ABOUT ME

Hi - I’m Vic! I live in Horsham, West Sussex with my husband and two sons. Having taught in primary schools for six years I retrained as a specialist Children’s Yoga Teacher after having children of my own. I am passionate about the benefits yoga can bring into children’s lives and love to create fun, active classes bringing the best yoga can offer to children and teens. My mission is that every child can access the benefits of yoga and mindfulness and this is at the heart of everything I do at ICYS. It’s why we have so many high quality free resources and why I work so hard to raise awareness of the benefits of yoga for children.

Victoria Tso Breath ball yoga

  • 95 Hour Children’s Yoga Teacher Training from Divine Light Yoga

  • 200 Hour YTT with Akasha Yoga Academy

  • Beam Academy EYFS Yoga

  • Registered Children's Yoga Teacher

  • Registered Yoga Teacher

  • 6 Years Experience as a Primary School Teacher and a PGCE from the University of Exeter

  • Fully DBS checked

  • Paediatric First Aid

  • Member of Club Hub

Children's Yoga

I first went to a yoga class as a teen with my mum - it was a power class and we left about 5 mins in. It was VERY physical and despite what we were told, it wasn’t suitable for beginners. At university a friend persuaded me to join her for a 90 min yoga class and it was from this class that I fell in love with yoga. I felt amazing after class and that feeling would stick around. then gradually I would start craving my next class. Whilst living in Bournemouth and teaching in a primary school there I got into a period of attending Bikram yoga - hot yoga. It was intense but at the time I loved it. I continued to attend different classes as and when I could over the following years but when I was pregnant with oldest son I found a new deeper love for yoga. Instead of having a focus on fitness the classes were all about connection, relaxation, meditation and health. It was during my maternity leave after my youngest son was born that I trained first as a Children’s yoga teacher and then also as an adult teacher.

Victoria Tso Yoga

10 Things You Might Not Know About Me

  1. I was a teacher in Primary Schools for 6 years

  2. I have a degree in Archaeology and Forensic Science

  3. I have two sons who are currently 3 and 1

  4. My favourite animal is a turtle

  5. My favourite books are The Harry Potter series and anything Julia Donaldson

  6. I have practised yoga since I was 19

  7. I LOVE spicy food

  8. I am a qualified sports masseuse but I prefer to share yoga than massage

  9. As well as my Children’s yoga teacher training I undertook 200 hours of Hatha yoga teacher training to learn more about the yoga tradition

  10. I was given a tour of 10 Downing Street in my teen years after I drafted a law to ban single use plastic bags

So why Yoga?

My own experience has shown me the huge benefits of yoga on both physical and mental health but my time in primary schools, working with hundreds of pupils, highlighted to me, repeatedly, that something was missing. Physical Education has a large focus on invasion games, which certainly have their place, but I feel there is a large gap in the curriculum where individual exercise is missed. In adult life not many of us continue our team sports yet we do still enjoy exercise in a different way. I also believe there is a gap in how we teach self regulation, emotions, resilience and how to cope when things are hard. Whilst many teachers do this there is still a lack of good resources and time allocation for this emotional development. Yet, if our goal as educators is to raise happy, fulfilled members of society surely resilience and emotional awareness are so important. I believe yoga is the answer - it combines the two. Research has shown time and again that introducing yoga into schools has so many benefits, from better academic performance, improved focus, better physical health, fewer cases of bullying and exclusions and happier pupils (you can see this research and much more on yoga4schools.com).

More research still has shown that children’s mental health referrals have increased by 90% over the past three years due to the pandemic and the stress it’s caused. I wish that yoga could solve everyone’s problems but sadly it can’t. However, I passionately believe it can help. You just don’t unlearn the skills from yoga. You never unlearn how you can regulate your breath or how journalling and meditation make you feel. Therefore, once you’ve been shown these skills they are with you for life - your own little toolkit to help you when things feel hard. In the same why, once you know how to safely stretch, strengthen and balance you’re body, you’ll never forget these either. Yoga can be continued throughout your entire life, something very few sports can promise.

So that why yoga - that why, for me, yoga is the key to helping new generations find their balance, both physically and mentally. I’d love to meet you and or your little ones on the mat - please get in touch with me (Vic) at innerchildyogaschool@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Our Classes

  • Balance

  • Strengthen

  • Breathe