Why Do Yoga?

The Benefits of Yoga

I am a firm believer that yoga is for everyone. It is just a matter of finding the correct approach for each individual, as well as the right teacher. This approach may involve finding the right style of yoga or just the right aspect of yoga for you. Over the years, I have done a variety of training to enable me to understand and offer suitable yoga to as many people as possible and hopefully inspire a love of this amazing tradition.

Yoga benefits every part of our being. Most people in the West know of yoga because of its physical benefits; it’s ability to build both strength and flexibility. But in addition to this, there are also mental and energetic benefits.

The meditative nature of yoga gives the mind a bit of a break. Sometimes, this can be an actual meditation session incorporated into the yoga session, but equally, with regular practice the physical aspect becomes a form of meditation in itself, allowing the mind to focus on the present moment and over time, becoming less prone to wandering during practice.

I sometimes incorporate explanations of the chakras and the vayus into my teaching as this explains the way the energy works through the body during a yoga practice. I do, however, realise that some people just aren’t interested and that is absolutely fine; at the end of the day, the best way to notice the energetic effects of your yoga practice is by being aware of how you feel afterwards. I think it’s important to always feel better at the end of a yoga session than you did at the start and this is the aim of every session I teach.

Classes

For many people attending group classes is the first introduction to yoga. I offer a number of different classes catering to different levels of experience and different styles of yoga. All classes are held at Yoga Ananda Holistic Centre in Reigate. If you haven’t been to the centre before, it is worth purchasing the introductory offer of Unlimited Classes for the first first month for just £39. This enables you to not only try out my classes but also those of the other great teachers there.

To get the most out of any yoga practice, it is essential to build a regular routine. Ideally, you would want to attend 2 - 3 classes per week. You will also see improvement with one class per week, but obviously this will be slower.

Private yoga classes can be a great way of gaining confidence and having the benefit of an experienced yoga teacher focussed purely on you.

Courses

I also offer courses for different levels. For some people coming to yoga for the first time, a course is a better option than a class. I offer a Beginners Course around 4 times a year on Monday evenings at 7:30pm. It lasts for 6 weeks and it is important to try to commit to the entire course as each week builds on the week(s) before.

The Beginners Course offers an introduction to many aspects of yoga and I explain a lot more elements and in more depth than I am able to do in classes.

I also offer courses for teachers who wish to continue their development and knowledge. I run a Yin Intensive Course twice a year and a Vinyasa Intensive Course once a year. Both courses run over 2 consecutive weekends. These courses count as further training hours for Yoga Alliance registered teachers.

Workshops

Yoga workshops are a great way of deepening your yoga practice. I offer a variety of workshops workshops in Reigate as well as in The Sussex Country Yurt in Warnham. These range from extended Yin sessions with Yoga Nidra and a Sound Bath to finish, to Yoga & Ayurveda workshops that use these sister sciences to focus on a particular area in our lives and understand how adapting our practice and our lifestyles can enhance our health and wellbeing.

Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra is an extremely powerful practice with incredible positive effects. It is sometimes seen as a form of meditation although it is often accessible to more people than traditional meditation practices.

As well as incorporating Yoga Nidra into the end of most of my evening classes and including it in the Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra workshops, I also run a purely Yoga Nidra and Sound Bath session close to the Equinoxes and Solstices, with occasional extra dates thrown in. The Yoga Nidra & Sound Bath sessions at Yoga Ananda are always run on a Friday evening after my regular evening Yin class allowing people to book the two together if they wish for a Friday treat.