In essence yoga is 'transformation'.

I view my role of Yoga teacher' as a ‘facilitator "our bodies are our teachers, my role is simply to facilitate the learning process and offer you tools and techniques for self management for your own health and wellbeing".

What is Yoga?

Yoga can mean different things to people. Fundamentally, yoga is in essence a journey of transformation, self-enquiry and integration of mind and body, an opportunity to explore that which is within and discover your true Self. Yoga can be Spiritual if you want it to be but this is not compulsive. When I speak of ‘yoga’ I automatically include, meditation and mindfulness as these are part of ‘yoga'.  I don’t separate them just as the breathing practices are yoga. Yoga is an holistic practice and a lifestyle.

Yoga helps you focus your awareness on your body and mind. You are invited to sense and feel things, yoga is undoing as opposed to doing. So, when you make movements and assume positions, you will not be trying to make your body conform to an external shape or impose anything on the body. Instead, you explore your body from the inside, to find out where the tensions are. Gradually and patiently with time you will be able to release them.

Yoga can give you a sense of feeling grounded, balanced and centred. It can help you to relax and tackle life’s challenges creatively. As tension is released, you will feel more energetic, uplifted, and alive. It can assist you in finding a sense of wellbeing and optimism, improving your self-esteem and bringing greater enjoyment of your body, as it becomes more supple, strong and fluid in its movements. You will learn to be present with your attention and feel both relaxed and revitalised.

The very act of listening to your body and breathing, of bringing body and mind together, is deeply relaxing and energising. While creating more space in the body, you also create space inside the mind. The normal, constant flow of thoughts is interrupted as you become totally focused inwardly. A few minutes of changing your attention level can give you a feeling of rest and renewal.

The yoga postures (asanas) and breathing (pranayama), exercises every part of the body (muscles, joints, spine, organs, glands and nerves). Practising yoga and meditation can help to release tension and liberate energy, revitalise and bring clarity, calmness and improved concentration of the mind.

Working with the fundamental elements, that are the heart of Yoga: gravity, breathing and movement, allows us to cultivate our ability to work from a deeper place within ourselves. The techniques that we learn from being on our mats and practicing yoga allows us to manage the pressures in our lives, maintain balance and equilibrium and develop resilience.
Because we are all unique and have our own idiosyncrasies I offer an eclectic approach to yoga and adapt my teaching to suit my students/groups.

The classes I teach are bespoke and can range from gentle relaxing restorative yoga to a more powerful and dynamic Vinyasa flow. Through regular practice, and gently challenging the mind and body we can begin to make the changes we want to see. However, my key focus in my teaching is on 'safety' and 'alignment' and self awareness, working with the body in a mindful, safe and supported way. I also like my classes to have an element of fun and playfulness, we don't take ourselves to seriously!

Yoga is a subject with a great lineage and philosophy, I like to bring this philosophy into my teaching and I do this by integrating the 'old' with the 'new' and discussing how we can bring the philosophy into our everyday lives.  Yoga can be a very Spiritual Practice and I appreciate this is not for everyone, you will all take something different away with you and that will depend on where you are on your life journey and what is happening in your life at the present moment.

Yoga can be used as a 'therapeutic' practice and is a wonderful management tool in healing and managing various 'mental', 'emotional' and 'physical' symptoms and 'trauma'.

One to one tuition - traditionally yoga was taught on a one to one basis. A one to one session provides the student with a tailored programme specific to suit your individual needs, encouraging you the student to discover a deeper self and fine tune your practice.

The Benefits

I could write a list as long as my arm on the benefits of yoga and talk for days and weeks so all I will say is there has been a great deal of research and many studies on the benefits of yoga, meditation and mindfulness all of which reveal state how yoga benefits our body, mind and breath and our overall health and wellbeing. Yoga benefits us on a physical, mental emotional levels. I am obviously biased because yoga has been one of the best things I could have discovered and if you want to hear what others think head over to the ‘Kind Words’ tab to read their stories. Remember yoga is for every body so find a class and a teacher that resonates with you and give it a go.

"And now the teaching on yoga begins"

"Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence"

"When the mind has settled, we are established in our essential nature, which is unbounded consciousness"

 -The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali