AS SOMEONE NEW TO YOGA YOU WILL NATURALLY BE A LITTLE NERVOUS OR UNSURE IF YOGA IS FOR YOU; OR ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE LET YOURSELF IN FOR IF YOU DO COMMIT TO TAKE A YOGA CLASS. AFTER READING THIS PAGE I HOPE TO MAKE IT A LITTLE EASIER FOR YOU TO MAKE YOUR DECISION ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. NATURALLY, I HOPE YOU WILL CHOOSE TO COME TO MY CLASSES!

ONE REASON WHY PEOPLE CHOOSE TO TAKE YOGA IS THAT THEY HEAR, SEE OR READ THAT IT IS A REALLY RELAXING THING TO DO AND MAKES YOU FEEL GREAT. LUCKILY MANY CELEBRATED ACTORS, ACTRESSES, MUSICIANS, SPORTS MEN AND WOMEN AND OTHERS IN THE PUBLIC EYE WILL FREQUENTLY CONFESS THEIR LOVE OF YOGA IN THE MEDIA. ONE THING ALL THESE PROFESSIONS HAVE IN COMMON IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A HIGH OCTANE PERIOD OF STRESS. LIVING OUT OF A SUITCASE, TRAVELLING THE WORLD MAY SEEM IDILIC UNTIL YOU DISCOVER THAT YOU DONT HAVE A MOMENTS PEACE, SOMEONE ALWAYS WANTS A PIECE OF YOU AND THE MERRY GO ROUND DOES NOT STOP.

EVENTUALLY IF THE MERRY GO ROUND WONT STOP YOUR MIND OR BODY WILL STOP YOU! AND THAT IS WHERE YOGA CAN BE SO HELPFUL. YOGA WILL GIVE YOU ANOTHER WAY TO BE. IT WILL HELP YOU TO MAKE SENSE OF IT ALL. YOUR PERSPECTIVE WILL CHANGE. HOW?

THE TECHNIQUES FOUND IN YOGA HELP US TO CONNECT TO OUR TRUE SELF. THROUGH THEM WE CAN COME TO A CLEARER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT AND WHAT WE ARE ALL ABOUT AS WE LIVE IT. RATHER THAN BEING DOGGED BY STRESS OR PHYSICAL ACHES AND PAINS WE CAN DEAL WITH ISSUES IN A DIFFERENT MORE HELPFUL WAY. SLOWLY WE CHANGE. OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR BODY OR OUR MIND CHANGES TOO.


SO WHAT DO WE DO IN A YOGA CLASS?


WELL, AT FIRST YOU WILL NEED TO LEARN THE SIMPLE METHOD OF UNITING MIND BODY AND BREATH; TAKING YOUR CONCENTRATION INSIDE THE BODY TO FOCUS ON SENSATION AND THE MOVEMENT THAT RESULTS FROM BREATHING OR THE JOURNEY OF THE BREATH ITSELF. WE WILL MOSTLY PRACTICE ASANA, THE POSTURES OF YOGA. YOU WILL LEARN A SERIES OF EXERCISES THAT WILL HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOUR BODY WORKS IN MOVEMENT AND HOW TO CLEVERLY MAKE IMPROVEMENTS IN ITS STRENGTH AND ELASTICITY. YOU WILL LEARN TO BREATH BOTH IN TECHNICAL TERMS AND ALSO HOW YOUR BREATHING INFLUENCES THE WAY YOU FEEL. MEDITATION AND MANTRA ARE OTHER SKILLS AND PRACTICES THAT WE WILL WORK WITH.

THERE ARE MANY STYLES OF ASANA PRACTICE. I TEACH IN A THERAPEUTIC WAY. STUDENTS OFTEN ARRIVE AT CLASS WITH SOMETIMES LONG STANDING MUSCLE OR JOINT PAIN. YOGA IS A REALLY EXCELLENT WAY TO HELP STRENGTHEN AND REPAIR IN A VERY SAFE WAY. MY TEACHING WILL REFLECT THE NATURE OF THE STUDENTS IN THE CLASS. YOU WILL UNDERSTAND IF I HAVE A GROUP OF FIGHTING FIT TWENTY SOMETHINGS I WILL TEACH A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY TO A CLASS OF SIXTY SOMETHINGS.


