I have been interested in yoga since my mum used to take me to local classes in York, back when I was still at school. This was about 15 years ago and although yoga was big, it was mainly Madonna and Geri Halliwell doing it and it was nothing like the global megabrand it is now. At this time, I liked it but I used to find it frustrating, I couldn’t focus and I found it hard. (Oh to go back and have my 15-year-old yogi body now) So throughout my twenties, I only dipped in and out of yoga, with some sporadic classes and a retreat in Turkey with my mum when I was 24. Interestingly, despite having always done yoga in some way or form since 15, it has never been a more regular or easy part of my life than it is now as I live in Wellington.
Wellington is a wonderful place to do yoga, there are so many options. I wanted to write this blog post just to share why yoga has become such an easy and important part of my life and how I fit a yoga practice into my busy(ish) daily life. This includes my home practice, regular studio practice, yoga workshops as well as those super special studios for special occasions.
I am no expert yogi and I am still as inflexible as the next person, but I love Yoga for calming me down and making me feel grounded and safe.
I hope you can maybe feel inspired or encouraged to fit yoga into your daily life in Wellington if you don’t already. It really is one of the easiest places to find the style and tempo that suits you.
HERE IS HOW I FIT YOGA INTO MY DAILY WELLINGTON LIFE:
Regular yoga classes
I have for the first time in my life been doing reliable regular classes since moving to Wellington. It is so important to have classes that work for my daily timetable.
The first studio I became a member of was the Abundance studio which is in the City Fitness gym in Thorndon, as this was neighbours with my old office. It costs about $20 per week for unlimited classes (wild I know!). I was a big fan of the classes for being strong and sweaty.
Since moving offices I have become a regular at Hot Yoga Featherstone. This is really convenient for me and the classes are at times that really suit my working life so it’s great to be able to pop their before or after work, or more often at lunchtime.
The studio has to be close to work with classes at the right time or I wouldn’t go. I know myself!
For anyone looking for a yoga studio to join that is convenient to work, I suggest checking out a previous post I wrote: A Simple guide to the best yoga studios in Wellington. This breaks down a lot of the studios and how you can get involved.
Workshops
Because I pick a regular studio that is close to work, I try to attend workshops in the many wonderful studios all over the city on an ad hoc regular basis. Some of my favourites are Awhi Yoga and Yoga Lounge on Thorndon for example. This way you can try some of the beautiful studios and teachers without committing to a membership. Workshops also tend to be longer so it is a great way of going to a new studio and making it worth the trip!
Again, studios with workshops are referenced in my previous blog post: A Simple guide to the best yoga studios in Wellington so you might like to check this out for some tips on where to go.
Home Practise
I tip my hat to anyone who has a truly regular home yoga practice. For me, it is very difficult to motivate myself to do. I can do it when I am in holiday mode but in my flat, I just don’t feel like I have the space to get me in the right head zone. I always have an excuse.
Having said this, I do very occasionally find the time and when I do, I like to have something to prompt me. I prefer to have the cue going so I don’t have to think too much about what to do next and I can go with the flow!
Some great queues for home practice come from Wellington’s Yoga With Me – Shirley McLeod. She has created the Yoga Deck – a set of handy cue cards to lead you through your home practice. These are really lovely because you can switch off all technology and enjoy the quiet while choosing cards that suit your mood.
Aside from the cards, if I am looking for a voice to lead me through, other than youtube, there is a really great series from Beginner Yogi, with their online yoga platform Yoga Light. This platform has different lengths of classes, different styles and teachers to suit different schedules. It is a great service and wonderful to support local Wellingtonians too!
Extra Special Yoga Studios
There are a couple of yoga studios that I just love for when I am feeling like I really need to treat myself. The ultimate is Pause Yoga in Days Bay (Check out my blog post about their Yoga Spa Day). This studio is just marvellous! I love it. It’s up in the trees overlooking the bay and it’s stunning. This is the place I’ll go if I need to come back to myself, get my headspace right and remind myself why I love Wellington!
Same goes for Space studio in Roseneath This overlooks the bay and is absolutely stunning at sunset. What a treat and a luxury to have such a place here in Wellington.
Yoga Gear
I was recently approached by a beautiful New Zealand based organic fair trade Yoga brand called Sooti Organics. Founder, Shireen was wondering how we could work together to highlight the brand. I checked them out and knew this was the kind of business I would love to share with you! Sooti is a Fairtrade, organic and sustainable clothing label and this is something that is HUGELY important to me.
Shireen, kindly gifted me some of the clothing that you can see me sporting in this post and it is so soft and lovely. I am obsessed with the Sports Chaser Bra in Nude, it’s such a beautiful colour and matches The Lotus Collection Leggings so well. This clothing will definitely double up for travelling on the many long haul flights I end up on, as it is so breathable.
I highly recommended checking out this beautiful range and supporting this local brand with GREAT ethics: Sooti Organics.
Thanks for reading and do come back soon!
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Peace
Josie x