Led Practice - now is a great time to start!
How does it work?
Led Practice runs every Saturday from 7.00am-8.30am. It is not a class as such, but students set up as usual and then a teacher or a Level 2 student will 'lead' the practice. The leader will call the poses and do them. Everyone else follows. The leader will give alternatives to the inversions so there is no pressure to do headstand or shoulder stand if you don't yet practice these poses.
What you will do
Each student follows the leader but does his or her own individual practice. This means each student will use equipment for support if appropriate, and shorten the timings if appropriate. Effectively, we are all practising the same sequence but adjusting it to suit our individual needs.
You can sign up for 5 or 10 sessions of Led Practice during the term or you can come along and pay the casual rate. I know some students have signed which is great.
Start Now!
It is the beginning of a new year and a fantastic time to start Led Practice. To make the transition smooth, I will be at Led Practice this Saturday to assist any students who are new to Led Practice and need a little guidance. Sharon will lead and call each asana and I will be available to help. So make use of this offer and come along. The casual rate is $15 and it's a great way to start the weekend! Below is a piece written by one of our students where she shares her thoughts on Led Practice.
Clair's Thoughts on Led Practice
Attending weekly classes allows us to become students of yoga. Being a student of yoga and a yoga practitioner, rather than just 'dropping into a class', is a commitment to sit with ourselves. We take the time to come onto the mat, once, twice, three times a week, or even daily, to observe our habits, to notice what's happening the body, breath and mind. Alan Goode spoke about this in his weekend workshop two weeks ago. Alan noted that a yoga practice becomes a study of consciousness, rather than just a physical activity. A regular and consistent yoga practice gives us the opportunity to observe whats happening within ourselves without reacting. To watch the rise and fall of emotions rather than becoming entangled within the drama of our circumstances.
The first step on this path is to attend a class or classes. Once you are familiar with the basic asanas, it's a great idea to join Led Practice on Saturdays 7.00am-8.30am. Led Practice is not a class but provides the support of other students of yoga. We come together to practice, working at our own individual capacity. A student or teacher will lead a sequence and we all follow along. A very simple concept.
It's also a fantastic way to start the weekend. If you have 3 months experience of yoga, please feel free join the Led Practice group. You can pay casually on the day, or pay on line as you enrol for your term class(es).
One of our students gives her perspective on why we should attend Led Practice:
Why do Led practice?
Having taken some time to get my head around the idea of an early Saturday yoga practice I have become a convert. Now, like all good converts, I’m driven by a need to convince others.
But isn’t it early on a Saturday?
Yes, but you have to get up at some point and sleep is what Saturday afternoons are for. No-one ever felt worse after yoga.
I’m not good enough though…
Good enough for whom? Does it matter? Would letting going of the comparisons and competitiveness make a difference to your practice?
….and I don’t know all those hindi names!
Most of the poses you will have done before and it’s a great way to learn all the names.
If a yoga class is like going to training, then led practice is like playing the game. It’s fun, it focuses, it challenges, it reinforces, it extends, it’s non-judgemental and it gives you confidence to build on your yoga practice.
