Michelle Finlay Yoga

Chair Yoga is making a comeback to the ELM Community Centre and Wellbeing Hub at the end of this month at a new earlier time of 11.45am on Fridays.

Let me know if you can make it! Share with anyone who might benefit!

Before you come at me in the comments about consent - that's a tricky subject in the context of a group class.

Unless everyone present was made aware well in advance that photography would be happening in your class on that date, and they had the option to stay home if they didn't want to be photographed - and even then if it's a regular class, people forget stuff like this all the time and may not be 100% comfortable but will go along to get along to avoid being the odd one out in a group.

I'm not a massive fan of rules and regulations but what I do think is important is personal autonomy and privacy and an individual's right not to be exploited by a business.

Recently I've seen yet another post of a teacher taking a selfie while her students are in savasana.

It's done in a way where you can't really identify the people but you can see them in the background. If I was at that class, I'd know it was me. And other people in that class would recognise themselves and each other because of what they are wearing, colour of their mats and position in the room.

For those reasons they may have a valid compliance complaint under GDPR.

But aside from the legalities, it's just a sh*tty thing to do to your students. Yes, they might look serene and peaceful on the outside as they practice but they could be going through hell on the inside.

They could be reliving an argument, dealing with grief, or just having a really tough time in general that they probably don't want to see plastered over the Internet when they get home.

You're there to teach yoga which is about being present with what is.

Leaning into reality as it is; the good, the bad and the ugly.

When you understand what it means to be trusted by your students to guide them through their practice and respect their boundaries, you leave the camera alone.

Somewhere along the way yoga got mushed in with the spa experience. Where the space has to be serene and quiet with the exact right temperature and lighting and free from all distractions.

Whilst cultivating this kind of space is nice. It's not reflective of real life which can be noisy and messy and chaotic.

You can't teach equanimity by removing everything that disturbs the peace. That would be like teaching someone to drive on empty roads and expecting them to be ready to navigate rush hour in the city.

When you understand some yoga philosophy you're not afraid of the stuff people bring into the practice space... their sadness, grief, bad moods etc because you understand this is where they are and this is where they need to be met.

You can confidently communicate that yoga is less about running away from life's issues and more about learning to navigate them with greater resilience.

As a yoga teacher it's hard to admit that your 200hr YTT wasn't as sufficient as other courses out there. But I'll let you in on a secret - none of them are!

200hrs is the equivalent of about half a school term. And not all of those 200hrs are classroom, contact hours.

During the time you have with your teacher,

you're learning poses
sun salutations
anatomy
how to sequence
how to help people with injuries and conditions to keep everyone safe physically
how to offer and use props
how to guide a relaxation
and if you're lucky, a little bit about yoga philosophy

Most 200hr courses are focused on the physical aspect of the practice. How to teach people to move their bodies.

You might have signed up for a 200hr training thinking that you'd learn all of this AND all about the history and philosophy.

But the reality is there's only so much you can fit in to a short 200hr course.

Give yourself a break. Be kind to yourself. 200hrs is just the beginning. No one expects you to know everything. No one expects you to have the sutras digested and memorised.

The fact that you realise you need more knowledge is a good thing.

It means you care.

You care enough about yoga to know that there is more to it than the physical practice you've been taught. You care enough about your students to want to offer them something more meaningful than a sequence of poses. And you care enough about the practice to want to understand the teachings that sit underneath it.

So please don't beat yourself up for what you don't know yet.

But don't use your 200hr training as a reason to stop learning either.

If you love yoga, then yoga philosophy deserves your attention. Because the philosophy is what gives the physical practice its context, its purpose and its depth.

This is our Tuesday Chair Yoga class for women. And it's fully funded by Wellbeing Workshops so free to attend! No need to book, just turn up! 💚

🧘‍♀️ WOMEN’S IN-PERSON SEATED YOGA

Join Michelle Finlay Yoga for a welcoming weekly seated yoga session designed especially for women.

Enjoy gentle, mindful movement, calming breathing, and relaxation, all without getting up and down from the floor. These supportive sessions can help improve mobility, release tension and calm the mind.

📅 Every Tuesday, 15 September–15 December
⏰ 11.30am–12.30pm
📍 St Budeaux Baptist Church, Fletemoor Road, St Budeaux, Plymouth PL5 1TF

✔ Suitable for all ages and abilities
✔ Ideal for anyone with limited mobility or who is new to yoga
✔ No previous yoga experience needed
✔ All movements can be adapted to suit your needs
✔ Women-only, friendly and supportive environment

Please wear comfortable clothing and bring a drink. Chairs will be provided.

Sessions are delivered by Michelle Finlay on behalf of Wellbeing Workshops Devon CIC.

This welcoming session is open to all women, including trans women

Spaces are limited, so advance booking is recommended.

She'd tried so many different methods, classes and relaxation techniques in the past and none of them worked for her.

She was beginning to think that there was something wrong with her.

She was about to give up but agreed to come along to my class because her friend wanted company but she didn't expect much from the class.

What she got from this class that she hadn't experienced before...

There was time and space for exploration and feeling in various positions and the invitation was for her to land with what felt right in her body today.

From the outset she was given autonomy. She was invited to tune into her own experience that day and to make decisions about what she chose to engage with and what she didn't.

She was given enough options to explore without feeling overwhelmed and she knew that it didn't matter if she was doing it "wrong" or "right" because that isn't the point.

For her, this was a game changer. She not only figured out what works for her own body, but she learnt that she is in charge of what goes where.

She felt trust in herself and trust in her body. This led to her feeling so relaxed because her nervous system finally felt safe enough to let her.

Have you ever had that moment when something just clicked in your practice (or life) because you were given the space to do it your own way?

Grateful for a weekend of friendship, honest conversations about trusting ourselves in this crazy world, and sunshine.

Cups well and truly filled.

Thank you Ali

True story.

A yoga student shared with me recently how much she appreciates my inclusion of the "mind stuff" in the practice.

This is a complete practice. When you watch what your mind is doing in a yoga practice, you begin to notice how it might be affecting your life. From there you can apply what you learn in your practice to your life.

If you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders from your job, it can be the difference between going home and snapping at your partner and kids and knowing that you need just a little bit of space between office and home to decompress so that when you walk through that door, you're more your own self.

If you can't get to an in person class with me, I also teach online and you're welcome to DM to know more.