January teacher feature: Josh Taylor

Our yoga teachers and studios were adaptable and awesome and have found new ways to connect and further teach and support their students. By locking, technical problems and learning to make adjustments practically via the zoom. This month we will throw a light on you! In January we will offer studios here in the blog and chat with teachers to celebrate those who kept us on the ground last year. Meet the yoga teacher Josh Taylor below.

Can you tell us something about yourself?

Hi, I am Josh. I come from a small island on the east coast of Great Britain called Mersea Island. When I grew up, I was the type of boy who wore Power Ranger outfits, jumped off the stairs and made knee slides at parties. I ignored the parents' advice that my knees would not like me if I became older. I played football and rugby at school and in college and rowed at the university. I didn't believe in stretching or the idea of ​​being hurt. I thought that as long as my mind remained strong, my body would keep up. After completing my studies, I accepted some endurance challenges. I rowed Nonstop with three friends a boat through Great Britain and reached a Guinness World Record. I then completed the longest cross -country race in Finland without prior cross -country experience. At that time my body began to protest. As a result of a chronic injury, I came to yoga.

I soon found that yoga was just as much, if not a bigger challenge than any rudder or ski race that I had done before. I immediately saw the amazing advantages that yoga could have. It fascinated the physical and the mental side for me. Both my body and my mind felt like it was opening. I was addicted. Three years after my yoga trip, I qualified as a teacher. Yoga taught me to be more modest, to slow down, to respect my body more and not to treat everything as competition.

What challenges were you faced as a yoga teacher in 2020 in a completely different year?

The biggest challenge in which I was facing as a yoga teacher was the uncertainty that was in front of me. Adapt and have to go about online lessons from lessons in studios. You are dependent on income from gyms and then have to be responsible for applying for your own online courses and adapting customers to online lessons. I also hoped to take over my own studio, but unfortunately I had to put it on ice.

What did you teach in 2020 and can you find a silver strip in everything?

2020 has me again taught to become slower. At the beginning of the first lock, I thought I could teach 5 classes a day because I taught online from the same place. I burned out soon. I also discovered that I was not invincible to suffer from anxiety and subsequent attacks. In 2020, I taught me to prioritize a healthier routine for myself. If I were not healthy, I would not have identified anything or someone else. In 2020 I was deeper than ever connected to my body and mind.

I swam into the cold water in 2020. From September to December I jumped two to three times a week. The cold water helps you to be extremely present for all sensations in the body and in the area. If you bring your body into a stressful environment and take a deep breath, this has really helped with everyday stress and anxiety. I also met some really humiliating people who also like the cold water.

Where can you find inspiration and motivation?

My motivation in 2020 and now comes from a few things. First, I am motivated by the things I like to do. I love surfing, sailing and swimming and my motivation to stay active is based on the fact that I cannot do these activities. Second, self -observation and learning. I am curious about the human body and the mind and also on how we interact with others. I am currently studying to become a psychotherapist. I have a long way to go in front of me, but I enjoy what I learn.

any words of wisdom for someone who is struggling to remain positive and inspired?

Slowly, be nice to you. Bring yourself into a healthy routine. Breathe, move and read a little more. Find something that interests you and learn more about whatever it is. If this fails, throw yourself in icy water (but be sure!)

to keep up with Josh, follow him Instagram or visit his website information about classes and events.