Maria has been student and practitioner of yoga since 1972 following a car accident where she sustained multiple injuries. She has since dedicated her work to the service of others that can benefit from yoga. In 1975 she became qualified to teach yoga and set up a yoga centre for over 100 members of the community. Since 1978 she has worked with disabled people, mainly persons with learning difficulties. In 1984 Maria won an award to visit to visit India on a Churchill Fellowship to investigate the therapeutic value of yoga for disabled people.

Maria has combined her experiences and knowledge to form the YOU & ME Yoga System where colour, sound and movement is used to form the 'Whole-Body-Movement' system appropriate to the requirements and culture of the west. The system is based on 22 joint Looseners, 20 simple but effective yoga Postures, easy Breathing techniques and basic Relaxation methods, all of which are suitable and safe for staff and parents to teach their students. Maria has taught her YOU & ME system to more than 2,250 staff working in Special Needs with all age groups throughout the UK.

YOU & ME Publications was set up in 1989 and over the years has published the YOU & ME Yoga training package consisting of fourteen sets of user-friendly teaching materials that are produced in colour in order to motivate and assist learning. The complete training package is exclusive to professionals and to those attending the YOU & ME Yoga training programme. Maria is a qualified teacher of people with Special Needs, a British Wheel of Yoga Teacher and In-Sevice Training Tutor (IST), and City & Guilds NVQ Level 4 Training, Assessment and Development.

Maria is now offering the completed training package for professionals to work with other staff and students in the work place, and consultation to suit individuals needs.

Karen Leslie
Karen is a state registered chartered physiotherapist working as a Senior 1 Paediatric Physiotherapist for Morecambe Bay PCT (Primary Care Trust) . She is at present teaching YOU & ME Yoga to groups of children in a special school. For the YOU & ME Trainers' Programme Karen developed the function of joints and applied anatomy of the muscles in relation to the YOU & ME techniques.

Roger Dangerfield
Roger was for thirteen years Head of Training for Cumbria Social Services and he is now part-time Consultant in Staff Development, for both professional people as well as people who missed out on an early formal education. For the YOU & ME Trainers' Programme Roger developed the Leadership training involving people's motivation to learn, and effective teaching and learning methods.

External Verifier.
A professor and External verifier for the Open College, but for professional standards must be anonymous.