Photo credit: @Esme Buxton Photography
‘Practice and all is coming’ – Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
Rosie W here *waves*
Some of you may have been to my Tuesday Evening Beginners class – that I LOVE teaching by the way. I am so lucky to be able to share this yoga journey with you.
If you don’t know me, or would like to know a bit more… My name is Rosie Wooler – not the Rosie, founder of Rosieglo but another Rosie who teaches at Rosieglo – handy huh? I was born in Cheltenham and I started practicing Yoga when I was about 18. I’m now 28, so that makes me about a decade deep into my Yoga journey. I started practicing because I hated competitive sport, the gym really bored me and I couldn’t really find any form of ‘exercise’ that I really gelled with enough to stay consistent with it, until Yoga.
I completed my 200hr Yoga Teacher Training in 2018, that I did here in Cheltenham with Ian Davis of Orange Yoga. From that point on I’ve been teaching non-stop and truly feel as though I have found my calling. I care very deeply for people and love spending time with people in class, either teaching or practicing.
Lets talk about the beginners for a while. You guys are the best.
How to start
My teacher Ian always says ‘we start where we are’ – lets break that down.
You really often hear people saying ‘I cant start Yoga because I’m not flexible/fit/chilled/strong/skinny/patient/beautiful/rich/tall etc etc… enough.’
Just think about when you started learning to ride a bike, or learning to read… you didn’t know how to read a little bit before you earned to read… and you didn’t kiiiinda know how to ride a bike before you started learning, right?
You started…
Right.
From.
Where.
You.
Were – at YOUR beginning.
Some kids jump on a bike at 3 years old and fly down the road no stabilisers no probs, some kids are safer practicing outside the nearest minor injuries unit.
The reality is, everyone’s starting point looks TOTALLY different. This is your truth and you have to own it with LOVE. You’re awesome.
When it comes to yoga, as it was traditionally practiced by young men in India, we have to now keep in mind that the practice needs to evolve as different types of people have started using it for different reasons. I definitely do not have the same anatomy, as a 17 year old boy…
The elderly use it for mobility and longevity, the young use it to escape exam stress, the disabled use it to access exercise, women use it to aid in birthing babies… the list goes on. Its so amazing how far reaching yoga can be and how many it can help.
No-ones practice is going to be the same, if even remotely similar, and THAT IS OK. You are ALL equally deserving of the fruits of this incredible practice.
Please keep this in mind when you start coming to class and find yourself glancing around the room watching each other practice – Your focus when you step on the mat, is YOU.
How does it feel for you?
What is your breath doing?
How does the body feel?
Are there any emotions?
How can you work through them?
It is NOT about what you look like, like, at all. As much as you want to, try not to compare yourself to others in the room, because you will take away the joy of your own practice, from trying to copy someone else’s.
The three magic keys to connection
The word Yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘Yoke’ – ie to unite, to bind together, unity, CONNECTION.
When we step of the mat our intention is always to connect.
I read quite a lot. They say Yoga is 1% Theory and 99% practice but geez I LOVE reading so much! If you ever want any book recommendations hit me up!
One of my favourite books is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. In the book the main character enters a competition to win a grand prize, but he has to complete three main quests to win three keys to unlock three gates. The prize is behind the final gate, and it’s a biggun.
I kind of think of my yoga practice in the same way.
We are all taking part in this grand thing called ‘life’ and we need to learn certain skills to find pockets of happiness throughout our life. Those moments of happiness not being the feeling you get when you buy a brand new book, or when the butter from your toast drips down your lip, or when the bloke that just cut you up in a range rover gets stuck behind a tractor… kind feeling, that’s pleasure.
I’m talking about those moments when you are walking past a big old honeysuckle tree after having a kinda average normal day and it’s not even sunny, it’s kind of raining, but that tree is the most golden, perfect tree you ever saw and you feel golden and perfect along with it. You feel connection.
