From Student to Teacher: Inês Guerreiro
Almost 55, twenty years of Yoga practice, a life made of books. The account of someone who never wanted to teach — and discovered that this was precisely what she had to give.
I begin at the end. Which is, after all, the beginning.
Seated in siddhasana, I roll my shoulders up and back, drawing the shoulder blades together and opening the heart for practice. Hands resting on my knees, eyes closed to the outside, open to the vast expanse of the inner landscape. I take a deep, purposeful inhale, followed by a long exhale.
An intentional gesture, learned over some twenty years of practice: tentative, steady, on and off, diligent, savoured. An attitude. Opening a paragraph, in time and space. Creating a capsule on the magic carpet, able to work the most unexpected and incredible metamorphoses. Beginning an instant of serenity, discovery, achievements and imperfections.
It all begins here. I am ready. Body, mind and spirit.
And, suddenly, I remember: I am on the other side, on the far bank of the practice. No right or wrong. I open a sliver of my gaze, and there they are, my dear students. Expectant, focused, waiting for my words.
My name is Inês Guerreiro. I am almost 55 years old. And I never wanted to teach Yoga.
A life made of books
What have I always done? Books. My whole life I have sailed through books. A deep immersion as a child and teenager, a refuge for my shy and introspective existence. I drifted through literature at university, learning its tricks, its cunning, its meanings, learning to explain the complexities of its beauty and, later, in a master’s and postgraduate studies, also its material nature — the book as a product. When a path of teaching and research was cut short by a market unable to absorb more humanities graduates, I stumbled into the publishing world. There I put down roots thirty years ago and kept growing and branching out, translating and editing books for almost every publishing house in the country.
Where I stand today, I am happy — very happy.
But it was neither the books nor the words that gave me that state of fullness. It was Yoga. I searched for inner peace and joy my whole life. And, at last, over the past two decades, very gently, Yoga taught me santosha, inner contentment — a flame that glows within, indifferent to the obstacles that arise along the way.
Inês Guerreiro in an outdoor class, where the mat meets nature.
Seven months of building and unbuilding
Yoga was a construction. Of confidence, of the senses. It was also about removing fears. Of failure, of imperfection, of misalignment. Pranayamas and asanas created a space with no past or future where I could simply exist, without anxiety, hurt, anguish or dread. The lessons of Yoga were so transformative that I felt a need to understand better what happened when I practised — what magic this was, with no potion or wand, capable of instilling such deep wellbeing, and how I could explore its benefits even further.
That is how I came to the BeYoga Yoga teacher training. Paulo Vieira and I linked arms and went looking at several programmes. Carla Gonçalves’ one won us over — for the breadth and organisation of its content, for the mentorship offered after the training and for the formadora’s vast technical and theoretical experience, as well as her professionalism. I remember, in the trial class we did with Carla in the Alcântara studio, having “my Adho Mukha Svanasana” immediately taken apart and learning new alignments. A big namasté, Carla!
So we went ahead, in January 2023. And what seven months they were! I felt myself being built and unbuilt at the same time. Many of my convictions crumbled: I have everything under control, I master my anxiety, my worry about performance no longer grips me or keeps me from sleeping, I handle challenges well. Every theoretical exercise, every recorded video, every presentation demanded a reinvention of my inner dogmas and preconceptions.
Yes, I was over fifty and I was learning anatomy, words in Sanskrit, teaching tools. Right to the end I said: I am not going to teach.
When I finished the training, I was exhausted, not one muscle fibre left, my mind drained, my identity turned inside out like a jumper whose right side is no longer any use.
But I’m not going to teach.
Summer set in. “But I’m not going to teach.” Everyone asked me when I would start, that it was inevitable. “But I’m not going to teach. I have a profession.” They laughed, as if there were a destiny to fulfil that the people who knew me could see and I could not. “But I’m not going to teach. I have a life.” In Sri Lanka, in the shala built by Dri and Filipe, I sketched out a class for my dear friends. Tasting of freedom and of the sea. “But I’m not going to teach. We’re only playing.”
