My journey, from "too inflexible for yoga", to becoming a yoga teacher.
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Every yogi has their own personal story of why they do yoga, or what gave them the 'yoga bug'. It was the physical aspect that initially lured me in, but the philosophy of accepting oneself, being mindful of our thoughts and actions, and the personal benefits that this shift in perspective gave me, that has changed my life and brought me to sharing yoga.
For almost as long as I can remember, I've had "back trouble". Knee issues arose when I was 19, initially stopping me from running for buses, until I finally just accepted that "I can't run". I practiced Tai Chi for some time in my early 20s, which gave me an awareness of my postural alignment and allowed me to recognise that I was carrying around considerable tension in my muscles. However, when I moved away from my teacher, I quit my practice. My back trouble drove me to regularly visit an osteopath who recommended yoga for me when I was 24. I agreed wholeheartedly that it would be beneficial for me, but I never made the time. I attended an Alexander Technique residential workshop at the age of 26, which helped me make enormous progress in pain and posture management, but again, it was a temporary part of my life. |
Laura Ann Murphy, Yoga and Meditation Teacher in Bristol, U.K.
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The change came at age 29, when I awoke in the night screaming in agony and my knee refused to work for me. I went for physiotherapy and the exercises I was given were a help, but progress was slow with recurrent setbacks. In desperation I finally took up my osteopath's advice and started doing yoga. This was the first step in my journey that brought me from Dublin, via India, to Bristol to teach yoga. If you're interested in reading more on my personal experiences of yoga and yoga classes you'll find more in my yoga blog.
While I love teaching yoga classes with those already established in their yoga practice, my own history of inflexibility and feeling intimidated and frustrated in yoga classes has drawn me towards working with those who believe they are "too inflexible for yoga", or those with musculo-skeletal issues that have started impacting on their day-to-day life. I've also been drawn to working with those with anxiety issues, as I work from the understanding that often physical tension begins with tension of the mind. I find private, or semi-private classes are an excellent starting point and I can come to your home or we can work in a central-Bristol studio if more convenient. I use a combination of techniques from Yoga, Mindfulness and Meditation, Alexander Technique, Tai Chi, Physiotherapy and my own personal experience to meet people at where they're at, encouraging the acceptance of their limitations in order to move beyond them.
While I love teaching yoga classes with those already established in their yoga practice, my own history of inflexibility and feeling intimidated and frustrated in yoga classes has drawn me towards working with those who believe they are "too inflexible for yoga", or those with musculo-skeletal issues that have started impacting on their day-to-day life. I've also been drawn to working with those with anxiety issues, as I work from the understanding that often physical tension begins with tension of the mind. I find private, or semi-private classes are an excellent starting point and I can come to your home or we can work in a central-Bristol studio if more convenient. I use a combination of techniques from Yoga, Mindfulness and Meditation, Alexander Technique, Tai Chi, Physiotherapy and my own personal experience to meet people at where they're at, encouraging the acceptance of their limitations in order to move beyond them.