Yoga with Jess

I’m very much looking forward to leading a fully restorative session for you tomorrow ☺️ 🌙 I planned this class on this date because I knew I was going to be running fairly long today.. I wasn’t sure how far and wanted to make sure I could still teach with an aching body 😅

Those of you that know me, know that I’m a 5am cold weather runner, and I had seen we were expecting a heat wave when I’d be venturing out to complete the Spring Rasselbock Running 6 hour running event! But I wanted to give it a good ol’ go and whilst my dreams of hitting ultra distance or even marathon dwindled as the temperature ramped up, I’m very proud that I managed to complete 21.23 miles in just under 4 hours!! 🥇 Temperatures were about 24 degrees for my last couple of laps, I was feeling a bit delirious and kept almost getting lost on a route I’d run over and over again for the previous few hours 🥵🤣

If you’re also suffering from some achy muscles or are just in need of some valuable rest and relaxation, some peace and quiet and gratitude, join us tomorrow for a lovely restful practice 🙏 if you come along, I really recommend brining a blanket, cushion/s, bolster if you have one, eye pillow or sleep mask and anything else to help you feel comfortable on the ground 💚

🪷 www.bookwhen.com/yogawithjess 🪷

✨This coming Monday 13th I’m bringing a fully restorative session ✨we’ll move slowly through yoga asanas that allow you to find full relaxation, releasing tension from the muscles in this way promotes mobility and flexibility as we are no longer holding in key places in the body 🧘‍♀️

If you’re coming along, I highly recommend bringing a blanket, a decent sized cushion, eye pillow or sleep mask and anything else that helps you feel comfortable on the ground ☺️🙏

🪷 www.bookwhen.com/yogawithjess 🪷

After a wonderful session this Monday, I am bringing you a core focussed session next week 🧘‍♀️

We will work on the yogic philosophy of sthira and sukha, steadiness and ease 🙏 where we look for stability but also finding comfort even in our challenging yoga asanas ✨ working with postures to strengthen the core builds heat and ignites the Prana in the body so are the perfect way to explore this idea while strengthening the integral muscles that support our entire physical being 🧘

Who’s joining me? ☺️

It will be our last ‘active’ session for a couple of weeks as we have a fully restorative session on 13th May before I take a little break on 20th May 🙂

🪷 www.bookwhen.com/yogawithjess 🪷

✨ Tonight’s session will be focusing on postures to provide mobility and relief from tightness in the hips, glutes and lower back ✨ as always we will also be building on full body strengthening with kindness and compassion for where we are at in each moment 🌳🙏 who’s joining me? ☺️

🪷 www.bookwhen.com/yogawithjess 🪷

Amazing job everyone who came along yesterday ☺️ you really embraced the challenge and humbling experience of single leg balance and building strength on each side of the body🧘‍♀️ we can feel a bit silly and even embarrassed practising challenging yoga asanas but bringing fun and play into the practice can make such a difference and encourage us to continue, to keep building our practice as we begin to feel the benefits 🙏 it was great to see you all ❤️

✨ Hip therapy next week! ✨ We will work on release and mobility in the hips, glute and core strength and lower back relief 🪷

www.bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

🌟Well done everyone who came along to last night’s practice🌟 It was wonderful to see you all and you all embraced the challenge of strengthening asanas, the opportunity to tune in with your minds and bodies and the (sometimes difficult!) task of slowing right down in relaxation 🧘‍♀️

📣 By request I will be introducing regular fully restorative sessions ☺️ the next one will be on 13th May 🙏

🪷 Next week we will work on both sides of the body unilaterally to continue to build our strength and mobility in the whole body, with a chance to play in Dancer 🪷

www.bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

One of the most challenging things we can ask of our body and mind is to slow right down and it was wonderful for me to teach a class yesterday that really allowed for that pause and opportunity to just let go 🧘‍♀️ I loved seeing my students really embrace the process and use the breath as a mechanism to allow for relaxation, thank you so much to those of you who came along yesterday 🙏

✨ Next Monday we will be bringing the energy back up and return to building strength and mobility in the entire body ✨

Modifications are always given and students are always encouraged to move in line with their own bodies 🪷

www.bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

(Remember that a block booking of 4 sessions reduces the cost to £35 🙏☺️)

A reminder that tomorrow’s session will be completely restorative 🙏

If you’re joining me, please bring any props that will help to support you feeling comfortable on the ground - blankets, cushions, blocks, an eye pillow/mask are all good options to bring if you have them ☺️

