I began my Yoga journey, inspired by a friend’s guardian, a very spirited lady, who practised yoga in her homegrown garden. I remember being in awe of the graceful shapes she stepped into with ease and steadiness. I also remember seeing an aura almost light emanating from every cell in her body…a few years later I was gifted a yoga dvd, learning the Sun Saluations, Moon Salutations, Dancing Wariors, Nadi Sodhan and Meditation. Yoga is infused within me and I am infused with Yoga. My journey in yoga has evolved from dvd practices to attending Ashtanga Classes, going on magical retreats, yoga workshops to studying and becoming a Yoga Teacher myself and joining Yoga Alliance Professionals as a teacher member.
The Yoga journey I embarked on is as unique as our own individual DNA and this is the first nugget of wisdom I inform my new students. Each student is individual and becoming aware of this from the beginning is ingrained deeply in yogic training. For all those contemplating a yogic journey all you need is a mat and the ability to go at your own pace.
I adore teaching Beginners’ Yoga as there is something about returning to the very roots of the fundamental concepts of yogic tradition that feels very familiar and yet very inspirational and new. The delightful joy of meeting new students and sharing the wisdom of yogic wisdom and then seeing these same new students that found easy pose challenging are now evolving into graceful yoga practitioners, teaching me so much more…
So…welcome…to the journey…a journey of many benefits and styles. My aim is to shine a light on a very small portion that may aim to inspire a new students journey.
A regular Yoga practice can offer improved balance, both physically and mentally, increased strength, increased flexibility, better sleep, deeper relaxation, improved focus, cultivated feelings of calm and a sense of belonging. A practice can leave you feeling refreshed and new with improved stamina and better mental outlook. It’s almost as if you have found your home, your abode and it is within you. After practising for 6 - 8 weeks students return to me with feedback that has resonated with my journey: reduction of stress, lower cholesterol levels, reduced high blood pressure, better sleep, improved focus on starting and maintaining a health and wellbeing intention… and many more gifts.
The origins of yoga are thousand years’ old and the style I teach is Hatha Yoga an umbrella for all things Yoga including yoga asanas (poses), yogic breathing exercises and short meditation practices such as mantras, visualisation and counting techniques to direct focus to a more relaxed state, free from overthinking.
Believing that a yoga practice is individual as much as DNA is individual to each and everyone on planet Earth, I begin a yoga class from the ground up, almost as if sowing a seed, allowing the seed to grow roots, and from these roots growing and evolving into a tree with its own unique branches, breathing its own oxygen. Strong yet flexible enough to bend in the elements. The practice grows from a warm welcome into class to a gentle warm up building up to the standing poses. We begin the cool down either sitting down or lying down and Savasana the relaxation pose for restoration and relaxation. A small meditation and, we return to the present moment and fully refreshed, hopefully, for our daily activities.
And…ommmm or AUM to seal in the practice and cultivate all the yumminess we just created on the mat. Bliss…Namaste…and thank you for joining me today and thank you for taking the time to read my new article of my perception on Yoga for Beginners’.
Natalie
Teacher member with YAP UK