Hatha Yoga is a traditional Indian style of yoga class to help balance your body and mind. In a Hatha class you can expect a set of yoga poses and breathing techniques. The poses you will hold in a Hatha class are more static than in an Ashtanga or Vinyasa style classes. You will learn, and be encouraged into, a variety of poses. The poses will help to strengthen your body and increase your flexibility, while the focus on your breath will help calm the mind.

Ashtanga Yoga is a series of poses that follow the same sequence in a precise order. My Ashtanga vinyasa classes are an adaptation of the strict Mysore style of class. They are physically demanding and will help to build your stamina, strength and flexibility. Traditionally, the poses are held for 5 breaths, but I may hold you for 8 breaths aligning the poses to your wellbeing.

Yin Yoga is grounded in the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine, embracing physical and mental wellbeing. It is a slow and mediative practice. I focus on how you are feeling throughout the session while you hold relatively long poses (3-5 mins) which help to release constricted connective tissue and adhesions between the muscles and joints. During a class we will work on balancing the energy in your meridian system, to help support the health of your organs and your emotional wellbeing.

Pranayama, Meditation, and Relaxation is an excellent way to finish the day. Pranayama (breathing techniques) will calm you, and as you take control of your breath, you will be led into Meditation. In Meditation, I guide you with the use of Mantra (a tool for the mind which will help you stay focused). We repeat a Mantra silently, and I gently prompt you throughout the Meditation to stay focused on the breath, and the Mantra. After the Meditation, I invite you to lay on the floor for a guided relaxation, this all sets you up nicely for a good nights’ sleep.

Yoga Workshops give you the opportunity to learn more about Yoga and my topics vary. A workshop is normally half a day, sometimes a day, of delving into areas of Yoga that we wouldn’t normally do in a class. For example, one workshop theme is ‘Working With The Seasons’, in which I teach you the best poses to help you transition to a particular time of year, how to stimulate your meridians (energy channels) and how to alleviate some seasonal health symptoms. You will learn how to use breathing techniques for warming or cooling the body, we will consider your diet, and we will look at what’s best to eat at each time of year. Each Workshop will be focused on outcomes for you in different contexts and will help to create balance for your body, mind and spirit.

Menopause Yoga is for Peri menopausal and Menopausal women. I lead a women’s circle at the start of a class, to allow you to share what you are experiencing. The yoga classes address issues that you may have during this period of your life including hot flushes, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, low mood, brain fog and stiffness in the joints. I use a combination of yoga poses, breathing techniques, and meditation, to help you manage common symptoms of menopause, taking into account what you have said during the women’s circle.