Yoga Matters ૐ ૐ ૐ

04/08/2025

*** Beginners Yoga/Therapy Course ***
The next course starts Saturday 13th Sept in St Helier near Minden. Includes Conscious Breathing Exercises, Mindful Movement and Accessible Yoga Postures. Course fee £60 for 6 x 1 hour classes. Saturday mornings 9.15 to 10.15.
To sign up please email: greenyogigirl@hotmail.co.uk for a registration form. Read more here: http://yogamattersjersey.uk/omg-yoga-therapy-6-class-course/
Thank-You, Darren 🙂
@

We are born to live in balance. Harmony is our natural state yet daily we strive to recreate a harmony that is already present at the very core of our ... Read More

01/08/2025

Please support your local bricks n’ mortar yoga studios folks; despite our studio road being undrivable and unsightly for last 8 years parish rates just go up… YM facts: things your class fees go towards ? over £200 on loo roll a year… hundreds more on cleaning products… servicing utilities… thousands on insurances… and the rest… please support your local bricks n’ mortar...
Love YM
@

28/06/2025

Recommended reading for anyone involved in mindful movement therapy practices: Way back at Bikram TTC 2001 Bikram brought in some engrossing teachers from other spheres to do workshops with us including one Jon Burras who as well as covering emotional anatomy was expert in fascia (Darren had same 2005)! Jon's teaching peaked my interest enough to want more training in this extraordinarily interesting field and so my fellow local Bikram Yoga instructor Sharon and I took ourselves off to London in 2002 to attend another workshop with one TOM MYERS, little known at the time but his book 'Anatomy Trains' has identified him as world leading expert in this field today; he definitely created a paradigm shift in the way people think about the inter-connectedness of our body systems. Dusting my Yoga bookshelf today reminds me I really must re-read his book and freshen up on some points but YES! I can say Yoga will work on your bodies’ fascial network ! Fascia forms the largest system in the body touching all other systems. You are working with fascia whether you are aware of it or not. There was a time before 2001 I didn't know there was such a thing as fascia and I didn't go to hell. We don't bang on about it in class either... Fascia release is not what underpins our Hatha Yoga system. BUT. Awareness is good 'tho ;) Om Om Om Register to Free Your Fascia http://momoyoga.com/yoga-matters-jersey/register/
@ 

27/06/2025

🔥Original Hot Yoga classes this weekend...🔥
Sat 4pm & Sun 9.30am ~ All Welcome 🙂
Beginners please arrive early and well hydrated
Simply register and Book via Momoyoga download here: http://momoyoga.com/yoga-matters-jersey/register/
Bikram Yoga Always Hot Always 90 Minutes!
Love Darren & Trisha🙂 x

19/06/2025

FREE BIKRAM YOGA! Good Things Come in 3s!!!
3 THINGS CANNOT BE HIDDEN!
Is it The SUN The MOON & The TRUTH???
OR INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY SUMMER SOLSTICE & FREE YM!!!
Yes! OF COURSE on the ‘Longest ‘International Yoga’ Day’ as usual YOU WILL be OUR GUEST~ We never take money for Yoga on this auspicious day. The sun will be at its highest in the sky (hopefully it will have its hat on too). This coming 21st June you can contemplate the meaning of BIKRAM YOGA in your life. Summer Solstice represents a time of rebirth and healing. Is this Solstice going to be a turning point for you? Add your FREE IYD Pass to find out…
New to YM? Simply register and Book via Momoyoga download here: http://momoyoga.com/yoga-matters-jersey/register/

Yoga embodies unity of mind and body, thought and action, restraint and fulfilment, harmony between man and nature, a holistic approach to health and well being’ {PM Modi} In this same spirit we have been teaching Yoga at Yoga Matters for FOURTEEN YEARS now. This is not about selling a product, propagating a culture or converting to a religion. It is beyond race and language. This is about spreading awareness of a different way of living for optimum health and wellbeing for the individual and connecting with our true Self as well as connecting with the collective consciousness. It is a clear and practical solution that is here and now and is accessible to all. Bliss and Bless to all who work on progress and making this world a better place to live. What better way to celebrate this auspicious day than to take in a Yoga class with your fellow Yogis.

