We stuck up with Andrea Haywood and Jill Johnson, founders of Cheshire Yoga in Altrincham, Manchester. Each passionate Iyengar Yoga scholars and lecturers, Andrea and Jill have recognized every different for 23 years, having began in an Iyengar Yoga magnificence in combination and now proudly owning a industry in combination, Cheshire Yoga.

Let us know a little about yourselves…

Jill: I’ve been a scholar of Iynegar yoga for over 25 years, and educating since 2007. I’m a Stage 3 trainer, a mentor for all ranges of trainer coaching, and an assessor and registered Yoga Therapist. So yoga existence used to be already very busy – after which alongside got here Cheshire Yoga.

I’m married to Tim and we now have two grown up kids, so we best proportion our house with a cat and a canine now. I’m additionally a grandmother two times over; taking a look after my grandson as soon as every week helps to keep me operating round clear of my yoga mat, however he already does an out of this world canine down.

Andrea: I’m a mum of three (it’s A Ranges and GCSEs in our space this present day), I’m married to Mark, and our circle of relatives is done by way of Echo, the ten yr previous Black Lab. In a previous existence I used to be a solicitor however for the remaining 10 years I’ve been an Iyengar Yoga trainer in South Manchester. I’m now a Stage 2 trainer and I’m fortunate sufficient to proportion and educate yoga to a terrific crew of scholars on the studio. I’m now additionally formally a small industry proprietor – we now have simply paid our industry charges and filed our first tax go back !!

Cheshire Yoga: After lockdown, all the way through which Jill and I had each taught on Zoom, we simply felt that we needed our personal studio house the place scholars may just come, be in combination and apply their yoga. And so got here Cheshire Yoga. Specifically after the isolation of lockdown, the significance of being within the room in combination, having a trainer that would apply and proper your poses and sharing yoga, couldn’t be over-stated. So in September 2021, having leased essentially the most superb house from one in every of our scholars and became it right into a yoga studio, we introduced Cheshire Yoga in Altrincham.

The place did your yoga adventure start and what impressed you to change into a yoga trainer?

Andrea: I fell in love with Iynegar Yoga once I began categories while nonetheless practicing regulation. I discovered that it used to be the one time within the week once I considered not anything else and may just focal point fully at the Yoga. Having had a background in prime have an effect on game, I had suffered an uncongenial damage which had ended in a lot of foot and ankle operations and I wished a special outlet, I discovered it in Iyengar Yoga. From the primary magnificence, my trainer used to be adapting the poses to allow me to revel in the advantages, however my accidents.

I appeared ahead to magnificence such a lot and I attended magnificence each and every week while operating and thru every of my 3 pregnancies, practicing proper as much as 41 weeks with all 3. My trainer made all of the vital adaptions all the way through and my fellow scholars have been implausible and supportive. Jill certified as a trainer and used to be arrange a category in the community and I went alongside to the primary magnificence which Jill ever taught, and I used to be her first actual scholar.

Jill inspired me to coach as a trainer. A chance to additional my wisdom of Iyengar yoga and so to proportion my pastime with others, have been what bought it to me. After 2 years of exhausting paintings, I certified as a Inexperienced persons’ trainer and started educating in the community.

After I began educating and were given to understand and perceive my scholars’ our bodies I in point of fact began to know the enormity of Iyengar Yoga. Adapting poses, seeing the development, figuring out the desire for the rigour, the precision, the alignment, developing robust foundations on which to construct – all of it changed into clearer seeing it via my scholars.

After extra rigorous coaching, I did my Stage 2 in 2019 and as my apply has grown so has that of my scholars. I’ve been fortunate sufficient to have fabulous folks come alongside to my categories and it’s an honour that they put their religion in me and my educating. And they’re superb at making new scholars really feel welcome and a part of the category, one thing which Jill and I are captivated with. How ceaselessly are folks discouraged from coming to a category as a result of they really feel intimidated or fearful ? We delight ourselves on searching for to create a heat and inspiring setting on the studio.

