Meet Jenny, one of our Strength for Life Members
My name's Jenny, I'm 31 and live in Ruthin with my husband.
“Yoga to me is definitely more than the poses and also about how you feel, who you surround yourself with and how you spend your time!”
When did you start your yoga journey and how often do you practice yoga?
I started practising yoga around 10 years ago but didn't take it seriously until 2018 when I travelled around Europe with my partner in our camper van and volunteered on various small holding/eco retreat-type places. We stayed in Portugal at Cara Creek Eco Lodge and helped them at the beginning of their journey to turn their beautiful land into a yoga retreat. I was inspired there, and every place we visited throughout our 7 months in the van, to live life a bit differently - take things slower, practice yoga and spend time in nature. Whilst we didn't quite get the radical life change we initially hoped for when we returned to the UK, I continue to try to live life like this and part of that is practising yoga several times a week when I can.
What's your favourite class?
My favourite class is often the online, live Wednesday morning slow flow, if I can get to it between work meetings. It's a rare opportunity to move slowly, really stretch out and relax. But I also love the faster-paced ones and I am starting to find joy in the strength-building classes too!
Why yoga / core classes help you?
I've had a bad lower back for years, and Emma's classes have been helping me to strengthen my core to take some of the pressure off. For the first time in years I don't wake up with lower back ache first thing in the morning (largely also helped by Emma's advice to change the position I sleep in) and have tools to relieve pain when it's particularly bad.
What's your least favourite yoga pose/core drill and why?
My least favourite pose has got to be boat pose - despite joining the core drills and classes regularly for the past few months, I am still rubbish at holding it!
Yoga Goals / Plans for the future - in general
I am hoping to start a family in the near future, so I think my yoga goals will have to adapt slightly based on my time and energy levels! But I want to continue to build strength, relieve my lower back, and feel in a good place both mentally and physically to be a good influence on my children and foster an environment where they grow up happy, loved, confident and resilient. Yoga to me is definitely more than the poses and also about how you feel, who you surround yourself with and how you spend your time!
Last meal on death row? / Your fav meal basically!
Honestly I have so many favourite meals - it changes daily. Today I'm really fancying a proper sourdough, stone-baked pizza. Yesterday it was fresh fish tacos with a fresh lime, coriander and cabbage salsa. Tomorrow it'll probably be a paneer curry! I also love picky foods like mezze's where you get to eat lots of different things. But if I had to whittle it down it would probably be some kind of authentic italian pasta dish like cacio e pepe.