If you had already booked using your passes; don’t worry you will see we have already refunded your account and booked you in again with free IYD Pass. If you have not booked yet just upload the IYD pass and use it. Valid for Saturday only. Love YM

@

17/06/2025

Dear Yoga family, OF COURSE WE’RE GONNA DO A SYNDICATE!!! :) Jersey Hospice Care Lottery tickets are on sale. Would any of you like to be in a Syndicate with us? (2 have already paid! many more asking) so we know you do! Help us keep it simple PLEASE could you be a regular YM practitioner, living on the rock and be happy to invest one amount of £20 (one place per person).
How this works: Tickets £300 each. There are 15 members per syndicate. You turn up at reception with your £20 cash for your share; you cannot ‘owe later’. Please don’t ask us to hold a space without cash. Once we have bought the ticket(s) you will be advised which syndicate you are in (either 1, 2 or maybe 3 – in natural order of presenting monies) and you will be advised what your syndicate’s ticket number is. (Please note, to be super clear, if you are in syndicate 2 and syndicate 3 wins the money is only split between that particular syndicate’s members. From the moment of presenting your monies you need to then work the laws of attraction (ASK, BELIEVE, RECEIVE and don’t forget to say THANK YOU to the Universe) http://www.jerseyhospicecare.com/lotteries
Om Om Om The Universe Gives, Thank You Universe 😘

15/06/2025

PART 3 OF 3: NOW I AM 54.5
I have a happy spine. I still eat what I want to eat when I want to eat it (can’t believe I got away with it this long). Haha ok ok ok… I THINK I can still eat what I want when I want (and maybe I’m not getting away with it – speak to my thighs and tummy about that, not me, my appetite ain’t listening). At my age my once taut belly skin has started to hang from my torso in balancing stick no matter how much I engage my abdominal core; occasionally particular styles of Yoga pants help hold things in! Do not believe for one minute what the 20something year old taut tummied Yoga instructor is saying!!!! That aesthetic IS going to change as you age. Stop LOOKING at those pictures; get real! It is about how it makes you FEEL. You wanna feel good? STOP being so mean to yourself now and come to Bikram Yoga.

I live in a body that has other things to do besides Yogasana… It has gardening to do (killer hedge cutting) because we don’t believe we can afford a gardener but we deep down believe if I stop doing that hedge cutting I will have ‘aged’, It has shower cleaning it needs doing, reaching those high bits in the shower (killer), duvet cover changing, inner window cleaning… stuff for my family… so many things it has to do and more besides… and they are priority! I still think I can tackle the big jobs in the house and garden (I will postpone getting a man in to do those jobs for as long as I can (and I don’t mean Darren ‘cos he is on his own mission not getting a man in to do the jobs either). At 54.5 I am still excited about what I might achieve in my years ahead, how I might actually make a difference to something … (little dreams I will keep to myself)…
Right now? I have everything I ever wanted.

15/06/2025

PART 2 OF 3 : STEPPING INTO BIKRAM IS STEPPING OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
Care! there is a rule of thumb in the world that says, “do what feels right for you”. Largely, it is a good rule … and we always encourage people to follow their instincts and listen to their little inner guru. BUT. SOMEtimes. You have to question that little inner voice/predisposition that kicks in. Is it trying to mollycoddle us? Truth is we don’t often get what we need by doing what feels easy and in Yoga practice when acquiring technique what is REALLY right is not always easy; what is right is not necessarily down that path of least resistance.

Early days I did a lot of ‘feeling right’ in my practice (not pushing myself and following the existing patterns in my body that I had created over decades of poor posturing/bad habits); those patterns? They are always going to feel easier/right… there I was diligently getting absolutely NOWHERE. Do what you’ve always done, get what you’ve always gotten.

You are retraining your skeletal to hold your body in a more optimal alignment that will put less stress on your skeletal and your internal organs. For most bodies rarely is the transformation path an easy path. The more you do this stuff the smarter you get at it, you refine your instinct for what is right (even when it is hard), you are more discerning, you will just KNOW.. Bikram Yoga Yoga is about Transformation / Change

~Even then some classes feel more ‘yinny’ and some classes will feel more ‘yangy’~
Bikram Yoga is a tool that is there to help you live a better more balanced life outside of the Yoga room. But I don’t think you achieve a balanced life whilst STRIVING for a balanced life.
First and foremost in Bikram Yoga you learn to take it as it comes… Some days on the mat it is all more Yin (I am not talking ‘Yin school of Yoga’ here; I am talking about the philosophical concept of Yin as it pertains to what we do) (more Stillness, more laid back, softer; it is important to have those classes where you deliberately do less, do it slowly, Savasana focused especially that last Savasana!), others more Yang (holding stronger, longer, first one into pose last one out, ‘don’t give up’ kinda classes, MORE of everything, more dynamic).

