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
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“I have been attending Sally’s mindful yoga classes for about 12 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
“I can heartily recommend Sally’s classes. I have been attending for around 10 years. Relaxing, yet a strengthening and stretching workout. Sally is a brilliant teacher.
lisa
“I only started attending Sally’s Yoga classes a few months ago but since joining I have already noticed that my strength, balance and confidence have all improved. Without exception, despite whatever anxieties and stresses I may have carried into the class with me, Sally’s excellent gentle and encouraging teaching has enabled me to leave each class feeling relaxed, lifted and with a sense of achievement.
I would recommend Sally’s classes to anyone who wants to look after their body and mind and maintain strength, mobility and balance for their future”
Sue
“Sally has seamlessly re-introduced me (a 40 something male) to yoga and its mindful ways. I’ve been practicing with Sally and the group in Blackwell for 4 years now and the class remains progressive and challenging at a pace that suits both new comers and more experienced yogi’s.”
Ric
A Mindful approach to Yoga
Can you imagine feeling strong and stable, yet light and at ease? How would it be to move into the flow of things with agility, flexibility and a sense of vitality? What would it be like to feel at home in your body, aware of the interplay of breath, gravity and the moving spine?
This fresh approach to Yoga is rooted in classical practice, so it goes beyond the realm of yoga-as-exercise and addresses the root cause of all our problems – our habits! Over the years, we develop physical habits that can lead to tension, poor posture, restricted breathing, stiffness, or a loss of strength. And mental habits—such as anxiety, distraction, compulsiveness, or self-criticism—can take hold and affect our overall well-being.
This radical ‘way of doing’ Yoga deals with our habits, by loosening the hold they have on the body and mind, and freeing us up to find: flexibility and ease in movement; greater stability and strength; and a way of being more relaxed, optimistic and content.
Wonderful things can happen when the body lets go of tension, but you can’t find it through forcing the body or through mental determination. It comes by practising an approach to Yoga which bypasses all the pushing and pulling that can come from ‘trying to do’ Yoga. Instead you are invited to fine-tune your awareness, to sense and release habitual tension and find some internal freedom from which the poses can blossom naturally.
Yoga then becomes more pleasurable as you move from pose to pose, inviting the whole body to participate and initiating the deeper process of reconnecting body and mind—the essence of yoga.
“Sally is a great teacher! In her classes which I have been attending for 15 years, she targets the individual and caters to each person’s needs, no matter what level or age they may be. I would have no hesitation in recommending her classes, they are a highlight of my week.”
Michelle
“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 Classes
What I teach is influenced by what I have been practising on my Yoga mat every day for over 30 years. And for more than half of that, I’ve drawn inspiration from teachers who were taught by—or influenced by—the revolutionary teachings of Vanda Scaravelli, an Italian pioneer of Western yoga. This innovative approach focuses on the interplay of breath, gravity, and spinal movement, avoiding the pushing and straining that can come by trying to get into Yoga poses. Instead, each pose becomes a vehicle to let go of our habitual tension and discover the freedom to move in a more naturally integrated way.
In my classes, you’ll experience all the familiar ingredients of a yoga class—postures, breathwork, relaxation, and meditation—but the focus here is on the quality you bring to the practice. By paying attention to how you move rather than what you can do, you create the conditions for lasting, positive change..
There’s no rush or competition in my classes—no pressure to perfect a pose or hold it the longest. You simply turn up and start where you are, with what you can do, and progress from there. I treat everyone as an individual, offering support relevant to you – your ability, experience and state of health.
You’ll be gently guided and challenged—step by step, week by week—to work within your own range and comfort zone. And this way, yoga becomes less about achievement and more a mindful adventure to discover the effortless within the effortful. A pleasurable experience where you can become stronger, more stable, flexible and at ease with yourself.
” I love being able to join the Yoga class online. It means wherever I am – at home, travelling with work or on holiday – I can still attend my weekly class & feel connected with Sally and the other yogis. Nothing spoils my experience of Sally’s yoga classes”
Jen