A beginner’s class for an established Yogi could seem like teaching you to suck eggs and an advanced class for a beginner could be unachievable and somewhat daunting. However don’t dismiss the level straight off. Established Yogis attending a beginners class might be just what’s needed. An opportunity to get back to basics, reaffirm the alignment. Beginners in an advance class, this isn’t so good and can cause injury, so make sure you’re physically fit and you only dive into any pose that you can manage without causing pain or stressing the system. BUT always make sure the teacher knows your personal level and ability…..and be honest.

At Hannah Upton Yoga I offer classes for mixed levels and intuitively progress each individual student into a deeper version for their personal practice.

The Start/Re-start course is a superb balance for both beginner and established yogi, to either learn from scratch or reaffirm alignment. It includes a private online 1-1 (or face to face for an additional fee), so can hammer out the bits that need a little extra attention.

Monthly Masterclasses are available to anyone wanting to gain greater knowledge into a particular part of their practice. The very small classes of 6 people and a longer class time of 1.5hrs gives each student the space to expand into their potential.

Teachers are 70% of your choice of class. They vary considerably in so many ways. The most important things to look out for is, a teacher you can be honest with, one who has a sense of humor and one that will encourage you along the way, in a way that makes you tick. Personally, I’m better with a teacher who knows how to send me out of my comfort zone into an achievable space. One who I can pipe up to and say, that’s enough now, and they respect that. One who I can laugh with but also be in that serious peaceful space that Yoga promotes.

The student is always at the heart of my teaching. If you do not understand your student, you cannot truly teach them the yoga. Us teachers need to know what makes a student want to progress and how best to do that. Packing out a class and standing at the front, without engaging, adjusting and helping the student makes, in my opinion, for an instructor and not a teacher. Classes need too to be enjoyable which is why I make space for discussion, sharing of information and laughing along the way. We must relax, learn, deepen and enjoy our practice.

If you’re new to Yoga you might not realise quite how many different styles of Yoga there are. Essentially they all cover similar Asana (shapes) and it’s the compilation of how these are presented in the class and the style of learning, that differentiates the style. Newbies to Yoga will need to try out different types to realise their preferred style. Whilst I’d encourage well practiced Yogis to venture out of their comfort zone and try a different form, if not to reaffirm your decision to stick with what you know. I’m going to re-visit this topic another day too, as there is so much to explore and learn from, that it’s impossible to cover this with you, in it’s entirety today.

My teaching is a cross over of Iyengar Yoga where we use various props to move the student into a position and Vinyasa where we enter into a creative flowing form and feel free-er. Music, meditation, pranayama (breath exercises) and contemplation all assist in the practice

Fitting a class into your existing schedule is great but if you have to compromise too much ‘other stuff’ to get there, then you’re not going to stick at it.

This is why I am often asking for feedback on preferred times for classes and why I provide flexible options including, face to face, online, monthly masterclass, pop-up out door and Dynamic Flow, one to ones and closed private groups of friends and family (currently teaching 3 weekly).