Yoga Jenny

Well, tonight it’s the last class of my first-ever 6-week beginner’s course in Brighton, and it’s been fun! They’re a great bunch of people and it’s been nice to get to know them – and to hear them get to know each other – there’s generally a noticeable amount of chatting before and after class The course has also been a real learning experience for me as I’ve discovered that certain ‘beginner’ and key postures, such as cat and downward dog are really problematic for heavy computer users, so I’ve been trying to do lots of warm-up exercises that get the wrists and shoulders to start working. I’m now determined to understand the specific issues computers users face and to try to tailor classes to benefit them because, after all, there are a lot of geeks around these days!

As for the people on my course – I have seen a real improvement in everyone; they’re starting to connect with their bodies and pay attention to them. I’m hearing things such as: ‘I’m noticing that I stand with my weight in one hip,” and ‘I didn’t realise that I couldn’t straighten my fingers fully,’ which is great because by noticing these things we can then begin to change them – slowly, surely, little by little, and it all helps. For example, if you can exercise and stretch your fingers fully and get to the point where you can spread you fingers and palms on the ground, it will make postures such as Downward Dog much easier as the weight won’t be sinking into the wrists – and then you can enjoy the fantastic numerous benefits of this key posture. And it really does become a resting pose. Well, sometimes The great news is that everyone wants to carry on and do the continuation course so hopefully that means they’re enjoying it and feeling the benefits. As well as the continuation course I’ve decided to offer a new 6-week beginners’ course (see classes page for details) but whether it runs or not will all depend on numbers, so we shall see!

A little footnote: I was away for a week recently on a yoga holiday (just can’t get enough!) and will be putting a link to some pics of our ‘sunset yoga’ sessions (as soon as I figure out how) for no reason other than to make you jealous…

And I’ll be making a concerted effort to update my blog much more often!!!

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/

It’s all a little last minute but thanks to friends in, er, places, I’m going to be doing three yoga sessions at geek gathering BarCampBrighton! An ‘unconference’ where all the delegates talk for half an hour on a subject of their choice (places are free but limited), it takes place this weekend at the University of the Sussex, Falmer.

I thought it’d be a good opportunity to show people who are a bit nervous about a drop-in class, or committing to a course, exactly what yoga’s all about and how it’s perfect for anyone who sits at a desk all day. I just think that too many of us these days (and I include myself here) spend so much time tapping away on a computer (ahem) that we forget to fit in time to look after ourselves physically and mentally. And even ten minutes a day can work wonders for stiff shoulders or aching backs. Hopefully I can teach a few postures or movements that people can take away and do at home and maybe spark their interest a little.

I’m actually very excited about going! It should be a fun mix of people – and they’re all open to learning and doing new things. Brilliant.

And after all, I’m not a complete ‘non-geek’ myself: I work in the media, watch BSG, have a fondness for stationery and spend far too many of my waking hours sat at a computer

Okay, so it’s been a couple of weeks now since I started teaching proper. I’ve thrown myself into it with gusto and am doing no less than four (FOUR!!!) classes a week, right off the bat. Crazy girl. Attendance has been low so far, with just three to six people at each class, but it’s early days, right? And I haven’t exactly publicised widely. Or wildly. That’s my plan for the next week. Soooo time consuming though. More time marketing = less time doing yoga. Doh! It’s actually quite nice having a small group as I can get to know people, and they can get to know me. But it will be nice when a few more people start coming. I’ll be able to eat

There’s been quite a lot of interest – people have good intentions – but I guess it’s hard to drag yourself out of bed in the mornings, esp now it’s getting darker and colder. And doing an after-work class means getting home even later after your commute, especially for the London lot. But it’s amazing how people can make that effort – the gym is usually at its busiest around 7.30am and from 6pm onwards. Often it’s just getting into the habit. I now do yoga every morning from Monday to Friday, from 20 minutes to an hour, and I actually do feel all the better for it. And often the longer I do, the more awake and alive I feel. Go figure.

So why should we make that effort, and how can we find the willpower? I guess the key is visualizing the rewards, the benefits – how much better you’ll feel both immediately after a class and in the long term. Of course, if you’ve never done yoga before, or regularly for any length of time, you’ve only got my word for it ;-/

But common sense tells us that if we don’t do any exercise and have a stressful, demanding job to boot, we’re not doing ourselves any favours, either physically or mentally, right? Sure we cope now, while our bodies are relatively young and healthy, but in five, ten or even 15 years’ time the effects are likely to be noticeable for most of us. I’m not saying yoga is a miracle cure for all ills but paying your body and mind some attention once or twice a week can only be a good thing. And sometimes just knowing that you doing yourself some good can make you feel happier and healthier!

Well, I’m going to persevere with the early morning classes (even though it means getting up at 6.30am to fit my own practice in!) and hope that I can encourage people to give it a go for a few weeks to see if they can get into the habit.

Perhaps I should tell them how pleased they’ll feel with themselves after and how they can spend the whole day feeling smug and delight in telling all their colleagues how they got out of bed really, really early just to do yoga…

Hi everyone, and welcome to my site. As you can probably tell (as there’s not much on it), it’s brand spanking new. I’m just setting out as a yoga teacher and thought it would be fun to catalogue the adventure – and pass on any useful info and tips I discover as I go along. Eventually, I’d like to put up some audio and video footage but, first things first… classes!

Where I live in Brighton there’s no shortage of teachers and it’s going to be tough to get a decent number in my classes. Luckily, I didn’t train to make a lot of money. Though a little bit would be nice! I’d love to pass on my enjoyment of yoga and all its amazing benefits and hope to encourage people who’d never thought of trying yoga to come along to my classes and give it a go. The postures can be adapted to suit everyone, even complete beginners, regardless of ability and fitness level. And if you’re patient and focused, you really will benefit. You only have to take a look at older people who have been doing yoga for years and you can see how beneficial it is – they’re generally glowing with vitality and often look way younger than their years.

Oops, didn’t mean to start preaching. It’s not as if I spend all day, every day practising  But personally I believe that yoga is great way to get fitter and feel good. If you want to know a bit more about why yoga is good for you and how classes are structured, take a look at the ‘why yoga?’ page.

Anyway, I hope to see some of you Brighton bods at my classes soon. I’ll let you know where and when in the next couple of weeks so keep an eye on the site!