February’s Yogi of the Month is Dawn Dickens.
Dawn started coming to the studio in December 2018 and has absolutely made it her mission to keep showing up, keep open and accept whatever happens on the mat. And boy it’s a wonderful thing to witness.
Dawn’s decision to take control and choose to make change is totally inspirational. It started with an email and is having a wonderful ripple effect on her life outside the studio and her self within.
Say hello to our Yogi of the Month…
Name: Dawn Dickens
How and why did you find your way on to the mat?
I had been feeling very low in 1000 different little ways, the physical aches & pains made me sad that I was beginning to feel old long before I should & cross that I had allowed myself to get to such a point.
Over a period of maybe a month 4 or 5 different folk said ‘I think you should try yoga’. The thought terrified me. I could not see how I would get this overweight aching body into those nimble poses I’d seen in pictures.
A lady at my local Bath Rd hairdresser told me of Rosie and how ‘normal and natural’ Rosie made you feel and the fact that the studio was tucked away meant I could ‘slip in unnoticed’. It was the final push I needed. I contacted Rosie for a private lesson to see if there was any chance I would be able to take part in a class.
How did you feel after your first yoga class at Rosieglo Yoga?
Tearful… I realised I had been struggling to even breathe properly & yet it seemed to me that all Rosie had focused on was what I could do, not what I couldn’t do; bizarrely she found far more things I could do than I realised!
The studio felt so peaceful and I remember Rosie saying that ‘this is a place for people who can’t do yoga to do yoga…’ I didn’t think I could do it but I knew from that 1st session I wanted to learn more.
Have you noticed any benefits or changes in yourself since practising yoga?
The 1000 little ‘niggles’ I had are now 1000 little improvements… I notice something every single day, being more in the moment, tying my shoe laces, walking upstairs with less pain, being happier in this body of mine… I think the biggest changes have been emotional, I feel calmer throughout the week, I sleep better, I continually want to be a better version of me and I breathe!
I’ve even got a mat & blocks and practice at home! It truly has become my way of coping in the craziness of life.
What do you like most about practising at Rosieglo Yoga?
The feeling of acceptance from everyone, there’s no competition, everyone is accepted as they are, where they are right now.
The studio really is a place of peace tucked away in the midst of a really busy area.
What’s your favourite pose at the moment or what are you enjoying most?
The child’s pose…. it helps me stretch out & open up all the tight bits of me & just breathe!!
What words of wisdom would you share with someone who is new to yoga or thinking of giving it a go?
Don’t wait, don’t worry just start.
I recently saw a lady in her 80’s who was so flexible, not for her an aching creaking body. When I said I wished I could be like her she said ‘you can be, I started yoga 20 years ago (so in her 60’s), just as you are now… just practice being & you will be…’ wow….
So if you think you ‘can’t do yoga’, I know a place where you’ll be shown you can xx