Meet Jill & Andrea of Cheshire Yoga – Weblog

We caught up with Andrea Haywood and Jill Johnson, founders of Cheshire Yoga in Altrincham, Manchester. Each passionate Iyengar Yoga college students and lecturers, Andrea and Jill have identified one another for 23 years, having began in an Iyengar Yoga class collectively and now proudly owning a enterprise collectively, Cheshire Yoga.

Inform us a bit about yourselves…

Jill: I’ve been a pupil of Iynegar yoga for over 25 years, and instructing since 2007. I’m a Degree 3 trainer, a mentor for all ranges of trainer coaching, and an assessor and registered Yoga Therapist. So yoga life was already very busy – after which alongside got here Cheshire Yoga.

I’m married to Tim and we’ve two grown up kids, so we solely share our dwelling with a cat and a canine now. I’m additionally a grandmother twice over; taking care of my grandson as soon as per week retains me operating round away from my yoga mat, however he already does a improbable canine down.

Andrea: I’m a mum of three (it’s A Ranges and GCSEs in our home for the time being), I’m married to Mark, and our household is accomplished by Echo, the ten yr outdated Black Lab. In a previous life I used to be a solicitor however for the final 10 years I’ve been an Iyengar Yoga trainer in South Manchester. I’m now a Degree 2 trainer and I’m fortunate sufficient to share and train yoga to a tremendous group of scholars on the studio. I’m now additionally formally a small enterprise proprietor – we’ve simply paid our enterprise charges and filed our first tax return !!

Cheshire Yoga: After lockdown, throughout which Jill and I had each taught on Zoom, we simply felt that we wished our personal studio house the place college students might come, be collectively and observe their yoga. And so got here Cheshire Yoga. Significantly after the isolation of lockdown, the significance of being within the room collectively, having a trainer that might observe and proper your poses and sharing yoga, couldn’t be over-stated. So in September 2021, having leased essentially the most fantastic house from one in all our college students and turned it right into a yoga studio, we launched Cheshire Yoga in Altrincham.

The place did your yoga journey start and what impressed you to develop into a yoga trainer?

Andrea: I fell in love with Iynegar Yoga after I began courses while nonetheless practising legislation. I discovered that it was the one time within the week after I considered nothing else and will focus totally on the Yoga. Having had a background in excessive influence sport, I had suffered a nasty damage which had resulted in various foot and ankle operations and I wanted a unique outlet, I discovered it in Iyengar Yoga. From the primary class, my trainer was adapting the poses to allow me to take pleasure in the advantages, however my accidents.

I appeared ahead to class a lot and I attended class each week while working and thru every of my 3 pregnancies, practising proper as much as 41 weeks with all 3. My trainer made all the mandatory adaptions all through and my fellow college students have been improbable and supportive. Jill certified as a trainer and was arrange a category domestically and I went alongside to the primary class which Jill ever taught, and I used to be her very first pupil.

Jill inspired me to coach as a trainer. A chance to additional my information of Iyengar yoga and to have the ability to share my ardour with others, have been what offered it to me. After 2 years of arduous work, I certified as a Freshmen’ trainer and commenced instructing domestically.

As soon as I began instructing and obtained to know and perceive my college students’ our bodies I actually began to know the enormity of Iyengar Yoga. Adapting poses, seeing the development, understanding the necessity for the rigour, the precision, the alignment, creating robust foundations on which to construct – all of it grew to become clearer seeing it by way of my college students.

After extra rigorous coaching, I did my Degree 2 in 2019 and as my observe has grown so has that of my college students. I’ve been fortunate sufficient to have fabulous folks come alongside to my courses and it’s an honour that they put their religion in me and my instructing. And they’re fantastic at making new college students really feel welcome and a part of the category, one thing which Jill and I are obsessed with. How usually are folks discouraged from coming to a category as a result of they really feel intimidated or nervous ? We delight ourselves on in search of to create a heat and inspiring setting on the studio.

Jill: I used to be nearly 40 after I began yoga, it was really useful to me after I suffered an damage that prevented me from becoming a member of my operating buddies on our twice weekly excursions round Altrincham, and after the primary class I used to be hooked. I used to be working in Manchester on the time and my kids have been nonetheless in school, however I loved the courses a lot that I went from as soon as per week to twice and typically three courses – as a lot time as I might spare was spent doing yoga.

In 2005 I started my trainer coaching, determined to cease my “paid” job and after I certified in 2007 I began instructing instantly – Andrea was the primary and solely pupil at my very firstclass. Initially I believed my trainer coaching would let me delve extra deeply into all of the points of yoga, which it did, however it additionally impressed me to need to share this information and enthusiasm with different college students.

I spent the following 10 years learning extra and qualifying to show all ranges of Iyengar yoga, in addition to spending three years learning to show yoga remedy. As my first profession was in nursing that is an space by which I’m notably .

I’ve been to the Iyengar Institute in Pune many instances, and have had the privilege of being taught by the Iyengar household, together with Mr Iyengar and his daughter Geeta. Extra just lately I’ve attended courses and intensives with Abhijata Iyengar and her uncle Prashant, so the lineage is constant.

One in every of issues I like about Iyengar Yoga is the world huge neighborhood of scholars – Iyengar Yoga is essentially the most practiced college of yoga on the earth, so which means there are lecturers in lots of components of the world, and I find it irresistible when college students return from their travels and inform me they attended a category distant, however it nonetheless felt like dwelling!

It’s this welcome and sense of neighborhood that we’re nurturing at Cheshire Yoga – we wish all our to college students really feel at dwelling and comfy with our lecturers and with exploring how yoga may help them.

What’s a typical day in your life?

