Back in November 2014 I published a blog ‘A new you resolution’. Six years later, it’s time to revisit this blog and see what’s changed and perhaps rename it ‘A New Year Revolution!’. The revised blog has been included below, I hope you enjoy reading it.

On Saturday 9th January we have a special workshop planned 'Movement for Menopause. We would love you to join us for this workshop, if you would like to attend, please get in touch. Here's some more information:
 
Movement for Menopause - workshop and course - (Delivered online)
Workshop: Saturday 9th January 11.30am - cost £10
Course: Saturday 16th January - 20th February 11.30am - cost £48

For many women Menopause and Perimenopause can be a stage of life that feels overwhelming, frustrating and isolating.

With symptoms as far ranging as hot flushes, night sweats, mood changes, anxiety, fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, and muscle pain, to name but a few, it is not surprising that women may feel like they have lost their zest for life.
 
We can support you through this journey and improve your quality of life with classes specifically aimed at women who are going through the menopause.

Movement for Menopause classes focus on: Posture, Balance, Strength, Mobility and Wellbeing. These classes are led by Hazel Harris, an experienced Soft Tissue Therapist and Pilates teacher with a passion for reaching out to other menopausal women and building a community where we can support each other and get moving together.

If you have any questions regarding whether this class would be suitable for you, don’t hesitate to ask. This could be your first step to taking back control of your menopause. 

Please share with friends far and wide, as this class will be delivered online, we can reach out to women everywhere. No previous experience of exercise is required.  

Tai Chi (delivered online)
Sunday 10am - If you would like to try Tai Chi, please get in touch to join us Sunday morning. You are welcome to try a class and if you love it, sign up for the course. 

Somatic self-care movement - (delivered online)
Saturday 30th January 1pm - £10
Somatic movement uses super-slow, controlled movements to build sensory awareness, support the release of physical and mental tension and create a feeling of spaciousness within the body and mind.  The movements are primarily mat-based and lying on the floor (some may be seated or standing). For every movement, the focus is to move with minimal effort (no forcing or pushing).

Introduction to Hula Hoop
Sunday 10th - 31st January 11am - £32
If you are looking at a fun and uplifting way to burn some unwanted calories in 2021, join Bisi for this introduction to Hula.  Bisi will get you started so you can smile and hula away the unwanted calories every day!

Blog: 'A New Year Revolution!’ 
Back in 2014, the blog started with; 'Why wait for the New Year or your next summer holiday to make a positive change to your health and wellbeing?'  We all fall into this trap; ‘I’ll start in the New Year, next week, or I will start on Monday’.  All are delaying tactics and often not followed through.  Why wait? The main difference for 2021 is we have opportunities to enjoy more diverse activities at home, without a journey and still with the guidance of a wonderful teacher.
 
So here we go, I hope you enjoy reading this and it resonates with you.

For this blog, I will try to avoid the word ‘exercise’ as so many people would rather receive a poke in the eye!  I am therefore going to say ‘activity’ or ‘move more’.  

When you start a new activity and begin using muscles which have been (mostly) sedentary, there may be some soreness, however the rewards you experience will far outweigh a little discomfort.  Day by day you will see, feel and enjoy the benefits.  Your choice of activity is paramount, if you are going to ‘stick with it’ you need to find your flow, rhythm, and inner strength.  The activity needs to become part of you where it is normal every day practice and not just, rolled out on high days and holidays.  

Okay; so you are with me on this, what now?  Why are you still hesitating? Let’s take a look at the most common barriers:

Time:  Time is most likely the biggest barrier, ‘I don’t have time’.  Well, let us see if we can create a small miracle and make time!  Think outside the box.  Where is my small window of time? (Again we ideally want every day.)  Do you clean your teeth in the morning and evening?  If yes, how on earth do you find time for that when you have no time?  OK I jest, but it is an opportunity to multi task and gives you 2 minutes twice a day for a posture check and mini abs workout.  How many times do you boil the kettle?  Again another small opportunity to mobilise your neck and shoulders.  How do you get to work, school or college?  If by public transport, get off the bus or train 1 or 2 stops early and walk.  Take the stairs or walk up the escalators.  So without even trying, we have found about 30 minutes of time available to be activity and move more.  That’s our first miracle and we have not even been trying!  Now onto some more meaningful, (designed) activities and how to find time.  This is important stuff, so you may need to move something around to fit it in, being active far outweighs so many other commitments.  Take out a pen and paper or your diary and plan some time.  Don’t let time pass by or dictate to you, take control and make this your resolution.
 
2021
With the Covid-19 pandemic, our daily routine may have changed. We may no longer be traveling to work, however maybe working longer hours at home.  It is therefore even more important to make time to move more. With our online classes you can join one or two of our early morning classes or choose one from the library. You can join a live class every evening after you finish your days work without the prospect of the train being delayed!  Just roll out your mat, login, put on some music, light a candle (if that helps you relax) and follow your teachers instructions.  Our teachers plan different classes every week, working muscles in different ways to give you the best results. 

Finance:  Do something ‘free’; walking, running or cycling (if you have a bicycle).  Find a new activity you can learn and practice at home Yoga, Pilates, or Tia Chi.  It needs be a routine that flows with concentration, breathing and precision.  It needs to become part of you and something you do every (or most) days. 
 
