A Students Profile (Andrew Butcher):
I regularly attend Monday night Yoga class at Warrington Methodist Church on Bold Street with experienced yoga teacher Paul Houghton. I find that Paul’s breadth of experience allows him to tailor his classes to the size and experience levels of his students. There is always a slightly different way to do familiar poses or even completely new exercise.
What was your starting point:
In a funny way I have always done yoga since an early age. My mother is a yoga teacher, you see, and when I was a child I used to be ill a lot. So when I wasn’t able to go to school, mum would let me sit at the back of her classes. Most of the time I would read comics but in between I would watch the poses and listen to the teaching. That was really my first introduction to yoga.
Later on as a teenager and then a student I played a lot of Rugby. This is a sport about strength and power which in some ways is opposite to yoga. Quite often before going to bed I would do some stretching to help loosen tight muscles from the training or matches. Because I’d sat in those classes when I was younger I had an idea of which poses would help. I know it helped to; I certainly had a lot less injuries at university than most of my team mates so it must have had an effect. I also noticed I would sleep better, which when you’re studying can be really important.
Actions Taken:
Then when I started in the world of work and realised that the job I enjoyed would involve sitting at a computer screen, I knew I needed something to counter act the effects of sitting. This is where keeping healthy and doing a variety of activities is so important. And this is why, when I moved to Warrington, finding a regular yoga class with an experienced teacher was the first thing on my list.
I’ve probably been attending Paul’s classes since 2007 which, besides a big break while working away, has been a regular part of my Monday nights. It’s a great way to start the week.
Achievements:
I’d like to be able to say I can now bend over backwards or do the splits, but I can’t. My muscles are strong from the rugby training so I would need to do a lot more yoga (every day) to change the way my body works. For now it is just about maintaining my current level of health and not getting worse.
Really though for me, that’s not what yoga is about. It’s about listening to your body. Your body will tell you when it is stiff, tired or stressed. It will tell you when a group of muscles are tight or something doesn’t feel right. The time spent and exercises you do in the class allow your mind to take a back seat and your body to tell you how it’s feeling for a change. And sometimes it will surprise you in how good you can feel and the poses you never thought you could possibly do!
Is there anything still to achieve:
Lots: yoga is about living healthy and it will be a part of my life for years to come.