Yoga @ SweatIT
It’s been an absolute pleasure being back at SweatIT to host yoga since the beginning of March this year. When Tom got in touch and asked me if I’d be interested in bringing yoga to your place, I was all in.
It’s not easy
I’ve become increasingly interested since turning 44 this year in how to improve my own strength, stamina, flexibility, mobility and core stability while reducing my recovery time and injuries, so I can find structure in my training and keep things fresh and me motivated, as I move headlong but positively into my middle age (argh)!!
Having come from a primarily movement-based / yoga background where my flexibility was over exacerbated and caused me a lot of shoulder / lower back issues (until I got wiser on how to move better and cross-train). I now find fun and passion at the gym (weight training, circuits), which sits neatly alongside the knowledge and experience I have with yoga, breathing, stretching, MELT Method (self massage) and meditation to find what I feel is an excellent fitness balance for my mind and my body, alongside my new found love of sea swimming in Hove / Brighton. But of course, there is always room for improvement.
which mindset camp are you in?
Having taught now for over 10 years, I notice we generally have a natural pull to a specific way of working. To be very over simplistic I think you’re either a ‘go get em, nail your butt’ kinda person or a ‘I know I have to do something physical, but I kinda like an ‘easy ride’ mindset. If you’re in the latter camp you probably start some kind of physical fitness journey when your body starts to niggle or your weight is challenging to keep off and you’re basically forced into action.
I’ve had periods of my life where I’ve sat in either of those camps, depending on what was going on for me at that stage in my life. There is no right or wrong way of being, but we do all need to move and find a common ground and tempo that suits our body. Our movement and breathing, alongside our nutrition and the environment we create for ourselves, is the seat and foundation of our vitality, our health which nowadays is our biggest commodity.
tailored yoga
The type of yoga I predominately teach is strong and mainly in a ‘hot’ studio. When I teach you guys at SweatIt, I tend to taper things, given the sessions are straight after Engine Class, so they need to be slower, more stretchy and focus on bringing more space into the body.
I am very passionate about bringing as much of what makes me feel alive and balanced (probably not the sea swimming, for obvious reasons) to you guys at SweatIt and I look forward to bringing you this BLOG to add to your toolkit of techniques.
what’s next?
Stay tuned for my next BLOG on breath work, its importance in our training and in our everyday lives.
See you on the mat - Anna x
