After 25 years of teaching yoga my focus is to offer yoga practices that combines the rich traditions of yoga with a western understanding of the body to support modern challenges of mental, physical and emotional health within our community.
The Pillars of my teaching include practice of:
Self Compassion and Self Acceptance – the foundation to any inner work and all yoga practice. This is a ‘soft’ process of accepting our actual, present-moment experience, of embracing our own humanity. When we shut out any part of who we are and what we feel, we suffer.
Conscious Movement – Our bodies need and love movement. My classes are are purpose driven and crafted to optimise the effects of your yoga practice on your physiology, mobility, strength, nervous system, and stress resilience. After 30 years of teaching movement my approach fuses traditional yoga practices with the latest research in anatomy, physiology and therapeutics.
Conscious Breathing – In class we focus on the breath as a potent tool for well being. The research is showing that the yogic breathing practices can decrease stress, lower blood pressure, improve mood, increase sleep quality, increase lung capacity and immune function, increase mindfulness and cognitive performance. Slowing the breath produces a meditative and soothing state for the mind and nervous system which allows for restoration and healing. In eastern traditions, the breath is the vehicle for life force (Prana and Qi) and yoga practice helps us direct and increase this vital life energy through our body.
Self Inquiry – liberates life energy by becoming aware of and transforming the inner patterns in the following ways;
- By observing our patterns of thoughts, mental narratives and feelings to uncover how they are shaped by fear and cause anxiety.
- By exploring how we perceive reality and how it is influenced by preconceived assumptions and attitudes and beliefs.
- By examining our use of language and habits of speech to discover how we unknowingly reinforce negative circumstances and same outcomes.
- By looking at our life choices to reveal how they are being limited by self doubt, mistrust and fear.
Awaken – These mind/body practices allow life’s energy to flow through us so we can approach all of life from a relaxed, open and receptive inner space so we can begin to make choices that will create new possibilities for our life.
I honour and embrace each student’s search for personal growth, health and meaning.
We are all enriched through coming together as a community to breathe, move and awaken.
I look forward to seeing you on the mat soon,
Jen
Jen