My 2020 Story

Getting into coaching

18 months ago I signed up for a Level 4 course in Strength and Conditioning. Not entirely sure why as I never intended to coach – more that I wanted to know I was ‘doing it right’. I had often found myself speaking to other members of the gym – unable to help myself when I saw they were doing something that looked like they were compromising their body.

I left the course gathering digital dust – until a few weeks ago when I decided I should make an effort and complete it – after all I paid over £800 for it!

So recently I’ve been making it my mission to watch the course videos, read the material and begin my case study. The case study will be with a lady cricketer – and today we did the initial assessment. I’m looking forward to getting her fitter!

Alongside that I’ve been seeing several of my crossfit colleagues to take them through Snatch and Clean & Jerk drills. I’ve booked the practical assessment for September and in that I have to coach those Olympic moves as well as a strength and conditioning client.

Confidence and familiarity with the flow of the expected material is the key. As well as the ability to read the body.

I’m actually enjoying this now. Those I’ve coached are happy they’ve learned something. My yoga practice and body work is coming into the solutions for many.

So onwards and upwards. Wish me luck!!

Price Hike

When lockdown started I decided straight away to get online – yoga on Zoom. I did that becuase I wanted to support my Yoga for a Healthy Back class – we had made so much progress! – as well as my Yoga for Cnacer Survivors as they are a mutually supportive group. My daughter had suggested I go online to do a before and after work-commmute time class – hence the 8am.

At first I opted to use the free version of Zoom – 40 minutes classes. But after a few goes I realised it was just too stressful. At 10 minuts to go you get a message to say the time is nearly up – and at the end of 40 minutes it just suddenly drops out.

By this time I had set my pricing – £3 for the 40 minute classes, £1 for the 20 minute morning ones.

But as I progressed to the paid version – less stress – but no pressure to complete in 40 minutes: so now they’re etting an hour for the same price. So from next week I’ve sorted new prices – more in line with regular classes, but not quite as much. To be fair quite a few of the students said the proces were too cheap to start with. So now I’ve sent out messages – and feel a whole lot better about putting a more realistic vaue on my time. Win:win.

Beach Yoga

Despite days of crazy winds and sporadic rain, this afternoon managed to be dry, calm and bright.

Which was just as well as I had arranged to meet some students on the beach for my first 2020 Beach Yoga session. Perfect weather, perfect beach. Not too many folk around as this particular beach is just out of the main town area and little-known.

We used no mats, our feet in the sand – and flowed through some beautiful Dru yoga to connect with the Earth and send our energy toward the horizon nd out into the wider space.

Bliss.

I hope to repeat this weekly – do let me know if you’d like to join us.

It’s a Kind of Magic

What is the definition of magic?

Is it something that appears to cast a spell or enchantment? – perhaps an extraordinary energy from a supernatural source – or maybe the science or art or causing change at will?

Or maybe we all have the power do creat a certain type of magic ourselves.

The ability to change ourselves – our body- the way we stand, breathe, move – to create change in ourselves and influence those around us? Our mindset – to create change in the way we percieve the workld around us and often, therefore create actual change in that world?

Without doubt there is connection between the body and mind – and this connection is a 2-way street. We can choose to honour the power within our own being and create change therein – and from there impact those in our circle. Change in our psyche, develop our inner strength, our health and our mindset. This can be yoga.

Yoga – it’s a kind of magic.

A walk on the wildside

It’s good to get out in the fresh air and stretch the legs – walking and running are natural movements and feel good to the body.

Over the last few mpnths it’s been to easy to stay inside and not move the body in this way. Though I have exercised daily – lifting weights and doing yoga – it’s not quite the same as walking or running.

Today we planned to go for a walk – and ended up with just enough time to fit in a clifftop walk in South Tyneside. We left the car on the road near South Shields and strolled towards the cliffs – down to the beach then south towards Souter Lighthouse.

Walking inthe wind seems to take at least 3 times the effort of a regular walk. So the 1 hour walk felt like enough – and just about as wild as life can get in these (almost but not quite) lockdown times.

Radio interview

Today I did radio interview with Keith Newman of Highlights PR for his radio show on radio Northumberland.

The idea was to talk about the business – what it’s about, who it serves and what the customer can expect.

