Hello!
The last few weeks have been crazy, we have moved house and are starting to settle in.
When we bought our old house 19 years ago, my back seized up and was so painful I could only function with the help of weekly osteopath sessions. The osteopath said that once I moved house, she thought I'd be better, and I was.
This time round, I know that I have been carrying stress in my body but I'm handling it differently.
I have practised non-attachment, by not getting too hung up on moving by a particular date, and by not trying to control the process too closely.
I have practised self-compassion, by allowing myself to rest and do fun things, taking into account the toll that moving house can take on my mental and physical health.
I have recognised where I'm holding physical tension, and worked to stretch myself out.
I have recognised that moving house can make you feel uprooted. I'm curently burning a sacral chakra candle and I've been practising grounding yoga poses.
I've still found it stressful, disorientating, emotional and terrifying, but I have not needed to see an osteopath!
Yoga is not just about how bendy you can get yourself, but how to notice where you hold tension in your body, and how you can use it to navigate life - small things as well as life-changing events.
The pink rose is one that my mother gave me years ago, she passed away this summer and I have uprooted the rose bush in the hope that it will settle in my new garden.
New Year Class Timetable
Classes start back from Tuesday 7th January onwards, we have a 5 week block for Postnatal yoga on Mondays and a 6 week block for all other classes.
Postnatal yoga - bring your baby and ease out common aches and pains such as shoulder and lower back pain
Pregnancy yoga - bond with your baby, prepare for birth and learn techniques to help you
Gentle yoga - suitable for people with health conditions and injuries, use a chair or progress to the floor if you feel ready
Hatha yoga - a general class for mixed abilities.
Boxmoor Yoga is 10!
My first ever public yoga class was on Monday 5th January 2015, or 5/1/15 - I loved the symmetry of that date.
My yoga qualification was a two-year course which allowed us to start teaching as student teachers, once we'd passed initial assessments. Working while studying was invaluable as we could bring our experiences to our study weekends and be mentored by our tutors and fellow students.
Ten years later I've completed additional qualifications in pregnancy yoga, postnatal yoga, chair yoga, Menopause yoga, yoga for children and teens and attended many CPD days to enrich my teaching. I've taught in schools, libraries, a field of alpacas, marquees, at book festivals, in and outside bookshops, in a cemetery, and in Ashridge Woods. I've also self-published two yoga adventure books and three relaxation books for children.
I am holding a fundraising class on Sunday 5th January 2025, from 6-7pm (earlier than my first ever class) to celebrate. The cost is pay-as-you-feel, you can book by donating to Maria Oliver is fundraising for DENS - Helping rebuild lives and just tell me you've done it. It will be on Zoom too.
The photo is from the early days of Boxmoor Yoga, I'm thrilled that some of the people in the photo still attend my classes.
That's all for now (I think.)
May you have a peaceful Christmas and may 2025 be full of health and happiness.
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