William’s ActiveLife: Fitness Yoga with Adele

I have never done yoga on a consistent basis but I have attended a few classes at the Pickaquoy Centre  intermittently. So, I wasn’t a total newbie but certainly out of practice.

Adele told me that she had developed this Fitness Yoga class to suit a wide range of sports participants and not just yoga purists. She had come into yoga herself due to back problems which had now been fully resolved.

The class was well attended and Adele explained that I needed a mat, a piece of rope, to assist with certain positions (supplied) and then to choose my place in the class.

Adele, with face microphone, was up on a small stage in front of us and demonstrated everything as we flowed through all the movements. Sometimes she was side-on and other times facing us, depending on what she was needing to explain.

She maintained a continuous flow of instructions as we moved from one position to another, without pausing.  She used the traditional names for many of the yoga positions as we moved into them.  I found that I had to concentrate intensely to keep up, peeping occasionally at the person next to me to see if I was doing it right.

However, I could see that with regular attendance you would soon get used to it. Adele explained that she makes subtle changes to the routine every 6 weeks or so, to challenge regular participants.

I was pleased with my balance and with many of the stretches and positions I was able to perform, although my hamstrings have certainly tightened with a lifetime of long distance running!

Adele explained that everyone is different as regards their muscle and limb lengths and joint mobility and suggested that we didn’t judge ourselves in the class, only focussing on what we could do comfortably ourselves. In this way no one needed to feel intimidated in any way and even total beginners could enjoy the class and look forward to gentle progress week by week.

The 45 minute class ended with a period of calm reflection, lying on our backs with the lights off. The class then quietly replaced their mats and dispersed whilst looking forward to coming back for the next class.

 

ActiveLife – Get more people, more active, more often

ActiveLife is Orkney’s exciting leisure scheme offering unlimited access to 12 different sports and leisure venues across the county. The scheme by the Pickaquoy Centre Trust gives members access to Picky and 11 Council-owned fitness facilities. This includes access to health and fitness classes, swimming and health suite, kids activities, climbing wall, usage of the track and much more.

There is also ActiveIslands, a membership that gives islanders access to gym facilities and fitness classes on their specific island at a low monthly rate. You can find out all about ActiveLife and its benefits by visiting www.pickaquoy.co.uk/activelife.