India Terry is a local practitioner of yoga, running weekly sessions in Peasmarsh Village Hall.
She comes from an extraordinarily gifted artistic family, with her parents and herself well-known in the local community. In addition to her regular classes, she is offering a unique taster day next on Saturday, March 11 at the Gallivant – part of their collection of wellness programmes this spring. Her own holistic approach to yoga offers a gentle programme of moves to feeling healthy.
I asked one of her regular attendees, Simon, how it feels to participate in her classes:
"Once a week in the evening, just after I log off my final "Teams" call and pack away my work from home laptop, my partner and I gather our yoga mats (organic Portuguese cork, naturally) and make our way to our weekly retreat: a community of well-being and warmth, that has become a highlight of our weekly routine.
"I have tried to practice yoga at various times in my life. Full disclosure: I have friends who teach yoga for a living; but I prefer a gentler approach. In India Terry's Mystical Yoga, I really have found a place where I can focus on the physical benefits, as well as being open to the spiritual and meditative aspects of this ancient and healing art.
"Don't get me wrong! It can be taxing and challenging physically: I have woken the following morning to feel the ache of muscles I didn't know I had and often, trying to maintain my balance comes down to a choice between grace and dignity. Crucially I have never felt self-conscious because of the atmosphere of inclusivity and mutual acceptance in our class. You mustn't think we are all 'muesli munching cat-botherers.' The classes are a wonderfully diverse group of backgrounds and abilities, and it is very much the better for it. Slowly we have become a community.
"We take it at our various paces: some rattle off a 'Sun Salutation' without thinking. Whilst others, like me, struggle to complete a 'Downward Facing Dog'.
India brings a unique dynamic and presence to Mystical Yoga practice. She has created something I immediately knew I had been looking for without realising it. Whilst I feel better physically and mentally, as India says herself, the main thing is to enjoy the journey."
