Day 22 of the 21 Day Yoga Commitment!

Day 22:

This day eight years ago I took a leap and proposed to my husband. And while we have our ups and downs he really is my rock and I can’t imagine life without him. So today’s post is all about taking a leap. I want to know what leaps you have taken today? Or in the recent past?

This past year has been all about leaps for me and my business. First, I leapt from teaching students into training teachers and I have worked hard to help nine brand-new Pilates Instructors start a new life. And I don’t say that lightly because teaching Pilates can be a whole new career for those who are interested. Imagine taking the leap yourself and earning as much in FIVE hours what you used to earn in 35!

I then leapt into having my own yoga studio in a Meanwhile Space in Lurgan town centre. I learnt a lot from that experience and was able to then leap into a partnership with Columbia Gym which has proven very popular with my clients and has attracted lots of new clients too. I am currently planning to leap into Yoga Teacher Training in Autumn this year so please let me know if you would be interested in this. I want to make sure I don’t spend too much time creating a kick-ass programme that no-one wants to participate in!

And, as for the yoga, today was all about leaps – leaping forward and backward in sun salutations and even leaping into hanumanasana (monkey pose AKA the splits!).

Victoria

My moment in the spotlight!!!

http://www.u.tv/utvplayer/everywhere/player.aspx?vidid=141064&chapid=115570&clientid=100000

I was interviewed yesterday about the Meanwhile Space initiative and its benefit to my business. My wonderful Thursday class stayed late to “bust some moves” for the camera and I was then interviewed about what I thought of the project. It was a lovely opportunity to showcase my work and they did help me to do that. Unfortunately, I’ve been left wondering if it was too little too late. It certainly is for the High Street studio but “all publicity is good publicity” and so hopefully people be will be interested to know where I’m going next and will even want to join me. If you’re one of those people, I am moving to Columbia Gym on the Portadown Road in Lurgan and will be running at least 8 classes a week from my new space starting on Monday 9th January. ‘Til then you can attend classes in High Street until Saturday 17th December when we finish with a Winter Warmer Workshop from 11.30am – 2pm which costs £20.

Victoria x

Winter Warmer Workshop

My time with the Meanwhile Space initiative in Lurgan is coming to an end and the Stretch NI Studio in High Street will be closing its doors on Saturday 17th December 2011. While I am sad to be going, I am proud of myself for giving it a go in the first place and then for realising that it wasn’t profitable enough to allow me to continue.

So, I am hoping to deliver a ‘winter warmer workshop’ on the 17th to leave the studio on a high and I really hope you can join me.

Time: 11.30am to 2pm
Cost: £25.00 (ONLY £20 if booked by 12 Dec)
Venue: Stretch NI Studio, 8a High Street, Lurgan

The workshop will consist of:
. Yoga-Lattes Practice to warm us up physically
. Breathing Practice to warm us up mentally
. Relaxation Practice to prepare us for Christmas
. The World Famous Chocolate Meditation!

This can only run if I get enough people so, for more information or to book a place, please contact me and let’s say goodbye to the Stretch NI Studio and see 2011 out in style!   

Then, come 2012, it will be all systems go for the new studio space at Columbia Gym on the Portadown Road in Lurgan. I will tell you more about that in a later blog post…

Victoria

Late summer sunshine

I know it’s been nearly a month since I blogged but I have been up to my eyeballs with preparations for the NEW Stretch NI Studio which is due to open at 8a High Street, Lurgan, County Armagh on Monday 12th September!

In between trying to organise leases, utilities, props, retail products and a shiny new website to go with the studio I have been trying to make sure that there were other high quality local teachers available to take classes in the studio. So I put a call out and am very pleased with the response from local yoga and Pilates teachers. This means that instead of me running myself ragged trying to do everything (sound familiar??) there will be a full timetable staffed by some great teachers!

Bruce White from Banbridge will be delivering Monday morning’s yoga class; Roslyn Dobson from Portadown will be bringing her morning Pilates sessions to us on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings; Una Moriarty from Lurgan will be doing a Saturday morning session. In the afternoons we have Nina Armstrong and Karen Ingram from Portadown delivering some very interesting classes. In the evenings Karen Wasson from Armagh will be bringing us a Beginners Yoga course on a Monday and a Flow Yoga class on a Thursday; Nina will be delivering another yoga class on a Tuesday and Jane Tucker from Banbridge will be doing a mid-week yoga class on Wednesdays, followed by Lisa Donnelly (one of my Pilates Instructor graduates!).

In the middle of it all I’ll be getting to do some great work with yoga, Pilates and my newly-devised Yoga-Lattes class. This class is a calorie burning, core strengthening combo of yoga, Pilates and cardio moves. It’s like yoga with extra caffeine! I am also doing a 6-week Meditation course which will incorporate some Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction techniques.

I felt like I could do with some of that myself so I took Chris away for our 7-year wedding anniversary to the lovely Channel Islands in order to get some late summer sunshine. I think that I’ll get back to it now, instead of sitting in stressing out about the new studio. Just promise me you’ll come and see it and then I can relax!!
Victoria