Wintergreen Creative
Yoga
Yoga is a Sanskrit word that means 'to yoke.' The Eight Limbs of Yoga as described by the sage, Patanjali, are Yama (conduct), Niyama (observances), Āsana (body postures), Prānāyāma (breath/energy control), Pratyāhāra (withdrawal of the senses), Dhāranā (concentration), Dhyāna (meditation) and Samādhi (bliss).
This ancient practice reconnects all the different parts of us, helping us to open into all that we are. It also gives us tools to take care of ourselves. Through it we can support the healthy functioning of our bodies, nurturing the physical, emotional, mental, energetic and spiritual.
Yoga allows you to rediscover a sense of wholeness in your life, where you do not feel like you are constantly trying to fit broken pieces together. -B.K.S. Iyengar
About your teacher, Lisa Allan
I have been teaching yoga since 2004. After initially sharing yoga with friends and in drama rehearsal settings, I got my first job at the University of Canterbury where my classes were sometimes as large as 80 people! There were not a lot of yoga teachers in those days and I was quickly in hot demand, biking all over Ōtautahi to teach in gyms, sports centres and to cover private classes. Eventually I set up my own classes and I have largely worked from home over the years with stints covering and teaching regular classes for The Life Centre, Evolve Studio (now Kindred) , Happy Hot Yoga (Australia) and Hot Yoga Dunedin. My early and formative teachers were Richard Tweedie, Pankaj Sharma and Surrinder Singh. I gained a foundation in Iyengar-inspired and hatha yoga and from there I branched out into ashtanga, various forms of flow/vinyasa, kids yoga, restorative and yin. I have trained professionally and gained certification as a yoga teacher (Samma Karuna), pre-natal yoga teacher (Bliss Baby) and a mental health aware yoga teacher (Dr Lauren Tober). My approach to sharing yoga is to invite participants to gain an increased awareness of their own needs and inner knowledge and to be guided by that as they practice.
Testimonial
I have attended Lisa’s yoga classes over several years and have found her a patient, loving, safe, kind and informed teacher who is committed to ensuring her new yogis have a wonderful experience in her classes. Not only is she deeply knowledgeable about yoga and its history and applications to the modern world, but she is a person who puts her entire heart into caring for other people, and you cannot help but feel this when becoming her student. Lisa is a rare teacher who ensures everyone leaves her presence feeling both refreshed and cocooned. -Naomi, Nelson