I remember how nerve racking it was going to my first yoga class and all the fears and insecurities that run through your mind before you've even stepped your bare foot through the door! I thought it might be helpful if I described what one of my classes is like to take away some of the fear of the unknown :)
The first thing that is quite helpful to know is that my classes are of mixed abilities, some of my students are recovering from injuries, health issues or have been away from yoga for a while and are wanting to get back in to it, some are complete beginners and some of my students have been practising yoga for years and are very familiar with the sequences and poses. Because Hatha yoga is a gentle, slow paced style of yoga it means that everyone can practice at a level that suits their body without rushing in to the next pose or feeling left behind. So, if you're a beginner you don't need to worry that you're going to be at the back of the class struggling to keep up with everyone. I always offer lots of variations of each different pose so that people can find the version of the pose that works for their body and this can change from week to week. For example, I might have one student on one side of the room in the most advanced version of the pose and another student using either a chair or the wall to assist them to get in to a more safer, simplified version of the pose, both students are doing yoga and both students are being challenged. I will never push anyone to go further, if anything I'll usually encourage people to back off in a pose so as to be safe and avoid injury. The focus of my classes is correct alignment, correct breathing and using yoga to bring about peace of mind. I'm not that focused on getting people to bend in to pretzels or stand on their heads, sure we might work towards more advanced poses from time to time and poses such as head stand bring about such a feeling of strength and confidence but this isn't the main aim of the classes. My wish is that people leave classes feeling stretched, strengthened, relaxed and rejuvenated. So what about the format of the class? I always start the class with a basic breathing practice, this usually takes place with students lying on their backs on their mats and starting to practice their yogic breathing. This is a nice way to being class as it gives students the chance to start to dis connect from their day and from their worries. We'll then do a few simple seated warm up stretches followed by some seated meditation and time to set a positive intention for the class. At this point I'll introduce the theme or focus of the class and then we'll move in to the main warm up. As a general rule I like to warm up using the Sun Salutations as these are fantastic for bringing heat to the body and starting to wake up the body. If you're not sure what I mean by sun salutations, have a look at this helpful vidoe: http://www.yogajournal.com/video/video/salute-the-sun/ After the sun salutes we'll then practice a series of asanas (poses) that relate to theme of the class, this might be shoulder openers, hip openers, poses for core strength or restorative poses etc. Then we start to warm down, often coming down to the mat and doing poses like forward folds and spinal twists, as the class starts drawing to a close we hold these closing sequence poses for longer, really focusing on the breath and slowing everything down. We'll then take final relaxation where we spend about 5-10 minutes lying down allowing the goodness of our practice to sink in, meditation or visualised relaxation is often included here. I then like to finish my class with another seated meditation and a dedication. I really hope this helps paint a picture of one of my classes and if you've been on the fence about trying yoga encourages you to come along! For a full list of my weekly classes please go the classes tab. Namaste X
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At this week's classes we've been exploring the theme of water. I really wanted to incorporate a vinyasa flowing element to classes this week to create this sense of fluidity. As we flow through the poses with ease and grace, each pose synchronised with the breath, our practice starts to become like a moving meditation. What this means for the mind is that we get to experience a mental break, a break from our worries and stress and a chance to abide purely in the present moment. In meditation at the end we then tried to take this idea of flowing freely and apply it to our daily life. When things don't go according to plan we tend to become very rigid and stubborn, resisting whatever the new situation is and becoming angry and frustrated. How about if we could adapt to change like a flowing river, if we could navigate unwanted situations with grace and acceptance and really and truly go with the flow. One of my favourite Buddhist teachings is about patient acceptance, Buddha encourages us to be like the willow tree that bends in the wind rather than the oak tree who's branches snap off. At one point in class this week we stood in tree pose and practiced moving our arms like we were being blown in the wind, such a challenge to keep the mind and gaze still whilst moving the upper body and of course not falling over. It was lovely to see how relaxed and soothed people felt at the end of class and how many of them were keen to take the experience and teachings with them in to their daily life. Thanks to those of you who joined me on the mat and thanks to those of you who have joined me on here.
Namaste X |
Urban PriestessWelcome to my Urban Priestess blog, here I share my tips and tricks for seasonal and lunar living. Archives
December 2019
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