Jill: I used to be nearly 40 once I began yoga, it used to be really helpful to me when I suffered an damage that avoided me from becoming a member of my operating pals on our two times weekly tours round Altrincham, and after the primary magnificence I used to be hooked. I used to be operating in Manchester on the time and my kids have been nonetheless in school, however I loved the categories such a lot that I went from as soon as every week to two times and once in a while 3 categories – as a lot time as I may just spare used to be spent doing yoga.

In 2005 I started my trainer coaching, determined to forestall my “paid” process and once I certified in 2007 I began educating right away – Andrea used to be the primary and best scholar at my very top quality. First of all I believed my trainer coaching would let me delve extra deeply into all of the facets of yoga, which it did, but it surely additionally impressed me to need to proportion this information and exuberance with different scholars.

I spent the following 10 years learning extra and qualifying to show all ranges of Iyengar yoga, in addition to spending 3 years learning to show yoga treatment. As my first profession used to be in nursing that is a space by which I’m specifically .

I’ve been to the Iyengar Institute in Pune repeatedly, and feature had the privilege of being taught by way of the Iyengar circle of relatives, together with Mr Iyengar and his daughter Geeta. Extra just lately I’ve attended categories and intensives with Abhijata Iyengar and her uncle Prashant, so the lineage is constant.

One in all issues I like about Iyengar Yoga is the around the globe group of scholars – Iyengar Yoga is essentially the most practiced college of yoga on the planet, so which means there are lecturers in lots of portions of the sector, and I find it irresistible when scholars go back from their travels and inform me they attended a category a ways away, but it surely nonetheless felt like house!

It’s this welcome and sense of group that we’re nurturing at Cheshire Yoga – we would like all our to scholars really feel at house and ok with our lecturers and with exploring how yoga can assist them.

What’s a standard day on your existence?

Andrea: I made a elementary miscalculation when Jill and I began Cheshire Yoga. I believed that putting in our studio would imply that we had an exquisite, well-equipped, objective constructed studio to practise and educate in. Up to now, so proper – what I hadn’t factored in used to be being a small industry proprietor. It’s been a steep studying curve.

So a standard day will contain getting youngsters off to college, heading to the studio ahead of magnificence to whip spherical with the broom, tidy the apparatus and do my very own apply ahead of greeting the scholars arriving for morning magnificence. That point within the morning on the studio when it’s quiet and I will be able to simply revel in being within the house which we now have created and doing what I like highest may be very particular.

After magnificence we’re fortunate sufficient to have an out of this world espresso store on web site and so we ceaselessly head over there for a espresso and a talk ( it’s nearly as essential as the category – because it in point of fact allows us to glue and make pals and create a yoga group)

My afternoon is spent in a whir of sophistication preparation and all of the again place of work paintings, so workshop schedules, establishing retreats, updating the website online, in addition to a little of social media. As anyone that didn’t know one finish of a pc or social media from the opposite at the start of this, I’ve had to be told briefly.

And don’t omit the canine, who wishes strolling. A beautiful time to stroll and take inventory. I’ve my highest concepts when I’m out strolling. From time to time we do a Yoga Canine stroll (canine now not obligatory) and we simply opt for a ramble, lunch and a talk.

As soon as every week I educate a night magnificence however another way the again finish of the day turns into the time once I placed on my family hat with the children and all that existence comes to.

Jill: I find irresistible to do some yoga apply very first thing – whether or not that is asana or pranayama – it units me up for the day and signifies that I will be able to then spend time educating and naturally spend a lot of time doing all the ones jobs that include a small industry – thank goodness there are two folks another way no educating would get carried out!

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 lecturers in the United Kingdom. This used to be very exhausting paintings, however there’s a nice group of volunteers and paid staff and we’re all the time supported by way of Abhijata and her group in Pune. After I got here to the tip of my time period I swapped Iyengar Yoga UK for Cheshire Yoga – utterly other however nonetheless difficult.

