YOGA

What is it?

At The Yoga Place North, we practice Iyengar Yoga, which is a branch of yoga placing a real focus on physical alignment to gain strength and stability in your body and mind. Yoga has long been known to improve circulation, posture, vitality and strength across the whole of the body’s functionality. Sometimes, however, this can make yoga a complicated discipline to become involved in, which is why at The Yoga Place North we celebrate Iyengar Yoga.

As a practice, Iyengar Yoga is fully accessible to everyone, as we make use of props where needed to simplify poses and postures (asanas) and to allow everyone to try – and indeed benefit from – the activities in our classes. In addition, our yoga instructors are fully trained and experienced Iyengar Yoga teachers, meaning that they will work with you throughout the class to make any adjustments to your session that you may need in order to gain the maximum benefit. Iyengar Yoga promotes mindfulness, freedom of physical movement, and balance for your mind, body and general wellbeing. It is not, as many traditional instructors will tell you, about becoming more “bendy”!

Who’s it for?

The attraction of Iyenga Yoga is that it’s open to everybody regardless of age, ability or physical limitations, and this includes complete beginners, those with physical conditions and injuries, and those with little or no experience of physical activity. Although our classes are aimed at those aged 18+, please keep your eyes open on our site for family events and young people’s workshops as we promote them at key times in the year.

During a course at The Yoga Place North, you’ll build positivity and friendships as well as strength and stamina, so please be advised that our yoga sessions are for those who wish to commit to the duration of a course. By dropping into to the odd class at your local sports centre, you will not experience the true benefits that yoga has to offer, and this is a waste of your precious time..

Why should I get involved?

As we go through life, our physical limitations start taking their toll. Yoga provides a way to help us use our bodies more effectively and to greater capability, so people of every age can benefit from taking up yoga right now. Office workers and manual workers alike find support in all senses in our yoga classes, where we work together to free the body of stresses, strains and movement-hindering habits. Busy parents and grandparents also benefit from the benefits that yoga can offer, after all that time spent running around after the kids!

Even if you can still move to your full capability, and are perhaps in a physical role, are you moving as effectively, efficiently and safely as you can? Iyengar yoga will correct any imbalances, align your body perfectly, and work towards relieving your body of issues, niggles and problems that impact on your movement and posture.

When are the classes?

Sessions at The Yoga Place North are 90 minutes long and run during daytimes and evenings on most weekdays. The true benefits of yoga lie in commitment to the discipline, where results can be seen and felt only over a period of time. As a result, although we are happy to offer taster sessions to those new to the practice or our studio, we don’t take drop-in bookings as standard practice for our yoga classes, but instead run courses of approximately 6 weeks in duration.

These planned courses often tie in nicely with school half terms, so that our clients can take time away after their block course to review and reflect on their progress – before being welcomed back to subsequent progressive sessions! We regularly welcome new participants, but similarly, enjoy seeing the same friendly faces return again and again to our yoga courses.

What do I do next?

Firstly, check our timetable for dates and locations and commit to signing up to a course. Invest in a yoga mat to bring with you to mark out your own work space. Dress comfortably and bring a water bottle for hydration. As you become more familiar with the sessions, you will be encouraged to invest in yoga blocks and bricks to assist with your positioning, and belts to help with reaching and holding.  We will always advise you on the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of this and can lend items to you in the meantime, of course.