This day will explore sitting well and comfortably in a way that suits your own body. Working with hatha yoga postures improves alignnment and comfort, and this day will include physical movement, as well as classical asana, and sequences which help develop the flexibility and strength need to sit up straight. Sitting well with a minimum of effort also means we can be stable and comfortable for the more subtle practices of pranayama and meditation, which are primarily done from sitting. As we learn to sit well, physical and mental distractions diminish and we can experience stillness.
There will be a balanced programme of asana, pranayama, and yoga nidra. The day will include some short meditative practices, to try out some different ways of sitting. There will also be time for discussion, and we will look at how you can continue to improve your experience of sitting with some home practice.
Suitable for students with some previous yoga experience, who would like to improve their ability to sit comfortably.
Last updated May 6, 2015, 1:50 p.m. UTC
I first came to yoga as a student, looking for ways of coping with exam stress, and quickly realised that I had found much more! I was lucky to have a teacher who inspired me with her joyous and open approach to the vast subject that is yoga. After class I often found that I not only felt I had stretched and moved my body in ways I wasn't used to, but that I also felt more in touch with myself at a deeper level, and more at peace with the world around me. I have continued to discover in yoga a deeply nourishing and resourcing practice, which has helped me through many changes in my life - not least becoming a mother, and the death of my own mother. To get on my mat each day is not always easy, but it consistently rewards me with a sense of space and connection with myself, and the possibility of taking this out into my daily life.
I trained to be a teacher in 1999, and have been teaching weekly classes ever since. I have teaching diplomas from the British Wheel of Yoga, and from Birthlight, which specialises in the teaching of yoga to pregnant and postnatal women. I have also trained to teach yoga to people living with cancer, and the Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs Course - a specialist, therapeutic programme.
I teach weekly hatha yoga classes for a range of abilities in Stroud and Bristol. These are integral and holistic classes, which include a balance of asana (postures), pranayama (breathing practices), and meditation or relaxation (yoga nidra). I also offer specialist classes - a weekly yoga class just for women; and the 12 week Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs programme.
I have a beautiful yoga studio in Stroud, and from here I also offer workshops and longer sessions at weekends, and dedicated meditation classes. One-to-ones, workplace sessions and birth preparation classes are available on request.