It is all impossible to control. You know that saying ‘People Plan and God Laughs’? BUT at least in your practice whether you are having a Yin or Yang kinda day you get a chance to revisit baseline, neutral, then you can address whatever practice throws up for you. Some classes your mind will do somersaults for first 15 minutes before that Stillness you turned up for even gets a look in ! That’s ok. Observe and accept it in the moment knowing that all the rest of your world (22.5 hours of it outside of your Yoga mat) is still burning/turning as you left it but when you step back into it YOU will be different, more balanced, better able because you turned up on your mat and gave yourself that Bikram Yoga time out.
Acceptance of what you learn about yourself on your mat is the precursor to loving yourself. True change does not happen until that happens...

15/06/2025

PART 1 OF 3 : I AM EXACTLY WHERE I AM SUPPOSED TO BE
I have a Yoga mat. It has a special space for it. I accept myself and forgive myself every time I step on my mat in my special space. On my mat I get to start again. Priceless.

Today my hamstrings are tighter since I started back to ‘proper job’ (you know… the kind with a desk that pays your ss/tax/mortgage contributions and allows you to have a extra to treat yourself)… not the Yoga work kind that will keep you stressing for a decade over how you are going to pay your Yoga bricks n’ mortar overheads and ‘am I going to have enough to pay myself so I can pay my bills etc’… My hamstrings are tighter but my bank balance isn’t and I am not so ‘uptight’ now when people don’t pay or we haven’t got great numbers in a class.

You have to TURN UP folks! You all know that one… You talk about how much you love it and wax lyrical about how amazing it makes you feel but Yoga only works if you turn up. Its experiential. Bikram Yoga is a healing modality. You will get benefit even if you only practice casually but this practice is not just about changing your body. Ultimately it is about changing your life for the better… you don’t want to put that off. COME MORE. Bikram Yoga is not the easy option but nothing worthwhile ever is.

~Leave Your Shoes (and your smartwatch) at the Door~
Take off your usual lenses, your judgement, your measures, your distractions. Make space and time for new beautiful ‘uninfluenced by others’ perspectives to come through.

We have had a few judgy people lately on the free passes (we have had occasional judgy in the past but not for a while.) We ‘see’ them and their agenda standing in our reception. We both have a great radar for it. Frankly Darren and I don’t know why they bother; although convention dictates you cannot say anything… we have to let it play out… but it is a ‘bore’ for us and we can’t be bothered to pit our precious energy against their particular focus; its always a relief when they have finished their reccy and gone; eventually we hear the upshot of it (sometimes it takes a while but it usually comes back to us; Jersey is incredibly small like that).
So when you sign up to come to YM on the free passes please bring your free open mind; Have the Grace try what the teacher instructs (or rest if you feel you can’t) and reserve judgment for after you have tested at least 10 classes in short succession… MUCH later (if at all); why do you have to judge it anyway; if it is not for you… you move along to try the next thing… there will be something else…. Or go back to that space that you felt you needed to take the measure of us from… Similarly we would encourage our own students to be Graceful if they are ever trying out another Yoga school; if it is not for you then be ‘as you were’.

Hey! If the sole purpose is to get a confirmation bias you don’t even have to come along to our Yoga school, just read our blogs, there are over 200, it is all there in black and white; they speak frankly to you of who we are and what we do…

08/06/2025

!Are YOU a Papa? On ‘Fathering Sunday’ ALL Yo Papas, Daddies, Paters, Pops & Dads get a FREE PASS. Just book in the usual way via Momoyoga ADD the Product: ‘Om Papa Day! FREE Pass 2025’ and use it to book for Sunday 15th ~ couldn’t be simpler! Everyone is Welcome (not just Yogi Pops! but Papas go FREE).
New to YM? Simply register and Book via Momoyoga download here: http://momoyoga.com/yoga-matters-jersey/register/
And turn up a little early and well hydrated! ~ Thank-You x
www.yogamattersjersey.uk
Om Om Om RESPECT!
Don’t to forget SAY~ ‘OM PAPA’ on the day!
@

