Getting Down & Getting Up Like A 70s Funk Album

Dear Yogis,

The class I’ve introduced on a Wednesday evening is a class I’ve honed from years of teaching corporate classes. People who turn up to yoga-at-work have a multitude of reasons for taking time out of their busy day for an hour of yoga. I’m a huge believer in Ashtanga but it doesn’t cover all needs.

Many yogis at work are sports people. There are some serious runners, triathletes, climbers and so on. They know that yoga prevents injury. They know what they need to prepare for an event and to ease the body down after. Everybody needs a stretch. Yoga in the workplace provides a place for the mind to rest. Some people just need a place to be safe and accepted. There’s the camaraderie of a work-out with like-minded people. Wednesday evening covers all of that.

I’ve included Sun Salutations because they have so much to offer. As a new, spirited teacher I was told that Sun Salutations are the only exercise you ever need. This was enthusiastically poo pooed. Now I can only hope that in my 70s, 80s and 90s I can manage the forward fold, the plank, the half-push-up, the back bend, the pretend handstand that Downward Facing Dog is… and the crucial getting down and getting up like I’m my own 70s Funk album.

Classes

I had to cancel last Saturday’s class so I have a one-off Sunday class this weekend (10th) as Saturday is booked up. (Let me know if you want to come in case there’s a cancellation). If there is demand for a Sunday class, I’ll keep it.

Monday and Tuesday = Stretchy class at 7.00pm – this is the popular one

Wednesday = Sun Salutations, Strengthen & Stretch at 7.00pm – this is the new one

Friday morning = Ashtanga at 8.30-9.30am – this is the one that pushes you

Saturday morning = Ashtanga at 8.30 – 10.00am – this is the longer one

One-off this Sunday morning = Ashtanga at 8.30 – 10.00am You can book here.

Yoga in The News

The BBC has: Blind yoga helps stroke survivor deal with sudden sight loss. ‘The group's instructor Tamas Danyi-Nagy says he started practicing yoga seven years ago after suffering from serious neck, shoulder and spinal injuries. "I decided I wanted to know how the body works and how to manage my anxiety and energies around the body," he says. It was while reflecting on how yoga helped him to heal after his injuries that Tamas realised he wanted to bring this practice to the blind community to promote mindfulness.’

The Washington Post has: Yoga may help reduce lower back pain, study says.” Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who was not involved in the research, said the study was “encouraging” ... Remote classes also remove some of the barriers to yoga, such as finding child care or paying for a class. “The fact that you can get a positive benefit from a virtual class has enormous implications for the general public,” Khalsa said.

Women's Health has: 'I'm 71 and do yoga and two long walks every day'. “As I turned 65, I began to suffer with severe knee pain, which doctors identified as the start of arthritis. I felt extremely lethargic, my lower back and hips were so tight I couldn’t bend down, and the pain was so bad that I barely walked for the next year.”