My first Yoga class

I have blogged before about my preconceptions and worries about starting Pilates but that I decided to take the plunge and sign up to some classes. And I loved it but it was only a 10week course of classes and to be fair they were at a community centre... so perhaps I didn't confront my fears as much as I could have done...!

However, I have now confronted my Yoga fears and, as with the Pilates, they were completely unfounded! As I am a bit skint at the moment I was loathed to sign up to some Yoga classes having not cased out whether I even liked Yoga! So I signed up to a Sweaty Betty Yoga class in their new Jubilee Place Canary Wharf store.

I LOVE Sweaty Betty and have always been intrigued as to how they manage to run classes in such a small space. Arriving early for the class meant that I saw the magic happen as islands of clothes were pushed back, lights lowered and yoga mats set up ready for a class of nine to fit in.

Looking around at the group I started to feel pretty nervous - not many of the girls seemed to know each other and I quickly got chatting to a girl who hadn't taken part in this class before. I was reassured that the class was for beginners and we started.

The class was great! I felt like I was supported with each move but offered opportunities to try more advanced positions. I wasn't as bad as I thought I was going to be, I think a lot of that was down to the Pilates.

To be honest as much as I enjoyed the yoga, which was A LOT, I was feeling a bit like it was just a less core focused version of the Pilates I had been doing. But what was different, and will make me book another class, is the few minutes at the end laying on my mat with my eyes closed taking the time to let the stress of the day melt away. It is so rare in my life that I just stop and relax... it made me realise that it is something to cherish and something to actively make time for if not every day at least once a week.

Do you do Yoga? What does it give you?

"Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness" Joseph Pilates

For months I have had my Brighton Marathon training plan ready but have been waiting for cooler temperatures and the start of September before I really took a good hard look at it.

The other week I did just that and was surprised to see it wasn’t as full of the long, mile pounding runs I thought it would be. In fact, up until Christmas there is much more of a focus on building strength than there is on racking up the miles!

A new thing for me, which brought more fear than miles and miles of running, was the introduction of weekly Stretching/Yoga/Pilates sessions. I was afraid of this for two reasons:

1. Yoga Bunnies – my visions of yoga classes are lots of beautifully toned and flexible ladies cracking out wonderful shapes and being able to hold them FOREVER!

2. Price – a quick internet search resulted in lots of fun and exciting looking classes but with a price that made my eyes water. The thought of spending £10+ a week is an impossibility on my wage.

Fortunately, the charity I work for was just beginning a 10 week Pilates course… for FREE and for beginners. Without a moment’s hesitation I was signed up and looking forward to my first class.

For someone who has little to no core strength I pleasantly surprised myself with my ability to keep up and even cracked out a 1min plank – it has been awhile since I have even attempted a plank after taking on the Shock Absorber Ab Challenge earlier this summer!

I found the focus on breathing really beneficial and the hamstring stretches were like a gift from the heavens for my poor tight legs. Earlier this summer I saw how much strengthening my core helped my running and I am looking forward to seeing the benefits of the Pilates. I am already enjoying a more ache free existence.

What other training do you do to complement your running? Have you tried Pilates?