Posts In: Iyengar yoga

My first bout of sciatica 10 years ago floored me. It felt like a knife had been plunged into my right buttock and dragged down my leg. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t walk without a stick and I certainly could not think about anything else. Packets of anti-inflammatories, ice and Panadeine forte turned the dagger into a butter knife, but I was still aware of it. It turned out that a tight piriformis muscle that was entrapping the sciatic nerve in the buttock was to blame. The direct pressure of sitting on a golf ball gave great relief by releasing the piriformis muscle but I needed some preventive strategies. This is where yoga came in.

With so many classes on offer at Unfold Yoga + Wellbeing, it can be difficult for students to decide which they should attend. Really, the best class is the one you can commit to attending regularly! The physical and mental benefits of yoga are heightened with consistent practice. Explore the timetable and think carefully about your schedule. Consider the early morning classes before the day gets underway, the mid-morning classes for a later start, the afternoon classes that will keep your evening free or the evening classes to unwind before bedtime.

Once you have considered your schedule, read through the class descriptions which indicate the focus of the class. All teachers at Unfold tailor the class to the students in attendance. Alternatives are offered to suit individual needs. Let your teacher know at the start of the class if you have any injuries or conditions, if you feel fatigued or if you are menstruating as modifications can be made. Options are offered to suit students with less experience and challenge can be added for more advanced students.

When I first started Iyengar yoga classes and contemplated teacher training, it was expressed to me that I needed to find a teacher within the method and stay only with this teacher, with the exception of workshops run by other senior Iyengar yoga teachers. This didn’t make sense to me. I had always attended classes all over the place and I had a few teachers for lengthy periods of 6-to-12 months but certainly not for years … my thoughts were that the more teachers you have the more information you could gain and the more interesting and fun it would be.

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