Below is a guest blog post by Dr Stuart McGill. He’s a long term, direct debit yoga student at Clifton Hill Yoga School. Let’s know if you have a guest blog post you’d be happy for us to publish here.
Over to Stuart:
I like to do a lot of high quality yoga, at a price I can afford, in a yoga style that gives me an extensive workout.
So let me tell you about some of the key factors for me in choosing a yoga school… most recently a Melbourne yoga school.
Big timetable of many classes at all levels
First, the yoga centre needs to have a lot of classes, spread across seven days a week, including the weekend, and even after work on Friday. The classes also need to be at each of Beginner, Intermediate, Experienced and Advanced levels. I’ve steadily moved through all levels. On any day of the week, I want to be able to do one of these classes if I choose, preferably at my particular level.
Easy, affordable direct debit bulk rate
Second, the yoga school needs to offer a bulk price, in a convenient way. This usually means there has to be a good value “set and forget” direct debit process straight from my credit card or bank account. The rules need to allow me to postpone the debiting if I’m away, just like I used to postpone the hard copy of a daily newspaper. (I’m old enough to remember before I went to online newspapers!)
Experienced & certified teachers all year round
Third, and equally important, is that the yoga studio needs to have consistently good quality, certified teaching. I’ve been injured in yoga schools that have relatively little teacher training and little teacher supervision. I’m not going to such places anymore! It cost me too much in medical bills! It’s just like how you choose a coffee shop. If it’s always good, even during the brief holiday periods, I’ll keep coming back.
Easy to access by car and public transport
Last, it needs to be somewhere I can get to on a regular basis, especially as I roam around the city meeting doing business and personal meetings on a rolling daily basis. So a yoga school that is about half way between my home and city works well for me… because I can get to it for classes before or after the working day.
If the school is close to an express train stop then it’s even better. When I lived in New York many years ago, I quickly learned that train is the fastest and cheapest way to get around during the business day. Melbourne is the same… public transport is the comfortable and fast option. That’s especially true in the evening peak hour as I head to my yoga class.
Nice people
Of course, it’s great if there’s a bunch of very nice students and teachers who become my friends as I come and go… and I then run into them around town, especially at the local health food shop; then that’s a delightful bonus.
I was looking for those things when I first chose Clifton Hill Yoga School back in 2007. Since then, I’ve been to Sydney for 12 mths, where I used the same criteria to choose Marrickville Yoga Centre. I’m a serious yoga consumer! I looked at the timetable, pricing and teachers of many yoga centres to make my decision on each occasion. Back in Melbourne, I just keeping coming back the yoga at Clifton Hill … for all of the above reasons, and more.
Feeling better, leaner & stronger than I’ve ever felt in my long life!
Over that time, my health, flexibility, strength and leanness has just continued to improve. I’m glad Clifton Hill Yoga will be in my life for many more decades yet.
One last thing, as I’ve steadily done more and more yoga, I noticed one thing that I didn’t expect. I’m more chilled out, and have more stamina and brain power. Some would say they’d hate to have known me in my earlier days… given who I am even now. Well, that’s another blog post… but I’m sure I’m easier to live with…for me and anybody else. Hurrah.
Dr Stuart McGill
PS Thanks to Patrick Costello, one of my excellent yoga teachers at Clifton Hill, for the picture… from his recent yoga retreat in Bali. I like to hang in ropes like this at least a few times a week. Mr BKS Iyengar invented the rope work many decades ago… to get the benefits of inversions… plus more.
Disclosure: I’ve been a yoga student at Clifton Hill since 2007, and still am. Very recently, I’ve been assisting the yoga studio with a part time digital marketing project.