build a youtube channel, social media and a mail-list, create a wonderful online community and single-handedly create and run every aspect of my business from the website to the accounting, community outreach to teaching online.
So, it’s still something that I am learning every day but I am so proud of myself for what I have learnt and created in the last 5 years. I also feel that if I can do it, literally anyone can (and should).
Curito:
In a world where social media and online presence is huge, what are your thoughts in being a freelancer, entrepreneur and what would you tell others who are also starting this journey to become nomadic in our modern world.
Laura:
It can be so overwhelming when you’re first starting out and with the many forms of social media, beautifully crafted websites, fancy Youtube editing and wonderfully-branded courses, it can feel that you have to invest a huge amount of money and time.
If you’re just starting out, just get started with one thing and let the rest of it grow over time. It’s much better to get started with a simple self-made website rather than waiting for 10-years until you have the money, time and connections to provide a beautifully branded site and social media. Making an impact on the world with your work is unlikely to be perfect – just get it started.
Curito:
How has Covid19 impacted your traveling schedule and courses, how did you quickly adapt to the situation literally weeks before your first teacher training in 2020 from offline to online?
Laura:
My in-person trainings for 2020 were sadly but understandably cancelled but I felt so grateful that I could take it online. Thankfully, I already had a lot of experience and everything set in place to teach online so when the Yoga Alliance gave permission to run the trainings virtually, I was able to quickly take action.
However, one week before the online training started, I developed COVID-19 and so have been recovering from that over the last 6 weeks. Despite being sick, I decided to continue with the teacher trainings and dedicate all of my energy and effort to the online training and to developing my free COVID-recovery kit for kids.
Whilst I’m sad that I didn’t get to meet some of my trainees, like yourself, in-person, I am so thankful that I was able to train those students who can’t ordinarily join the in-person trainings due to location, family or financial limitations. Since March, the Yoga Alliance has continued to extend the permission for virtual trainings, so I am now part way through my second online teacher training and have just opened up registrations for our next (and probably final) one.
I do hope that I can resume the in-person trainings later on this year and that I can meet all of my online students in person one day, but for now, peoples health and safety has to come first, and I know from trainees feedback that the virtual trainings are a wonderful, positive and meaningful training for all that join.
“I intend to grow my impact on global communities, further support small children’s charities and create my own non-profit organization for children.”
Curito:
Who are some of your mentors and other kids and teens yoga instructors in the market that you follow and recommend?
Laura:
I have a great connection and deep respect for the wonderful Stacey Louise of Inspired Kids Yoga and Calm Fairies. Stacey and I met on one my teacher trainings in Thailand 4 years ago, we stayed in close contact and have both become each others teachers. Stacey is one of the most inspirational and kind-hearted people that I know, not to mention an incredibly talented yoga teacher trainer. I feel so fortunate and honoured to have her in my life as a student, mentor and friend.
Curito:
In this new decade what do you hope to achieve personally and professionally?
Laura:
I always dream big and tend to be on a constant mission to reach all children within the world with the life-long skills of therapeutic yoga and healthy mindset.
On a professional level, I intend to grow my impact on global communities, further support small children’s charities and create my own non-profit organization for children. I am part-way through launching a new daily yoga and mindset curriculum for schools and hope that within the next 10-years it will have a place in all non-profit, international and local schools. And a life-long dream of mine is to write and publish a children’s book so I would like to carve out the time to do that, as well as write a book for adult yogis too.
Personally, my goals seem to be a little simpler and very fun. I intend that by the end of this decade I will be fluent in Spanish, have significantly improved hula hooping and aerial yoga skills, further developed my yoga and spiritual practice, travelled to as many new countries and experienced as many cultures as I can, and have a mind full of beautiful memories of friends and family.
Curito:
For those who are new to kids yoga and to Divine Light, what is the best way to experience your offerings and to get in touch with you?
Laura:
Joining one of my trainings and becoming a valuable and life-long member of my beautiful community of Divine Light Yoga trained teachers is definitely the best way to connect with me, my work and my supportive community. I have teacher trainings online and as of 2021, in-person in some gorgeous locations across Asia and South America. All details of the trainings are at: www.divine-light-yoga.com/rcyt
For those that want to join my community and have a taster of what I have to offer you, I have a free online learning library with free resources, trainings and videos for parents, children’s yoga teachers, educators and therapists and my free COVID recovery kits for kids. I post daily doses of kids yoga inspiration and fun on my social media accounts IG and FB as well as my youtube channel.
Curito:
Thanks for exerting so much energy, love and care to the work you do Laura! You have created such a beautiful community of teachers, parents, kids who can find more calmness during these difficult times. Look forward to seeing Divine Light Yoga continue to grow and hope to have you out in Taiwan in the near future to spread your light!
One of the most sought out creative songs by Laura McEgan for teaching kids yoga classes! Music for kids yoga that you can use when teaching kids yoga at home or for kids yoga in the classroom. If you like this video, follow Laura’s youtube channel!
First published on August 12, 2020