25/05/2025

I was 27 years old when I walked into my first Bikram Yoga class. That was 27 years ago. i.e. I have been attempting to practice Bikram Yoga for 27 years now! So. I thought. I’d write down 27 things I have learned in that time (so hard not to have 100 but 27 is my magic number today). Some of them are things you hear me bang on about every class; that is because I truly believe them. Some of them are age old adages; but just because they are old doesn’t mean they are not true! Some of them took me years to learn. Others I learned quickly but the hard way. Some of them I have to keep reminding myself...

1. You already have everything you need (but if you want more GIVE what you want)
2. Tread lightly (you wouldn’t want to tread on anyone’s dreams now would you)
3. Don’t let fear hold you back from anything (fear stopped me going to my first Bikram Yoga class 2 months earlier than I actually did – just think! I could have been doing this stuff 27.2 years!!)
4. Body not stiff, mind is stiff
5. Bikram Yoga is waaaay more than just posturing (and is deeply rooted in Yogic tradition)
6. Stillness can be just as powerful as action (sometimes all you need is a little bit of peace and quiet)
7. Keep it simple (stop overanalysing everything)
8. ‘Change’ is the only constant (we do it every class)
9. If you put an intention behind something it becomes more powerful (always bring your intention to class with you ~ where your mind goes your body will follow)
10. Never underestimate the value of a ‘like minded’ community (oodles of ‘like minded’ at YM)
11. EVERY body is capable (everybody every body ~ stop underestimating yourself)
12. You have to meet yourself where you are on the day (different every day)
13. Keep the energy of one’s own practice in the moment distinct from the energy of others around you (see my blogs for considerations on this)
14. There is no such thing as a Yoga injury, only an ego enjury (listen to your body)
15. A yoga practice or pose is not an end goal; if you are attached to outcomes you won’t enjoy it as much
16. Nurture the beginner’s mind (Always)
17. Resistance is a ‘choice’ (choose to Let Go)
18. To ‘fall out’ from work hard is an honourable state
19. You owe it to yourSelf first and then to others to be get as much out of your class as you can (others will benefit from your investment in yourSelf)
20. In giving to others we give to ourselves because in truth, there is no ‘other’
21. Anatomy is super confusing; so you can’t just look 'at' it - you have to look at the individual that is dressed up in the anatomy
22. Compassion isn’t what people think it is
23. Getting the breath ‘down’ takes your practice ‘up’ a notch
24. ‘Letting Go’ of what no longer serves you will be an ongoing lifelong practice
25. There is always time to cultivate Grace
26. Feeling and expressing Gratitude allows us to participate in the flow of life (~Thank you~ for giving me purpose)
27. Enjoy the puns.... I'm gonna keep them comin' folks! It doesn't matter ~ it WILL all be ok in the end ~ we come from energy and will turn back into energy, we are only matter for a very short time we have to learn to be okay with whatever the energy is! It doesn’t bear up to any judgment whatsoever; it is always going to be what it is and it just won’t matter in the end... right now, it doesn't matter but Yoga Matters! sorry folks, I am a very simple person and just can’t resist any obvious pun...

05/05/2025

~LILY MATTERS ~ Yoga Matters & Aston Services Ltd have today put £3,840 to Lily McGarry’s gofundme a/c.
Everybody wants to reach out, embrace and give Lily a lift. The best we can do right now besides kind thoughts and sending Love is sending money to help support. Aston Services matched what YM are donating to get to this total.
~THE POWER OF TWO~ Thank You to Rob P. who arranged the ~YM~ASTON SERVICES LTD~ match to amplify the support for Lily.
~THANK YOU~ to those who embraced Lily by:
~coming to class this week AND putting money in the purple bucket too
~coming to Extra extra classes outside their normal schedule to support
~gave up a class pass even though they couldn’t come this week
This amounted to total Class Fees this week of £1,429 ! and Cash Gifts £491 ! = £1920 !!
Also thank you Jordan E. for counting the cash!
Namaste