Yoga with Josie

Is it too late to say Happy New Year?
I took a break for a few weeks to enjoy Christmas with my family and friends 💚

I’m returning to a routine and making choices to suit the season I am in. It’s so tempting the dive into “new year, new me” mentality, but my body is telling me to stay warm, stay cosy, read a book, get some fresh air when the sun is out. Eat nourishing food packed with veggies, cuddle with the animals, move gently.

If your body is telling you to try something new, Bradford Yoga Centre classes return this week (Monday 8th) at 17:30-18:45. I look forward to seeing you there!

We explore breath-work, mindful movements with accessible options for all levels of experience and play with balances & inversions to help change our perspective.

Forrest yoga | pranayama | Yorkshire yoga teacher | Bradford Yoga Centre | asana

I’m teaching my last public class of 2023 tomorrow (Monday) at Bradford Yoga Centre 🤩

I’ve got a few more days at work too, but I’m really looking forward to a chunk of time off with family and friend catch ups 💚

If you’ve been thinking about starting yoga in the New Year, you could get ahead of the resolutions and join me Monday at 17:30!

Gift idea for the yogi in your life… a yoga pass!

This gift card can be used at Ilkley Yoga Centre and Bradford Yoga Centre in person classes, and for online classes too!

Happy Gifting 🎁

A little bit of upside down to help change your perspective 💚

Down dog on the wall one leg up

Yoga teacher | Forrest Yoga | Yorkshire | inversion | asana

✨New date and time!✨

Join me on our Journey to Splits workshop, featuring meditation, breath work and juicy hip focused asana.

You don’t have to be super flexible, ✨it’s a journey✨ and there will be options to move through to meet you where you’re at.

I’d love to share this workshop with you at Ilkley Yoga Centre.

L!nk in b!o to book

✨I taught my first class 7 years ago✨

I love having these markers and anniversaries to help me reflect and see how I’ve grown and changed.

I like to envision what my next year could look like; what I might want to learn or aim for.
It’s so great to get excited and inspired for the year ahead!

This is my concentration face 🤣

Focusing on the breath helps us to stay in the present moment. This is why I start my class with pranayama (breathing practises) to initiate that connection.

When we’re present, we can feel what’s going on in our body more.

Balances humble us, encourage us to ground through the anchor points, noticing any micro-movements in the feet/ankles/hands/arms, and we must keep breathing!

It’s a lot. But it helps us to stay present.

Join me Monday 17:30-18:45 for Forrest Yoga all levels at Bradford Yoga Centre 💚

We will be doing some balancing and breathing!

What’s your favourite balance posture?
Mine is half moon; I like the hip opening space I can find!

I’m covering on Wednesday 5th at 17:30 at Bradford Yoga Centre 🙏🏻 so add that to your schedule!

Come along to kick off the new (school) year and get some me time back in your life

Ps. This pic is Ilkley Yoga Centre, not Bradford, in case you wonder where the barre went

Elbow to knee and it’s many variations.

Love it or hate it, it features in (almost) all Forrest Yoga classes. It’s a great way to build heat & mind/body connection ahead of the hot part of the class that follows!

There are ways to make it more challenging, such as adding another tailbone curl & ways to accommodate injury such as feet on the floor and bringing one knee up.

There’s a version to meet you wherever you’re at.

What’s your favourite?

Mine is abs with a roll 😅 or straddle lifting through! Not twisted root abs though!

Shoulder stand is not my favourite 🤣

But it’s a nice way to do an inversion without doing a typical inversion; asana such as down dog, headstand, forearm balance etc.

It’s a great option if you don’t like the feeling of having the head down and also has the benefit of improving digestion!

What’s your favourite inversion?

We’ll be touching on some inversions in my class tomorrow at Bradford Yoga Centre 17:30-18:45

Thanks for the inspo yesterday 🥰

This seated side bend feels *fantastic* when you’ve been sat down too long, or gardening all day, or decorating the living room… basically, it’s great any time!

You’ll find side bends scattered throughout my classes as a great way to encourage breathing into the side ribs.

Join me on Monday at 17:30 for an all levels Forrest Yoga class at Bradford Yoga Centre. Book via MindBody.

Featuring side bends!

I said to a friend the other day,
“I’m in my plateau era!”

And as I’ve thought back to that over the last few days, I think we should normalise that.
It doesn’t all have to be (and shouldn’t be) go, go, go, driving and striving and chasing that cortisol high.

Normalise taking a break, resting, doing something quiet and creative and calm because it nourishes you, not because you need to learn something, earn something or gain something from it.

There’s space in the quiet and choice in the calm.
Enjoy it whilst you’ve got it, because as we know, the only thing certain is change.

☀️ Happy Summer Solstice ☀️

Throwback to my last workshop at . I love holding space for you at such a gorgeous studio.

Enjoy the longest day; take some time for you even if it’s sitting quietly and just noticing your breath for a few minutes, or walking barefoot in the garden 🪴

More workshops are in the pipeline and I would love to see you there soon!

Getting ready for my juicy spine workshop at Ilkley Yoga Centre on Sunday!

We’ll have some meditation, some breath-work, ab exercises, standing poses, twists, balances, probably some laughs, hands on assists and a lovely long Savasana to close 🙏🏻

L!nk in b!o to join, it’s a bargain at £25 for non-members 💚

Can’t really think of a better way to round off a weekend!

Do you spend much time on your tip toes?
It can add an extra dimension to balancing postures, even on 2 legs!

Stretching through the sole of the foot and spreading through the toes can help us connect more solidly with the ground.

For a counterpose, lay the tops of the feet down, sit back on the heels and lean back, possibly lifting the knees from the floor too.

