About Stephanie
Stephanie started her regular yoga practice in 1993, and qualified as a yoga teacher in 2010 with Yoga Alliance UK. While still a trainee she began teaching at Haberdashers' Boys' School (where she was an art teacher), with classes for colleagues, junior pupils and Sixth Form students. The original colleagues' class continues to thrive.
Stephanie has since taken part in many further trainings and workshops,, including with esteemed teachers Simon Low and Mimi Kuo-Deemer. In 2017 she undertook a 100 hours Qigong Teacher Training with Sifu Matthew Cohen in order to incorporate the beautiful flowing qigong forms into her yoga classes. She also continues to develop her own practice, with her teachers Nita Shah and Sue Delf, and most recently through beginning ashtanga yoga with Joyce McMiken.
YOGA and QIGONG
These two ancient systems, one from India and the other from the Daoist Chinese tradition, share a key attribute: they serve to balance our physical and mental aspects, harnessing breath and energy to bring equilibrium to daily life. Yoga classes with Stephanie are founded in hatha yoga, enhanced by qigong, to create rhythmic, gently challenging sequences with close attention to detail and safe, individualised teaching.
BENEFITS
Suppleness, flexibility and stamina
Muscle strength and tone, improved bone density
Injury prevention and remedy
Improves function of body systems - respiration, heart, digestion, circulation, nervous system, sleep, hormones, endocrine system, etc
Proprioception (e.g. balance)
Mental
Calm mind
Stress reduction
Clarity
Focus
Stillness / Peace
Life-enhancing aspects
Explore and challenge our minds and bodies
Become conscious of habits, actions and reactions
Explore the nature of our being, as part of our planet Earth
Suppleness
'Yoga should bring freedom to the body... all the freedom it needs.'
- Vanda Scaravelli
Adjusting Max in parsvakonasana,
a side stretch which expands the heart and lungs , deepens the breath, opens shoulders and hips, conditions and strengthens all major and minor muscle groups.
Strength
All yoga asana, or poses, help to strengthen major and
minor muscles, and tone the ligaments and the fascia which surrounds them. A complete yoga class will include warm-ups, standing and seated asana, forward and back bends, prone and supine stretches, twists, and some inversions, where the body is partly or wholly upside down, e.g. shoulder stand, handstand or headstand..
NB inversions can be practised with modifications - e.g. viparita karani, lying on the mat with the legs stretched up the wall, or adho mukha svansana, downward-facing dog, where the body makes a triangle with hands and feet on the ground and the pelvis lifted high.
Here Max is in virabhadrasana II,
Warrior 2. This brings openness to hips and shoulders, held for several breaths to develop balance, and creates strength and stamina in the body.
Calm
When we twist, we 'wring out' the intervertebral discs, refreshing the cerebrospinal fluid and massaging the internal organs. The release after the twist gives a wonderful feeling of being cleansed, and alert but relaxed. Here Max is in matsyendrasana, Half Lord of the Fishes pose.
While practising yoga and qigong we focus deeply on our inner world. Our body's movements are guided by the breath, so that by the end of class we are fully stretched, cleansed of sluggishness, relaxed and re-balanced, our mind is calm and serene, and we feel light and fresh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the benefits of yoga?
A: A regular yoga practice has short, medium and long-term benefits to physical and mental health and wellbeing. Improved sleep, digestion, circulation & blood pressure, mobility, balance, heart function, bone density, muscle tone and mood are common.
Q: I’m very stiff/unfit/have injuries/medical conditions/had surgery etc. Can I do yoga?
A: Please check with your GP, but these classes are planned to include people who may have limitations – the benefit of starting a brand new class is its adaptability to those in the room.
Q: Is there a religious element to yoga?
A: Yoga is not a religious practice. There are ethical/philosophical elements drawn from ancient eastern religions, but in the West yoga is mainly practised to exercise and strengthen the body, and calm the mind. It’s a kind of physical meditation.
Q: Do I need special clothes or kit for yoga?
