What can yoga do for you?
Adult yoga : CLASSES AT SHAMBHALA:
To experience the benefits of yoga, your best bet is to attend a class and see for yourself. Yoga at Shambhala is relaxed and easygoing, and all the teachers are widely experienced, tailoring their classes to suit the individuals.
But if you’re in any doubt, the fact that yoga can help you to fully relax, no matter what stresses and strains you deal with, might be enough to convince you to give it a try.
Alison Palmby has been teaching yoga for 10 years, and practising for four years before that, and she brings a calm serenity to her classes that permeates all her groups.
“I’m very lucky to be teaching yoga,” says Alison, “it’s a great way to spend your time. I love the fact that every class is different and while I always have a structure in my mind, I’m flexible about it because each class has its own unique character.
“Every yoga class is what it is, on that day.”
“People respond to it in different ways on different days, so for example, when I teach a class of teenagers, I might ask them to start by lying down and doing some breathing and relaxation – once they’ve done that they’re less self-conscious and more focused.
“For another class, I may save the relaxation to the very end so that everyone feels they have thoroughly wound down.”
There’s no competitive edge in a yoga class, and you will only ever be asked to do what’s comfortable for you. The gentle stretches and movements can make a noticeable difference to flexibility and mobility and, gradually, muscle tone can be improved and strengthened.
And the calming effect can be just as powerful and obvious, and far-reaching.
Alison laughs as she remembers her own children’s response to yoga when she first started practising it: “They could always tell if I’d missed a yoga class,” she recalls, “and they’d say to me ‘can you go to yoga please, because you’re a nicer mummy when you do’ — which just about says it all really!”
