Foxwood Yoga

14/08/2023

Did you ever wonder what the letters after a yoga teacher’s name denote? I’m not entirely comfortable talking about myself, but sometimes I feel I need to.

I have finally got around to updating my teaching hours so I am now officially an E-RYT500

E denotes experienced (over 2500 teaching hours)

RYT means that I’m registered (and therefore regulated and most importantly insured!!)

500 means I have at least 500 hours of training (mine is actually around 1500 at present).

Most importantly what could this mean to you?

It means that should you choose to practice with me, you will be under the tutelage of a teacher who is committed to providing the very best I can, by continually updating my skills and taking my responsibility to you, extremely seriously.

You may also notice the letters YACEP after a teacher’s name. These denote that that particular teacher is a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (a teacher of teachers in other words).

I’m now going to update my website and go back to be my usual humble self 😄

24/11/2022

Rest is incredibly important to your body’s health and many studies have proven the many benefits of rest. It reduces stress, gives you the opportunity to be more active, works against the many detriments of a sedentary lifestyle and boosts your immune system. It enhances your sleep quality and can according to some studies can even add years to your life.

Beyond the physical benefits of relaxation for the body, it also plays a crucial role in a person’s mental health. People who take time to rest, find more mental energy, creativity and productivity, as well as developing even sharper memories.

Firstly, it’s important to understand that rest is not just sleeping, and that constructive rest both complements and facilitates a good night’s sleep.

Both as a yoga teacher and a busy person myself, I truly recognise and appreciate the importance of this and have studied both Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra extensively, to help my students relax and reset. I believe that rest is never more important than when we don’t have time for it, and that can very often be during the Christmas period.

To that end, I have scheduled two classes to help you prepare both body and mind for the weeks ahead:

On Sunday 27th November I am leading a 2 hour Restorative Yoga class at the studio and there are currently two spaces available.

And then, as my Christmas gift to you, on Friday 23rd December, I will be delivering a FREE Yoga Nidra class via Zoom so that I can offer it to every single one of my students, without the size constraints of the studio. The added benefit of practicing in the comfort of your own home, is that you can do it in your pyjamas and climb straight into bed afterwards if you choose to.

This class is completely free of charge but I do ask that you book in; not only so that I can send you the link, but also so that I know that I won’t be the only person there 🙂

Full details of both events can be found on Bookwhen which can be accessed here.

https://bookwhen.com/foxwoodyoga =ev-sp34-20221124183000

Sending love and wishing you all a happy and restful Festive season,
A x

20/11/2022

If you fancy joining me for two hours of Yin and Yang yoga on Sunday 18th December, please don’t delay in booking your space. It went live 20 minutes ago and there are only three spaces left 😳

https://bookwhen.com/foxwoodyoga =ev-sjlo-20221218150000

20/10/2022

I have decided that the time has come to reintroduce the monthly 2 hour workshops/yoga classes at Foxwood.

The first one sold out before I was able to announce it publicly (it’s still worth joining the waitlist), so I have scheduled another for the following week.

This one is a Restorative Yoga class for nine students on the 27th November at 3.00pm.

Restorative Yoga is a deeply restful practice suitable for everybody and this one is designed to prepare you for the busy (often hectic) festive season, that is just around the corner.

I am expecting it to sell out very quickly, so early booking is recommended.

Hope to see you there 🙏🏻

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30/04/2022

Beautiful souls, this post today comes from the heart and is looong, so please bear with me….

My recovery from Covid continues at a snail’s pace, but the good news is that at last, I’m beginning to feel less like a shadow of my old self. I am honestly shocked that it hit me as hard as it did (despite having four vaccinations), but I believe this was in part due to my ridiculous teaching schedule - for me, with everything else I have going on in my life, teaching 18 classes a week is not sustainable. To stay well, deliver high quality authentic classes and enjoy the wonderful gift of life, I have to cut back.

Therefore, to enable me to have two consecutive days off a week, all regular Saturday classes are paused, although I will offer occasional ‘in studio’ classes early in the morning (please reach out if you’d like to be added to a specific mailing list for these).

