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Yoga Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have questions about my yoga classes please see if I have already answered them below. If you have a question I haven’t included then please feel free to send me a message using my contact form or to my mobile.

A consistent and balanced yoga practice will affect you physically in many positive ways, increasing your flexibility and improving your strength and balance and coordination. Many people come to yoga to counteract the negative effect of our sedentary lifestyle, or to improve an injury or to improve athletic performance and prevent injury.

Yoga’s benefits reach far beyond the physical, the breath control involved in the practice, the focus and concentration often required, and the relaxation and meditation that’s involved can improve sleep, decrease stress levels.

Yoga often reaches far off the mat and outside of the yoga studio; you’ll find yourself sitting taller in your car, your posture improved in the queue in the supermarket, or taking three deep breaths when dealing with an awkward colleague.

I can’t tell you how it achieves all of this, but it does. I call it the Yoga Magic or the Yoga Smug (particularly applicable after yoga in the morning).  It starts with feeling a little taller and more grounded in your body right after class and before you know it, you’re addicted.

I never feel more strong or confident than when I’m on my yoga mat. Like a veritable yogi bad-ass. I like nothing more than seeing this feeling shining out of the eyes of my students. Yoga takes you out of your head and then takes your head out of your ass and puts you firmly back in your body. As it does so, you land right here in the present moment, alive, connected and feeling good.

People often ask me what I would call the style of yoga that I teach, and I always reply Hatha Vinyasa. This means absolutely nothing to about 99% of people. If you would like to find out more about all the distinctive styles of yoga, head over to Google where you can read all about it.

What I mean when I say ‘Hatha Vinyasa’, is that my classes tend to flow from one pose to another, moving with the breath. We often take several breaths in key poses before moving to another. It’s far from Power or traditional Vinyasa yoga though. Sometimes we stop for giggles, and sometimes to repeat a pose or break it down if it seems appropriate.

My classes are open to all levels, though for Absolute Beginners I run a short course to get them up to speed. Most of my students in open classes have been with me for some time and the class is tailored to their level of ability. It’s nice for beginners to practice together and not feel intimidated.

Having said that, most of my students are normal men and women with normal bodies.  I would describe my class levels (and my own practice) as beginner or intermediate, not advanced.

Whatever your yoga level and however long you have done yoga, my approach is always to encourage each student to be on their own mat. Work at your own level, feeling able to take a break should you need it, or to try a variation on a pose that would suit you better – regardless of what other students may be doing around you.

I start and finish on time, and if you’re late you can sneak in quietly. We do a warm up, mostly seated, sometimes reclined. Then, we get warm. Sometimes there are Sun Salutations or other stronger, standing flow based practices to get the blood flowing. There’s a further standing section then, with lunges or balances, or other poses following the theme of the class. There’s the odd child’s pose or rest pose thrown in, but if you need one and I don’t give one, take it.

About 35 minutes in we usually transition into a winding down phase, moving to the floor for deeper stretching, peak poses (something we have worked towards all class), twists and suchlike. I give a guided relaxation and then I leave you in peace for a few moments. Finally, I rouse you gently, and we close by chanting OM three times together. I do this rather tunelessly but confidently, before closing.

I offer three different levels of yoga class:

  • Beginners Class
  • Open Level
  • Intermediate
Beginners Class

If you are a true beginner and are able to make the class time then I would recommend that you join the beginners class. While there may be students in that class that have been practising for a while, it is tailored to those that may have never done yoga before. As such, we move slowly and I focus a lot on technique, so there’s no chance of you struggling to keep up or getting confused.

Open Level

I do accept beginners into my open level classes because they are designed for mixed abilities. Some students may be new to yoga but have perhaps done Pilates or are generally fit and able, so there is no reason to exclude them from these sessions.

All Open Level classes are  tailored with options in many poses for beginners and those that come to yoga more regularly and may want a bit more challenge so you can feel free to work at your own pace.

Intermediate Level

The only class into which I don’t accept beginners is the Intermediates class; you do need to have prior experience of yoga to attend that class as the level is much stronger than my other classes.

Booking is essential for all of my yoga classes and is available online. Please visit my Timetable to see the class schedule and access my online booking system.

In the event of holidays or other cancellations, these will be published on Facebook so please LIKE the page and check regularly for updates.

I offer three payment levels. the Pay As You Go Drop In Price is £9 per class.

Or, you can buy a 5 Class Pass for £40. Classes don’t have to be used in a block but the pass will expire 45 days after purchase.

Finally, I offer a 10 Class Pass for £75 to be used within 90 days of purchase.

In the case of extenuating circumstances that would prevent you from using your pass within the allotted time, I sometimes extend class passes by prior arrangement.

Visit my Timetable to see the schedule and to book your class now.

For refund or return of a class pass use, all classes must be cancelled on the booking system with more than three hours notice. No refunds or returns are available for cancellations that occur with less than this much notice.

Loose, comfortable clothing. Any sports wear is fine. Please also bring a sweatshirt and socks to put on to cool down and for relaxation at the end of class.

I am no longer able to loan out yoga equipment. Therefore, please bring your own yoga mat, water and a blanket for relaxation or occasional use in class.

Yoga mats can be found everywhere these days, so buy something that fits your budget. For beginners I would point you to the Sticky Yoga Mat from Yogamatters or something of a similar style, i.e., rubber or PVC versus foam and of a similar size (183cm x 61cm). 

For yoga enthusiasts committed to a regular ongoing practice, I recommend the Liforme Yoga Mats. They are expensive, but worth it in my opinion. Students sometimes up with one after birthdays or Christmas, just saying. 

I have a 300 Hour Yoga Teacher qualification which is recognised and accredited by Yoga Alliance Professionals. I began teaching in January 2015.

I am now an Experienced Yoga Teacher (EYT) with over 2000 hours of teaching experience.

I am fully insured and First Aid Qualified.

If practised safely, yoga can often be an aid in rehabilitation of an injury. Always make sure that you advise me as your yoga teacher so that I am aware of any injury and can help you to adapt or skip any poses that may aggravate it.

If you need to have a full meal then make sure it’s at least 1.5 hours before a yoga class, preferably more.

If you need a snack then that’s fine. 

If you already practise yoga then it’s an easy yes; your body is used to the practice and it can only be beneficial if practised safely and carefully.

If you have never done yoga before then the best thing will be to find a pregnancy specific class, though I have, on occasion, allowed a pregnant beginner into my beginner’s class only if they were generally fit and well.

If you have recently found out that you are pregnant DO let your yoga teacher know ASAP so that they can keep an eye on you and let them know if you’re not yet ready to tell people so they can handle it discreetly (and make a big fuss of announcing it when you’re happy for them to do so.)

DO expect your practice to change drastically while you are pregnant. Be alert to any changes, if you can’t do something you’ve always been able to do, don’t worry, it’ll come back when you’ve had the baby.

Pregnancy is the perfect and right time to learn to be gentle with yourself, so as soon as you can, start to take the easier options in poses and take more breaks.

Some students move back into the beginners class during their pregnancy and this is a good option and a good way to continue to practice as long as you feel you can continue.

There will be many adaptions to poses that you will need to take as your bump grows bigger, and I can help you do that. I have had several students who came to class before getting pregnant, throughout pregnancy and are now back after having the baby. One was planning to come to yoga on Tuesday and ended up going to have the baby instead!

 

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