Posts In: yogaforbeginners

Since May 17th 2021 when the government lifted its restrictions to allow in-person yoga classes I have taught over 170 classes and 129 yogis. I honestly can not believe it. When I completed my yoga teacher training and then subsequent specialised trainings, I had no idea who, if anyone would come along!

I scheduled a Beginners Course and that sold out within three days, so I arranged another one and the same thing happened. I think in those first six weeks I ran three Beginners Courses concurrently trying to keep up with demand. One thing I was adamant about was not having a large number of people in my classes. When I have attended classes myself and there is a high volume of people, the personal attention from the teacher is lost.

I have met some truly inspirational people, they have formed my yogi tribe and I am absolutely honoured they continue to practise with me.

We have laughed, mixed up our left and right (me more than them!) and have practised together and bonded. I have certainly grown as a teacher, they have increased their confidence, strength, flexibility and mobility. I see the differences in each and every one and this has made me so fulfilled and filled up my happy cup as my daughter likes to say. I know they feel these changes in how their body moves and also I know many of them are experiencing the benefits. A few have remarked their back pain has disappeared, or they are feeling muscle groups they didn’t realise they had and also they are sleeping better too!

What more could I ask for as a yoga teacher?

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I have been so incredibly fortunate to study at Breathing School with the iconic Ben Wolff at the Shala in London. He is incredibly knowledgeable in the fields of neuroscience and clinical hypnotherapy but has spent the last 10 years studying the effects of the breath on our health, well being and our brain waves. 

So how can I spend 30 hours studying something we all know how to do?

Well, to be honest I did wonder this when I began too. But now I’ve completed the Breathing School course I feel I have barely scratched the surface. As a species we have become incredibly lazy in utilising full belly breaths the way we did when we were babies. Have you ever watched a baby sleep? Seen the rise and fall of their belly as they breathe? Later on in life we seem to lose this skill, choosing instead to only breathe into the top part of our lungs. And then there’s the speed in which we breathe.. actually the optimum is only 6 breaths a minute! Give it a go, I bet you’re not breathing at that rate are you? I certainly wasn’t. 

Then there’s the mouth breathing…..

So many of us are mouth breathers now and actually find it difficult to revert back to nasal breathing. Nasal breathing is antimicrobial, antibacterial and antiviral, providing our body’s first line of defence. Even more important in today’s situation. 

Utilising belly breathing and properly engaging the diaphragm increases the body’s ability to use oxygen by 500% by increasing the blood circulation to the brain. It also helps the body’s ability to use nitrous oxide, the pathogen responsible for oxygen delivery. Up to 20% more oxygen is available to nasal breathers than mouth breathers too. Isn’t that insane? We can just make this small adjustment and our health will benefit no end. 

So that was just the basic breathing part of the course, there was so much more!

Ben introduced us to specific techniques utilising the breath than can help us with anxiety, panic attacks, grief, Long Covid, hypertension, menopause, pain… and the list goes on. 

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My approach to yoga is simple… yoga is and can be accessible for everyone. I teach in a non-dogmatic way believing not every pose is suitable for every student with traditional alignment but with a few adjustments, it can be. In particular introducing those new to yoga to this concept, that the ‘prettiest looking’ option of the pose is not necessarily the right one.

Instagram, in this instance with the plethora of yogis showcasing their stunning variations of asanas are beautiful to look at, but in the great scheme of many body shapes, not a true reflection of what 99% of the population could ever achieve.

I believe it’s important to allow my yogis to feel and become aware of their body as I teach them the target areas of what we are trying to achieve so they can learn to modify their poses to their unique body shape or muscle function. I hope to set my yogis on a path of yoga for life, so learning what suits their body best will be paramount in securing their love for yoga and perhaps even a personal practise at home. 

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