Yoga Worthing 2013 – updated 29.8.13
Hatha, Classical and Restorative Yoga
What is yoga for?
I believe yoga is there to support you in your daily
life, helping you be more fulfilled, happy and relaxed.
How are you?
Is your lifestyle causing you back problems? Or
perhaps aching and stiff shoulders? Do you suffer from head and neck pain? Many
different kinds of occupations result in stressing the body in a way it does
not like, whether that is sitting working at a computer all day, spending much
time driving, lifting heavy things repeatedly, or having to hold the body in a
certain position for long periods of time.
Sometimes it is leisure time pursuits which leave
muscles overworked and joints overloaded. During gym workouts, marathon
running, rowing, sailing, aerobics, playing football or squash, birdwatching, photography, painting and pottery, the body
is used in a certain way which, over time, can create imbalances in the
muscles, tendons and ligaments and joints.
It is not only lifestyle, but simply the fact that we
age that leads us to places where we can no longer do what we used to so easily
when we were young. Weight problems are on the increase and more and more
people suffer from stress, eating problems and find relaxation and sleeping
well difficult.
So are you having back problems? Shoulders aching and
stiff at the end of the day? Is head and neck pain troubling you? Are your
muscles overworked and joints overloaded?
Do you find it more difficult to tie your shoelaces? Do you find your
balance is deteriorating? Are you experiencing restrictions in your joints? Is
it difficult for you to unwind and are you feeling stressed frequently? Are you
battling with your weight or having digestive problems? Is the quality of your
sleep not how you would wish it to be? Do you lack energy and vitality? Do you
have the mental stamina to overcome difficulties?
How can yoga help you?
Practising yoga can help with all the above conditions and many
more. It is a way to redress these imbalances and restore the body to its
natural state of balance, alignment and vitality. A balance of strength and
flexibility is the body's natural state. The joints and the spine can be
compromised if there is too much flexibility without the strength to sustain
it, equally if the muscles are overdeveloped, they can limit the optimum range
of movement of the joints and spine.
Uneven wear and tear of
the body can result in joint problems as we grow older. Yoga can help you to
appreciate how your unique structure affects your function and how to replace
inappropriate and unhelpful patterns with ones which serve you better.
Scientific evidence supports findings that incorrect
breathing impacts negatively on our being. Unhelpful patterns can be replaced,
resulting in a quiet sympathetic nervous system, (the one where the body and
brain are on constant alert), allowing the parasympathetic nervous system to
take over, bringing about a quiet, relaxed, peaceful mind and body with a
healthy immune system.
This journey, to improved posture,
functionality, enhanced health and
well-being, increased self-awareness and confidence, whilst not always smooth,
is worthwhile. Encouraging the mind, body and breath to work together leads to
physical and mental relaxation, the benefits of which extend far beyond the
mat, into our daily lives. Practising yoga can enable
us to develop greater inner strength and equanimity.
What`s yoga about?
It is a process of transformation on many levels.
It's not about
trying to tie yourself into impossible knots, ( I don't, nor do I wish to!) or
stand on your head for hours on end, it's about finding a pathway that will
help support you to live your life. You don't have to be super bendy to be able
to practice, quite the opposite, practising reduces
stiffness.
Through a series of dynamic and static asanas (postures), pranayama
(breathing exercises) and relaxation, increased mobility, strength and
flexibility and a deep sense of well-being and relaxation can be developed.
Yoga can help bring balance back into the body that has been lost along the
way. Physical, and mental knots are untied leaving you revitalised
and in a state of calm.
For me, the joy of yoga, is that it has much to offer
to suit individual needs. People practice yoga for different reasons. For some
it is the asanas, others pranayama,
relaxation, meditation, spirituality or the philosophy. Initially, I came to
yoga because I was interested in what it had to offer me physically. To quote
one my favourite teachers, Donna Farhi,
practising yoga postures ‘is simply one of the
most direct and expedient ways to meet yourself. It is a good place to begin.
’ I have found through practising and teaching
yoga that it facilitates being more in touch, and in tune, with your inner
self. Being in tune with our instincts, intuitions, feelings and insights comes
about through being in our bodies, rather than living in our heads,
disassociated from our bodies. With developed awareness, old, unhelpful
patterns of thinking can change, altering how we see ourselves, others, and the
world; this heightened awareness can enhance our relationships with ourselves
and others.
Why I continue to study and teach
yoga
My experience of practising
yoga has been good health, vitality and regaining mobility after several
sporting injuries and operations, including a hip replacement. I've been practising for over 35 years and have a specialist
background in teaching sport, dance and back care. At a young age, I had spinal
problems, which has resulted in my lifetime interest in safeguarding the health
of the spine, both in myself and students.
Having taught, played and participated in many
individual and team sports, I have an in-depth understanding of how to breathe
correctly, and the anatomical and physiological impact, of postural habits and
sporting activities, on the body. This knowledge enables me to assess
imbalances, and unhelpful holding patterns, not only in the breath, but in the
muscular skeletal system. I then develop individual maintenance and
rehabilitative practices, re-educating the neural pathways, for sports men and
women and for those whose posture causes them problems in daily living.
