Can I practise yoga?

YES!!! Yoga can be practised by anyone of any age or ability. Yoga is for everybody and every body. I welcome a wide spectrum of people to class and always have variations so that everyone can be included.

So please put aside any preconceptions you may have about what yoga is, and come and practise with me.

What if I am not flexible?

Yoga is not just a physical practice and the only flexibility you need to have is in your mind: be open to what can happen in your body in this moment.

The word “yoga” means “union” or “bind” – and we can think of it as the union of mind and body. However, in actual fact, this is a false division: our mind and body cannot be separated. Everything that happens in our mind, including our thoughts, feelings and memories, are the results of electrical impulses and chemical changes. Our brains are part of our bodies. And anything that happens on a physical or chemical level affects our thoughts, emotions and state of mind.

In its essence, yoga is the practice of presence in our bodies – nothing more. You could think of it as a moving meditation. Anything else that happens – getting stronger, improving flexibility, better respiratory function and reducing levels of stress, for example – are merely byproducts of the practice.

As the Bhagavad Gita says: “To action only are we entitled, never to its fruits. Never become attached to the results of your actions, nor to inaction.”

As the Tao Te Ching expresses a similar sentiment: “In pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added. In the practice of the Tao, every day something is dropped. Less and less do you need to force things, until finally you arrive at non-action. When nothing is done, nothing is left undone. True mastery can be gained by letting things go their own way.”

What is Zen yoga?

Although I am trained and qualified to teach in a variety of yoga styles, including the NHS Yoga4Health protocol, ashtanga, yin and hatha, my main practice is Zen yoga, which has its foundations in Chinese medicine, combined with traditional Vedic teachings from the Indian lineages. I also bring elements of tai chi and Kempo into my teaching, as they also incorporate Taoist/Zen fundamentals.

Zen is NOT a religion – practitioners are not required to worship a deity. Indeed, the word “Zen” is a Japanese derivation of the Chinese word “chan”, which is itself an adaptation of the Sanskrit word “dhyana”, meaning “meditation”. The Buddha came to his “enlightenment” through the practice of meditation, which he advocated to see things as they really are. “Dhyana” is the seventh of Patanjali’s “eight limbs of yoga”, which are widely considered to be the pillars of yoga as we know it in the west.

Zen yoga works with three intertwined principles: energy, alignment and mindfulness.

What if I don’t have a mat?

I have mats, belts and some cushions to lend you at Preston Community Library, and can also provide these if you with to practise in other locations. So what are you waiting for? Let’s start practising together!