Health in Harmony yoga classes are adapted to suit everyone, regardless of age, size, experience, health and fitness levels. We begin each session with a short relaxation to help us to focus on our practice, followed by the Asana (poses). You will be offered modifications so that you can work at your own pace as yoga is totally noncompetitive. For more experienced students, we will offer ways to deepen the pose. At the end of the session is the all-important relaxation session. Our minds are busy machines and for some of us it is difficult to ‘switch off’. Yoga relaxation is important as it helps to calm the mind, develop breathing for better health, and bring the nervous system back into balance.

Yoga is performed in bare feet. This is because we have many receptors in the feet which help us to balance and stimulate various parts of the body. Wear clothes that you can move easily in, and it’s a good idea to bring a blanket or fleece to cover up for the relaxation session. Please bring a cushion to sit upon if you feel this will make you more comfortable. It is also a good idea to purchase a yoga belt or bring an old tie to assist with some of the poses.

I have some yoga mats available to hire. I feel it is a good idea to purchase your own mat ASAP for hygiene reasons, and also because your mat absorbs your own ‘energy’.  In yoga it is considered bad manners to step onto someone else’s mat.  A good place to buy a mat is TK MAXX and I find the ‘Warrior Mats’ to be the best quality.

Due to the physical movements of yoga, please don’t eat a big meal for up to three hours before your class, or 1 hour for a snack.

Bring a bottle of water for you to sip as you go to help to wash toxins from the body. As part of the detoxification process of yoga practice, it is important to drink extra water after your session too.

Yoga is more than physical exercise. It helps us to cope better with the stresses and strains of everyday living. Yoga is also a discipline and a tool for self-awareness and therefore personal growth.

As a courtesy to others in your class please arrive and set up your mat a few minutes before the class is due to start. This also helps you to settle into class and let go of the day’s activities. It can help you and your yoga friends to get into a more meditative state if we minimise talking in the yoga room. Your neighbour may be calming down on her mat so a polite nod is all that is needed. We are trying to leave behind the everyday clutter of life when we step onto the mat, so equally we leave our belongings at anxieties at the door. Please bring as little as possible with you to your yoga session. We all run late from time to time, if this is the case you are welcome to join us but aiming to disturb your fellow students as little as possible.

Please ensure that your mobile ‘phone is switched off.