I will also limit the amount of private classes I offer per person, as I am extremely lucky to have so many clients requesting them and there’s only one of me 🙂 I appreciate this is not great news for some of you, but I have to practice the yoga I teach and what is my overriding message to everyone in every class? First and foremost- be kind to yourself!!

I have sent an email that if you are signed up for communications will be winging its way to you- please feel free to reach out to discuss class options. I’m on the end of email/messenger/phone and will do my very best to find solutions to the changes in our class schedule.
The good news is that I will be teaching again from Thursday 5th May and I have gently increased class size from 6 to 8 which is good news for those of you on waitlists.

Thank you beautiful souls for your kindness, patience, loyalty and love - you mean the world to me and I can’t wait to see you on the mat 🙏🏻

03/04/2022

Fabulous Foxwood Yoga clients:

I tested positive for Covid last Wednesday and I am not feeling great. As you probably know, I am immune suppressed but luckily my fabulous Dr is on the case and doing her very best to keep me out of hospital.
As a result, I may not bounce back as quickly as I’d like, but classes will resume as soon as I am well enough to teach.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding

With love,
Alison x

23/03/2022

Beautiful souls,

All in person classes are currently paused as I have been experiencing mild Covid symptoms (although currently testing negative) and then I received this notification 🙈

I am being super cautious, as my responsibility as a yoga teacher goes way deeper than safe alignment during practice 🙂 (Ahimsa = non harming)

I will continue to test for the next few days and if all goes well, I’ll be back on the mat next week.

Thank you for your continuing kindness and understanding as we weather this Covid storm together

02/03/2022

There’s a very rare space available in tonight’s ‘in person’ Hatha class, held at the Foxwood Yoga Studio. As we are still operating with social distancing and therefore class numbers are smaller, this class is suitable for both beginners and students with more experience.

Foxwood yoga is hugely supportive of students with challenged immune systems, and therefore masks are still mandatory at this time.

Visit our website to book and we look forward to welcoming you soon 🙏🏻

20/02/2022

Lovely souls, I am so sorry but yet again I need to cancel all of tomorrow’s classes as we are without power at Foxwood.

We are also without any mobile phone signal, so if you’re unsuccessfully trying to contact me regarding classes, please rest assured I’m not ignoring you
(I’ve nipped out to find coverage to post this).

I’ll be in touch as soon as we are up and running again - in the meantime stay safe and warm, I’m thinking of you 🙏🏻

09/01/2022

My duty and my obligation to my students is to be well informed, relevant and current. To that end, I am constantly updating and renewing my skills because quite frankly, it’s the least you deserve!! This is my latest endeavour….

08/01/2022

I have to be honest and say that I have never, until now successfully journaled, I’ve tried once or twice and then given up. I recently completed some training and when I looked at the prospectus for the course and saw that journaling was a requirement, it wasn’t something that concerned me - I mean, how hard can it be? Oh dear how wrong I was!

To begin with it felt awkward and I found that what I was putting down on paper was pretty artificial and without any substance whatsoever. I was writing what I thought was expected of me and as I’m really not that person, I readdressed this and began to try and write honestly and from the heart. The words that came out were pretty shocking to me as they were negative and resistant and I became angry, both at myself and being made to do something I didn’t want to do ….and then the tears flowed.

“Daily journalling isn’t going well. I’d like to ‘take comfort in my discomfort’ by recognising and seeing it for what it is - but it’s not comfortable, it’s bloody uncomfortable.”

What has become apparent to me throughout this journaling journey, is that I have so much unresolved grief, which has been bubbling under the surface for years. Writing it down took the lid off that grief and out it came.

I realised that I needed, or perhaps admitted to myself, that I needed help, I couldn’t ignore it any longer. I am now receiving counselling and as a result I feel like a new woman.

Why am I sharing this you? I realise that not everyone has as much to unpack as I did, but I have learnt that journaling is a wonderful tool for reflection and certainly in my case, healing. Putting our thoughts and experiences on paper can help in so many ways, including:

* It can help a person set goals and work towards attaining them
* Give them time and space for reflection
* Relieve stress and overwhelm by providing an emotional outlet
* Track menstrual/ menopausal symptoms which might help to manage them
* Journaling at bedtime can aid sleep by clearing the mind
* Develop creative writing
* Clarity and helps deal with brain fog
* Provides an opportunity to understand yourself better.