I believe, just like the three keys in Ready Player one, there are three main pillars to yoga:
- Mind
- Breath
- Movement
This is obviously majorly oversimplifying it, Yoga is incredibly multidimensional and has many layers – but lets roll with this…
- MIND
If you have come to class before you’ve heard me talk about this.
Picture this.
You’re walking home from work to get the bus and you have to run for the bus, you get a stitch as a result because you drank a crappy vending machine coffee 10 minutes before you left.
Your mind does this..
‘BUS!’
‘Maybe I wouldn’t have missed the bus if Mindy did her job properly’
‘why do I have to pick up other peoples work?’
‘It’s because I’m a push over’
‘I should be more assertive..’
‘UGH A STITCH’
‘stupid machine coffee fat belly giant disgusting body ugh…’
‘my wife keeps telling me not to drink that coffee – god she nags a lot’
‘when am I ever going to be good enough for her?’
‘I’m gonna talk to her when I get home’
‘this stitch isn’t going away…’
‘maybe it isn’t a stitch? I did have a stomach ache today…’
‘my Uncle Jerry died because of that infection he had in his stomach’
‘wait’
‘didn’t the doctors say that was hereditary?’
*opens webMD on mobile phone and googles symptoms*
‘wait this says stomach cancer here…’
‘is this what I have?’
‘AM I GOING TO DIE?’
So… we went from leaving work to having an identify crisis, then to doubting your marriage and then making funeral arrangements all in the space of about 2 minutes.
Your mind does this ALL. THE. TIME.
We tell ourselves horror stories and we don’t even know we are doing it.
What goes on in your brain can massively impact your body – imagine what the above did to this imaginary persons heart rate? Imagine what this low level stress can do to you over time? Not good my friends.
I took my boyfriends blood pressure once whilst he was bidding on something on eBay once– shocking!
Your yoga practice can help give you the methods to avoid this automatic horror story telling habit we all have. In yoga we are trying to still the mind and be present with what we are doing with our bodies – all this can help us to connect back to our true nature.
- BREATH
Chances are that on that bus, the above guy was breathing right up into his collarbones, shoulders heaving and his breath was jaggedy and rough – way after he had finished running for the bus. He’s probably also breathing like this sat in front of the tv.
Our breath is our lifeforce and our constant.
You can always rely on your breath – as long as you are awake, it is always there for you.
Use it my friend.
In class we use several different breath control practices – Pranayama – to attain different states of energy.
Ultimately in yoga and in life, we want to maintain a smooth breath.
A calm abiding breath – this puts us into rest and repair and helps the Yoga do its thang…
- MOVEMENT
The asana (postures) we practice in class are kind of like the notes on a sheet of music.
They all make different songs and those different songs make you feel different feelings, but if your piano isn’t tuned (Mindfulness) and you haven’t practiced in years (Breath) the song is going to sound rubbish.
If you’re standing waiting for the kettle to boil, and you close your eyes and feel the kitchen tiles under you, tap into your breath and focus on the empty space between your thoughts – you are now doing yoga!
As long as you are practicing safely (that’s where we teachers come in), it feels good, and you have found that sweet spot between soft and strong, then who cares if you can’t get your heels down in a downward dog?
Our movement in yoga will make you feel different things and work different muscles.
Forward folds can be very introspective and deeply healing for some.
Heart openers can bring forth a sense of energy and love.
Movement through Yoga is so healing for many people, it can literally help rebuild muscle needed to support our joints and ligaments. It can massage the organs and tissues of the body to stimulate blood flow and lubrication of tissues, muscle and joints. It lowers cortisol levels which does things like, helps up sleep, aids in digestion and heals acne (that one I have first hand experience of!).
But add in the breathing and movement and you’ve got the magic combination to really quieten the chatter in your head and reconnect to your true nature.
That’s all this yoga stuff is about really.
Connection.
Mind. Breath. Movement.
See you on the mat beginners! 5:45pm Tuesdays ☺