Well I think I could say that this last week has been a week of emotion. I have been so proud of all who came & supported the charity workshop and helped us raise over £350 for breast cancer research. This brings our total to £2700. Pretty amazing for a small yoga community J
For me it also involved slight envy as I was only able to observe others enjoying flowing through what looked like a wonderfully deep and soulful vinyasa taught by the gently spoken Kirsty. The softness of her voice seemingly not relative to the strength of the postures as sweat dripped off brows onto smiles of enjoyment! My trapped nerve had left me with a numb foot and considerable pain when I flexed my hip. Hence I had decided to rest & recuperate. One advantage after all of being a yoga therapist is having a large toolbox of ways to heal. The first often being kind to yourself. So I was practising both the gentle physical asana (postures) to release muscular tension & the quieter self study into how & why it had happened. I know myself well enough to realise that I had been under a lot of different stresses of late, and these often show in my hips. We all have physically more vulnerable areas and these are often the places, which highlight when we are overdoing things, or putting ourselves in situations that may not be right for us. Real yoga includes the practice of ahimsa..non harming. Listening to your body and what it is telling us; including when it needs less physicality and more TLC. It also teaches us contentment rather than resentment and hankering after what others have. Sometimes not so easy when others look like they are having fun…but actually easier than I expected it to be. Maybe I am slowly learning to be content with where I am at. Or maybe now I can feel myself improving every day I can just be amused rather than miffed at injuring myself. Now it hurts just when I drive, which has allowed the dog and I more opportunity to walk to places where I would normally drive. So as in most things, there are lessons to be learnt and positive things to be taken from each experience. Even when it initially hurts!
Where I am at is after all a very exciting place. I have just signed the contract for a lease on my first yoga studio. There’s a wonderfully light and airy space suitable for classes and also a smaller room for individual tuition, Yoga therapy, Thai Yoga Massage and hypnotherapy clients. I noticed a relief in the pain from my hip immediately after signing and more so when I initially entered what will be my space to create the yoga community. Watching the dog excitedly running around while I did a spontaneous handstand in happiness at what I have achieved made it all worth while! My dream is a place where we have not only yoga classes, but more importantly a space where people feel reunited with themselves. Yoga is to unite. Not just a vinyasa of postures performed on a sticky mat but a way of coming home to yourself. I want my studio to be friendly, welcoming. Plus, more importantly to me, for it to have the warm feeling of knowing you can be comfortable just being you when you are there. I know some yoga studios where what you wear, who you practise with and what you are physically capable of matters. I don’t want this to be the case for the Yoga in Cheshire Studio. I want this to be a studio where attitude is left at the door and friendship and self-belief can be fostered instead.
I want our studio to be a physical expression of what we do in the charity workshops. A place where we all come together to enjoy yoga and ourselves. Where students from different places can experience different teaching styles from different teachers with an open mind and a body willing to try new experiences. I want each class to end with a feeling of pride in yourself and a smile from the inside out.
this is a link to a sample timetable…still with more classes to be added. Please give me feedback as to anything else you may want to see and ideas for class styles/ times.