“Smile and don’t forget to breathe”

New Yoga Class in High Halden for Men and Women

I am starting a new classic Yoga Class in High Halden Primary School in the lovely new hall on Thursday evenings from 7.30 – 9.30pm. All the proceeds from the first two classes on 4th November and 11th November 2010 will be donated to The Pilgrims Hospice. It will cost £10 (students £5). If I can raise £200 over the two weeks this could pay for a visit to a patient’s home by the community services team or pay for Christmas dinner for 30 patients. We just had one visit and it was just so beneficial.

I think it is pretty amazing that Yoga has been practised for over two thousand years and here we are in Kent, practising today and still reaping the benefits. I qualified with The Victor Foundation in 2004 and have been teaching yoga since 2002 in High Halden and St Michael’s.

Everyone thinks that you have to be fit to do yoga but with practise stamina improves and the body becomes more flexible and stronger. I started going to yoga classes in London twenty years ago and was not sporty at all and really stiff. It’s a different story now and my practise of yoga has really helped me to cope with the ups and downs of life. This is because yoga draws focus to the breath as well as movement of the body and this in turn calms the mind.

This class is absolutely suitable for men and women. It was the men in India who used to do yoga but, although brought to the West by men, it seems that women have often been the most keen to take it up. Everyone can benefit. Times are hard and we don’t have so much money to spend but this is when yoga comes into its own. As an example, when we loose our job, if we practise yoga on our mat, the focus and breath control can help to relieve stress that this causes and brings you into the present moment.

The classes will continue to run during term time and compliment the Monday evening class at St Michael’s and the Tuesday morning class in High Halden. Please call 01233 850711 for details.