Amazing Summer Special 😎 Starting on 5th August Melissa is offering an amazing deal of 5 classes for £20 on her Monday morning Yoga classes.
Mondays 10 am – 11:30 am at In The Moment
available to buy until 16th of September
Melissa Corazon
We are delighted that Melissa Corazon will be joining us from 15th July to teach a Monday Morning Hatha Yoga class.
Mondays 10 am – 11:30 am
In The studio at In The Moment
Melissa runs The Yoga Kitchen with her husband Dan, having spent the last two years running the kitchen at Yoga Rocks in Crete.
We have a rescheduled date for our Midsummer Yoga workshop – it will now be on Sunday 23rd June.
£35 (£30 for previous attendees)
All hour long appointments are only £25 ( normally £35-£40)
Check out the Healing Space Page for details of therapies and a link to my booking site.
Jude will be teaching a new lunchtime yoga class starting at In The Moment on Thursdays 12:30 – 1:15 pm – from 23rd May.
Taught by In the Moment Glasgow’s senior yoga teacher Jude Murray
£5 drop in
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”There is this saying you often hear in Yoga circles – actually a Buddhist saying. It has certainly been true for my yoga journey. Teachers have entered my life for what seems – in hindsight at least – a very obvious purpose. I also acknowledge that some of these teachers haven’t even been teaching in the formal sense. Some of my teachers have been my own students, friends, children, animals and even trees! 🙂 some of them have actually not been very good teachers , in the technical sense. But a bad experience is often a very good learning experience.
Having said that, I am acutely aware that there are yogis only just setting out on their paths of discovery who may not know what to look for in a teacher. I am also very aware that more and more newly qualified teachers are emerging from teacher training and beginning their teaching journeys. Compared to when I started teaching ten years ago-when I pretty much knew all of the yoga teachers in Glasgow personally- there is a massive choice of classes, teachers and styles. And realistically, too much choice can be overwhelming.
There are heaps of guides on this subject too. How to choose a yoga style that suits you, how to choose a teacher, what to look for in a teacher, what qualifications to check for, etc. So instead of creating a surplus “guide” I am going to speak from an entirely personal perspective. Enjoy – Jude x
1. Presence. What I mean by this is not charisma or anything at all like that. What I mean is that the teacher is “present” for his or her students. That they are there. In the Space. Absolutely WITH the teaching. Also the ability to hold a safe space for the work.
2. Knowledge. I want to learn something. So I want to know that the teacher knows something of what they are teaching and more than I do. Generally, for me, this means that they have a. studied it for a reasonable length of time and b. continue to study and see this as a lifelong journey . When teaching asana ( and most Western teachers do) then I want to know that my teacher understands bodies – very well. For me, I trust them even more if they have studied another body work system or at least really know their anatomy, physiology and bio-mechanics. So safety comes into this too.
3. A personal practice. I want to know that my teacher does what they are teaching. Has experienced from their own personal relationship with it.
4. A real human being. I am drawn to teachers who share something of themselves and are honest about their humanity/foibles/mistakes. I also appreciate a sense of humour, a weakness for chocolate and in the case of one of my cherished teachers – a bit of a grumpy streak! basically – no bull***t!
5. Teaches from the Heart. Someone who shares from the heart of love, compassion and honesty.
6. Holds nothing back. There are no secrets or mysteries. They share what they know. All of it. With love. They are also honest about what they don’t know. I don’t want to be fobbed off with half-truths or pseudo -science.
7. Creates opportunities for growth. A teacher who is able to safely challenge boundaries, comfort zones and physical abilities and to take his or her students into the realm of discovery of what is possible. This is the essence of Yoga.
8. Doesn’t show off. A teacher is not there to show me what the amazing shapes they can get into or to use the time for their own practice. Just…no. It isn’t about them.
9. Communicates with ease. Seems obvious but a teacher should be good at explaining stuff. I don’t want to be confused and if I am, I want them to take the time to help me understand. Even the most esoteric elements of yoga can be opened up by someone who both understands and can communicate clearly.
10. Laughs. Often. At themselves and at the world. But not at me (unless I invite it!) 🙂
This new beginners class with Julia Herzog will be taking place in the studio on the first floor. It’s at the same time as Jude’s Hatha class in the main studio ( just to avoid any confusion!) 
The third part of my series
Another difficult one to tackle, but I’m going to 😉
FACT: If you do not move your body, it will seize up.
FACT: Those aches and pains that you feel will probably get worse if you don’t move.
FACT: There are very few conditions that mean you can’t practice yoga. In fact, if you can breathe, you can practice yoga.
FACT: Yoga , practiced properly and under the guidance of a qualified teacher, will not make it worse.
OK – if you have broken a limb, or ruptured your ACL, had surgery or something similar, then yes, please don’t come to class until it has healed and your doctor says it’s OK. But afterwards would be probably a really good time to come to class. Always let the teacher know.
