Tell us a bit about yourself…
30s (latter end!), married, mother of two. I was born and bred in Chichester. I moved away after school but made a permanent return after the arrival of children to be closer to family. I am an air traffic controller by profession but a shamefully bad plane spotter. I love travelling, spending time outside, mooching around with the family and telling my husband he’s wrong.
What led you to sign up to a class?
I needed to get back to exercise after having my second child in 2013. Running had been my exercise of choice but I was strongly advised not to run again as my knees were in bad shape. The studio had just opened and I thought I’d give it a go. I really have no idea why, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Over dressed and overweight I ventured in (19th June 2014 at 7:30pm to be precise).
How did you find your first class?
Honestly, amazing. The flow and combination of postures of the 90 minute Bikram class really suited me. I found the teacher incredibly inspiring. The class allowed me to shut myself away for 90 minutes, I didn’t need to think about anything and I just had to do as I was told. Listening but not thinking. The whole experience was somewhat moreish.
What effect has practicing yoga had on your life?
I’ve lost 20kg. I’m well exercised – my husband can confirm this makes me nicer. I have finally found a form of exercise that I want to do. I loved running, but I often procrastinated about going. I don’t find that an issue with the yoga. I don’t think the yoga has changed me but I feel like it is a piece of the puzzle that keeps me content in this phase of my life.
Apart from yoga, do you have other ways of keeping healthy?
If I try and achieve what I perceive as a healthy, invariably I fail. Being content is much more important. For me it is keeping busy, getting enough sleep, doing a little something for someone else, taking pleasure in the day-to-day oddities of life. I think my mindset has changed a lot since having children, I finally conceded I was a fully fledged grownup.
What keeps you coming back to LANO?
There isn’t another studio close by to practise Bikram yoga! All sorts of reasons- the class times suit me, the teachers are great, the price is right, I’ve met some really quite lovely people and Karl (❤️). Plus it has only taken me two years to work out how to engage the muscles of my inner thigh, so if I keep coming surely I’ll eventually crack standing bow pulling pose (hate it, hate it, hate it)?!
What single piece of advice would you share with a newcomer to yoga?
Try all the styles. Even as a stalwart Bikram goer I have found some delight in a bit of Forrest yoga!
