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During my career in the health and fitness in industry I found it relatively simple prescribing the right style of training or advising on the right group fitness class/ which type of yoga. If it was weight loss with quick results I’d recommend a Body attack, aerobic or dance class. If an individual was looking for body definition I’d recommend a body pump, circuit or any sort of resistance class/session. To obtain these results there is a lot more to it than that but this would be a start in the right direction at least. Yoga however is a different ball game and this became more apparent to me this week. I received a message from a lady that regularly attends my yoga classes.

The text message read that she no longer wanted to continue with the Monday nights as she found the yoga sessions were getting harder and was looking for something more restorative. The message continued to ask; did I offer another style of yoga?

This caused a predicament for me and caused me a little pain of the ego as I take pride in the knowledge that participants are happy and getting something out of the class. This lady was an intermediate/advanced yogini, one that has tried many styles of yoga before. During the classes her postures were at an advanced level so if anything I often wondered if she was getting enough out of the classes. I frequently have beginners attend my classes therefore, I often go back to basics with yoga and tend to demonstrate and talk more than there being much physical asana practice.

The predicament element was due to the fact that I knew that I could offer a more restorative yoga class but having spent my journey figuring out where I feel at home this wasn’t the direction that I wanted to go in. However, I often offer options during the class so that people can take it easy and just enjoy what little they can do at the time and build from there. Plus my lady being a regular practitioner of yoga would know how to rest and pull back or so one thought. An authentic restorative yoga class can be an incredibly different experience; using props such as belts, blocks and blankets and finding comfort in the posture and focusing on breathing and relaxation.

I responded to her message explaining that I understood adding that yoga is a personal journey and one in which one should feel comfortable and happy.. Therefore at this present time I felt I could not offer her what she needed. It made me ponder how does one know what style of yoga to chose and what style is suited to one’s needs.

1) Acknowledge your feelings about the teacher and separate that from the type of yoga.

My first Astanga yoga class was terrible. I felt useless and afterwards just incredibly bad about myself. The idea of going into a yoga centre with beautiful clean and white washed walls for the very first time excited me. A haven with scented candles, incense burning, people welcoming me into their fold with open arms. That was my idea of a yoga centre however, my actual experience was very different. I felt I was being judged on my attire, there were many slim, beautiful bodies parading in their amazing colourful yoga branded clothing. Waiting patiently outside the class it was hard not to ear wig on their conversations. They spoke of the yoga teachers; who they liked and dislike, informing others which teachers had a following and a waiting list. It felt like being new kid at secondary school; establishing who the cool kids were and choosing which herd was best to follow. It brought up memories of my school years and set me up with anxiety before the class had even begun.

Once the doors opened the energy from the last class was still present – a little intense and that too was quite intimidating. There was a kafuffle to get the mats and blocks out whilst the previous class were trying to pack there’s away. Everybody seemed to know their place and the class started quickly continuing to move with speed, not dissimilar to a roller coaster. I wasn’t sure my left side from right, my behind from my elbow and with the teacher continuing to pop up in different places oblivious to my struggles in class I wondered whether it was a bad dream. I felt like Patrick Swayze in the film “Ghost”. Nobody knew I was there – did I even exist. They were following a pattern, a sequence and I wasn’t shown how to be a part of it. The sweat poured off me and I slid on my mat frequently. A guesstimation would be that 90% of that yoga class I was unable to do. Parts of my body would not move in that plane of movement and I felt like a baby coming out of the womb for the first time; all arms and legs and no understanding of coordinating them. I just wanted to cry.

There have been many times since whereby I’ve walked into a class and felt the teacher’s energy like a atmosphere of tension. Instead of serene and peaceful it’s felt harsh and judging. Their coaching and cues have been abrupt and their adjustments have been forced. However, I would like to add that some of these teachers (whatever my personal feelings about their manor and energy) have actually been valuable to my practice as I’ve learnt some lessons about myself whether their intentions where there of not.

As it happens I’m currently  in love with Astanga yoga but if I took my first experience and ran away from it (that’s actually what I did) I’d have never explored it again and I feel sad that I could have missed out on so something that feeds me in every way.

2) What you think you need/want isn’t necessarily what’s “right” for you.

Coming from a decade of group fitness I had a very tired and knackered body. Like a car that had been thrashed to bits with no tender loving care. No service history to speak of, one of those machines that ends up being just being a run around. That’s what my vessel had become, a machine fit for the purpose of making money. Yoga was a way for me to release all that tension that my body had a decade of building up. I didn’t even know I was tense half the time, I forgot what it felt like to breath properly and relax. <a id=”” class=”” title=”Lunch Time Restorative Yoga

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