Online Yoga – free taster session

Come and try out Tracey’s accessible approach to yoga, get comfortable using Zoom, and start reaping the benefits to your health and wellbeing

Join me on Tuesday 16th August at 10am for an hour’s introduction to yoga, with some time afterwards to ask questions and find out about the weekly classes on Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings starting in September.

This is NOT a yoga class where you watch me and follow along with what I’m doing! (I’ve seen plenty of that and it’s not my idea of teaching an accessible yoga practice).

I teach online in the same way I do in-person. I will be keeping an eye on you whilst I’m guiding you into yoga movements and postures. I’ll demonstrate some things and practice alongside you if I think that’s helpful, but most of the time you’ll be focused inwards and not watching the screen. You’ll be listening to my invitations to follow your own sensations and inclinations.

It’s perfect for beginners, as well as those of you with experience who maybe haven’t found quite the right class amongst the vast array of online yoga offerings.

My approach is not at all unique (and I am indebted to all my wonderful teachers) but I know many of you are hesitant about doing yoga via the internet. The proliferation of pre-recorded ‘lock-down’ yoga classes has put a lot of people off and I want to reassure you that online yoga is not all about youthful bodies doing relentless sun salutations and complicated vinyasa flow sequences.

In my classes we take our time. Everyone works at their own pace – that’s one of the rules! And we interact and have fun. It’s like being in a room together AND you are also in the wonderful comfort and security of your own home. No travelling (with rising petrol costs!); no interruptions from the person snoring through the relaxation on the mat next to you; you can focus all your attention on your practice and your experience; and your cat/dog is more than welcome to join in. What’s not to like!

If you can move with reasonable ease from standing to kneeling to lying down, then you’ll manage very well in my classes. Most of the people who come are wanting to retain strength and mobility as they age – and some of them are over 80 years old, so it must be working! That’s not to say that we shy away from flowing sequences or a strong plank pose. But the focus is on individually-appropriate movements, done in a fully embodied way and in a spirit of curiosity.

In this free class, we’ll do some movements, you’ll get a lovely relaxation, and we can also address any practical issues or tech questions you might have. I want to make it easy and enjoyable for you to benefit from online yoga. And everyone CAN benefit from it, I promise you!

Ready to have a go?

Email me to register your name and to receive the Zoom link. If you have any health issues going on at the moment, it would be good to know so I can offer adaptations and alternatives as needed. Let me know in your email.

Any questions? …email me and I’ll do my best to help.

One last thing… If you are interested but unable to attend a daytime class, please get in touch. If there is demand for it, I’ll run a taster class on an eveningtime and you’ll be welcome to join the regular Thursday evening session in September.

Knowing What’s Good for You

A nourishing day of yoga for World Meditation Day – Saturday 21st May 2022

Through a seasonally-themed yoga practice and lots of playful inquiry, this is a day to delve deeply into what’s good for you and return back into the world feeling relaxed and refreshed. 

I’m really excited about doing workshop days again, especially after such a long break, and I hope you’ll be able to join me.

I think you’ll enjoy this day if….

  • You yearn for a space to deeply relax and reconnect to yourself in uncertain times
  • You want more depth in your practice than happens in a weekly class
  • You like the idea of meditating, but haven’t found an approach that suits you
  • You’re curious about why you do and say the things you do
  • You find yourself saying ‘yes’ when you really mean ‘no’ (and vice versa!)
  • The last two years have somehow left you wondering what it is you really do want in life
  • You simply love spending a whole day enjoying your yoga and being in good company!

The day will run from 9.45am – 4pm. To keep it affordable, we’ll bring packed lunches and I’ll provide tea and coffee. 

The morning session will be an indepth yoga practice, including pranayama and relaxation; and following a coffee break, we’ll explore movement as meditation. 

There’ll be a generous break for lunch so you can go for a walk and get some fresh air (there’s an outdoor gym next to the hall, should you feel inclined to be more active!).

In the afternoon, we’ll delve a little more into what is good for us; exploring our Yes and our No; sitting quietly and listening for the voice inside that knows what we want; and exploring some postures from Embodied Yoga Principles that you can take off the mat and into life. 

The day will end with one of my unique semi-scripted, seasonal yoga nidra journeys, to guide you into a state of relaxed daydreaming and deep-felt replenishment. 

If that sounds delicious, get in touch quickly to book your space.

The day is aimed at people who’ve done at least a little yoga before, but it will also be interesting and accessible to beginners who are reasonably physically fit (able to move comfortably from standing to kneeling and sitting the floor).

Click here for all the details and how to reserve your place.

Autumn Breathing Space

Friday 29th October, 7.30pm – 8.30pm online

Yoga nidra is a beautiful space of receptivity and physical and emotional rest. Through becoming quiet and peaceful, we can listen more attentively to the voice of our intuition. You might have experienced a taste of this in the short relaxation at the end of a yoga class. As your body sinks into softness and your mind becomes more spacious, new ideas bubble up. Problems that were lurking around in the back of your mind suddenly have easy solutions. Inspiration arrives or a decision is made. The receptive state allows deeper knowing to break through the surface noise of everyday thoughts. 

In the Breathing Space, we create the crucible for this transformation to happen. Through simple, breath-based meditation, we dial-down the mental noise. Then we let the body relax completely and through that relaxation we enter a space of conscious self-awareness. And that is where the hands and heart open to receive the gifts of yoga nidra.

Curious? Come and join me on Friday evening for the first of a regular monthly gathering.

We’ll begin with a short, guided seated meditation (sit on the floor or a chair or the sofa), followed by a lovely long relaxation to take you into the state of yoga nidra. Have a cosy nest of cushions and blankets ready for lying down on the floor. 

