Hi, I’m Debbie and I’ve been practicing yoga since 2014. As an avid yoga enthusiast, I have a passion for spreading the word about yoga and encouraging as many people as possible to try it out. I firmly believe that yoga is an excellent way to improve your overall well-being and I’m eager to share my enthusiasm with others.
Unlike many yoga blogs that are written by yoga teachers, and there are some really great ones out there, this blog and website is written by a yoga enthusiast, your fellow yoga class mate, me! I'm a mum of two with a full-time job (in tech), who spends most of my working day sitting in front of the laptop, and I often sit in a bad posture when I'm not thinking about it (I'm just correcting it now as I type)!
Why I started yoga
I first started yoga at work believe it or not. I was going through some stressful months and decided it was time to try out the yoga classes they had recently started at work. I'd already tried pilates for fitness and enjoyed that, and I'd tried meditation and had seen how that helped to reduce my stress and improve my mental well-being. So, when I tried yoga, I found a great pairing of the two: physical exercise, stretching and core work similar to pilates; and mindfulness, awareness and connection with your body similar to meditation. I was immediately hooked!
I’ve tried a lot of classes online, read a lot of yoga blogs and I continue to this day going to classes in person. We’re very fortunate that our yoga teacher is fantastic and her classes are friendly, enthusiastic and fun. She tailors her classes exactly for those of us working in front of our computers and sitting in meetings all day. She also has a fantastic singing voice, and we’re sometimes lucky enough to hear her sing at the end of her classes, during Savasana (the final resting pose). Check out her YouTube Mantras channel here.
How I've experienced the benefits of yoga
Recovering from injury
In 2012 I managed somehow to freeze my shoulder through a combination of having what felt like a minor sports injury (although it was probably worse than I realized) and then proceeding to ignore it for a few weeks until the entire shoulder froze, with a lot of pain and only about 30% mobility. After many months of physiotherapy, acupuncture, and gentle stretching exercises, the shoulder gradually improved to the point where I no longer have pain and almost 100% mobility. In 2014 I was still recuperating, and when I first started yoga I immediately noticed how it was helping my shoulder (some yoga poses were similar to the stretching exercises I'd been given to recuperate from the injury).
Please note, if you have an injury, it's important to tell your yoga teacher before starting your first class so they can show you adapted yoga poses. It's very important to listen to your body during yoga lessons and if something hurts, stop doing the pose, it's no problem, everyone’s body is different!
Relieving stress
One of the main reasons I first tried yoga was because I’d heard it was great for relieving stress and I certainly feel a lot calmer after a session of yoga. I find it similar to meditation at being able to calm my mind and stop thoughts from escalating out of control. Scientific studies are also beginning to support the theory that yoga has an effective role in reducing stress.
During pregnancy: time to connect with your body and baby
Just a few months after starting yoga I found out that I was pregnant. Following the general recommendation of avoiding yoga during the first trimester, I took a short break before starting classes in my second trimester. I quickly discovered the benefits of yoga while pregnant, including a deeper connection with my body and baby, lower stress levels, and the ability to keep my body active and flexible. Obviously, there are some positions you shouldn't do whilst pregnant, such as lying on your belly, but many others are fine or the positions can just be adapted slightly to accommodate a growing belly. And as someone who suffered from stiff hips and mild sciatica during pregnancy, I found there are some yoga poses that can provide much-needed relief for both of these issues.
When I was pregnant with my son a few years later, it was towards the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, so I didn’t go to any in person classes. Fortunately there are some great prenatal yoga classes online which I tried doing at least once a week.
After pregnancy: slowly starting to exercise again
After I had both my kids, I started yoga again once I felt my body was ready for exercise (and I was given the go ahead from my midwife). I then discovered how yoga can provide additional benefits postpartum, such as strengthening and toning the core and pelvic floor muscles. It’s also a good exercise to start with when returning to fitness after any type of break (through injury, illness, pregnancy, etc), as you can start off light and build up to more challenging poses. For this reason, if you’re completely new to exercise, yoga is an excellent way to start a more active lifestyle.
Maintaining flexibility as you grow older
When I’m stressed it goes straight to my shoulders, plus working on the computer all day, and being an asthmatic, I find my shoulders are always stiff. Yoga really helps to stretch out all muscles, and after every session I can feel the improvement in my back and shoulders. It’s important to maintain your flexibility as you grow older, in particular to reduce the risk of falling, fractures and muscle strains. I’m in my 40’s and I’m almost as flexible now as I was when I was 18 (minus the shoulder injury)! I credit this thanks to regularly practicing yoga.
While these are the main benefits I’ve experienced from practicing yoga, there are countless others that the practice can bring. I’m sure as I grow older and continue to practice yoga I’ll have more to add to this list!
Why I've started the Yoga Enthusiast website
This is the first website I've created from scratch and I didn't know where to get started until I found these online courses. By following their step by step tutorials I've been able to create this website, as well as learn a whole host of new online skills (read more about it in this blog post). And you're also given access to all the software tools you'll need and access to LinkedIn learning courses, giving you the opportunity to learn even more.
By following these courses, I realised I had the opportunity to spread the word about the many benefits that yoga can bring to people's lives. Plus, it's also a great opportunity for me to learn more about one of my passions: yoga. I hope you enjoy the posts and I hope you come and join me on this path of discovery!
And if I can help just one person discover the benefits of yoga and improve their well-being, then my work here is done. Although, I'd like to reach out and spread the word and love of yoga to as many people as possible!
Namaste