Meet Christina

Meet Christina, Engineer working on environmental software

Christina attends the General Yoga class on Thursday evenings

What brought you to yoga? Curiosity as my sister had been to a couple of classes and enjoyed them, also trying to find a form of exercise that would fit into a busy schedule of work and other activities.

 
Were there any obstacles to starting a practice? Lack of free time, an awareness of being woefully inflexible and poor balance.
 
 
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How long have you been practising, in general and with Rosanna? Since Spring 2012, with some gaps. I started in Rosanna’s class at St Paul’s, have since attended other classes in addition or substitution but most consistently with Rosanna.

How do you feel from coming to the classes? Physically stronger in my upper body and core, better balance, still pretty inflexible. Mentally slightly calmer.

Do you have a favourite yoga posture/practice – and why? Anything not involving forward fold! I like the warrior poses, as I found them initially accessible and have continued to learn refinement and variants to add challenge.

What impact does yoga have on your life, in general and day-to-day? It’s a good physical antidote to a sedentary computer-based job. Better balance gives me more confidence on ladders for DIY or gardening. I try to remember the basic postural aspects at work and in music practice.

Any words of advice/tips for people thinking about starting yoga? Try not to compare with your neigbour, beyond a basic check of which limb is going where if you haven’t followed the instructions. It’s likely you have a different combination of strengths to them – for example I find the standing postures fairly easy but cannot get anywhere near a proper forward fold, but my neighbour might be the opposite. Don’t be surprised that an hour’s class which starts and finishes lying on the floor can feel pretty strenuous.

 

Are you a Student at Rosanna’s classes? Happy to answer a few questions? I’d love to hear from you! Please share a bit about your journey to, and experiences on the mat by getting in touch here.