Back in Lisbon, over the months, I stumbled upon a few opportunities. “But I’m not going to teach.” And then I listened to my friend: “You don’t have to say yes, but don’t say no. Accept whatever the universe has prepared for you.”
It was the beginning of beginnings. All right, I answered. And I felt an immense relief. And, at the same time, the flutter in the belly that comes before the big steps.
The joy of a group in motion: outdoor Yoga with Inês.
The mission that was born unintentionally
Many offers came up that should have been “refusable” — for the tiny number of students, the distance from home, the small fee paid. But I accepted everything that came my way, for about a year: classes in studios, hotels, gyms, from one to more than twenty-five people, in the garden, cover classes, retreat sessions, in my own home, at the sports club at the end of my street. I taught with rain falling on the stage, with the shouts of the cycling class upstairs, mosquitoes biting, to foreigners, children and adults, with and without air conditioning. And menopause making a racket all the while!
I have now cut back my teaching schedule, matching my energy to the wish to reach others with quality. I settled in my own neighbourhood, with the ease of getting home quickly — to my garden, my books, my family and my five cats. I kept the old local club, with its neighbours, my community, and, against all expectations, a gym, so as not to lose my training in the hustle. Along with the classes at home, a blessing.
I will soon begin a children’s Yoga project at the Fundação Nossa Senhora do Bom Sucesso, a children’s health institution in my area that celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2026. I hope to build a space of pause and active listening, a safe and comfortable place where children can simply be — without rush, expectations or judgement.
Along this path, I was an apprentice sorceress at every step. And the greatest lesson was humility itself. I always remember Carla’s words: it isn’t you, teachers — it’s the Yoga.
Today, Yoga for me is not just personal practice — it is a mission. Knowing how to be fully present means living with quality, eyes open and unafraid. To have Yoga in your life is to quietly transform the way we inhabit the world.
Namasté, Inês Guerreiro
Yoga training
Yoga Teacher (200h), Yoga Nidra (10h), Meditation and Mindfulness (10h) and Pranayamas (10h) from Carla Gonçalves’ BeYoga School, a school certified by Yoga Alliance as RYS 200, and by DGERT and IPDJ.
Children’s Yoga (32h) from the Instituto Português de Yoga and Mindbody.
Laughter Yoga Leader / Laughter Therapy with Master Trainer Sabrina Tacconi.
Inês’s path is not unique: find her on the BeYoga community map, alongside 167 students trained across 103 cities and 5 countries — 72 of them teaching.
About the Yoga teacher training
Is Yoga teacher training only for those who want to teach?
No. As Inês’s path shows, many people come to the training with no intention of teaching at all: the motivation is to deepen their personal practice, understand the philosophy, grasp what happens on the mat. The training offers exactly that, regardless of what you go on to do afterwards.
Can I do the BeYoga training over the age of 50?
Yes, and life experience is often an asset, not an obstacle. Inês started the training in her fifties and describes the process as transformative, precisely because she arrived with decades of personal practice and a deep relationship with introspection. BeYoga welcomes students of all ages and backgrounds.
How long does BeYoga’s Yoga teacher training last?
The 200h YTT training runs over several months in intensive weekends, typically 8 to 10 months. Inês did the training between January and July 2023, a seven-month path she describes as both demanding and transformative. The format lets you combine it with your professional life without giving up the intensity of the learning.
Does the BeYoga training include Yoga Nidra and meditation?
Yes. The curriculum at BeYoga School covers the practice of asanas, pranayama, meditation and Yoga Nidra. After the core training, there are complementary deepening modules, such as the Yoga Nidra, Meditation and Mindfulness ones that Inês completed.
What is Inês Guerreiro’s children’s Yoga project?
Inês is developing a children’s Yoga project at the Fundação Nossa Senhora do Bom Sucesso in Lisbon. The aim is to create a safe space where children can develop body awareness, learn to manage emotions, build self-esteem and find tools to cope with anxiety and the demands of school.
Your training starts here.
Like Inês, many students arrive with no intention of teaching. They leave with a mission. Discover the BeYoga training and find out what could change in your life.
