Welcome to Student Stories. Today we meet our favourite yoga couple Julia & Carwyn…

Hiya! My name is Julia and I do yoga classes with my husband Carwyn.

We first started yoga in January 2020 and it’s turned out to be the perfect year to start! Initially we tried yoga as we were both suffering from aches and pains from jobs that meant we are sitting down a lot.

Fed up of feeling years older than we should, we decided to give yoga a try and, by chance, stumbled on Osk’s classes in the studio.

Not too long after, we went into lockdown and the virtual classes kept me both active and sane – they were such a great tool! I’ve learnt how much yoga helps with the lower back pain I can experience but also it’s a great way to switch off and make time and space for yourself.

I’ve also learnt that you don’t need to be brilliant at something to enjoy it! I’m fiercely competitive, and doing something (and enjoying!) that I’m not naturally good at has been a great lesson for me !

Osk is a brilliant teacher, she’s so patient, and unlike other exercise classes I have tried, doesn’t make you feel like you aren’t achieving enough or push you past your limit.

I love that she always gives plenty of variations and that she always encourages you to chose the variation that suits you that day.

Often an hour with Osk is enough to make me forget all about a busy and stressful week!

My favourite yoga pose is probably Warrior II – I love that you feel empowered and strong but that it’s still challenging.

Carwyn enjoys the twists and stretches as they really help with his back after a day of being sat at the desk!

I love that yoga is now a central tool for our wellbeing and is something we enjoy doing together. My mantra is to always ‘be kind’, and through yoga I feel I am making time and space to be kind to myself.

Carwyn’s is “don’t be afraid to fail” and we are both enjoying opening ourselves up to the experience of yoga!