Yoga for All (Autumn 2024)

Yoga for All is designed to be accessible to all who come along. Yoga sequences and poses can be adapted for all types of bodies, using props or smaller ranges of movement. We always encourage everyone to build up slowly with poses, constantly listening to their bodies to how it feels. In fact, the gentle stretches and alignment correction that we include in the class can be very beneficial for joint and back pain in the long term. However, if you have any issues that you think may affect your participation in the class, please fill in the form upon booking, and this will help us with planning the classes with your needs in mind.

My Yoga for All classes will be suitable for anyone, regardless of whether they have done any yoga or exercise before. I will always offer all sorts of variations of movements including the use of props to enable the sequence to be accessible to everyone, in fact this is actively encouraged so that we don’t risk injury. An important part of yoga is that you listen to your body and concentrate on how a pose feels, rather than how it looks. We all have different bodies with different issues that feel different from day to day, so there will always be something you can do to join in.

If you have a yoga/ exercise mat you can bring, that is very helpful. However I do have some with me that you can borrow. I also bring some blocks and blankets that you can borrow for support. If you have any props that you usually use in your practice, you are welcome to bring them along. A cushion is often helpful for relaxation at the end. Wear comfortable clothing and bring some water.

All the venues have free parking. Willington and Old Warden village halls have large car parks. Goldington Reading Rooms has space for a few cars but also on-street parking. Great Barford Bowls Club has a car park (and a pedestrian access through School Lane). There is parking opposite the school in Cople, next to the church.

Yes, yoga can be very beneficial during pregnancy as it is good to keep up some exercise, especially gentle mobility and stretching throughout to keep you in good physical shape ready for labour and being a parent! It is also beneficial to take time for yourself to be still, present and calm, connecting with your baby and everything that your body is going through. Yoga can help decrease feelings of stress, depression, and anxiety, in addition to relieving pain or discomfort that comes in those last weeks of pregnancy. There are some movements that are not recommended for pregnant people, especially those that involve balancing or inversions. I will suggest adaptations that you can do as an alternative. Take a bit more time moving between poses, rather than jumping and don’t push yourself too hard. If you would like more advice on this, please do not hesitate to ask me.