Who knew that putting pen to paper could be so powerful?

01/01/2022

Wishing you all a very happy 2022!

20/12/2021

Following the recent Covid figures and with Christmas just around the corner, I have taken the difficult decision to pause all in-person teaching until the New Year.

You can still join me on the mat as I will be leading online classes at 7pm tonight and 9.30am Wednesday.

Online classes will resume on 5th January and I will keep in touch regarding the reopening of the Yoga Studio.

May I also take this opportunity to thank you for practicing yoga with me, it truly is an honour and a pleasure.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year,

With love and gratitude, always

Alison x

02/12/2021

After battling with a chest infection for the past week, I am excited to be back on the mat tonight, leading the supremely popular Yoga for Riders class. Due to various bugs and viruses circulating, there is a rare space available, so if you’d like to join me, head on over to Bookwhen or visit my website to book your place. This class although originally established for Rother Valley Riding Club, is open to all whether you have ever ridden or not.

Hope to see you on the mat 🙏🏻

17/11/2021

Hi lovely souls 💜

I’m waving a hand in the air and letting you know that I’m still here, quietly doing my thing.

I realise that I’m absent from Social Media, more than I am present and I wanted to check in and let you know why.

In truth I find it pretty unsocial and slightly toxic if I’m honest, but mainly because I’m too busy actually teaching yoga 😂

I am currently leading three ‘in person’ group class a week in the beautiful purpose built studio at Foxwood and three virtual classes via Zoom which have unlimited capacity.

All of these classes can be booked via my website, or directly using ‘Bookwhen’

Sadly, I am not able to take on new private clients at this time as those spaces are full at present, but I do have a wait list for when 1:2:1 slots become available.

In the meantime, please feel free to reach out and remember that even if I can’t catch you, your yoga mat will 🙏🏻

04/10/2021

The Wednesday evening 6.30pm in studio Hatha class is extremely popular and is sold out and wait listed until Christmas. Owing to a recent cancellation, this week there is one space available!!

To bag this unicorn slot, simply go to https://Bookwhen.com/foxwoodyoga

If you have wanted to join this super popular class but have been unable to book up until now, today could be your lucky day!

See you on the mat 🙏🏻

21/08/2021

Hey beautiful souls, in order to remain focused and be the best teacher I can possibly be, I need to rest my tired body (both subtle and physical), so I’m taking a week off.

I have been leading 18 classes a week since the studio reopened and in order to stay fresh and excited about every single class I teach, I need to take my own advice and take time out to top up my energy tanks.

Classes resume on 30th August - meet you on the mat soon 🙏🏻

19/07/2021

It’s the day that many people have been desperately waiting for and others have been dreading. I’m in the latter camp, not because of my personal feelings, but because of how the studio moves forward as restrictions lift in England. I’m very aware that this decision might not make me very popular….

The truth is there are literally hundreds of Yoga Teachers, but there are not so many of us who invite students into their studios, with immune systems as suppressed as I frequently do. Foxwood Yoga was set up initially to teach People living with Cancer; general classes came much later, so I am honour bound to support those students who might not find it so easy to go elsewhere. Infection rates are continuing to rise (very close to home I might add), so face masks will continue to be a requirement at Foxwood at all times. I don’t like practicing or teaching in one either, but I believe it is the right thing to do. I have a duty of care to all of my students so in the meantime I will continue to:
💜 Keep the windows in reception open
💜 Open the big glass doors overlooking the woodland
💜 Keep class sizes small so there is more space between mats
💜 Provide hand sanitiser inside and outside the studio and
💜 Clean the studio between every class.
💜 I am also researching Hospital grade air purification system, although I might have to sell my soul to afford to buy one 😂

I’d like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for supporting me, so that I may offer help to others, both directly with specialist classes and by continuing to donate studio profits to 🙏🏻