FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

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General Questions About Holistic Yoga

To book a class go to the Timetable Page and click the orange “Sign Up” button for your chosen class. Enter your email and mobile phone number if you wish to get a text reminder for the class. You can pay by credit or debit card. You will receive a confirmation email shortly after booking. If it is a Zoom class it will have the Zoom link in this email. 

Clothes you can move around in are ideal. But, however comfortable your jeans are, they are not the best choice for yoga practice! Choose leggings, tracksuit bottoms (not too baggy) or shorts. It is good to layer a long sleeve t-shirt over a short sleeve t-shirt as you change temperature through the class. For summer classes wear a vest underneath a short sleeve t-shirt. If you have a very good reason to keep your socks on (athletes foot, verruca, other foot problems) it is best to use toe socks. If you are coming to class straight from work, bring along clothes to change into.
There is equipment at the studios I teach in, including yoga mats. That said, I recommend buying and bringing your own mat for hygiene reasons. Also if you have your own mat you are more likely to practice at home, this means you will benefit even more from this wonderful practice. Mats are available to buy at the Haelan Centre on the first floor.
Many teachers recommend not eating for at least two hours before you come to class. Personally, this often doesn’t work for me as I need to work on keeping my blood sugar balanced. If you need to eat before class keep it light, protein rich and easily digestible. I often have a bounce protein ball, a protein shake or a handful of walnuts an hour (sometimes less) before class. Eating a large meal is not ideal… you will be very conscious of exactly how much you ate throughout the class! It is also good if you can drink some water before class and especially afterwards. Some teachers say it isn’t ideal to drink during a class, again, I disagree… small sips if you are thirsty is ok.

Yoga can be practised by anyone, it makes absolutely no difference whether you can touch your toes or not! Holistic yoga and somatic movement is an ideal type of yoga for beginners as there is plenty of detailed instruction. Additionally, there is no sense of competition or need to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. The practice will help you to relax, breathe more comfortably and become more body aware. Many students have found that, with regular attendance, backaches and other joint aches and pains simply cease to be. It is a practice well worth starting and continuing regularly. Before class you will be asked to fill out a medical form. If you can click on this link to open the pdf file, print it out and fill it in prior to class, even better!

Questions about Booking Holistic Yoga

To book a class go to the Timetable Page and click the orange “Sign Up” button for your chosen class. Enter your email (carefully, checking there are no typos) and mobile phone number (if you wish to get a text reminder for the class). Then enter your payment details. You will receive an email confirmation email shortly after booking, the Zoom link is in this email.
If you don’t receive your confirmation email shortly after booking your class, please check your junk and spam folders. Another reason may be that there was a typo in your email address.
Email or text Julia with your class time and date and she will resend the confirmation email to you.
The text reminder is just that a reminder. Your Zoom link is in the confirmation email. If you have not received the confirmation email, you might have made a typo in your email whilst booking the class. Email or text Julia with your correct email to check this.
Class passes enable you to save money on purchasing online classes. They work for Holistic Yoga and Holistic Somatic Classes. Class Passes have an indefinite time limit, so you don’t need to worry about your pass expiring. You can purchase you class pass here. Once you pay for a class pass you will receive an email with an alphanumeric code. Copy this code to paste in the relevant box when you book your classes. Please note, you still have to book your chosen Zoom classes on the calendar if you buy a class pass. You can book the classes weekly, using the same code. However, most students find it easier to book a block of classes in advance.

When you book a class, you will receive a confirmation email. Keep this email as it has links that enable you to “cancel” or “reschedule” your class.

Choose “reschedule” if you’d like to book another class of the same type. If you wish to book a different class instead (e.g. Holistic Somatics instead of Holistic Yoga) then you will need to cancel the class and then rebook.