Andrea: I made a elementary miscalculation when Jill and I began Cheshire Yoga. I believed that organising our studio would imply that we had a fantastic, well-equipped, goal constructed studio to practise and train in. Up to now, so right – what I hadn’t factored in was being a small enterprise proprietor. It has been a steep studying curve.

So a typical day will contain getting children off to highschool, heading to the studio earlier than class to whip spherical with the broom, tidy the tools and do my very own observe earlier than greeting the scholars arriving for morning class. That point within the morning on the studio when it’s quiet and I can simply take pleasure in being within the house which we’ve created and doing what I like finest could be very particular.

After class we’re fortunate sufficient to have a improbable espresso store on website and so we regularly head over there for a espresso and a chat ( it’s nearly as vital as the category – because it actually allows us to attach and make mates and create a yoga neighborhood)

My afternoon is spent in a whir of sophistication preparation and all of the again workplace work, so workshop schedules, organising retreats, updating the web site, in addition to a little bit of social media. As somebody that didn’t know one finish of a pc or social media from the opposite initially of this, I’ve needed to study shortly.

And don’t overlook the canine, who wants strolling. A stunning time to stroll and take inventory. I’ve my finest concepts when I’m out strolling. Now and again we do a Yoga Canine stroll (canine not obligatory) and we simply go for a ramble, lunch and a chat.

As soon as per week I train a night class however in any other case the again finish of the day turns into the time after I placed on my family hat with the children and all that life entails.

Jill: I love to do some yoga observe very first thing – whether or not that is asana or pranayama – it units me up for the day and implies that I can then spend time instructing and naturally spend a number of time doing all these jobs that include a small enterprise – thank goodness there are two of us in any other case no instructing would get performed!

For 5 years – 2016-21 I used to be on the helm of Iyengar Yoga UK – the group that appears in spite of everything Iyengar lecturers within the UK. This was very arduous work, however there’s a nice group of volunteers and paid staff and we’re at all times supported by Abhijata and her group in Pune. After I got here to the top of my time period I swapped Iyengar Yoga UK for Cheshire Yoga – utterly completely different however nonetheless difficult.

I train 5 courses every week, in addition to weekend workshops, retreats and yoga holidays. I like all my courses however I believe my favorite is the Simple and Mild class that has been operating since 2008 – with most of the similar college students. This class is predominately for older college students, or these returning to class after an damage or sickness. The scholars have created a beautiful ambiance, all of them work actually arduous after which they go to our on website café for a espresso afterwards.

My day additionally consists of ensuring that my trainee lecturers, and mentees (these certified lecturers who’re working in the direction of their subsequent degree of instructing certificates) are feeling supported and proud of their learning, oh after which there’s the paperwork to do!

 

What do it’s worthwhile to find out about Iyengar Yoga ?

When requested what’s the distinction between Iyengar Yoga and different yogas, the solutions would in all probability contain the phrases: alignment, precision, props.

The Iyengar methodology was borne out of an in-depth research of every pose after which their therapeutic properties by Mr Iyengar. From this he developed a scientific breakdown of the poses and the way they need to be practised. This requires adherence to the alignment in every pose and using props to realize that alignment. This degree of element permits the physique to maneuver and open because it ought to and protects it towards damage.

By studying to work the muscle groups appropriately to realize the alignment, everybody can entry the poses versus simply the match and wholesome. For those who want them, props can be found to assist work in a pose, underneath the steerage of an Iyengar trainer. And for those who don’t want any props, the flexibility to manage their work is its personal distinctive problem. Controlling versatile hamstrings in order to not injury knees is, by means of instance, usually tougher than having tight hamstrings and utilizing blocks to assist lengthen them.

So in abstract – Iyengar yoga is appropriate for EVERYONE.

Inform us about trainer coaching…

Instructing yoga is a dedication and a duty; it’s the course of by which information and knowledge may be given from trainer to pupil. Earlier than starting the formal means of learning to develop into a trainer of Iyengar yoga a pupil may have spent no less than three years attending common courses, and attending to know the topic nicely. Mr Iyengar has mentioned prior to now that it isn’t attainable to know if one desires to show a topic with out having undertaken a sure degree of research first. Coaching to be a trainer is predominately performed underneath the steerage of a mentor, a senior trainer who has taught for a few years, and is certified to a better degree. To start out with rookies research the asana syllabus, studying about every pose, the right way to train it and most significantly, the right way to adapt it for many who are struggling or those who want to increase their observe. The scholar will even research the philosophy of yoga and primary anatomy and physiology. The evaluation is a collaborative course of run over a weekend working with the assessors and college students to make sure that the trainee has adequate proficiency and information to develop into a trainer.

Additional coaching, learning and assessments are required to show at larger ranges – so it’s a lengthy course of!

To cite Mr Iyengar:

“One who has not learnt the topic totally can not train. If one makes an attempt to take action, she or he goes to hurt; hurt the society, the topic and oneself”.

This course of does be certain that wherever you’re on the earth, in case you are taught by an Iyengar Yoga trainer, you may be assured of the standard and depth of their coaching and information.

Inform us about Remedy courses and coaching…

Operating remedy courses is a superb expertise – In Iyengar Yoga that is taken very severely in order that college students with bodily or psychological challenges usually are not harmed in any means. Every pupil has a private programme of poses and pranayama labored out for them; college students include all kinds of issues akin to shoulder injury, neurological sicknesses like MS or Parkinsons’s illness, recovering after a hip substitute, and extra just lately we’ve had many college students affected by Lengthy Covid.

Jill has helped on the remedy courses in Pune on many events, underneath the watchful eyes of Geeta and Abhijata, as nicely enterprise three years of research. Iyengar Yoga lecturers want to check with a remedy trainer earlier than they will transfer to Degree 3, essentially the most senior degree. The security, consolation and safety of the scholars is at all times paramount.