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Stuart Cameron

Does yoga affect my life?
Yes - I find it so easy and natural to sit on the floor for hours periods and play with my one and a half year old grandson.
I guess you could generalise this – being flexible quite simply makes you feel good, and in my case perhaps also a little younger than 57.

It is difficult to say how long I've been practising yoga. Around 30 years ago my wife persuaded me that yoga was not just for females and that it would benefit anybody. I remember clearly practising at home first, before starting any classes, so that I would not be ‘shown up’ as a complete beginner (i.e. useless) so that gives you an indication that I did not find it easy just to join a class! Now I practice regularly.

In one a yoga class, years ago, the teacher challenged the class to give up one type of foodstuff for a week to see what it felt like.

We discovered how good vegetarian recipes were and that was it – no more meat. Yoga does teach you to respect your body and each person can choose their own way of doing this.

Something else happened too – instead of just improving my flexibility, the more advanced level of yoga has built up my muscle strength: something which I really did not expect to happen after reaching 50. So when Leslie says for the fifteenth time “and now a quick vinyasa”, I’m right there and can do it.

Forward bends work for me (peace and satisfaction). Backbends don’t! It is only just recently that I have got my head off the ground in a wheel posture and last week’s comment from Leslie was “Stuart perhaps you should stop gritting your teeth and try to breathe!”  What I do know is that I have had classes at different times with three of the instructors at Studio Frid, Kim, Evelina and Leslie and they have helped me to enjoy handstands. That’s what they do. They challenge you and yet give support to get you there.

Do I have any aims left in yoga? 
Lots – especially when you see how easy it is for the instructors to do some of the postures. I really would like to go for Mayurasana (peacock pose). Just the simple one would be enough for me if you feel like taking on the challenge.