✨why restorative yoga?✨

It’s extremely beneficial to the body to practice restorative yoga regularly 🧘‍♀️ slowing down and allowing the muscles of the body to completely relax provides tension release which can increase mobility and flexibility as we no longer hold that trapped, restrictive energy

By focussing on gentle postures that require no contraction in the body, we can also allow the mind to relax 🙏 this type of practice is wonderful for lowering stress levels and can contribute to the easing of chronic pain and inflammation levels

🪷www.bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

✨Restorative session coming up!✨

This coming Monday I’m bringing you gentle mobility, restorative yoga asanas and will guide you through a relaxing meditation to conclude the practice 🧘‍♀️

Join me next week to allow yourself some time slow right down, to give yourself the opportunity to move gently and kindly and to release stress and tension 🙏

✨I highly recommend bringing a blanket, cushion, an eye pillow or mask, blocks/bolsters (if you have them) and anything else that will provide you comfort during time spent on the floor/mat 🪷

www.bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

🐣 Happy Easter everyone! 🐰

Wishing you all a lovely weekend and hoping that you all get a break in some way 🙏

I will be running a session on Easter Monday at our normal time 6.30-7.30pm at Bestwood Village Community Centre ✨

It will be a refreshing practice with a focus on heart openers to gently welcome in the new season and everything that comes with it 🌸 there will be opportunities to build strength in the body and improve mobility and as always modifications will be provided 🧘‍♀️

Who’s joining me? ☺️

www.bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

📣 Update! Today’s session won’t be running 🙏

I have a wonderful practice for you on Easter Monday 🐣🐰 we will focus on heart openers to refresh the body, sweep away any stagnant energy from the winter period and welcome in the brightness and newness that spring can bring 💚🌻 this will also be wonderful for improving posture as we move away from feeling rounded inwards during those cold months, to standing tall and nourishing the spine and back body ✨

Who’s joining me? ☺️

www.bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

🌷 Has spring finally sprung?! 🌷

The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and many people are looking forward to the long Easter weekend 🐣🐰

Join me on 1st April for a special spring session! 🌸
I will be running a session on Easter Monday, at the usual time, bringing you a sequence to shake off that winter fatigue and stagnant energy, the class will be refreshing and rejuvenating for the body, building energy and joy in movement 🧘‍♀️✨

✨This Monday we will be working on unilateral movements to build strength and recovery on both sides of the body equally, with an opposite and equal load we can condition the body most effectively to create balance and comfort in our movements✨🙏☺️

www.bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

I always come away from teaching feeling so inspired by the students in my class ☺️ there’s such a commitment and openness to the practice and to themselves 🙏 I love hearing that you’re finding benefits from coming to sessions too 🥰Well done everyone who came along yesterday, it was wonderful having you all there 💚

📣 I have an announcement!! 📣 An idea has been growing in my mind and I can now confirm that I’ll be running my sessions under a new name 🧘 I want sessions to be accessible to everyone that enjoys or is interested in taking up yoga, so going forward my classes will be:

✨Yoga for Everyday Movement✨

I will still be structuring my classes based on the training I’ve done around biomechanics, intentional movement and purposeful sequencing to support building strength and maximising recovery, but want to be more inclusive in what I’m offering 🧘‍♀️

Thank you to my lovely students who gave your thoughts on my idea, your input is invaluable 🙏 ☺️

For booking and more information, please see below:
www.bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

✨Paschimottanasana✨
Such a beautiful posture with so many benefits! It creates a lovely release in the entire back of the body, particularly the spine and hamstrings, it should feel like a relaxed pose and will allow the nervous system to calm when practised this way 🧘‍♀️

You don’t have to completely straighten your legs or reach your toes in this asana, resting the hands on the ankles or the ground next to the legs or even clasping the hands under the knees will still make those benefits available to you 🙏

This is one of the postures we will incorporate into our practice today as part of our restorative section of the class✨☺️

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

Another fab session yesterday ☺️ thank you to everyone who came along 🙏 you really brought such lovely energy to the session, challenged your strength and committed to your practice 🧘‍♀️ we had ambience with lower lighting (I appreciated the feedback, it was such an improvement!) ✨

📣 On Monday 8th April I will be bringing you a completely restorative session 😌 we will slow right down, take some wonderfully relaxing yoga asanas to promote muscle recovery and stress relief and tend to the mind with meditation 🙏 I floated this idea to my students yesterday and they loved it! Recovery is so important for our health so I hope you can make it 🧘

Join me next week for a full body session and we will focus particularly on giving our hamstrings some love ❤️✨