I always worry that I’m going to sound a tad crazy – but we recorded a short piece, talked about how the current situation is affecting the business and what Inner Strength Yoga means to me.

Yoga, of course, helped me recover myself after years of working in the profession of dentistry. It helped me regain my personal inner strength. I’m contantly intruiged by the mind:body connection – how the mind can affect the body, and how our habitual stance and movemnts can affect our mental state.

This latter relationship has brought me to a point where I believe that through yoga we can experience magic in our life. And of course this lead into my chosen song – It’s a Kind of Magic, by Queen.

The piece will feature around midday on the first Tuesday of July and be repeated at intervals during the month. Ah fame at last!!

TMJ pain

Today I recorded a series of videos for my ‘The art of Ageing your way’ Facebook group. The subject is jaw pain.

In dental practice seeing people with symptoms of jaw dysfunction was a frequent occurence. Symptoms range from jaw pain, face pain, groud-down teeth, tension in the facial muscles, tooth sensitivity, loose teeth, broken teeth, headaches, migraines – the list goes on.

The jaw is a complex anatomical structure – and much like the shoulders and neck area, we hold a lot of tension in and around this joint.

Treatment of these symtopms can range from treating the symptom (pain killers, for example), using a bite guard, seeing a surgeon, physiotherapy, a range of alternative therapies, botox inot over-workign muscles – again, the list goes on.

So for my contribution – not intended to replace medical advice, exercises to be used with caution (full details in the group) – it’s a three-pronged ‘face yoga’ approach.

1 Massage – mostly around the over-working jaw-closing muscles

2 Exercise – identifying and controlling the opening muscles around the jaw,

3 Relaxation – both locally and generally

So venuturing between my dental days and my yoga world – my video offering for relieving TMJ pain may be accessed in may facebook group found HERE

Yoga outside

Taking to the great outdoors to ‘do yoga’ is a total joy. Bare feet on the earth – or sand – or grass, blue sky above, a gentle breeze. Perfection.

Connecting not just the mind, body and breath – but with out surroundings and nature.

So the plan would be to arrange a few suitable times and meet a few people. We’d walk in the woods, fields, beaches – whatever, pause, breathe, move.

We may choose a few spots on a walk – or maybe we’d walk to a beautiful location and spend a little more time in one spot and focus on the movement there. Perhaps we could even spend the whole time on the beach sometime for a total beach yoga experience.

The possibilities are many – let’s not be boring! Who’d like to join me?

New Moon – New Energy

It’s interesting, I thought, that last week virtually everyone I know was lown on energy. Moods, down, no moitvation to do anything or go anywhere.

This weekend saw the summer solstice as well as a New Moon. There was also an eclipse on the same day.

All of these events can have an effect – I speak here from how it felt and what I observed rather than having studied in depth these subjects.

I find as the moon wanes towards the dark side of the moon – those last few days when only a thin sliver of light is visible – I feel slow, tired and lethargic. I notice this in others too.

As the New Moon comes forth – and often immediately the New Moon apprears, that mood can shift. As it did this morning. I lept out of bed feeling amazing – and as I turned on my Zoom to welcome the 8am class, it turned out that so did a lot of other people.

New moon – new energy. It’s clearly a thing!

Coming off the meds (part 4)

I’ve been consulting a kinaesiologist to take me through this journey – my hope is to reduce my dose of thyroid medications from the 175mcg to zero – over a period of time.

Kinesiologists can help you find what is wrong when you feel that mainstream medicine may not be the whole answer. They are not a replacement for medical advice – just one of the many choices you have.
They use muscle testing procedures to find problem areas and treat with a combination of massage, nutrition, gentle accupressure and emotional release to balance holistically.

I never felt that taking the medication was th ewhole answer – but it’s only recently that I’ve had the time – and found the person I connect with – to do something about it.

And so the journey continues.

She tests the various medications/herbal combinations yu are taking and adjusts according to how the body indicates it is reponding to them – in other words you leave with a precise personal presciption of what your body needs te restore to balance. We concluded that the thyroid meds were indeed not what my body was seeking. I am now taking 2 different natural supplements as well as my Time+.

Down to 50mcg and counting…