During the week I work for the Environment Agency where I am an environmental planner working to improve our evidence base and understanding of the water environment.  This helps us to work with others to protect and improve the water environment from source to sea.
Outside work I like to be outdoors, mainly hiking, sea kayaking and gardening, but the coronavirus lockdown gave me the space to start cycling again. I had joined the yoga class to improve my flexibility so I can continue to do all the outdoor activities I enjoy and offset the impact of my desk-based job. For about a year before I started the class my muscles had been getting increasingly stiff and my flexibility had been decreasing.
 

I had not been going to Lindsay's yoga class for that long before the Coronavirus lock down came into force. I find it quite difficult to translate verbal instructions into physical instructions, and even harder to recognise when I am going wrong on my own. I had found Lindsay's face to face classes met my needs and I was concerned that moving to online lessons would mean I lost that essential feedback.

I didn't need to worry, Lindsay's step by step approach to build up to a position, the timely reminders during the exercises and the effective use of props means I barely miss the face to face classes. In addition, being able to see myself on Zoom gives me good visual feedback and really helps me understand where I am going wrong. An unexpected bonus of Zoom yoga lessons.

I get a lot of pleasure when I find I can get into a position I found impossible when I started or realise what I need to do to make the position correct.

The lessons are interesting and varied and the difficulty of the classes is increasing despite the online format. More importantly, I am making progress, and it is making those outdoor activities easier and more enjoyable.

Catriona Hare

Environmental Planner for the Enviroment Agency

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