Many people who come along to my classes are looking for a nice wee exercise class. Perhaps they’ve always wanted to try yoga and my face just happened to pop up on their Social Media feed. But for others, this class is the antidote to a very stressful career or family life. They come along to help themselves maintain equilibrium.
My yoga
To begin with I started yoga because it was ‘trendy.’ I had no lofty aspirations of performing any cool moves or of standing in front of a class leading the sun salutations. As time moved on, my approach to my yoga evolved – I needed that time on my mat to reset and to navigate my way through studying and working. I didn’t realise that the physical aspect of yoga had became a moving meditation for me, and I was embracing the true value of a holistic yoga practice.
Now I incorporate yoga into my daily life. I live in an honest way (please don’t ask me to lie because it just doesn’t sit well with me anymore) I make time to meditate every day and I try my best to look after myself. This last part is where the physical yoga comes in. Stepping onto my mat is my time for me, and it’s unrecognisable to what I teach in class because it’s what works for my body.
My classes
The classes I teach focus on correct alignment, building poses from the ground up to ensure proper alignment and a safe yoga class. I try to take my time to get to know people, watching how they move and looking for ways to support or challenge them during the class. This can be an added extra to a posture or making use of a prop to support.
For my beginner’s classes I feel it is important to give everyone the chance to experience a wide variety of yoga styles, so that they can decide what they like best. A typical 5 or 6-week beginners block will most likely include an Ashtanga class where we will build up heat in the body as we flow through a set sequence of postures, with plenty of modifications. The next class after this is often a Yin class, where we take things down to the floor and slow it right down, holding poses for up to 5 minutes!
The key is balance and knowing that yoga can be both a hot and sweaty class AND a slow meditative and restorative session. Both have a place in a well-rounded yoga experience.
My truth
I teach these classes because I genuinely have a passion for all things yoga. I am a Yoga Geek. I read books, listen to podcasts and write this wee blog all because I love yoga and sharing it with as many people as possible. Through yoga I found the courage to look in the mirror and begin to like the person staring back at me, I can even smile at her now too. I’ve been using yoga to help manage my migraines, through carefully researched stretches to work on my upper back and shoulders and a regular meditation practise to keep me on the right path. It would be terribly cliched to say that yoga saved me, but I think it has and this is why I want to share it with people. If I can help one person, in any way, through my classes, my posts on social media or by being a friend when they need one then I will be happy to say that I’ve did my best.
This is my truth and this is the reason why I show up each week to share my yoga with all of you. What brought you to yoga?
Yoga by Gillian 