Yoga/Movement
Movement
I've always been interested in how our body works and particularly in how we move, my Yoga teaching is linked to this and is a way to unite body and mind health. However... Yoga is not just a quick way to get flexible, it's a difficult practice that deserves to be respected. And it's not for everybody.
Alongside the Yoga though, I also teach restorative movement based on robust principles of mobility and strength. This approach is designed to make your joints sit and work correctly and teaches your body to move as one unit with great muscle activation. An issue that keeps raising its head again and again, be it pain, flexibility, strength, etc, often has a cause that is deep rooted. Something in your past such as an injury, learning poor movement patterns, lack of movement in certain directions, daily habits, etc. might have been overlooked and needs to be addressed. Habits, patterns & compensations build up over years that could take you months of daily effort to change, and the only person who can fix that is you, once you know how to do it, I'm here to teach you how.
It doesn’t matter what you like to do for physical activity or training, everyone has the same joints and muscles, and they need to have a certain baseline mobility & stability to function well - my approach to movement and mobility supports you to achieve this and to learn:
- How to move better
- How to move from just stretching, to intentional, directed exercises to build both mobility and stability
- How to build strength with mobility after injury
- How to take control of your own body and how it moves
- How to have better body awareness and overcome a major lack of stability so that you don't feel so stiff and sore all of the time
- How to overcome the 'diagnosis problem'. There are phrases and terms that may be medically correct, but are often only an explanation of a current position or restriction that is actually totally changeable by addressing movement, mobility and strength.
Yoga
Is a mind-body practice that offers a range of benefits:
- Lowers Anxiety & Controls Stress
- Improves Sleep Quality
- Improves Flexibility & Range of Motion
- Helps Improve Balance & Prevent Falls
- Reduces Fatigue & “Brain Fog”
- Can Help Reduce Pain & Improve Quality of Life.
- Helps overcome body insecurity. Body image and/or eating disorders.
Most people think of Yoga as the poses (Asana), however these are just one of the 8 Limbs of Yoga; in my teaching I bring together all of these aspects to support your personal growth.
I always teach on a one to one or small group basis.
I am largely uninterested in the execution of poses, preferring instead to help people begin to work with their bodies in what, for many, is a new way; a way of working with breath, energy and movement that brings about a greater degree of ease, integration and therefore freedom in both body and mind.
I don't teach via Skype, offer any teacher trainings and nor do I teach large groups as it's simply not possible for me to give people the time and attention I think they deserve.
My individual lessons always last a minimum of an hour and a half; workshops last three.
You don't need any yoga experience, level of fitness nor 'flexibility' to work with me.
But What STYLE of Yoga Do You Teach?! (read on if you're struggling with this typical question...)
There are lots of new brand names for yoga ‘Yin’, Vinyasa, etc—but what they reflect is that yoga has always been a living tradition of innovation and synthesis, as far back as we are able to look.... so in fact these various "styles" are all reflecting something open ended and exploratory about the tradition! Each emphasis reveals different influences.
In the end though, like everyone I teach hatha yoga, my specific emphasis (or we could say "style") is on creating a movement experience for people in which they can grow and heal and open up, de-stress, get in touch with what really matters to them. This is why I offer Movement teaching rather than just Yoga teaching.
So the traditional poses are important to me at some times with some people, at other times a wider Movement approach is what's needed. I’m always learning about our bodies in how I teach and I use the best information I can from scientific research. So... if you have done flow classes, with standing poses and you like that, you'll find that in my teaching for you. If you've done deep stretches, and longer holds we can do some of that.
On the wider Movement side of things you'll also find core work, joint mobility and stability stuff; it's all there. But with an underlying foundation of being embodied and mindful, really being in your body, dropping in beneath the surface, cultivating present attention, compassion, resilience, and even playfulness with the goal of reconnecting Your Whole Self so that you Think- Move - Feel Better
Aside from the movement elements you'll find breathwork; energy work, embodiment and meditation to support you to deepen your connection to your true self.
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