Anita Watson, Osteopath

Anita studied martial arts from the age of nine, achieving her black belt in Goju Ryu Karate at the age of sixteen. This began her interest in body movement, alignment and mechanical function, and introduced the concept of the body-mind connection. She travelled to Okinawa, at the age of eighteen, to train with the Japanese masters and to take part in the World Goju Ryu Karate Championships. She then went on to study Osteopathy at the British School of Osteopathy in London, qualifying in 1996. Her first year in practice was at the Thame Therapy Clinic, after which she moved to Essex and, for the next ten years, practised in a multi-disciplinary clinic in Brentwood and ran her own private practice from home. During this time, she also studied Iyengar Yoga at the South London Iyengar Yoga Institute. After a two-year teacher-training programme she achieved her Iyengar Yoga teaching certificate. In 2004, she trained in Pune, India, with Mr Iyengar.