S T O R I E S from S T U D E N T S
| I enrolled with my body, mind and heart struggling to deal with the tension and stress of a particularly difficult period in my life. After the first class with Lynn I felt unusually at peace and slept well for the first night in a long time. Especially and surprisingly noticeable was the relief I experienced mentally - pervasive anxious thoughts were less and I was more hopeful of change for the better. What a wonderful surprise it was to find yoga could help me on so many levels. I would recommend Lynn’s classes to anyone seeking greater balance and peace in their lives. Quite apart from all the physical and mental good of the yoga, I also would like to say I have met some wonderful ladies with amazingly similar outlooks on life, pets, travel, family which definitely enhances the sense of camaraderie we share in the room! ‘I am in my 70s. Apart from a medically caused balance problem, I think I’m fitter than many of my contemporaries, and older than many others who are as active as I am. Perhaps this relative fitness is the result of genetics, but I don’t think so. I think that it’s more likely to be due to the yoga I’ve been doing for several years. I don’t doubt that my flexibility is a result of the yoga, as I stiffen up if I don’t do the stretches for a few weeks. And Lynn’s classes are just what I need. They include stretches, postures and relaxation; they’re not so threatening that I think “I’m afraid to go in case I fall over”; and I can modify the postures to take into account the medical advice I’ve been given. (This reminds me of the time I went to a balance specialist. His advice was “Keep doing yoga”. He believes it’s a good exercise for improving balance – particularly important for older people).’ As a breast cancer survivor I have a full check-up every year and my blood glucose levels have always been quite high ... almost in the danger zone, each time. After two years of yoga ... for the first time my blood sugar levels were within the normal range - I'm convinced that it was yoga that made the difference because nothing else changed. This trend is continuing now, after 4 years of yoga. Yoga has nourished both my mind and body. ... We were mid pose when Lynn unexpectedly said something quite new, something she’d never said in the 14 years I’ve been in her classes. She said something like “now, whatever effort you are putting into this pose, take it back to only 80%, and feel the difference”. I did this, and instantly felt the physical and psychological effort relaxing… and suddenly I felt this beautiful sense of ease and floating. And in a flash I realised that I could apply this to everything in my life… that I did not have to do everything at 100% (my expectation of me), but that I could do anything and everything at just 80% effort, and let the ensuing ‘space’ created by this release of energy fill the gap and do the work for me. It was an utterly amazing light bulb moment. And it all it took was someone I respect and listen to giving me the permission to be less, and then more. How’s that for a special moment? It’s these ‘little’ moments I have in Lynn's classes that actually make a difference to my life and keep me coming back. I began Yoga in October 2013 and continue to come because I like:
I am 82 years old and wish I had been introduced to Yoga years ago. Two years ago I decided to try these yoga classes for a path to manage my persistent pain which had been a part of my life since a car accident 13 years ago. The idea of swallowing pain killers for the rest of my life did not sound like the future I wanted. From the beginning I really enjoyed the classes and found the gentle, familiar and effective movements began to offer relief where other approaches had not. As I learnt more, I recognised that, for me, yoga offered a means of increasing my physical wellness and also a way of mentally accepting and managing the impact of the accident. (Retired pharmacist) The more I learn of yoga and its extensive benefits, the more I deepen my practice. I now feel that it has been something I have been seeking for many years, without knowing where it would be and what extensive benefits it could bring. Forget the ‘sliced bread’. Yoga is just the best thing around for living with the best possible physical and mental good health! I have taken a number of terms of yoga – various styles, various teachers – over the years. The benefits were always there, but I still drifted away; there was always one reason or another not to continue into the next term. I have not been terribly good at looking after myself, and at times depression has crept up on me. I have been doing Lynn's Gita classes for a few terms now, enjoying them very much, and feeling both centred and energised after each session. But something seems to have shifted more profoundly within recent months. I am quietly confident that this yoga practice is taking me somewhere much, much better within myself. I won't be drifting away from Gita yoga anytime soon. I think I can honestly say yoga has changed my life. As a young person I competed at a high level in several sports but as a result of this and working hard physically as a builder I developed serious lower back problems. The consequence; no more sport and two back operations. I began yoga with Lynn six years ago. I now have far greater flexibility and core strength, play social tennis twice a week and crew on a friend’s yacht. Between terms I often find my back stiffens up and sometimes becomes sore again which only reinforces the value and power of yoga for me. I often talk to other guys about the virtues of regular exercise, and particularly yoga, and look forward to a time when I can fit in two yoga classes a week. ‘There’s no going back to a life without yoga. Prior to classes with Lynn, yoga for me was a haphazard, random pursuit. But the gentle, repetitive and rhythmical nature of Lynn’s class is perfectly attuned to the needs of my physical, emotional and spiritual being. This has enabled me to refine and consolidate my basic understanding of yoga and allowed my body to develop a strong memory of postures that I am able to build upon and extend over time. Although gentle, it makes me stronger, and the rhythmical nature of it provides comfort, solace and an intuitive space of reflection. Thank you so much Lynn, for being a guide to help me enter into the flow.’ On a recommendation to try yoga for PTSD, I tentatively entered my first yoga class with Lynn. A few years on, Lynn’s yoga class has become an essential part of my week, also weaving yoga threads into my daily life. A sense of being able to relax in a safe place settles the mind (to some degree), knowing if the mind strays, Lynn’s soft patient voice guides me to the here and now, being able to do what feels right for me on the day. Yoga for me is gentle and calming, building strength and flexibility, imbuing the body, mind, soul and spirit to settle gently. Progressing to achieving inner peace. Thank you, Lynn, for being a guiding light. (Current mature student)
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