If you use the “cancel” button to cancel a class that you booked as a one off (i.e. without using a class pass) your class will not be refunded. However, you can use the “reschedule” button in your confirmation email to to carry the booking over to another available class of that same type. In this way you will not lose the payment you made. You must do this at least six hours before the start of the class, or you will be charged for the class even if you do not attend.
If you cancel a class that you booked with a class pass at least six hours before the class starts then the class will be credited back to your pass. Use the same code (or email address) and you will be able to book another class instead.
If you create an account with Acuity, you will be able to login and see how many class passes you have left on your current code.
When In-Person classes are allowed, places are available by invite only. If you wish to be added to the In-Person Class Wait List, please email Julia with your preferred class time. You will be contacted when a place becomes available. Please note that in-person classes are booked as a block of six and are in Covid-Secure venues. You will be able to attend In-Person Classes via a livestream on the Zoom platform if you cannot make the In-Person class for whatever reason (e.g. if you have a temperature, feel unwell, or need to self isolate).
During periods when we can gather in-person, some live classes are streamed via Zoom for students to attend remotely. Attending a Live Streamed In-Person class is a different experience to attending a Zoom class. In a livestream class, Julia is less able to interact with students although you’ll access the class on the Zoom platform in exactly the same way. The Zoom classes are run from Julia’s home or the Haelan Centre, where there is a big screen or a projector to view all students on the Zoom call clearly. For the livestreams at In-Person venues, Julia will view students a little on a laptop screen but it is not as interactive as a Zoom class. It will be clear on the schedule whether you are booking a Zoom or Livestream class.

Questions About Suitability of Holistic Yoga Classes

Yes absolutely! Yoga and Somatics are practices that can be modified to suit you, if you cannot touch your toes you will need to bend your knees in forward bends to help keep your spine long. If you have back pain, then it is best to start with the Back Care Course.
None of the Zoom classes or courses are suitable for pregnant women, although the In-Person Holistic Yoga Classes are suitable if you have practiced yoga before and have had your 12-week scan. However, you might find it more beneficial to seek out a specialist Yoga for Pregnancy class.
None of the Zoom classes or courses are designed for young people under 18, although children may attend Group classes with their parents if they really want to. Private classes for young people are available, but students must attend with their parents.

If you have back pain, there are some “red flags” that you should know about. If you have any of these “red flag” symptoms then please consult a medical professional, they will advise about treatments that are suitable for you.

  • Severe pain that  gets worse over several weeks instead of better, or pain which never goes away, or if you are unwell with back pain.
  • Difficulty passing or controlling urine
  • Numbness around your back passage, genitals or inner thighs
  • Loss of control and feeling from your back passage
  • Numbness, pins and needles or weakness in both legs
  • Unsteadiness on your feet

If you do not have any of these red flags, then it will most likely be fine for you to join the Back Care Course. You must be able to get down to lying on the floor and back up to standing again, with the aid of a chair if necessary. You will have a one to one private class before the course starts, so we can look at what you unique challenges are with your back. Please bear in mind you are responsible for your own movement throughout the classes. Remember to move slowly. Slow movement allows us to learn to control the engagement and release of our muscles. Improving your understanding and control of your muscles helps you to come out of habitual movement patterns. Habits of movement, posture and holding tension are a large contributory factor in back pain.

I cannot fix your back pain, or any other ailment you might have.

This work is an inside job. I am your guide, I will give your ideas, information and practices to try that have a sound bio-mechanical reasoning behind them. However, it is up to you to do the work.

If you are looking for a magic cure, then please look elsewhere.

You will need to engage with the work, do your home practice and relaxations and keep coming to class regularly. If you have had back pain for a long time, then don’t expect it to disappear overnight. It takes regular practice and in many cases lifestyle change. Learning why you have back pain and how to change your movement and lifestyle habits to become free of back pain is fun and relaxing. However, it’s work that you do for yourself. No one else can do it for you.

In the back pain classes and courses we use a modality called Hanna Somatics alongside regular yoga techniques. Hanna Somatics is a muscular re-education system that tunes up your ability to connect with muscles and parts of muscles that you may not have used in years! This process should be pain free, or at the very least it should not increase pain. If pain is there, it is a sign to stop what you are doing immediately and rest. By listening to the tweaks, twinges, and uncomfortable sensations and not moving through them but finding a way to move without setting them off you will recalibrate your Somatic Nervous System.

You will be starting very gently and progressing at your own pace. There is no need to feel pain, in fact it is a a sign that you are pushing yourself too hard. LESS IS MORE!

General Yoga and even some Somatics Practices may cause flare ups in back pain, if you are trying too hard and not listening to your body’s messages to slow down or rest. For students with a history of back pain who are new to movement practice, It is best if you do the Back Care Course before starting general Holistic Yoga and Holistic Somatics classes. In this way you will gain a detailed understanding of how to take care of your back that will inform your yoga and movement practice. If you have a regular movement practice and a good understanding of how your back/joint pain responds to movement then you can see if the general weekly classes work for you. Always remember you are responsible for your own movement in class. I cannot know how things feel for you on the inside, everyone is unique. Follow your body’s messages and remember: LESS IS MORE!

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