2021
When writing this original blog in 2014, one class would cost £7, now in 2021 with our online package, you can enjoy 11 live classes a week for £10 and have unlimited access to the video library. That works out under £1 per class. This pandemic has opened doors and given us opportunities we may not have introduced without it! In 2020 because of the hardship Covid-19 has caused to many, we  introduced ‘The Gift of Yoga’, a fund to support those needing financial help.

I’m not ‘Fit’ enough or bendy enough to exercise:  This is a bit like saying I am too hungry to eat or not wet enough to go swimming!  It is often an excuse/barrier along with other physical barriers, ‘I’m too old, I have a bad back, I’m too heavy, I have a bad hip or shoulder’.  These are all sound reasons to be careful with your choice of activity and even instructor/trainer, however physiological barriers are often excuses and not a reason to avoid leading a more active and healthier lifestyle. 
 
2021 
No changes here other than more accessibility online and more choices. Try Tai Chi if you are looking for a gentle and inclusive option, this can even be done sitting on a chair if you are not able to stand.  If swimming is your choice of activity, I hope the pools open again soon. 

Location:  ‘There is nowhere near me or I can’t get there’.  Again this is another excuse.  The answer is the same as time.  Find windows and opportunities where you can be more active.
 
2021
Try online it really works.  Here’s an email I received earlier this week: "I used to attend Wendy’s Pilates classes but finished and got married in February, just missing the lockdown. I didn’t join the online classes thinking I wanted to be around people and it wouldn’t be the same. I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I did join recently. Yes it’s not 100% the same but it definitely comes close! Thanks for speaking to me in class about it, it was the encouragement I needed. And the teachers again really do speak to you like you’re in the same room as them. Thanks again, Kelly.” 

I am too stressed:  HELLO – Exercise, activity and movement is one of the miracle medicines for stress.  As with time and finance, discover an activity you can learn and practice at home.  For stress management it needs to be an activity where you work with controlled breathing. Yoga, Pilates or Tia Chi would be ideal however any physical activity will reap benefits to release stress. 
 
2021
No changes here for 2021 other than more choices. Most of our yoga classes include meditation and Adriana publishes meditation blogs to help with stress. If you haven’t given yoga a try, why not make 2021 the year you do?  We also have self-care classes and workshops for specific areas of health, ‘Movement for Menopause’, designed for women who are menopausal or peri-menopausal. Our Somatics workshops are a wonderful way to let go of stresses held in the physical body.

Commitment:  ‘It never works and I won’t stick to it’. Yes it will work, have a positive frame of mind; work with a qualified instructor and set realistic (smart) goals.  Work towards those goals, smash them and set new goals. 
 
2021
If you need extra encouragement, try some one-to-one lessons where the programme is written for you personally, giving you the opportunity to reach agreed goals. You can do this for as little as £30 per lesson.

Don’t wait, start now, find activities you will love.  2021 is offering you the best opportunities ever to achieve a ‘New Year Resolution’.
 
I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog and you have found it useful and motivating. If you would like to join us online please get in touch.

With our online package you can attend as many live classes as you like and have unlimited access to classes from the video library, which are refreshed with new recordings every week.

Here's the January timetable:

1. Monday 8am ‘Yoga is the new commute’ with Pauline
2. Monday 7pm Pilates with Wendy (VL) 
3. Tuesday 6.30pm Yoga Meditation with Charlotte (VL) 
4. Tuesday 7.30pm Pilates with Wendy  
5. Wednesday 8am ‘Wake up Wednesday’ Pilates with Wendy
6. Wednesday 6.30pm Yoga and Pilates Pump with Adriana (VL)
7. Thursday 7pm Mindful Yoga Flow with Amber (VL)  
8. Friday 9.30am Pilates with Wendy
9. Friday 5.30pm Yoga and Pilates Fusion with Charlotte (VL)
10. Saturday 9.30am Pilates with Pauline
11. Saturday 10.30am Barre Pilates with Adriana (VL)

All classes are taught live by our amazing teachers. Classes marked VL are added to our library and available on demand.To book, please complete a booking form/PARQ or reply to this email.  

Scheduled for February
Kundalini Yoga and Gong (Sound Bath) Experience
Date: Saturday 20th February 1-3pm (2 hour workshop) 
Venue: Ardleigh House
Cost: £30 - (refunds will be given if cancelled due to Level 3 restrictions)
Kundalini yoga is the yoga of awareness. This practice consciously combines the breath, mudra, eye-focus, mantra, body locks and postures to balance the glandular system, strengthen the nervous system, expand lung capacity and purify the blood. The Gong helps relieve stress and stimulates the immune system. Gongs vibrate on the same frequency as the body's cells and put the body in the best state to heal itself.  Sound healing is effective for deep relaxation and moving blocks in the body.

Scheduled for May and September
This year we plan to host 2 retreats in Greece, one in May and another in September. Follow this link to find out more. Yoga and Pilates retreats, Poros Greece. and get in touch to book your room/space.  (If we are unable to travel due to Covit-19, a full refund will be given or you can transfer to a later date).

We look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,

Pauline and the teaching team

Pauline Ward
Yoga Teacher, Pilates Teacher and Fitness Professional
Business Owner of Absolute Yoga and Pilates Ltd.
Mobile: 07821 969405
Email: pauline@absoluteyogaandpilates.co.uk