How I teach

Some more information that I thought would be useful to have written down to share my approach on teaching yoga at Grōwan specifically.

I teach a mix of Hatha and Restorative yoga - Hatha is a bit of a catch all term, but generally we move through poses at a steady pace, and then restorative is very much comfortable poses supported with props held for a few minutes. I like to teach with the seasons as our lovely barn is set in a field that looks out into the Herefordshire countryside. You will definitely hear birds and you might see a bunny hopping around while you practice.

I teach in roughly 6 week series’ where we do the same classes every week, and as we progress hold poses longer and flow through slightly quicker. We might add in a few new things too. Then after 6 weeks I will switch it up.
I like teaching this way because I feel that repetition is very much a part of yoga - I have heard about classes in India being the same always and forever! The practice is always the goal.
I feel that through the 6 weeks you get to know what’s is happening next and that always feels great, I also feel that you start to notice how the poses feel when you are doing them each week. At first for example they might feel difficult to hold, but by the end you are holding it for longer very comfortably - and so you feel and see that progress.

I was taught in a trauma informed way, this is not just important for those that hold trauma but also for beginners. It informs my language and how I approach you in class. If you hold trauma yoga can bring things up - it is very common for people to get emotional during a class because you are tuning into yourself and your feelings. It is also not a given this will happen!

For beginners it means I won’t make you feel like you can’t do anything - or that you should be able to do something that maybe doesn’t feel good yet. I will help you find variations of poses while you practice as we all work towards holding the poses. I am aware that yoga was written and practised by Aristocratic Indian men first and foremost - so some of the poses don’t work on our female modern bodies - all of our bodies are different and we can adjust to make the poses work for us - while still holding reverence for where yoga came from.

A little note on restorative too, I find sometimes this is tougher than people think it will be - because it’s not physical work for the body. You are still and supported and it is a time for deep relaxation, something that day to day is not prevalent in our society! So it might feel pointless or strange but we are teaching our minds and bodies how it feel to be relaxed. This means than you are able to get there quicker - it helps with sleep for example and shutting off from work. Something I think is so needed for so many!

Any questions please email sally@growan.co