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

Have you noticed that when we’re tired we lose our posture, our integrity in the centre line of our body, first? 🤔 Whether we’re running, walking or even sitting. You may notice your spine begins to round, the shoulders droop forwards and the head bows and everything just starts feeling a bit sore 😣

📣 From a sports perspective, this can greatly impact our training as we’re unable to breathe properly if our body is rounded and can’t take in oxygen effectively. But even day to day, this kind of posture can have huge impacts on health, tension in the body and can lead to injuries and stress. Building strength in the core can create so much resilience in the body, help us train more efficiently and feel generally better in ourselves if we can sit and stand up tall🙏

We will be working on strengthening this area of the body on Monday evening, as well as enjoying postures for recovery, meditation and relaxation. Who’s joining me? 😃🧘‍♀️

🪷✨Remember you can book 4 sessions for £35 to receive a discounted cost of £8.75 per class, the bookings don’t have to be consecutive✨🪷

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

Well done to everyone who came along to yesterday’s session 🙏 I loved the joy, lightness and laughter you brought to class 🥰 I really adhere to the idea that yoga doesn’t always have to be a serious and stoic practice, it can incorporate play and embrace the silliness and awkwardness that can come with moving our bodies in different ways 😁 this also helps us bond with our fellow practitioners which was beautiful for me to see last night too! 🧘‍♀️✨

Did you know that when we talk about core strengthening, we’re not just talking about the abs? When working with this area of the body, we look to strengthen the back, pelvic area, hips, all the abdominal muscles (including the deep internal ones) and even the glutes! Join me next week to build up strength in the core with a full body practice 🔥 modifications will be provided to enable you to practice at your own level 🙏✨

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

I’m looking forward to bringing you a wonderful session tomorrow evening with asanas to promote whole body strength and relieve hip tightness and tension🧘‍♀️✨ all levels are welcome to join the session, all that’s required is some basic mobility 🙏

It’s no secret that I love running and supporting runners of every kind, and while my sessions are sequenced from a yoga sports science perspective, you don’t have to be a runner or into sports to join my sessions, the movements and breath work will benefit anyone to provide strength, mobility and relaxation in the body 🙂

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

(This photo is from the weekend, where I spent my time cheering on 130 incredibly inspiring runners at Sherwood Pines for the Rasselbock Running’s Backyard Ultra… at the time of writing this post, they’re still running!! 🏃‍♂️ I’ll be glad for my yoga practice after two days on my feet ☺️)

Teaching brings me so much joy ☺️ this week I saw my students tune in and connect with themselves. Working with where they were at in each moment, in each posture, they made the practice their own. As an instructor, it’s wonderful for me to see that as my intention is to guide you on your own path 🙏

Who’s joining me on Monday for more hip therapy? ✨ I will take you through a full body yoga experience that will provide relief for tension and immobility in the hips, as well as building strength in the whole body 🧘‍♀️

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

Well done to everyone who came along this week! 🙏 I could see so much body awareness and embracing the challenge of building strength with garudasana 🦅 ✨

Next week we will work on sagittal plane and unilateral movements to strengthen both sides of the body independently and to bring awareness to imbalances that we can continue to work on within our yoga practice in a kind and gentle way 🧘‍♀️

Monday 26th February is the last day for the Friendly February offer, book with a friend and receive a 20% discount

Or you can book 4 sessions for £35 (£8.75 a class)!

Have a great week ☺️

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

Four weeks of yoga classes all done! I can’t believe it but time does fly when you’re having fun 😁

📣 I also want to announce that going forwards there will be one class a week exclusively at Bestwood Village Community Centre (as usual 6.30-7.30pm on Mondays) ✨ This is to support and create sustainability in my work/teaching/training/volunteering/rest/life balance 😅

Next week’s class will have a glute focus! 🍑 I hear a lot from runners about weakness in this area and the impact it has on their training and injury resistance, but building a strong bum has benefits in athletic training and can even assist with things like good posture and pelvic alignment but as always we will incorporate the entire body in the practice 🧘‍♀️ 🙏

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

In yoga sports science we work with a principle of less is more..

