We caught up with Andrea Haywood and Jill Johnson, founders of Cheshire Yoga in Altrincham, Manchester. Each passionate Iyengar Yoga college students and academics, Andrea and Jill have identified one another for 23 years, having began in an Iyengar Yoga class collectively and now proudly owning a enterprise collectively, Cheshire Yoga.
Inform us a bit about yourselves…
Jill: I’ve been a scholar of Iynegar yoga for over 25 years, and educating since 2007. I’m a Stage 3 instructor, a mentor for all ranges of instructor coaching, and an assessor and registered Yoga Therapist. So yoga life was already very busy – after which alongside got here Cheshire Yoga.
I’m married to Tim and we’ve got two grown up youngsters, so we solely share our house with a cat and a canine now. I’m additionally a grandmother twice over; taking care of my grandson as soon as every week retains me working round away from my yoga mat, however he already does a incredible canine down.
Andrea: I’m a mum of three (it’s A Ranges and GCSEs in our home for the time being), I’m married to Mark, and our household is accomplished by Echo, the ten 12 months outdated Black Lab. In a previous life I used to be a solicitor however for the final 10 years I’ve been an Iyengar Yoga instructor in South Manchester. I’m now a Stage 2 instructor and I’m fortunate sufficient to share and train yoga to an incredible group of scholars on the studio. I’m now additionally formally a small enterprise proprietor – we’ve got simply paid our enterprise charges and filed our first tax return !!
Cheshire Yoga: After lockdown, throughout which Jill and I had each taught on Zoom, we simply felt that we wished our personal studio house the place college students might come, be collectively and follow their yoga. And so got here Cheshire Yoga. Notably after the isolation of lockdown, the significance of being within the room collectively, having a instructor that might observe and proper your poses and sharing yoga, couldn’t be over-stated. So in September 2021, having leased essentially the most great house from one in every of our college students and turned it right into a yoga studio, we launched Cheshire Yoga in Altrincham.
The place did your yoga journey start and what impressed you to change into a yoga instructor?
Andrea: I fell in love with Iynegar Yoga after I began courses while nonetheless practising regulation. I discovered that it was the one time within the week after I considered nothing else and will focus completely on the Yoga. Having had a background in excessive affect sport, I had suffered a nasty damage which had resulted in quite a lot of foot and ankle operations and I wanted a unique outlet, I discovered it in Iyengar Yoga. From the primary class, my instructor was adapting the poses to allow me to take pleasure in the advantages, however my accidents.
I seemed ahead to class a lot and I attended class each week while working and thru every of my 3 pregnancies, practising proper as much as 41 weeks with all 3. My instructor made all the required adaptions all through and my fellow college students had been incredible and supportive. Jill certified as a instructor and was arrange a category domestically and I went alongside to the primary class which Jill ever taught, and I used to be her very first scholar.
Jill inspired me to coach as a instructor. A chance to additional my data of Iyengar yoga and to have the ability to share my ardour with others, had been what offered it to me. After 2 years of exhausting work, I certified as a Freshmen’ instructor and commenced educating domestically.
As soon as I began educating and bought to know and perceive my college students’ our bodies I actually began to know the enormity of Iyengar Yoga. Adapting poses, seeing the development, understanding the necessity for the rigour, the precision, the alignment, creating sturdy foundations on which to construct – all of it grew to become clearer seeing it by way of my college students.
After extra rigorous coaching, I did my Stage 2 in 2019 and as my follow has grown so has that of my college students. I’ve been fortunate sufficient to have fabulous individuals come alongside to my courses and it’s an honour that they put their religion in me and my educating. And they’re great at making new college students really feel welcome and a part of the category, one thing which Jill and I are obsessed with. How typically are individuals discouraged from coming to a category as a result of they really feel intimidated or nervous ? We pleasure ourselves on looking for to create a heat and inspiring surroundings on the studio.
Jill: I used to be nearly 40 after I began yoga, it was advisable to me after I suffered an damage that prevented me from becoming a member of my working buddies on our twice weekly excursions round Altrincham, and after the primary class I used to be hooked. I used to be working in Manchester on the time and my youngsters had been nonetheless in school, however I loved the courses a lot that I went from as soon as every week to twice and typically three courses – as a lot time as I might spare was spent doing yoga.
In 2005 I started my instructor coaching, determined to cease my “paid” job and after I certified in 2007 I began educating instantly – Andrea was the primary and solely scholar at my very firstclass. Initially I assumed my instructor coaching would let me delve extra deeply into all of the points of yoga, which it did, however it additionally impressed me to wish to share this data and enthusiasm with different college students.
I spent the subsequent 10 years learning extra and qualifying to show all ranges of Iyengar yoga, in addition to spending three years learning to show yoga remedy. As my first profession was in nursing that is an space through which I’m notably .
I’ve been to the Iyengar Institute in Pune many instances, and have had the privilege of being taught by the Iyengar household, together with Mr Iyengar and his daughter Geeta. Extra just lately I’ve attended courses and intensives with Abhijata Iyengar and her uncle Prashant, so the lineage is constant.
One among issues I really like about Iyengar Yoga is the world huge neighborhood of scholars – Iyengar Yoga is essentially the most practiced college of yoga on the planet, so because of this there are academics in lots of components of the world, and I like it when college students return from their travels and inform me they attended a category far-off, however it nonetheless felt like house!
It’s this welcome and sense of neighborhood that we’re nurturing at Cheshire Yoga – we wish all our to college students really feel at house and cozy with our academics and with exploring how yoga may also help them.
What’s a typical day in your life?