I educate 5 categories every week, in addition to weekend workshops, retreats and yoga vacations. I like all my categories however I believe my favorite is the Simple and Mild magnificence that has been operating since 2008 – with lots of the identical scholars. This magnificence is predominately for older scholars, or the ones returning to magnificence after an damage or sickness. The scholars have created an attractive setting, all of them paintings in point of fact exhausting after which they move to our on web site café for a espresso afterwards.

My day additionally contains ensuring that my trainee lecturers, and mentees (the ones certified lecturers who’re operating in opposition to their subsequent degree of educating certificates) are feeling supported and comfortable with their learning, oh after which there may be the forms to do!

What do you want to find out about Iyengar Yoga ?

When requested what’s the distinction between Iyengar Yoga and different yogas, the solutions would more than likely contain the phrases: alignment, precision, props.

The Iyengar approach used to be borne out of an in-depth learn about of every pose after which their healing homes by way of Mr Iyengar. From this he evolved a scientific breakdown of the poses and the way they must be practised. This calls for adherence to the alignment in every pose and the usage of props to succeed in that alignment. This degree of element permits the frame to transport and open because it must and protects it towards damage.

Through studying to paintings the muscle tissues appropriately to succeed in the alignment, everybody can get entry to the poses versus simply the have compatibility and wholesome. For those who want them, props are to be had to assist paintings in a pose, below the steerage of an Iyengar trainer. And for those who don’t want any props, the facility to keep an eye on their paintings is its personal distinctive problem. Controlling versatile hamstrings in order to not harm knees is, by the use of instance, ceaselessly tougher than having tight hamstrings and the use of blocks to assist extend them.

So in abstract – Iyengar yoga is appropriate for EVERYONE.

Let us know about trainer coaching…

Instructing yoga is a dedication and a accountability; it’s the procedure wherein wisdom and knowledge can also be given from trainer to scholar. Prior to starting the formal technique of learning to change into a trainer of Iyengar yoga a scholar can have spent no less than 3 years attending common categories, and getting to understand the topic effectively. Mr Iyengar has stated previously that it isn’t imaginable to understand if one desires to show a topic with no need undertaken a undeniable degree of research first. Coaching to be a trainer is predominately carried out below the steerage of a mentor, a senior trainer who has taught for a few years, and is certified to the next degree. First of all newcomers learn about the asana syllabus, studying about every pose, educate it and most significantly, adapt it for individuals who are suffering or those who wish to prolong their apply. The scholar may also learn about the philosophy of yoga and fundamental anatomy and body structure. The evaluation is a collaborative procedure run over a weekend operating with the assessors and scholars to make sure that the trainee has enough skillability and information to change into a trainer.

Additional coaching, learning and checks are required to show at upper ranges – so this can be a lengthy procedure!

To cite Mr Iyengar:

“One that has now not learnt the topic completely can’t educate. If one makes an attempt to take action, she or he goes to hurt; hurt the society, the topic and oneself”.

This procedure does make sure that anywhere you might be on the planet, in case you are taught by way of an Iyengar Yoga trainer, you’ll be able to be confident of the standard and intensity in their coaching and information.

Let us know about Remedy categories and coaching…

Working treatment categories is a superb revel in – In Iyengar Yoga that is taken very significantly in order that scholars with bodily or mental demanding situations aren’t harmed in anyway. Every scholar has a non-public programme of poses and pranayama labored out for them; scholars include all forms of issues reminiscent of shoulder harm, neurological diseases like MS or Parkinsons’s illness, recuperating after a hip alternative, and extra just lately we now have had many scholars affected by Lengthy Covid.

Jill has helped on the treatment categories in Pune on many events, below the watchful eyes of Geeta and Abhijata, as effectively enterprise 3 years of research. Iyengar Yoga lecturers wish to learn about with a treatment trainer ahead of they are able to transfer to Stage 3, essentially the most senior degree. The protection, convenience and safety of the scholars is all the time paramount.