I’ve never been very good at relaxing. I know I should try harder, especially now that I’m not exactly in the first flush of youth, but it’s not easy. I find it hard to watch TV without at least one eye on my laptop or my phone and every time I sit down I think of something else I should be doing.
Urged by my family as well as my doctor, I took myself in hand. It couldn’t be that difficult, surely? So I tried online yoga, but my body complained bitterly about being forced into positions that seemed anything but relaxing and I found the gently encouraging tones of the tutor increasingly irritating. I tried Pilates, but I struggled to follow the instructions at the same time as avoiding showing inches of pasty flesh between my T-shirt and my yoga pants. I tried something else recommended by my daughter, but that was so short-lived I can’t even remember what it was called.
I was pretty well resigned to my current condition when I saw the article in Rye News about a breathing and relaxation class. I decided to give it a try on the basis that it would keep a lot of people off my back and even I should be able to cope with it. Breathing. I already knew how to do that and as long as I turned up, it would be time well spent.
It just shows how wrong you can be. I have now been to three classes and I am completely converted. Even after the first one I felt more relaxed, and now I have managed to achieve a state where the chattering voices in my head are almost silenced and my body feels as if it is becoming part of the floor beneath it. I even practise some of the exercises at home, which is a first for me.
So, if you’re struggling to relax I would recommend giving it a try. If I can benefit from it, just about anyone can.
Breathe and Relax
● Tilling Green Community Centre, Rye
● Every Thursday, 9.30-10.15am
● £10 per class (pay-as-you-go, no booking needed)
Your 10th class is free, and your 5th class at half price — a little extra incentive to
make it part of your routine.
For more information, contact Nathalie at wellbeingnexuscoaching@gmail.com