Yoga for all

After living on Tresco for three years, it surprised many locals that I had never done any yoga.

In all honesty, I'd just assumed that it wouldn't be my thing. That I wouldn't be flexible enough or that I would breathe too loudly or that I wouldn't be able to switch off and take it seriously. However, I was lucky enough to be invited to take part in Gem's Spring Equinox retreat last month and - although apprehensive - I jumped at the opportunity to finally give it a go. It was amazing and it has changed the way I look at yoga forever.

Being a retreat, I expected to find myself amongst intense and intimidating individuals who practiced yoga daily, yet I instantly felt like an equal within the group. Using themes of Spring throughout the four days, we went from little seed pods in the soil to fully fledged floral yogis by the end. We completed a mixture of Slow and Vinyasa Flow sessions as well as Restorative yoga, somatic exercises and meditation practice. My mind gradually grew clearer, I felt satisfied at the end of each day - my body growing slowly stronger from gentle strengthening - and I learnt that the point was not to be the best but to be at peace with whatever I felt comfortable doing.

Gem was a wonderful leader. She is so calm and there was never any pressure to reach a certain goal or standard; Gem's emphasis was, instead, on being together, listening to the rhythms of our bodies and focusing on being more in tune with ourselves.