Andrea: I made a basic miscalculation when Jill and I began Cheshire Yoga. I assumed that establishing our studio would imply that we had a ravishing, well-equipped, objective constructed studio to practise and train in. Thus far, so appropriate – what I hadn’t factored in was being a small enterprise proprietor. It has been a steep studying curve.
So a typical day will contain getting children off to high school, heading to the studio earlier than class to whip spherical with the broom, tidy the tools and do my very own follow earlier than greeting the scholars arriving for morning class. That point within the morning on the studio when it’s quiet and I can simply take pleasure in being within the house which we’ve got created and doing what I really like finest may be very particular.
After class we’re fortunate sufficient to have a incredible espresso store on website and so we frequently head over there for a espresso and a chat ( it’s nearly as essential as the category – because it actually permits us to attach and make mates and create a yoga neighborhood)
My afternoon is spent in a whir of sophistication preparation and all of the again workplace work, so workshop schedules, organising retreats, updating the web site, in addition to a little bit of social media. As somebody that didn’t know one finish of a pc or social media from the opposite firstly of this, I’ve needed to study rapidly.
And don’t overlook the canine, who wants strolling. A stunning time to stroll and take inventory. I’ve my finest concepts when I’m out strolling. Occasionally we do a Yoga Canine stroll (canine not obligatory) and we simply go for a ramble, lunch and a chat.
As soon as every week I train a night class however in any other case the again finish of the day turns into the time after I placed on my family hat with the youngsters and all that life entails.
Jill: I love to do some yoga follow very first thing – whether or not that is asana or pranayama – it units me up for the day and signifies that I can then spend time educating and naturally spend a number of time doing all these jobs that include a small enterprise – thank goodness there are two of us in any other case no educating would get achieved!
For 5 years – 2016-21 I used to be on the helm of Iyengar Yoga UK – the group that appears in spite of everything Iyengar academics within the UK. This was very exhausting work, however there’s a nice group of volunteers and paid staff and we’re at all times supported by Abhijata and her group in Pune. After I got here to the top of my time period I swapped Iyengar Yoga UK for Cheshire Yoga – utterly completely different however nonetheless difficult.
I train 5 courses every week, in addition to weekend workshops, retreats and yoga holidays. I really like all my courses however I feel my favorite is the Straightforward and Mild class that has been working since 2008 – with lots of the identical college students. This class is predominately for older college students, or these returning to class after an damage or sickness. The scholars have created a beautiful ambiance, all of them work actually exhausting after which they go to our on website café for a espresso afterwards.
My day additionally contains ensuring that my trainee academics, and mentees (these certified academics who’re working in direction of their subsequent degree of educating certificates) are feeling supported and pleased with their learning, oh after which there may be the paperwork to do!
What do it’s good to learn about Iyengar Yoga ?
When requested what’s the distinction between Iyengar Yoga and different yogas, the solutions would most likely contain the phrases: alignment, precision, props.
The Iyengar methodology was borne out of an in-depth research of every pose after which their therapeutic properties by Mr Iyengar. From this he developed a scientific breakdown of the poses and the way they need to be practised. This requires adherence to the alignment in every pose and using props to attain that alignment. This degree of element permits the physique to maneuver and open because it ought to and protects it in opposition to damage.
By studying to work the muscle groups appropriately to attain the alignment, everybody can entry the poses versus simply the match and wholesome. For those who want them, props can be found to assist work in a pose, below the steerage of an Iyengar instructor. And for those who don’t want any props, the power to manage their work is its personal distinctive problem. Controlling versatile hamstrings in order to not injury knees is, by means of instance, typically more durable than having tight hamstrings and utilizing blocks to assist lengthen them.
So in abstract – Iyengar yoga is appropriate for EVERYONE.
Inform us about instructor coaching…
Instructing yoga is a dedication and a duty; it’s the course of by which data and knowledge may be given from instructor to scholar. Earlier than starting the formal strategy of learning to change into a instructor of Iyengar yoga a scholar can have spent no less than three years attending common courses, and attending to know the topic nicely. Mr Iyengar has stated previously that it isn’t attainable to know if one desires to show a topic with out having undertaken a sure degree of research first. Coaching to be a instructor is predominately achieved below the steerage of a mentor, a senior instructor who has taught for a few years, and is certified to the next degree. To start out with learners research the asana syllabus, studying about every pose, find out how to train it and most significantly, find out how to adapt it for individuals who are struggling or those who want to increase their follow. The coed may even research the philosophy of yoga and primary anatomy and physiology. The evaluation is a collaborative course of run over a weekend working with the assessors and college students to make sure that the trainee has adequate proficiency and data to change into a instructor.
Additional coaching, learning and assessments are required to show at increased ranges – so it’s a lengthy course of!
To cite Mr Iyengar:
“One who has not learnt the topic completely can’t train. If one makes an attempt to take action, she or he goes to hurt; hurt the society, the topic and oneself”.
This course of does be sure that wherever you’re on the planet, if you’re taught by an Iyengar Yoga instructor, you may be assured of the standard and depth of their coaching and data.
Inform us about Remedy courses and coaching…
Working remedy courses is an excellent expertise – In Iyengar Yoga that is taken very severely in order that college students with bodily or psychological challenges are usually not harmed in any manner. Every scholar has a private programme of poses and pranayama labored out for them; college students include all types of issues akin to shoulder injury, neurological diseases like MS or Parkinsons’s illness, recovering after a hip alternative, and extra just lately we’ve got had many college students affected by Lengthy Covid.
Jill has helped on the remedy courses in Pune on many events, below the watchful eyes of Geeta and Abhijata, as nicely endeavor three years of research. Iyengar Yoga academics want to check with a remedy instructor earlier than they will transfer to Stage 3, essentially the most senior degree. The security, consolation and safety of the scholars is at all times paramount.
