Sheila Dickson Yoga offers a range of classes from Beginner to Experienced.
Yoga for Adults
- Absolute Beginners - This Course introduces the participant to basic Asanas (postures) and Pranayama (breathing techniques), Relaxation and Meditation. It will provide you with a base from which you can develop your practice further. The course can also act as a ‘refresher’ if you have been away from Yoga for a time
- General - Suitable for all levels
- Power - Experienced practitioners who enjoy a challenge!
Runners, ball-players, cyclists familiar with a litany of sore feet, bad backs, tight hamstrings and bruised hips associated with your respective sports, this is for you! Many world class athletes use this form of Yoga to enhance their performance so why not let it do the same for yours. Professional rugby and cricket teams use Yoga as part of their training – they suffer less injury and recover more quickly.
Yoga for Toning & Weight Loss
Of course, it is much easier to talk about toning up and losing weight than it is to do it. But with Yoga, we don't just have to talk about getting into shape - we can do something about that! It can be difficult to motivate yourself to take off those extra pounds or even just to cut out that mouth watering desert. But the truth is, occasional exercise and fad diets will not have any lasting effect on your health. What you need is a new motivation altogether, something that does not take away from your life but adds to it.
So let's agree to take an entirely new approach to toning and weight loss - not thinking short term, but working on the positive elements of changing your life around.
The secret is Yoga!
The 5 yoga elements for health and inner peace:
1. Physical exercise
2. Proper yoga breathing
3. Positive thinking, meditation and visualisation
4. Eating sensibly
5. Proper relaxation.
Yoga for Mums & Babies
Mums reap the bulk of the benefits from mother and baby yoga. Research has shown they are improving their posture and alignment and stimulating circulation and digestion. They are also improving their lung capacity and flexibility, building strength, and in all likelihood, losing weight. Finally, they are clearing their minds, calming their spirits, but perhaps even more importantly, they are making friends.
The Mum and Baby Yoga programme is designed for new mothers so it is easy on the body. That said it's best to check-in with your GP or midwife and get the all clear before you begin. Once you have the go ahead remember to start off slowly. Listen to your body, it will let you know what it needs.
Yoga for Pregnancy & Childbirth
Yoga for you and your baby will help you to prepare mentally and physically for labour and motherhood. These classes are designed to help you practice yoga throughout your pregnancy and to teach the art of relaxation and the importance of self-nurturing. They will help you to connect deeply with your body, mind and baby throughout your pregnancy.
There are 6 parts to this class:
1. Breathing
2. 40 minute class
3. The pelvic floor
4. Restorative poses
5. Third trimester poses
6. Post-natal poses.
Yoga for Children
Yoga comes to life in these fun, creative classes designed to stimulate the child’s growing curiosity.
The benefits of Yoga for children are:
- increased strength and flexibility
- develop body awareness and coordination
- promote self-esteem and confidence
- improve focus, concentration and balance
- make new friends!
Kids today are often over-scheduled and face many different types of stress, including school and homework worries, self-image problems and looming exams. That's why Yoga which combines postures and dynamic movement with breathing exercises and meditation techniques, have rapidly gained popularity as a way for both children and adults to exercise, focus and relax. Children's Yoga classes are not just about flexibility and stretching they also help encourage body awareness and coordination. They take a fun, creative approach to Yoga, making use of 'animated' poses and putting an emphasis on the mind and positive thinking as much as body. Yoga classes for children all promote imitation of both animals and nature, use creative expression and story telling and incorporate art, music, games and laughter. They stress the non-competitive nature of Yoga and help children respect themselves and others.
Children/young people over the age of 12 can safely join in the adult classes.
Yoga for Walkers
A regular Yoga workout that complements your walking hobby could be the key to long term physical and mental wellbeing. Because of the repetitive action, many sports including hill walking and mountaineering, can lead to tightening and shortening of particular muscles, especially hamstrings, glutes and calves. The Iliotibial Band, the fascia that runs from above the hip down the outer thigh to below the knee is aslo susceptible to tightening and can cause knee injuries. Added to this, back and shoulder muscles can end up sore and tight after a long day carrying a pack.
For Andy Bateman, a mountain guide based in Boat of Garten near Aviemore, Yoga has provided a much needed solution to a potentially debilitating knee problem. Andy, of guided walking company Mountain Innovations, spends much of his working life walking Scotland's mountains, but found that tight Iliotibial Bands were causing him a great deal of pain in his knees when walking downhill. Andy has now become a regular Ashtanga Yoga practitioner - a dynamic form of yoga that offers a cardio-vascular and upper body strength workout as well as all the other yoga advantages. "I have been amazed at the difference yoga has made to my body" he says. "I find I am much less stiff during and after a hike. The yoga has really sorted my IT Band tightness and so I no longer have problems with my knees."
The main benefits of yoga for walkers
Strength: Yoga is not only about stretching but also an activity that can greatly increase strength. Yoga poses involve the whole body so while you are stretching one part, another part is working at becoming stronger.
Flexibility: Yoga poses take joints through a wide range of motion to help create space in the joints and increase flexibility.
Balance: Many Yoga poses require balance and by working on balance Yogis maintain their long-term health by being physically and emotionally centered to prevent falls.
Focus: Learning how to breathe deeply and effectively can reduce your stress and bring calm to life and difficult tasks.
Extract from an article in The Great Outdoors Magazine (tgo). February 2011
One to One Training
One to One lessons are available for those who wish an even more personal approach than is already offered in class. The lessons are tailored specifically to the individual’s needs and are beneficial for all levels. Especially effective for those with physical and emotional conditions, helping them to make particular use of the therapeutic benefits Yoga can offer.
Corporate Tuition
Corporate ‘away days’ offering training opportunities in our training room combined with Yoga in the bespoke studio are a great way to reward and motivate your staff. Sheila and her husband Roy both have extensive experience in offering such courses to companies throughout the UK.
Yoga for Golfers
Back pain is a very common problem amongst golfers as is getting a wee bit panicky over a three foot putt during the Saturday Medal! Yoga is perfect for golfers – many of the postures in golf actually mimic Yoga postures. At the centre we have developed a unique mind-body approach to golf fitness. The 6 week course (running at regular intervals throughout the year) will help you learn how to keep your body safe and train your mind and body to work in harmony.
The course includes: 
- Yoga postures specifically selected for a golfer’s needs
- Proper breathing techniques for better tempo in swing and putting
- Visualisation techniques for success – both on and off the course
- Stretches that increase flexibility, strength and balance – and reduce the risk of injury
- Pre-round, on-the-course, and post-golf sequences
- An individually tailored core-conditioning programme.
See workshops page for dates.
I have been interested in the science of Yoga for many years and, after a number of disappointing classes, I knew within the first five minutes of Sheila’s Yoga class that this was what I’d been looking for.