Why The O-Team Loves Yoga
Your yoga journey is a very personal and nuanced one, that’s never-ending. There’s always something new to learn, an insight or pearl of wisdom to uncover, a new experience to have. Wherever you are on your journey, we hope our personal insights inspire you to begin, continue or expand on yours.
Tim Bateman
The benefits of having a consistent yoga practice for me can be broken into 2 separate things:
1) Physical Recovery:
Being a professional rugby player means I’m constantly having to push my body to its physical limits. Being an “older” player in the group also means I have to nail my recovery a lot more than I used to have to when I was younger! The reality is, the gains you get from any type of physical training, be it weights, speed work, agility, aerobic, and anaerobic training, are only fully realised if you get your recovery right. A good Align or Mellow class leaves me feeling mobile, stretched and refreshed so I can perform at my best on the field.
2) Mental decompression:
My life is hectic most of the time, but to be honest, it’s just how I like it. For me, I want to push myself everyday to be the best I can be, in everything that I choose to do. I want to be a great dad. I want to be a great partner. I want to be a great businessman. I want to be a great friend. I want to be a great athlete. I want to be a great person.
Having high standards and taking on lots of responsibilities and challenges means I have to balance that work out, or I get burnt out. A consistent Yoga and Meditation practice keeps my mind clear and decompressed so I can keep pushing myself forward off the mat.
Jess Smith
Yoga had me at day #1, it brought me home to my body and the space that I could trust the most… My own intuition.
Ceri Blythe
Because of the deep blissful state it takes me at the end of each practice. It will always give me space to process, breathe, and heal.
Ellie Cooper
I started practicing yoga because of how grounded I felt afterwards. It got me out of my head and into my body and really helped me process the ups and downs in life in a more balanced way.
I started teaching because I wanted to share that feeling and the practice with others.
I continue to practice because it still helps me ground down like nothing else. It’s the place I return to everyday to return back to myself. I hope my teaching enables others to feel and do the same.
Alysa Greenland
I was born without a thyroid, and throughout most of my life, I pretended it wasn’t a big deal (and to be honest, I’ve only recently started opening up about it). But your thyroid is a pretty bloody important gland within the body that regulates your heart rate, breathing, central nervous system, metabolism and energy levels (to name a few). My hormone levels were constantly high or low. One day I would feel down and unmotivated, the next day, anxious with excessive energy. I couldn’t find balance, and it wasn’t just that I couldn’t get my thyroxine dosage right. My mind and body were out of balance, and I didn’t have the tools or knowledge to do anything about it. It’s taken me years to realise that my yoga practice was what eventually taught me to feel balanced, and to be mindful of the high’s and low’s. Experiencing them now with acceptance and understanding, not frustration and anger. Yoga has been my saving grace and I’ve seen it be that for others time and time again. This is why I teach.
Jessie Lynch
I still laugh at my very first foray into yoga and how I left hating the class and didn’t go back until bikram was a thing. After doing my first bikram class, I was hooked because the intensity of it allowed me to totally switch off from my life. So what I’m saying is, it was essential to find a style that suited me... And to this day, the yoga I choose to practice constantly evolves with my ever changing lifestyles, moods, seasons, locations etc. I see it as bookends to my lifestyle; it supports everything I do.
Jess Buchananan
Yoga has been an absolute lifesaver for me. I started practicing bikram initially and was hooked on the intensity of it, it helped me switch my brain off. It has evolved to enjoying slower practices as I've grown and my needs have changed over the years. I have stage 4 endometriosis, and have no doubt that yoga has been pivotal in supporting me when things are hard.
Babs Leyten
I started practicing Yoga regularly while living in the UK, bikram style, and I was hooked with the intensity, improving my strength, flexibility and balance. I joined a gym previously, however I felt more at home in a Studio with a community feel. I kept practicing Yoga & Pilates on my travels, even while sailing across the Indian Ocean! For so many benefits: mentally, physically and emotionally felt lighter, free, empowered, more in my body and out of my head. I tend to overthink a lot and compare myself to others, want to push myself to the limit, so Yoga has taught me to slow down, go inwards and enjoy the journey. I am teaching Yoga now to share this knowledge and love with others so they can also gain all the amazing benefits!
Donna Boese
I was looking for something to help support my body to sustain the lifestyle I choose. Which is owning a massage business and maintaining strength as I grow old. Preventing pain in my body, especially my joints is also really important. With Yoga, I also get the added bonus of being in a meditative state.
Casey Bell
I don’t really know how to put this in an eloquent way but I can say with almost 100% certainty that if I didn’t discover yoga when I did, I wouldn’t be who I am today. So, it’s mental health for me! I don’t really enjoy practicing that much (LOL) but it’s what the practice does for me as to why It’s been a staple in my life for so long. Why I teach? Same reason really, if I can help even one person find the tools to come out of their own murky depths, then that’s all I could ever want from teaching!