If you are just stiff and sore from working out, then you are probably not actually injured. Unless you felt something “go” while you were exercising and it’s (very) been painful ever since, it isn’t likely to be a “pulled” muscle. If you are sore a day or two after your exercise encounter, it’s because your muscles have been working and they need to stretch. Could be that a good stretch will sort you out. Indeed, a more regular good stretch will make the stiffness less of an inevitability. Guess where you can get a good stretch?!?:-)
For some of us (most of us even) Some pain in the body is natural. I have pain right now from a spinal injury sustained four years ago. I still practice yoga. I practiced yoga as soon as I could. In fact, if it wasn’t for yoga…
I am going to say something unpopular. Pain isn’t necessarily an indicator that something bad has happened to you. This is very much one of the lessons of yoga. Listening to your body to understand its signals. Sometimes playing your edges. Learning the difference between something that could be described as “challenging,” “a good stretch,” “deep,” and what doesn’t feel right. For beginners this can be anything that they haven’t encountered before. One of the concerned “doesn’t feel right” phrases I have heard many times from new yogis is “I can really feel it in my…” and I always say “good!”
If you have an injury – and it isn’t something that requires you to be immobile – then we need to make some modifications, but you can still go to yoga. Let the teacher know what is sore, and s/he will tell you how to support that part of your body, and, depending on their expertise, maybe suggest things that might help. Get advice from your physio if you can. I have never met one that doesn’t think yoga is a good idea. Repetitive strain injuries are probably the most common ones I see. We can modify and yoga will get you off the internet for a while 😉
If you have a chronic inflammatory condition such as MS, CFS, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis etc. then again, there is absolutely no reason why you cannot do yoga. Yoga should actually help your condition, but only if you let the teacher know so that they can help to modify the practice for you. Could be that you don’t go to a Hot Yoga class. I don’t recommend it. for inflammation. But, depending on your levels of fitness etc. then there are many different styles of Yoga to suit and again, a well trained teacher should know how to help you modify and to explore the practice in a way that is accessible.
Next in the series – how to find that well-trained teacher I keep going on about!
I have news of a couple of changes to my yoga classes at In the Moment, starting in April (which is almost upon us)
The Tuesday evening classes remain as constant as ever and continue at 6:15 pm every Tuesday evening until I drop, so panic not 🙂
So what IS changing?
As of the beginning of April I will no longer be teaching a weekly Yin Yoga class on Wednesday evenings.Awwwww 🙁 – I know!!!!! But it seems my passion for the practice doesn’t seem to be widely shared, so time to try something else.
I am going to be offering a MONTHLY, two hour, workshop style class kicking off a whole range of offerings called “My Healing Space” . This class will feature Yin & Yang yoga sequences, plus mantra, meditation and the ever popular Yoga Nidra. Each workshop will have a seasonal focus.
This class will be on the FIRST Wednesday of every month, and if it proves popular then I will take it up to fortnightly, but in the meantime classes will be on the following dates
Wednesdays 3rd April
1st May
5th June
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at In The Moment
The cost for this two hour class will be £10. Those using their six class ticket will pay an additional £3 for the class.
So, just what is involved?
Yin & Yang Yoga – Mindful asana practice. Working with the deeper connective tissues and energy channels.
Mantra – Using sound, chant and specific words and phrases to explore the power of vibration and intention
Meditation – Seated mindfulness practices, breathing, visualisation,
Yoga Nidra – A deep guided relaxation technique, often translated as “Yogic Sleep”. Longer than the usual relaxation in class, usually 20 -30 minutes. We also work with “Sankalpa” – a resolve or affirmation. Deeply healing.
Here, in the second in this series of posts on reasons not to go to yoga, we are looking at reason#2
“I can’t afford it”
This is a tricky issue. Who am I to say what you should spend your hard earned cash on? However, just like the “no time” reason, we can acknowledge some of the self-sabotaging excuses that we come up with to avoid what we know what is good for us, and what we need.
I suppose the first thing to say is that Yoga really isn’t expensive. I once worked out that many Yoga teachers often earn less than the minimum wage for an average class! Yoga isn’t expensive compared to other things. Here is a list of comparisons to put it into perspective.
1 Yoga class = £8
£8 = 1 bottle of Rioja
£8 = not quite 2 taxi rides home (based on Charing Cross to Merchant City)
£8 = 3 (and a bit) lattes
Most yoga teachers are socially minded sorts and will offer discounts for block booking, or concession rates. And some, like me will even consider barter economy and energetic exchanges (meaning I sometimes swap yoga classes for other services, goods and favours)
At In The Moment, we have the “Karma Fund” specifically designed to support yogis who can’t afford to pay for a yoga class. We take a small donation for the use of a yoga mat, and for cups of tea, and this goes into a pot to pay a yoga teacher if they choose to offer a free or subsidised class to someone who would otherwise not be able to afford to come.
I simply trust that those who CAN afford it are happy to pay the full amount and to make donations towards those who can’t. Some people are proud about accepting things for free, so pay what you can. I also believe an energetic exchange is a wonderful concept. If you don’t have a specific service to offer, then there are always things to be done at a Yoga studio, so perhaps you could offer a little of your time doing some cleaning, or handing out flyers, or helping to tidy up after class?
What I am saying is, please don’t let not being able to afford yoga be a reason for not coming to yoga. There is always something we can work out.
Next in the series – reason # 3: ” I can’t do yoga right now because have a sore knee/shoulder/wrist/back”