Get in touch for the zoom link. Entry is by donation.

The Breathing Space is back!

Celebrate the energy of the Autumn Equinox – 7.30pm Friday 24th September

The sun is still warm and the nights are drawing in. It’s time to grab your blankets and get ready for yoga nidra.

Yes, the Breathing Space is back!
This is a regular monthly retreat into a calm headspace. An hour of self-care where I lead you through a centring guided meditation and an inspiring and deeply physically relaxing yoga nidra. 

Come and join me in zoomland on Friday evening and let your body-mind rest and replenish. Let the insights of the lingering season bubble up inside you. This is a liminal, dreamy time as late summer mellows into autumn. A time to celebrate and appreciate what you’ve achieved this year, to harvest the gold of your learning and your wisdom. 

We reach the autumn equinox on Wednesday, when the northern hemisphere begins its gradual tilt into the darker months of the year. Align yourself with the planet and take a moment to integrate summer’s abundance and move confidently towards winter with a deep feeling of gratitude.

Get in touch for more details and the zoom link.

Summer Sanctuary Breathing Space

Meditation and yoga nidra, on Zoom, Friday 18th June 7.30pm-8.30pm

As we approach the solstice and midsummer, it’s time to embrace the fullness of the lovely long days and the balmy evenings…and also to enjoy the quieter moments, when we can retreat into ourselves and just watch the world go by.

Sometimes we need to create that sanctuary of peacefulness and that’s what I offer in the Breathing Space… quite literally a breather from everyday life. An hour to gift to yourself as relaxation and a recharging, so you can go back out into the world feeling more centred and energised. 

We begin with a simple guided meditation that you can do sat on the floor or in a chair. Then I’ll invite you to lie down and get comfortable for the yoga nidra – a deeply relaxing and healing process that stimulates the imagination, brings you into deeper awareness of your body and felt sensations, and settles you ready for a good night’s sleep. 

Email me for the Zoom link, or ask to join my mailing list and you’ll automatically receive the link each month.

A donation is very much appreciated, whatever you are able to at this time. Direct to me (ask for bank details) or via Paypal to traceyrobertsyoga@hotmail.co.uk (if you choose ‘payment to friends or family’ there is no fee taken from your donation). 

I look forward to seeing you in the Breathing Space!

World Meditation Day

Come together in meditation – The Breathing Space, Friday 21st May, 7.30pm online

Surrendering to the ‘now’, focusing on your breath or an external object, or gazing at the clouds…. all these, and many more, are portals to enlightenment… which is simply the settling of awareness (meditation) that leads to the realisation of who you really are… a uniquely beautiful expression of the collective consciousness of life. 

‘Meditation is simply about being yourself and knowing something about who that is.’ – Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are, 1994.

My favourite route to the state of meditation is being in nature. I have several places on my regular walks where I can pause and look and listen. When I rest my attention in the present moment, in my body, being in the space, I begin to merge with the space, to become part of it. I realise that me and the space are made of the same stuff, that on a simple material level, and at a much deeper level, I am the space. Nature is a beautiful and potent reminder of who I really am. 

Next time you can pause, undisturbed, somewhere you find beautiful and calming, just let yourself be for a few moments or a few minutes. Watch the wind moving the trees, hear the birds, feel your feet on the ground, look closely at a flower. Know yourself to be made of the same elements of the earth and the water and the stars in the sky. Being in nature, communing with nature, becomes a portal to deeper understanding of your true nature. 

‘As you sit on the hillside, or lie under the trees of the forest, or sprawl by a mountain stream, the great door, that does not look like a door, opens.’ – Stephen Graham, The Gentle Art of Tramping, 1923.

Centring is another very quick route into a grounded, spacious feeling of deep self-awareness. I like this practice and it can be done indoors or out, wherever you are and however you are feeling. It’s called 5-4-3-2-1.
Begin by noticing 5 different things you can SEE, really looking at each one with the curious eyes of a child.
Then 4 things you can HEAR
3 things you can TOUCH
2 things you can SMELL
1 thing you can TASTE

I promise it will bring you right into the present moment and once you’re here, your mind is receptive to the state of meditation. 

But don’t take my word for it! Have a go and see what happens. I’d love to know how you get on. 

If you’d like to experience other routes into meditation, join me for this month’s Breathing Space on Friday 21st May. The event is free and donations are welcomed. Get in touch for details and the Zoom link. Look forward to seeing you!

the blossoming and blooming!

May Flowers Breathing Space – on May Day eve, Friday 30th April 7.30pm-8.30pm

It’s exactly a year since the first Breathing Space, an idea that came to me while walking in my local woodland during those strangely quiet weeks of early lockdown. The cycle of the seasons has brought us back to where we started and we’ll be welcoming in the summertime again in a yoga nidra that combines the fertile creative energy of May Day with classic Indian imagery. 

We’ll begin with a simple guided meditation that you can do sat on the floor or in a chair. Then I’ll invite you to lie down and get comfortable for the yoga nidra – a deeply relaxing and healing process that stimulates the imagination, brings you into deeper awareness of your body and felt sensations, and can really help with restlessness, anxiety and sleep problems. 

Email me for the Zoom link, or ask to join my mailing list and you’ll automatically receive the link each month.

A donation is very much appreciated, whatever you are able to at this time. Direct to me (ask for bank details) or via Paypal to traceyrobertsyoga@hotmail.co.uk (if you choose ‘payment to friends or family’ there is no fee taken from your donation). 

I look forward to seeing you in the Breathing Space!