Live Yoga - Stand in your own truth!

Do you want to develop a deeper understanding of yourself on and off the yoga mat?

Do you want to begin to understand why some poses don’t feel right or are unachievable for you?

Do you feel intimidated by public yoga classes or feel that you’re not good enough?

Do you feel stuck and want to change these things?

If you can relate to these questions then please read on ...

If you were to list the benefits of yoga, what would they be?

We often understand the benefits of yoga to include:

• Increased flexibility which enables us to do complex poses,
• Calm and relaxed - "Zen",
• A  detoxed clean body, or,
• A “Yoga Body”.

In reality, the benefits of yoga are very individual and some of those listed above are untrue or, at best, unrealistic. Yoga can be deeply transformative off the mat as well as on. I started attending yoga classes 20+ years ago when I saw the physical changes in Madonna and Sting who were publicly talking about their yoga practice. I had no appreciation that studying yoga off the mat would lead to deep self-awareness and compassion.

I’ve spent the last few years learning from my 2 wonderful teachers, Coral Brown and Alex Crow, that I am whole and worthy of love and compassion. I didn't always feel this way. I felt crippling unworthiness and was filled with deep shame about my achievements on and off the mat. I have been shown that the best version of me is me, no frills, no mask - just me. I have learned that I cannot be perfect, no matter how hard I try - I am human and I am flawed. I make mistakes. 

Studying yoga at its depths has helped me be more compassionate towards myself and others. Yoga is not about being perfect, far from it. I have learned to stand with humble confidence in my own truth, unashamedly being me!

Do you want to participate in life with more honesty, steadiness and clarity, but you feel yourself repeating the same old patterns?

The philosophy that underpins yoga gives us tools to begin understand our thoughts, feelings and behaviour. Do we have repeating patterns of behaviour? Are you even aware of them? We often react to life with a lack of self-awareness and compassion.

In this workshop you will begin to learn how yoga philosophy comes up in the everyday interactions with yourself and those around you. How we can use these teachings to improve how we interact with the world – to participate in life with more honesty and compassion.

There are a few key teachings within yoga philosophy that are rarely spoken of in the modern version of yoga that we see in studio classes today. Teachings that help us to become aware of our psychology, to begin to understand why we over or under react in certain situations.

Have you ever thought, "Yoga isn't for me."?

That's OK! If I’m honest, I don't blame you! The image of yoga portrayed publicly can be unrealistic and intimidating. Yoga in real life bears little resemblance to the version of “yoga” mostly seen on Social Media or in yoga magazines. Willow-like people, serenely demonstrating feats of extreme flexibility and strength.

Yoga isn't about flexibility or getting your leg behind your head. Yoga isn't about the judgement of what is and isn't a yoga body or what is and isn't a yoga practice. Yoga isn't about what you eat or about what you do on the mat ... In actual fact, anyone can practice yoga, regardless of race, gender, age, body shape, fitness, flexibility or diet.

Have you ever been intimidated by yoga images or others in class? Well, you are not alone!

I spent many years being intimidated by these images. We will have a closer look at our mat practice. Yoga is about self-awareness (body, mind, spirit/soul), and it’s often difficult to find OUR individual mat practice that is suited to our UNIQUE body. We will investigate ways in which we can begin to understand our anatomy and how to change the mat practice to fit our own physical characteristics.

Is there a pose which has never felt 'right' to you? You have tried and tried, but it just isn’t happening? Well, there is a reason for this.

We will spend time on our mats looking at a few key poses and how they can be adapted to fit us rather than the other way around. We will explore why some poses are only achievable by a tiny minority of us. We are taught that all poses are achievable with hard work and dedication. This is a yoga myth and one of the main causes of my shame. We will explore why these poses require certain physical characteristics that most of us do not have. If yoga is about self-discovery and truth, why do we practice in ways which feel wrong and why do we compare ourselves to others? Comparison leads to suffering.

Has any of this resonated with you? Well, this workshop is for you!

Join me for this fun and informal investigation of our yoga practice. I'm keeping the groups small so that we can have some great chat and definitely some laughs!

Come start your real-life yoga journey! What's stopping you?

Please wear comfortable clothes that you can move in. All yoga equipment is provided, but it's always recommended you bring your own mat if you have one. You may find it useful to bring a pen and paper.

Tea, coffee, fruit and biscuits will be provided. There will be a short break for lunch which you can purchase at one of the many local cafes or shops in Stirling City Centre. If you are bringing your own lunch, please note there is no fridge or cooking/heating facilities in the studio.

If you have any questions, please just reach out to me via the e-mail button at the top of the page.