Alison Le Mar Massage Therapy, Reflexology, Reiki and Yoga

Babies are born yogis. Once we were all able to pull our toes up by our ears and laugh about it. Then we aged, got injured, began carrying stress in our shoulders and back.....

In short, we lost our balance.

Yoga is an ancient practice that helps create a sense of union in body, mind, and spirit. It brings us balance. It brings us back to ourselves and our true balance within.

Along with the benefit of helping create a stronger, more flexible physical body, a regular yoga practice can also help to enhance your breath awareness and bring harmony to the mind and body. Yoga can be used in daily life to help reduce stress and distractions and increase focus and energy.

Practicing yoga will give you an increased awareness of your own body and to be deeply in touch with its feedback. I encourage you to sense, create and intuit small, subtle movements to help explore your alignment and enjoy all the juicy and delicious arising stretch sensations. Over time, this will increase your level of comfort in your own body and lead to improved posture and greater self-confidence.

Many people come to yoga simply to get a good stretch or become fitter which in itself is wonderful, but many people find that as their journey continues the more subtle benefits come into play. Every time you come to practice you’ll notice something new. That’s the beauty of yoga - every moment on the mat is a new beginning for you to play, explore, learn and enjoy yourself.

I encourage you to explore, find and create space in your body and mind to practice feeling freer and more open. Yoga is a journey that helps you learn more about your body, your heart and your mind.

As you observe, explore and reflect, you have rich opportunity to notice how you may be holding onto things in your body (like tension in your shoulders, jaw or hips) or in your mind (unhelpful or negative thought patterns) that simply don't serve you. We practice letting these go with a deepened and wise awareness.

I encourage you to flow with your breath and the movement with an open heart and spacious mind- to flow with the energy of life unfolding.

The journey of life can be turbulent and frustrating. Learning to go with the flow allows us to ride the waves and let go of what we think should be; we learn to accept what is and work well with it. The only constant in life is change and it is this change that often causes us heartache and pain. Through the practice of yoga we learn tools to help us mindfully navigate through the bumps and falls in life with grounded roots, a wise heart and greater emotional resilience.

The lotus flower has a great deal of symbolism in many ancient traditions across the world. It grows in the muddiest of places yet rises gracefully pristine above the surface of the water, as we grow through the 'mud' of our lives- growing and evolving through life's obstacles and challenges. This is reflected in the saying- no mud, no lotus!

The lotus flower is a symbol of the inherent purity of the human heart. It symbolises our striving to overcome suffering and open up to our true potential. These sorts of ideas are fundamental to my teaching. We all have the potential to continue to change and grow throughout our lives and experience the journey of self- discovery, healing and fulfilment.

Yoga has been a rich source of joy, inner peace, comfort and contentment for many years through my life's journey and I'm most thankful for all my teachers' teachings that have led me to where I am now- sharing my passion for the spirit and practice of yoga and growing it within my local community.

I hope that you may be inspired to join us to experience and feel the gift of yoga for yourself.

"Each morning we are born again.
What we do today is what matters most." Buddha

Today I choose to be calm.