A bit about…

Laura Hancock

Massage Therapist, Yoga Teacher and Organiser

I qualified as a Yoga Teacher in 2012; followed shortly by Ayurvedic Massage Therapy in 2013, having discovered their profound benefits to mind and body during my years working in the Charity Sector. In my twenties I experienced prolonged, high-levels of stress, repeated burn out and a number of significant bereavements which led me, out of necessity, to explore a number of routes to support myself.

I was extremely lucky to encounter a number of exceptionally skilled and compassionate teachers, practitioners and guides who I dedicated many years practicing with, learning from and working alongside.

One of the most significant influences has been Dr Deepika Rodrigo, from the Ayurvedic Institute, UK, who treated me for a deep-seated Pitta (fire and water) imbalance for over a year, and in that time saw something in me and invited me to train as a massage therapist with her school. Under her guidance and with her unwaivering encouragement and support I qualified as an Ayurvedic Massage therapist, and have been practicing in Oxford ever since.

My journey through yoga has been multi-faceted and I’ve transitioned through a wide range of approaches from the more regimented and strenuous practices of Ashtanga Yoga and Vipassana meditation, to the more quiet and nourishing experiences of Yoga Nidra and Angela Farmer’s Feminine Unfolding.

Generally, there has been a gradual and deeply felt shift in focus and expression from the outward, physical and structured, towards the inward, fluid and soft. To this day, I’m still navigating and finding that balance between the two.

Since practicing, teaching and treating in Oxford I’ve been heavily involved in community wellbeing and organising. A great passion of mine is that care and wellbeing is valued, supported and integrated into our society, how we interrelate as a community, and how we each move through the world. In 2019 I co-founded the Oxford Wellbeing Cooperative - a diverse collective of practitioners who are working towards sustainable and accessible wellbeing support to the Oxford community.

I’m also the co-creator of the Yoga Teachers Union, IWGB, the first trade union for yoga teachers in the UK.

Relevant Training and Experience

 

  • 2013 - Diploma in Ayurvedic Head and Body Massage Therapy Course, With Dr Deepika Rodrigo, Ayurvedic Institute, UK

    2017 - Pulse Diagnosis Course with Dr Vasant Lad, The Ayurvedic Institute

  • 2012 - 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training with Shiva Shakti School

    2014 - 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training with Matthew Sweeney, Vinyasa Krama School

    2017 - 40 Hour Well Woman Yoga Therapy with Dr Uma Dinsmore Tuli, Yoga Campus

    2018 - 45 Hour Total Yoga Nidra Teacher and Facilitator Training with Dr Uma Dinsmore Tuli, TYN

    2018 - 6 Hour Yoga Nidra and Song with Dr Uma Dinsmore Tuli, Yoga Campus

    2018 - Spinal Integration 3-day Workshop with Donna Farhi

  • 2018 - Tutor Training, Oxford Recovery College

    2021 - Mental Health First Aider Training, MHFA

  • Co-founded Oxford Wellbeing Project who’s objectives have been to provide a diverse range of accessible wellbeing services to the wider community of Oxford in a sustainable way. Key events have included:

    2019 - Oxford Wellbeing Summer Pop-up in Florence Park Pavillion

    2020 - Oxford Wellbeing Project On-line Summit

    2021 - Formalising of the Oxford Wellbeing Cooperative

  • Co-creator of the UK’s first Yoga Teachers Union. Organising for improved working conditions within a precarious industry. Key events have been:

    Oct 2019 - Surveyed teachers nationwide to better understand challenges faced, which formed the foundations for the union development

    Oct 2020 - Inaugral meeting and the Yoga Teachers Union officially became a branch of the IWGB, elected chair

    Sep 2021 - Oxford region mandated to create the blue print for regional organising

    Jan 2022 - Stepped down as chair to focus on community organising and Anti-sexual Harassment Campaign

 
“Laura is a warm, wise, highly skilled yoga teacher and massage practitioner. I have received massage treatments from her, attended her yoga workshops and yoga nidra sessions and the things that shine through for me throughout are her integrity, her honesty, and her deep commitment to creating spaces of healing and growth for her students. Thank you Laura for sharing your talents and passion with your community in Oxford ”
— Sally
“If you’re looking for a skilled yoga teacher and masseuse like no other who literally puts her heart and soul into her practice, you need to find Laura. She’s dedicated, caring and inspiring and puts all beings who have the privilege of her teachings, and experience the benefits of her masseuse skills, at ease. She clearly devotes all her energy into what she does and it certainly pays off! You leave the yoga studio renewed and calmed and her massage sessions revived and at peace. If you’ve not signed up to one of her yoga lessons or treated your good self to her divine massages, you’re truly missing out”
— Marie