Hi everyone,

Welcome to July, and welcome to Semester 2 at Live to Serve Academy.

I hope you're doing well and settling into the second half of the year. I thought I'd try something a little different this month and share a Founder Update video alongside this email. It feels like a much more personal way to connect, so you can expect a short monthly update from me moving forward.

The biggest news this month is that Semester 2 begins this week, with our Wednesday night Hatha Yoga classes returning (starting tonight, yay!) through until the end of November.

This semester we'll be moving through a 12-week Women's Health focus. I wanted to reassure you that this isn't a collection of condition-specific classes like "Yoga for PCOS" or "Yoga for Endometriosis." Women's health is far more holistic than that.

Instead, this program has been designed as a gentle, traditional Hatha Yoga journey that helps you return to yourself, and your own unique rhythm.

Alongside our Hatha classes, we'll also be reintroducing our Monday Morning Workouts. They're simple, home-based strength and conditioning sessions designed to help you start the week feeling energised. If you're looking for the full Semester 2 timetable, you'll find it pinned in our Facebook group and available to download from the Events page on the website.

One of my personal intentions for our community this semester is to gently shift more of our focus from simply studying Yoga and Ayurveda to truly living them.

It's easy to become caught up in assessments, coursework and completing qualifications. While those things certainly matter, the real gift of these sciences comes through consistent personal practice and lived experience. My hope is that this semester gives you plenty of opportunities to integrate what you're learning into your own life first, before sharing it with others.

For those considering the Advanced Yoga Teacher Training, I've received quite a few questions recently about whether you need to have completed your 200-hour training first.

The answer is no.

While you'll need a recognised 200-hour qualification if your goal is professional registration, the Advanced Training has been designed as a mentorship-based learning environment rather than a traditional certification pathway (even though it includes certification!). It's a space to explore Yoga for Women's Health in greater depth, develop your understanding, ask questions, and learn without the pressure of rushing through assessments.

If you're simply wanting to deepen your own knowledge and experience, you're very welcome to join us. You can always complete assessments later if and when the timing feels right.

I also wanted to say a huge welcome to everyone who joined our community during the Enrolment Season Sale. It has been wonderful to welcome so many new students into our courses, and I'm looking forward to getting to know each of you over the coming months.

Unfortunately, many of you discovered that our website experienced an outage on the final evening of the sale. Thankfully everything is now working again, so I've extended the Enrolment Season Sale until this Friday to ensure nobody misses out because of the technical issues.

Finally, applications are still open for my Yoga Therapy Practicum.

The response has honestly been far greater than I expected, and I'm incredibly grateful. There are just a few places remaining for women experiencing burnout, perimenopause, menopause, post-cancer recovery, or other women's health challenges who would like to receive an eight-week evidence-informed Yoga Therapy program at no cost while I complete my clinical certification.

If you've been considering applying, I'd encourage you to submit your application this week. Completing the application simply lets us begin the conversation, and you'll have the opportunity to decide whether you'd like to participate once you've received all the information.

Thank you, as always, for being part of this beautiful community.

Whether you're beginning your studies, continuing your journey, or simply recommitting to your own practice, I hope this semester gives you the space to reconnect with yourself, deepen your understanding, and experience the profound wisdom of Yoga and Ayurveda in your everyday life.

I'm looking forward to sharing the journey with you.

With gratitude,

Sami
Founder, Live to Serve Academy

In the video I share a few exciting updates, including:

• Our new 12-week Women's Health Hatha Yoga journey, beginning tonight (yay!)
• The return of Monday Morning Workouts.
• My hopes for our community this semester, and why I believe living Yoga and Ayurveda is even more important than simply studying them.
• An update on the Advanced Yoga Teacher Training (including the answer to one of the questions I've been asked most often!).
• A welcome to all of our wonderful new students.
• The extension of our Enrolment Season Sale until Friday after our unexpected website outage.
• Final applications for my Yoga Therapy Practicum.