Iyengar Yoga classes

Posted on Thursday, January 22, 2009 by Ruksana Parveen
Tags: Community

Julie first became interested in Yoga when she was travelling around India in 2000. She tried out many different styles over the next few years then found Iyengar yoga and got hooked. She started learning Iyengar Yoga 6 to 7 years ago, and has spent the last 2 years training as a teacher. She had to sit 2 practical exams, 2 written papers and 2 essays to qualify. She became a fully qualified Introductory Iyengar Yoga Instructor in October this year. Iyengar Yoga has a strong emphasis on precision and safety in the postures and uses different props to help support the body and correct alignment.

Julie practices for an hour a day six days per week and attends at least one class more if time and work commitments permit. Julie has never got bored of Yoga, she just gets frustrated at not being able to get into or hold difficult poses due to stiffness or injuries. Her day job is a freelance performance artist and is she currently working for the Play House, Women and Theatre and SoLO.

Julie is about to go on a four-month tour of India; she has been planning the trip for 2 years, waiting to qualify before she goes. Even though she has been to India 6 or 7 times she has not actually done a lot of sight-seeing there. She plans to spend the first part of the trip in Gokarna on the beach; from there she will travel slowly northwards towards the Himalayas and the foothills of the Ganges spending some time in Rishikesh, which is considered by some to be the Blackpool of the Yoga world in India!

Julie is hoping to find some volunteer work somewhere along the journey, possibly teaching English, then onwards to some more intense yoga training to help her practice and improve her technique before returning in mid April.

When Julie returns, yoga classes will restart, days and times to be arranged. If anyone would like any further information about the classes or Iyengar Yoga please contact Julie on booliejacob@hotmail.com Julie will be keeping in contact with us during her trip so we will keep you informed.

h4. Quotes from Julie’s students

“Hard work considering it’s a beginners class but you feel fantastic afterwards” Val Hulme

“Doing this is probably the one the thing to relax me in 7 years!” Rachel Gillies

“Some poses are quite complicated but once you are settled in them they are quite comfortable” Marion Ridsdill

“It helps your posture, after the first session I had to put the seat more upright in the car on the way home to accommodate my new posture” Paula Paton