A: Simply wear loose or stretchy clothes that allow free movement of the body, and bare feet. If you like the practice, you may prefer to purchase your own mat as this has benefits for you (hygiene, commitment) and for me (they are heavy to transport and awkward to keep clean). I can direct you to a good supplier, or I can arrange a discount for a bulk purchase depending on demand (cost around £10 per mat).
Q: Should I have a good breakfast, bring a water bottle, high-energy snack etc?
A: No big do’s and don’ts other than to take only a light meal up to 2 hours before a class. Please, no water bottles in the yoga room. Some people find their relationship with food changes over time, but that’s another story!
Q: Are there any other rules I should know about?
A: Yoga etiquette is easy: (1) arrive on time (2) settle quickly and quietly - use the arrival time to become still and calm, and please have your friendly chat outside the room (3) try not to step on someone else’s mat (4) help to pack up kit after class (5) respect others at all times (6) Please keep mobile phones switched off.during class! They can be very disruptive, and this is a perfect moment for a brief digital detox.
Testimonials
Since taking up yoga in my late 50s I have felt more energised than I could have ever imagined. I have been practising yoga now for four years and cannot imagine it not being part of my life. At the end of each class I feel totally relaxed yet full of energy. I never want the class to come to an end so each day I try to do a round of sun salutations and just five minutes can make a difference to how I feel both physically and mentally. It is one of the best things I have ever added to my life and I thank Stephanie for the changes yoga has made. Carolyn
I started practising yoga after having major back surgery and have been taking Stephanie’s class for over 3 years. I can honestly say that the classes have not only kept me supple and strengthened the muscles supporting my back but have also given me a great feeling of wellbeing. Knowing that I will feel better both physically and mentally after each class makes me look forward to every session. I am fortunate enough to no longer have a back problem and I know that practising yoga has helped me achieve this. Stephanie is a lovely positive force in the class making every lesson enjoyable. I cannot recommend her classes highly enough. Tina
How lucky we are to have you taking such good care of us! You embody everything a wonderful teacher is. You personally teach me a lot every week and not just about Yoga: thank you! Keren
Thank you so much, Stephanie. Tuesday was such a treat and certainly worth the wait for me. Thanks for your patience with me and for giving me an easier first week. Much appreciated. The most important question is - When do I sign up for next term? Thanks again. Ian
Hi Stephanie -Thanks for the excellent yoga sessions which are really a high point of my week. I went out yesterday to buy lots of new yoga clothes. Having your sessions really forces me to stop and think about the parts of myself I’ve neglected which are so important for feeling balanced and free of stress and anxieties. With thanks, Roxana Some of us were discussing how we definitely felt we’d ‘turned a corner’ in the last session, definitely felt stronger. My back and particularly my thoracic spine area feels so much better – so good as I spend my life hunched over a computer. It is so funny how easy you make things look – you are deceptively strong and bendy. I watch you do something and think – oh that looks easy, then I try to do it and it’s OMG! Thanks so much – I think/hope Yoga is always going to be part of my life now. Lots of love, Sarah
Steph – thank you for your generosity in giving wonderful weekly yoga. It’s the best part of my week! I’ll be doing sun salutations on Christmas Day! Love, Alice
Your energy is inspiring and beautiful Love, Cat
I had not realised how much yoga had become part of my life and just how much I miss it. That is all down to you Stephanie. You have made it so much fun and such good therapy. Chris W
I realise yoga is so important to my well being, so I must endeavour never to miss your wonderful class. Natasha
You are such an inspiring teacher, Stephanie. You make me want to fly down the stone hills at the gravel pit on my piece of corrugated iron!!! I know I will never do that again (got into huge trouble at the age of eight!!!) but now I know how the movements and asanas are supposed to feel they are becoming second nature. I never thought I would need to be taught how to breathe but just that has made a huge difference and when that bubble of panic starts I just sit, even for a few seconds and breathe. It is marvellous and I will definitely be practising next week…. CW
