Teacher Details

Jo Manuel took up yoga seriously in her early 20s, studying daily with Dharma Mittra at his yoga centre in New York. On her return to the UK, she began to explore different styles and approaches to the practise with established teachers such as Faustomaria and Mary Stewart, among others.

In 1998, Jo took a yoga teacher training course with John Stirk, Sophie Hoare, and Peter Blackaby, based on the inspired teachings of the late Vanda Scaravelli. She continued to teach yoga to children and adults, but soon decided to focus her practise on work with special needs’ children and was introduced to the work of Sonia Sumar.

Jo took her first basic training for Yoga for the Special Child in 2001 with Sonia Sumar. She has subsequently taken all the advanced courses and completed training as an Integral Yoga teacher as well as completing 3 further basic training courses.

With the blessing of her teacher Sonia Sumar, Jo Manuel leads and teaches the Yoga for the Special Child (YSC) programme in the UK and Europe. She offers training courses throughout the year, which are attended by participants from all over Europe.

In 2004 Jo founded the Special Yoga Centre - a charity dedicated to making yoga available to everyone, and unique in Britain in offering donation-based and funded yoga therapy to disabled children (Yoga for the Special Child).