👉Movement efficiency + economy of movement = more energy (in your sport/training/life)👈

Sometimes the most challenging thing we can do is slow down, become precise and aware in our bodies. But working with this intention can make us more resilient in our training, resistant to injury and recover better✨

We can strengthen the body, by using methods of opposite and equal loads, different types of muscle contractions and intent, in a mindful and measured way 🙏

Join me this week for a whole body practice with an emphasis on strengthening the deep abdominal muscles 🧘‍♀️

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

That’s it for classes this week! 🙏There will be no class tomorrow (8/02/24)

Next week, we’ll be working on the core! Using yoga movements and asanas to kindle a fire in the deep core muscles 🔥 a strong core assists performance for all sports but also in your daily life! Learn techniques you can take off the mat and enjoy recovery and relaxation at the end of the session ✨🧘‍♀️

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

That’s a wrap on another week of classes! Next week is ✨hip therapy✨

We will harness the power and focus of the warrior to improve flexibility and mobility, we will release tension and build strength in the muscles around the hip joints 🧘‍♀️

As always, everyone is welcome and modifications will be given 🙏

I’m also excited to announce that I’m offering 4 classes for £35, the booking system will auto-discount when 4 events are selected 🥳

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

✨Who’s ready for classes this week?✨

We will be creating some harmony in the hamstrings, building strength and enjoying plenty of recovery with movements and postures that you can take off the mat and bring into your daily recovery 🧘

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

Introducing Friendly February! 😁

We still have a way to go with dark nights and peculiar weather before we can enjoy spring, so let’s get through it together 🙏

For all events in February, if you book on with a friend you’ll receive a 20% discount on the event✨

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

(No code required 🙂)

And that’s the first week’s classes all done! 🧘‍♀️ Thank you to everyone who came along, it was lovely teaching you all ☺️

Next week I will be bringing some harmony for the hamstrings. Running, walking and sitting can all cause tightness in the hamstrings, so we will work on this area in the next sessions with gentle yoga asanas to warm up and mobilise and dynamic movements to improve range of movement and strength, concluding with recovery postures and relaxation to encourage muscle rehab 🙏

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

Classes launch next week! 🥳

We’re less than a week away from the first session and I can’t believe it!

I’m excited to bring you sequences that will focus on efficiency of movement using postures that promote mobility and range of movement in the muscles that surround the joints, stability and alignment in the body and strength and control

Classes will be a full body experience where we take our time to warm up and explore yoga asanas and movements. The first part of each session will be dedicated to building strength, I will guide you to move within your own range and at your own pace. The second part will focus on asanas for muscle recovery and some relaxation to conclude 🧘

We will use pranayama (yogic breathing), and move with intention and awareness. I aim to provide you with a classic yoga experience, plus the benefits of a sports perspective, to help you feel strong, balanced and comfortable in the body and mind ✨

These classes are suitable for everyone, whether you’re an athlete aiming to support your training or someone who is simply looking to enjoy some time for muscle rehab and rejuvenation 🙏

https://bookwhen.com/yogawithjess

*Why yoga for runners?*

Well…because I love running! I also love the benefits I get from supporting my running training with my yoga practice. I wanted to explore this further, so last year, having already completed my full 200 hour yoga teacher training in 2020 and after teaching 121 sessions for a time, I decided to take an additional course in The Science of Teaching Yoga to Athletes. I achieved this last year and now want to use my knowledge and learning to support my local running community 🏃

You may have seen me out and about volunteering, usually at weekends, if not at Bestwood Village Parkrun, then I’m usually helping at one of the local ultra marathons that run throughout the year 🥇

I truly believe that were it not for my yoga practice, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve my running goals. Last year I completed my first ultra-marathon, with support from my yoga practice (and with a lot of company from the lovely runners I know!) and finished 31.7 miles in 5 hours and 52 minutes. I was the 9th woman to cross the finish line! I couldn’t believe how well it went but I also knew that I had supported my body and my mindset with yoga. I consistently put into practice the principles and learning I’d received on the course and I have plans for much bigger running goals over the next couple of years, which feel achievable as I’m working from a solid base

So while the classes I’m running (no pun intended!) really are for everyone, the approach I’m taking comes from my love of running and for the incredible running community! 💚

‘I’m not flexible enough to do yoga!’

This is something I hear a lot when I talk about yoga

15 years ago, when I began practising, I came to it from a place of injury and had a lot of tension in my muscles. I had so many back issues, I could barely get out of bed without severe pain, let alone dream of touching my toes!

As an instructor, my aim is to help you feel stronger and more at ease in your own body, to provide you with knowledge and skills you can use day-to-day to maintain that feeling. The gymnastic range of flexibility, that social media depicts as yoga is wonderful if you can achieve that, but for most, it’s not the goal

Many of us hold a lot of tension in our muscles for a variety of reasons and yoga can help to release this, with intentional movement and breath. Consistent practice and being gentle with yourself, can enable more flexibility, mobility and comfort in the body. And that’s to say nothing of the flexibility and ease it can bring to the mind

So if flexibility seems like a barrier to practising yoga, just know that we all start somewhere and a healthy amount of flexibility for your body will come over time 🧘‍♀️