Promotional Feature
Calmer Yoga commences courses that are perfect for welcoming in 2016.
New Year is famously a time of year for resolutions, decisions and the determination to pursue new directions; but perhaps one of the most valuable and long-lasting New Year resolutions you can make is to introduce a sense of calm, clarity and contemplation to what might otherwise be a busy and hectic lifestyle; so if you like the thought of creating your own peaceful inner place of soothing serenity, then Calmer Yoga may well be for you!
Calmer Yoga is a new source of yoga teaching in east Cheshire, and is especially suitable for those whose lives are often crowded by everyday distractions and hectic schedules. Calmer Yoga clients are taught how to access deep and beneficial relaxation, how to restore much-needed energy - and how to find true peace and inner well-being. Classes are small and intimate (one-to-one lessons are also available), and are designed for all abilities.
Derived from a professional life that required calm and order
Calmer Yoga derives from one person's story of a hectic professional life that required a new sense of direction and balance, as well as the restoration of inner stillness and peace. In 1998, Stephanie Benson was a partner in a busy Manchester city-centre legal practice, heading up a Clinical Negligence department – so to assist her with the demands of a busy career and parenthood, she began to attend regular yoga classes.
What began as an interest in preparing body and mind for busy everyday living soon became an integral part of her life. In 2010, whilst still practising as a lawyer, Stephanie decided to explore the philosophy, ethics and practice of yoga in more depth, and this led to her embarking on a four-year yoga teacher-training course with the Inner Yoga Trust, a leading UK yoga teaching body. The course taught an in-depth knowledge of anatomy, physiology, postures, breath and relaxation, as well as broad knowledge of ancient yoga-related philosophies.
'Hatha Yoga' – uniting mind and body
Stephanie's style of yoga is known as 'Hatha Yoga', in which traditional yoga postures are taught with accompanying awareness of body, mind and breathing. Stephanie demonstrates each posture, and then ensures that clients observe and follow her guidance, correcting every pupil individually to ensure the postures are correct, so as to enhance physical awareness and relaxation.
Stephanie's interest in learning more about yoga continues; she still enjoys regular classes, and also attends courses by internationally renowned teachers. Most recently she was taught by Sarah Powers of the Insight Yoga Institute in California, from whom Stephanie will receive a certificate to enable her to teach Yin Yoga with Mindfulness.
"Yoga postures should encourage movement and breathing at the same time," says Stephanie. "When these occur together, they induce relaxation and calm the mind. And no matter how a client feels on arrival at my class, I will guide them towards greater awareness of the physical body and mind. Consequently, when they leave my class and hour and a quarter later, they will feel calmer and more relaxed – plus they'll have a range of coping strategies that can be used in all aspects of daily life."
Stephanie is keen to reassure people that Hatha Yoga can be undertaken by clients of all ages, whatever their abilities. "It's a very versatile discipline and adapts to individual capabilities," says Stephanie, "plus it encourages mobility and suppleness, as well as a sense of physical awareness, mental acuity and well-being."
A range of January 2016 classes
Calmer Yoga classes start in the New Year, during week commencing the 24th January, at:
- Over Peover Village Hall on Monday 25th January, from 7pm to 8:15pm
- Over Peover Village Hall on Wednesday 27th January, from 9:30am to 10:45am
- St Phillips and St James Church Hall on Wednesday 27th January, from 7pm to 8:15pm.
The first class for new clients will be treated as a Taster Class, for which there will be no charge.
A six-week course for existing clients (from week commencing 24th January to week commencing 7th March) will cost £42 if fees are paid in the first lesson of the course. If clients prefer not to commit to a six-week course, the charge will be £8.00 per class. One-to-one classes are also available.
For more information, please contact Stephanie via www.calmeryoga.org or via Facebook at Calmer Yoga.