THE GREAT THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT YOGA IS FOR EVERYONE! YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT HOW STRONG, FIT, HEALTHY AND SUPPLE YOU CAN BE AT FIFTY, SIXTY, SEVENTY AND BEYOND. SO IF YOU ARE AN OLDER PERSON PLEASE DO NOT THINK THAT YOU CANNOT DO YOGA. YOU MAY OFTEN PUT US YOUNGER FOLK TO SHAME WITH YOUR CAPABILITIES.

I HAVE ARTHRITIS IN THE EARLY STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT IN MY KNEES AND SO CANNOT ATTEMPT ALL THE DYNAMIC THINGS I COULD ONCE TRY.

I'M OVER WEIGHT CAN I DO YOGA?

FOR THOSE OF YOU HOPING TO EITHER LOOSE OR MAINTAIN YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT YOGA IS AN EXCELLENT COMPLIMENTARY ACTIVITY TO A HEALTHY DIET AND REGULAR EXERCISE. YOGA POSTURES WORK FROM TOP TO TOE AND CAN BE PRACTICED IN A STRONG WAY TO MAKE THE BODY LEAN AND STRONG. WEIGHT CONTROL IS ALL ABOUT HOW MUCH GOES IN BALANCED BY HOW MUCH IS BURNED OFF. FAT TAKES SOME SHIFTING AND YOU MAY FIND YOGA AN EXCELLENT WAY TO HELP GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE TO RETURN TO EXERCISE, OR TO BE A MORE GENTLE ACTIVITY BETWEEN AEROBICS OR CARDIO VASCUALAR WORK OUTS.

I'M PREGNANT CAN I DO YOGA?

YOGA IS A WONDERFUL ACTIVITY FOR PREGNANT MUMS. POSTURES ARE MADE A LITTLE MORE GENTLE TO FIT WITH LOOKING AFTER MUM AND BABY AND THE BREATH WORK AND MEDITATION REALLY HELP WITH RELAXATION WHILE THE POSTURES RELEASE TENSION FROM BODY AND LIMBS. YOU CAN SAFELY PRACTICE AFTER THE FIRST TRIMESTER (10-12 WEEKS). IN THE FIRST WEEKS OF PREGNANCY STRONG COMPRESSIONS,TWISTS, STRETCHES IN THE ABDOMEN SHOULD BE AVOIDED. YOUR EXERCISE REGIME SHOULD AT THAT TIME GIVE CHANCE FOR THE BABY TO BEGIN TO SAFELY GROW AND AVOID THE RISK OF EXERCISE INDUCED MISCARRIAGE OR OTHER POTENTIAL HARM TO YOUR BABY. WHEN PREGNANT YOUR ATTITUDE TO EXERCISE MUST CHANGE. ALWAYS CONSIDER YOUR BABY IN WHATEVER IT IS YOU CHOOSE TO DO. PLEASE GET IN TOUCH IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR FOR FURTHER DETAILS OF THE KIND OF THINGS WE DO IN YOGA FOR PREGNANCY.

PERSISTANT SPORTS INJURIES OR THE AVOIDANCE OF INJURY IS ONE OF THE BEST REASONS TO PRACTICE YOGA. CONSTANT WORK OUTS MAINTAINED FOR YEARS ON END DO NOT GIVE TIME FOR THE MUSCLES AND JOINTS TO REPAIR. EVENTUALLY THEY WILL FAIL AND THAT HURTS - LOTS! IF YOU ARE ACTIVE IN SPORTS AND ARE NOT STRETCHING YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED YOU WILL GET INJURED. THINGS COULD GET SO BAD THAT YOU MAY HAVE TO RETIRE FROM PARTICIPATION. COME TO YOGA

