A few yoga poses for you to practise. Always inhale and exhale slowly and evenly through the nostrils, using the breath to allow you to move into the poses comfortably. If you take medication for any long-term health condition, please check with your GP before changing your exercise routine. 

Stand with feet wide apart, facing long edge of the mat.

Turn your back foot in slightly and pivot on your front heel so your toes point towards the front of the mat.

Traditionally, the heel of the front foot lines up with the arch of the back foot. Place your hands on your hips and bend your front knee so it stacks over your heel and keep it pointing towards your middle toes.

Draw your left hip back, right hip forward so that your torso faces the long edge of your mat.

Your shoulders should be directly above your hips. Keep your back leg straight and float your arms out to the sides, bringing them to a T, level with your shoulders. Draw the shoulder blades towards your waist.

Take your gaze over your right hand. Hold for a few breaths, come back to centre and repeat on the other side.

Always inhale and exhale slowly and evenly through the nostrils, using the breath to allow you to move into the poses comfortably. If you take medication for any long-term health condition, please check with your GP before changing your exercise routine. 

Start by sitting on the mat, knees bent, feet on mat and hands on backs of thighs behind knees.

Raise feet off mat to balance on your sitting bones; have shins parallel to mat. Engage core muscles – draw navel towards spine – and open the chest at the same time as lengthening the spine.

Extend legs and point toes.

If possible, release hands and direct fingers firmly towards front of mat.

Stay for a couple of breaths before drawing legs in again and releasing the back towards mat.

Always inhale and exhale slowly and evenly through the nostrils, using the breath to allow you to move into the poses comfortably. If you take medication for any long-term health condition, please check with your GP before changing your exercise routine

Kneel on mat, thighs upright and hands on hips.

Tuck your toes under and draw your hips forward.

As you move the spine into an arc, lead with your chest and avoid letting your head fall back, but also avoid tucking your chin or not moving your head at all.

Initiate the backbend with your chest, and move the back of your head back (not the crown) to keep length in the back of your neck.

Press down into your knees to anchor your legs. Reach both hands back simultaneously and aim for the heels.

Keep drawing your pelvis forward. Stay for a few breaths.

When you are ready to come out of the pose, lead slowly with your chest so your head comes up last.

Lie on your back, arms by your sides, palms facing down. Bend knees and place feet on the mat, parallel and hip width apart.  Inhale, press hands and feet into the mat and on your exhale slowly peel your spine off the mat.

Lengthen your tailbone towards your knees and raise your hips towards the ceiling, keeping thighs parallel. 

Maintain the lift in your chest and space between the back of your neck and the floor. Draw your shoulder blades towards each other.

Soften tongue and eyes. On an exhale, slowly lower pelvis to the floor.

Take a breath or two and repeat.

When I turned 50, a lifetime of sloth and inertia behind me, I reckoned it was high time I started doing a bit of exercise before everything seized up. I thought to myself: what do older women do for exercise? I know – yoga! (Though in my neighbourhood I see many more youngies than oldies practising the art.)

I joined a beginners’ class, and attended it most weeks for about three years. During that time I went on two yoga holidays; I started to realise I was doing a bit of yoga most days and consequently enjoying the benefits, including greater flexibility, stronger legs, better posture and improved balance. When my pal Alison suggested I train to teach, I thought, why not?

The process, however, was no doddle – 18 months of hard graft, both physically and academically (the anatomy I found particularly tough), but four years ago, aged 61, I was thrilled to pass the final exam and become a fully-fledged yoga teacher!

When asked what type of yoga I teach, I have to fight off the urge to reply ‘mongrel yoga’. Essentially, though, that’s how I was taught: to be open to many different styles and approaches and, most importantly, to teach with safety and accessibility in mind. That is, to make sure students don’t injure themselves and that, no matter how stiff, overweight, old, unfit or inexperienced the student, a teacher should aim to have every person leaving the end of the session feeling valid, optimistic, uplifted and energised.

Pre-Covid, I much preferred to teach individuals or very small groups at home than large classes in a studio: that way, you can check people’s alignment and help students get into the correct pose, or modifications of the pose if people are new and a bit stiff, or have a long-term health condition.

My own teacher said something to me a few years back, and it really stuck: ‘Practise yoga today so you can practise yoga tomorrow.’ Simple as that. I’m committed to practicing yoga daily for the rest of my life.