Did you know there are chair versions for the majority of asanas?

It’s easy to see how twists and forward bends can work, but Warrior 2 and even handstand can be done with a chair.

It’s a great way to make a class more accessible, or keeping active during injury or illness.

A simple chair without arms is more suitable than the one I’ve got here!

We don’t spend much conscious time balancing on one leg.

I’ve been including a scattering of balance postures throughout my classes. Sometimes we hold them statically and you can feel the tiny movements in the standing leg and foot as it adjusts. Sometimes it has movement to it and we may flow through 3 postures or add in arm movements to make it challenging in a different way.

I’ve been balancing on one leg for one minute (then swapping) whilst brushing my teeth! The electric toothbrush even times you. Perfect way to multitask.

How can you add a little balancing into your day?

I am teaching 2 classes this week.

Monday 6:30-7:30am
Online only

Monday 17:30-18:45
Bradford Studio

If you’re looking for something else, I also have a workshop on
Sunday 2nd April
Ilkley Studio
17:30-20:00

💚💚💚

I’m looking forward to holding space at the beautiful Ilkley Yoga Centre.

✨ Spring Clean Your Spine ✨
We’ll be wringing ourselves in all directions, shedding some of the Winter sluggishness and finding lightness in the body 💚

Forrest Yoga Workshop
2nd April 17:30-20:00
Ilkley Yoga Centre

Reserve your space on MindBody, £25 or discounted for unlimited members.

Getting the 🍑 above the shoulders to get used to the alignment in inversions.

Tip-toe the feet towards the face and bring the knees in towards the body when lifting the feet up sloooowly.

Find lightness and take the feet straight up.

Join me on the mat this week;

Monday 6:30-7:30am online and livestream @ Ilkley Studio

Monday 17:45-19:00
Bradford Studio

Continuing with the theme of opening the hips this week; pigeon is a great way to stretch the hips and lower back.

We like to use props under the hip of the bent leg to add support, and to allow the hips to properly relax into the stretch instead of fighting against it.

The big muscles around the hips can store a lot of tension so take note if you have any extra vivid dreams after a hip-focused practice!

✨Move on Mondays✨

Updated timetable:

Monday Good Morning Yoga
6:30-7:30am
Online and live streamed at Ilkley Studio

Monday Forrest Yoga
17:30-18:45
Bradford Studio

This week we’ll be exploring hip openers and strengthening postures to counteract some of the sitting we do when working from home 💚

What’s your favourite hip opener?
I think mine is pigeon but I may change my mind!

L!nk in b!o to book

✨Workshop Date✨
Sunday 5th February
17:30-20:00
Ilkley Yoga Centre
£25 or 2 class passes

Come join me for 2 hours of Forrest Yoga followed by 30 mins of Yoga Nidra with Susie.

A lovely way to round off your weekend!

We will be exploring the pause during this workshop; finding your edge and holding there before moving through.

The pause doesn’t mean that nothing is happening!

I associate this time of year with the pause; resting and getting ready for the shoots of spring.

Book on MINDBODY to reserve your space 💚

Forrest Yoga Abdominals will show up in 2-3 ways during my 75 min classes.

They’re fantastic for creating heat, as well as the mind-body connection to the deep core muscles.

Expect to ache a little after doing these; if not, you could try doing more repetitions or making the movements slower and more controlled.

Which is your favourite?
Mine is straddle lifting through (pictured).
See you on the mat!

Some gentle stretches by the fire are a perfect remedy for a bright but foggy winter’s day!

Seated side bend with one leg straight is one you can do in your pjs. Breathe into the open side of waist, allowing it to expand & spiralling the chest open.

Sighing exhales are a wonderful way to soften some tension from the neck and jaw 💚

Forward bend vertical splits is a fabulous way to lengthen the back of the body whilst also keeping the balance.

Keep the standing leg slightly bent to reduce stress on the low back. Blocks under the hands are a good option too!

If you are feeling balanced and steady, try bringing the hands back in line with the foot, then wrap one hand round the back of the ankle, followed by the other.

Notice the micro-movements within the planted foot and ankle as it adjusts to keep you in the posture.

Warm up before adding this posture into your practice!

Contraindications for this posture include glaucoma & high/low blood pressure.

Do you enjoy this pose? How does it make you feel?

New Year, new schedule!
No need to improve yourself; you’re already enough.

However, if you find yourself wanting to try something new, I’m offering a new in person class at the Bradford studio on Mondays, as well as a Good Morning Yoga session online on Tuesdays!

Mondays: Forrest Yoga
A strengthening practice open to all levels, we’ll play with postures and use the breathing practices to support our movements.

Tuesdays: Good Morning Yoga
You can get straight out of bed and join us on the mat! A gentle practice bringing movement to the body, setting intention for the day ahead. Pets and cups of tea are welcome.

Welp, somehow it’s been 5 weeks since my last post! Time flies away from these little squares.

I’ve had a lovely long (birthday) weekend away in Porto, wandering round, looking at stuff and sampling plenty of pastel de nata (custard tarts)!

Updated class schedule:
Monday Forrest Yoga 17:30-18:45 Bradford Yoga Centre only

Tuesday Good Morning Yoga 6:30-7:30am Online only

Get in touch if you want to get your zen on ahead of the busy run up to Christmas 🎄

We’ll be exploring some asymmetrical inversions in class this week, working on imbalances and how we can address them.

In my practice, I am working to increase flexibility & strengthen my right wrist after injury. Asymmetric poses are useful to stop the more dominant side from dominating!

Pictured here is Flash Prep, one of my favourites.

Join me in person at Bradford Yoga Centre on Mondays 17:30-18:45, or online on Tuesdays 6:30-7:30 am💚