After my hip replacement, I was not able to practice
any asanas and I experienced my journey back to
strength and mobility very much as if I was a complete beginner, as if I had
had an incapacitating injury and as if I were someone whose mobility had
decreased with age. This experience gave me much insight into the challenges of
practising yoga for those with reduced strength and
mobility. It was a humbling experience and one which I believe has given
greater depth to my teaching.
Keeping current with the latest research and
development in anatomy and physiology, and applying it in my teachings, is
important to me so that my students benefit from the very best ways to practice
safely and with ease. The latest understanding of the fascia, the connective
tissue within the body, underpins my teaching and has had a huge impact on my
own practice. As well as learning from the teachings of others I draw upon my
own inner teacher to guide my practice and my teachings.
Enabling others to develop flexibility and strength,
to move their bodies with greater ease, and to develop their ability to relax,
inspires me to teach yoga. Also, enabling my students to become their own inner
teacher, so that their practice suits their own particular needs, mentally,
physically, and spiritually inspires me. Each individual's journey is different
and being sensitive to this, and acting as a guide, is how I see my role. I
encourage students to find what works for them through direct experience. What
works for and suits one, does not necessarily resonate within somebody else.
Personally, I have become increasingly empowered,
through my studies and daily yoga practice, to care for my body, in such a way
that it imposes no restrictions on how I like to live my active life. I
appreciate how, through my studies of yoga philosophy, breath control and
meditation practices, I feel more relaxed physically and mentally, more
fulfilled and contented.
Thanks
I am much
indebted to many teachers who have shared their wisdom and knowledge with me on
my yoga journey, particularly Simon
Low,
Details of classes and 1-1 tuition
Beginners Class St. Laurence Church Hall,
1st
Wed every month 6-7.15pm all other Wednesdays 6-7.35pm. Small car park and no
restrictions parking on
Classes
suited to those who have never practised yoga before,
or those who feel they would like to return to the foundations of their
practice.
Classes
£8.00 if an 8 week block payment is made in advance (non-refundable). Classes
£8.50 if an 8 week loyalty card is
purchased in advance-classes must be used within a 10 week period. Class
drop-in price £9. Introduce a friend
who signs up for a block and you receive 1 class free.
April 10, 16, 24
May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29,June
12, 19, 26
July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
Aug14, 21, Please note the class on Wed 28th
Aug has been cancelled. My apologies.
Sept 4 , 11,Oct 2, 9, 16, 23,
30, Nov 6, 13
Nov 20, 27, Dec 4, 11, 18
For those with a minimum of
one year`s experience practicing yoga.
Drop in classes at Heene Community Centre,
Free car park behind the centre, entrance on
A more dynamic class to
improve strength, stamina, posture, address imbalances in the body, further
develop flexibility, develop the breath, quieten the
mind and enable you to relax much more deeply.
April 9, 16, 23, 30
May 7, 14, 21 June 11
June 18, 25, July 2, 9
July 16, 23, 30
August 13, 20, 27 Sept 3
October 1, 8,15, 22,
Oct 29 Nov 5, 12, 19,
Nov 26 Dec 3, 10, 17
Each block is for 4 weeks and costs £8 per
class in advance (non-refundable), £9 drop-in.
Each class is
‘stand-alone’ so you can join anytime. Introduce a friend who signs up for a block and you receive 1 class
free.
Gentle Yoga Drop in classes at Angmering Community
Centre, BN16 4FU Tuedays 9.30-11.00am
A gentle class, to ease that
stiffness, whatever your age, 20 or 100!
A gentle practice to maintain and increase mobility in the joints,
improve joint alignment and posture, strengthen the muscles, improve flexibility,
develop the breath, calm the mind and improve the ability to relax fully.
This class no longer running, depending on numbers
may resume in 2014
General Yoga Splashpoint ( new swimming complex in
New for 2013! Monthly Saturday
workshops 10-1pm
St. Laurence
Church Hall,
NOW BOOKING! Few places remaining !
Saturday 27rd of April 10-1pm
Also includes 1 hour of
Restorative Yoga –an opportunity to experience this relaxing and
revitalizing practice. £20 (Non-refundable)
Previous Workshops
Saturday 23rd February ‘10 Years Younger ! Revitalising and
Rejuvenating Rotations.’
Saturday,
Saturday 23rd of March 10-1pm ‘Liberating
the Front Spine- and Keeping Your Head on!’
Watch this space for further
news!
If none of the class times nor venues suit you, then
please do contact me to let me know your preferences, as more new classes will
start according to demand!
Yoga
1 to 1 sessions, Hatha, Restorative or Yin yoga . Practices are designed to meet your
individual needs. Your place or mine. Tailored, written practice for you to
follow can be provided. £40 for one hour.
British Wheel of Yoga Accredited Teacher
Yoga
Specialist Physical Education Teacher-
Liverpool University Institute of Education
British Wheel of Yoga insured