I'M NOT VERY SUPPLE

VERY FEW PEOPLE ARE AS SUPPLE AS THEY WOULD LIKE TO BE WHEN THEY FIRST START YOGA CLASSES. DO'NT WORRY YOUR CLAASES ARE STRUCTURED TO ACCOMODATE EVERY STUDENTWHETHER THEY HAVE PRACTICED FOR YEARS OR IF IT IS THEIR FIRST WEEK. WE BEGIN YOGA PRACTICE BUILDINGSTRENGTH AND SUPPLENESS.IT IS A GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT. SOME THINGS CAN FEEL STRONG ,SOME FEEL GENTLE. THROUGH CLEARLYUNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND WHY YOU FEEL AS YOU DOIT WILL MAKE YOUR YOGA EXPERIENCE AN ENJOYABLE ONE.ITS MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU FELL THAN HOW FAR YOU CAN STRETCH.

I SUFFER WITH ANXIETY, STRESS, PANIC ATTACKS, DEPRESSION

IN TERMS OF MENTAL HEALTH YOGA IS FANTASTIC. FROM PANIC ATTACKS AND DEPRESSION TO ASBERGERS SYNDROME AND EPILEPSY POSTURES, BREATHING, MANTRA AND MEDITATION HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE OF GREAT VALUE IN BOTH UNDERSTANDING A CONDITION AND LIVING AND WORKING WITH IT. THE TECHNIQUES USED IN YOGA POSTURES WILL RESULT IN MIND BODY AND BREATHING BECOMING DEEPLY RELAXED. YOU WILL LEARN HOW YOU CAN USE YOUR YOGA SKILLS TO OVERCOME YOUR PROBLEMS. YOGA WILL ALLOW YOUR PERSPECTIVE TO CHANGE AND YOU WILL BE IN A BETTER PLACE AFTER YOU PRACTICE.

IF YOU HAVE ANY HEALTH ISSUES PLEASE FEEL YOU CAN SPEAK TO ME IN CONFIDENCE I HAVE GREAT EXPERIENCE IN DEALING WITH ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS AND WILL BE ABLE TO REASSURE YOU THAT YOU WILL BE WELL LOOKED AFTER AND YOUR NEEDS UNDERSTOOD.

I HAVE A BAD BACK, ARTHRITIS, JOINT PAIN OR AN INJURY?

THE SEVERITY OF ANY OF THE ABOVE SHOULD BE DISCUSSED WITH YOUR G. P., CHIROPRACTOR, PHYSIOTHERAPIST OR OSTEOPATHPRIOR TO ATTENDING YOGA CLASSES. WITH THEIR SPECIALIST MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE THEY CAN TELL YOU IF IT IT WISE OR SAFE TO TAKE A YOGA CLASSAND THE TYPES OF MOVEMENT TO AVOID. CERTAIN YOGA EXERCISES CAN BE CONTRAINDICATED FOR SPECIFIC AILMENTS AND NEED TO BE AVOIDED. YOU MUST ALWAYS TELL YOUR YOGA TEACHER ABOUT YOUR HELATH.

 

WHAT TO WEAR?

THIS CAN BE SEASONAL. ON A WARM SUMMER'S DAY SHORTS AND A T SHIRT, IN AUTUMN AND WINTER JOGGING BOTTOMS. A SWEATER AND SOCKS TO WRAP UP WARM WHEN WE LAY FOR RELAXATION. SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO BRING A CAR RUG OR BLANKET TO COVER UP WITH IN RELAXATION. IT IS A USEFUL BIT OF KIT FOR KNEELING ON ALSO.

SO YOU CAN SEE FAT OR THIN, SICK OR HEALTHY, FIT OR A COUCH POTATO YOGA IS FOR EVERYBODY AND EVERYBODY COMES TO YOGA.

COME ALONG AND MAKE SOME NEW FRIENDS - AND IN YOGA THEY WILL BE YOUR BEST FRIENDS.

HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON

STUART