‘I wouldn’t go back to my old ways for a million pounds’

An unhealthy lifestyle and stressful job led to Katherine Bohanna searching for a different path to health and happiness – 20 years on, she’s finally there...

When I was at school, I was always the last to be picked for netball teams. I never had any interest in sport, and in my 20s I was too busy with my job working in the City to lead a healthy lifestyle. The hours were long and socialising was my way of winding down. My unhealthy habits continued while I worked in Hong Kong, Paris and then back in London. Exercise was never on my to-do list.

When a friend suggested we join a gym together, I said no at first. Nothing could have persuaded me to use those horrible running machines. As far as I was concerned, exercise was for other people. But when I heard there was a nice pool and sauna, I agreed to give it a go. I was 32 and thought I could at least manage some gentle swimming.

One day I noticed a poster advertising yoga classes and decided to go along. I hated it. Some of the women in the class could do amazing poses, whereas I couldn’t do anything at all. But the teacher was encouraging, so I gave it another go, then another. I started to notice a difference in the way I felt. The niggling back twinges, headaches and neck stiffness I suffered from disappeared; I felt stronger and more flexible. After six months, I realised I was actually looking forward to the classes.

I increased the number of classes I took, and a teacher suggested I study for a diploma at the British Wheel of Yoga. I signed up for a diploma course and loved it, especially learning how to apply yoga to different weaknesses and injuries, and how therapeutic it could be for depression and anxiety.

At that point I had no intention of becoming a teacher, but when I reached 40 and was still working long hours in a stressful job, I thought, ‘I can’t keep doing this.’ Losing two of my friends felt like a wake-up call. I was working on a horrible project, it was 3am and I wrote a resignation letter right then and there.

I started teaching by providing maternity cover, and slowly my reputation grew. I distributed leaflets to City firms I’d worked with and provided lunchtime classes. Soon I was teaching lots of classes and loving it. I teach Hatha and Ashtanga yoga, and I’ve even done classes in prisons, teaching the staff, counsellors and prisoners all in the same room.

Two years after I left my job, a contact took me to lunch and offered me a very good salary to work in New York. It gave me great pleasure to be able to say he could offer me a million pounds to do a stressful job and I still wouldn’t accept!

Twenty years ago I could never have attempted the headstands, the handstands or the lotus position I can do today. My life has improved so much. This year, at the age of 51, I’m getting married to Richard, my boyfriend of 10 years. I can’t put my happiness all down to yoga, but it’s certainly helped.