About Yoga with maria

Yoga with Maria is dedicated to offering small and friendly classes aimed at making yoga and Qigong safe, accessible and fun for all, suitable for complete beginners and more experienced students and regardless of your level of fitness, mobility, size or shape. Based in Lichfield, UK, I teach Hatha, slow flow, chair based yoga, Yin yoga and Restorative yoga as well as Qigong to students of all levels of experience.  Students are encouraged to practise at their own pace and to approach all yoga asana (postures) and Qigong forms mindfully, listening to and respecting their individual body. 

Variations and modifications are offered for all postures in our yoga and Qigong sessions. In yoga we also explore the use of props for support, as alignment tools and to assist us in experimenting with asana to see whether we can find greater ease in a pose.

Most yoga classes begin with a meditation on the breath aimed at helping us to let go of tension and to begin to cultivate a sense of inner calm.  There is usually a philosophical theme around which the yoga practice is weaved but which can also be carried off the mat into your daily life.  We then start some gentle stretching to help open up the body, before moving on to stronger posture work, designed to improve strength, stamina and mobility over time.  Throughout the practice we observe and work closely with the breath, which can help centre us and support our asana practice.  We then start to wind down before coming into a deep relaxation.  Most classes end with another short meditation

Our Qigong sessions usually begin with a short relaxation and some breathwork, before some meridian (energy channel) massage and joint mobilisation through some gentle warm ups, followed by a standing meditation practice. We then move on to practising Qigong forms. Often our practice will be based on the season. At other times we will practice Qigong sequences such as the Five Animal Frolics, the Five Elements, the Eight Silk Brocades etc. We close our practice with another short relaxation, often taking the form of Qigong meditation and/or visualisation practice.

Private tuition and corporate classes are also available 

‘Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence’  Patanjali