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July Blog Post: It’s Not Why You Come To Yoga – Its Why You Stay!

July 14th, 2016


Yoga

 

For July Yoga is our therapy of the month and in this blog post yoga teacher Izzy Ixer talks about how her very first Yoga teacher inspires her still.

 

It’s Not Why You Come To Yoga – Its Why You Stay!

 

I had a wonderful Yoga teacher. His name was Bob Bury and he seemed quite old to me when I started my teacher training with him at the age of 19. He was very experienced, and I guess I am probably now the age he was then!

 

How does an experienced Yoga teacher inspire others? Is it through the postures they do? Is it their supreme breath control? Is it their knowledge of the history and philosophy of Yoga? Or is it by their acute observations on life?

 

Bob inspired me in most of these ways and there are some comments, which have remained with me during the 35 years I have been teaching Yoga.

 

Half poses in yoga are described as “ardha” and pronounced like the word “ardour”. So Ardha Chandrasana is the Half Moon posture, Ardha Matsyendrasana is the half twist, Ardha Uttanasana is the half forward bend from standing and as Bob used to say: “It just gets ardha and ardha!”

 

In fact the discipline of Yoga actually gets easier, once you are in the habit of a regular practice. Even a few minutes’ practice done consistently makes a noticeable difference to your ability to focus, relax and progress with a posture.

 

When you come to a class or individual Yoga session you may not always be clear on what has drawn you to Yoga. Is it the need to find some quietness? Or a desire to stretch out some of the tension from your body? Or maybe you just need to escape for an evening and do something for yourself?

 

Bob’s wise words are still with me: “It’s not why they come that matters – it’s why they stay”. Once you begin a simple Yoga practice and start to re-connect with your body and your breath, you will discover the wonderful ability of Yoga to focus you so that other aspects of your life are put on hold. When you re-visit them, maybe they are not quite as difficult as you had imagined.

 

Learning something new needs discipline and in order to find that discipline it’s helpful to feel inspired and encouraged. Woodbridge Complementary Health Centre is an inspiring place to begin your Yoga journey and whether you are completely new to it, a returner to Yoga, an experienced practitioner or someone who would like to find a sense of focus and quietness then we’d love to see you!

 

Izzy Ixer

British wheel of Yoga Tutor and Qualified Coach

 

If you’d like to find out how Yoga can help you, then please contact the centre on 01394 388234 for a free consultation. You can find out more about Izzy on her page on our website here.

 

 

 

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