Yoga
Wonderful things can happen when the body lets go of tension
“I am new to Yoga and Sally is experienced and welcoming, and her groups are not too large that you feel lost. It’s a lovely way of meeting new people in my community!”
Antoinette
“I have been attending Sally’s mindful yoga classes for about 10 years. They are a wonderful relaxation and offer an hour and a quarter of peaceful quiet exercising. A great way to look after the mind and body. You learn relaxation techniques, posture and breathing exercises, and I have incorporated some of the gentle movements into my daily morning exercise routine. As you move through the session the movements become more demanding and Sally always encourages you to only move within your own limits as dictated by the body, not the mind! As a way to keep flexible, fit and knowing how to relax it is to be highly recommended”
Ali
“If you fancy keeping your body moving without unnecessary strain whilst freeing up your mind, come along and join Sally for some much needed ‘you time’.”
Ric
Sally’s Scaravelli-Inspired Yoga Classes
What Sally teaches is influenced by what she herself practices on a daily basis, and since 2009, her inspiration has been from those who have been taught or influenced by the teachings of Vanda Scaravelli. This very different approach to Yoga bypasses all the pushing & shoving that can come from ‘trying to do’ Yoga. Instead it invites you inwards to sense and release habitual tension and find internal freedom, from which the poses can open-up. Exploring and feeling these subtle movements and connections as you move through the poses, asks the whole body to participate and begins the process of re-connection, not only for you, but also with others around you.
You’ll experience all the usual ingredients of a yoga class: postures; breathwork; relaxation; and meditation, but it is the quality, not the quantity of what you do that is of interest here, because this is where positive, permanent change can take place.
There is no rush or competition in Sally’s classes, no striving to achieve the perfect pose or hold it for as long as possible. You simply turn up and start where you are, with what you can do and progress from there. You will be gently challenged, step by step and week by week, to work within your current capability, your state of health and very importantly your comfort zone. In this way, Yoga becomes less of a performance and more a mindful dance, a pleasurable experience through which you can can reconnect with yourself, become stronger & more flexible organically, whilst bringing the mind to heel.
“Sally’s classes are suitable for anyone, regardless of ability or previous experience. You are so focussed on what you are doing, it doesn’t matter what the person on the next mat is doing!”
Rachel
Yoga for permanent change
Yoga is a physiological or felt experience, and if we can deepen this bodily connection, we can begin to locate and release tension, finding a more natural, easeful way of moving, which is lighter, more fluid and full of vitality. And as the body relaxes, the mind can settle too and we can start to feel more ‘present’, with all the clarity and vibrancy that it brings.
So rather than pushing, pulling or forcing ourselves into postures, we use each pose to let go of our ‘up-tightness’ and find a kinder and more integrated way of moving. We still explore our range of movement, but stay light with both body and breath, see how gravity can assist in supporting & relaxing the body further, and train our attention to ‘be with’ the movement as we are doing it. Then overtime, a whole new network of neural pathways and seldom-used muscles can develop, flexibility, posture and breathing patterns can improve, and the full range of movement that our ancestors took for granted, can be restored.
