This week we caught up with Vivienne to chat about her lifetime yoga practice!

1. How long have you been practising yoga for?

I started going to yoga classes in 1982, but started doing yoga in 1972.  My Dad had bought a yoga book, so that he could practice at home, but ended up having to buy a second copy, because I kept disappearing with the original one.  I was definitely hooked and young and flexible enough to do the poses without much effort!

2. What keeps you coming back to your mat every week?

I enjoy the peace of mind that comes with a Sunday night yoga class.  It stops me from logging onto my work emails and lets me get a full weekend of non-work time.  I also have a double trachial scoliosis - a crooked spine.  Restorative yoga involves basically the same exercises I would do with a physiotherapist.  If I didn't practice yoga or do physiotherapy, I would have to take painkillers every day.

3. What aspects of your yoga practice are you focusing on at the moment?

I'm improving my flexibility and enjoying the headspace.

4. What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking about trying yoga for the first time?

Treat yoga as a life long gift to yourself.  It is self care and you go at your own pace.  Some days it will be easy and some days it won't, but the only person you should compare yourself with is yourself.

5. Why do you come to Studio 70?

I find Studio 70 to be very relaxed and welcoming.  The yoga teachers and the other yogis are all very friendly.  It is also near enough to where I live for me to hold on to the ready-brek glow I get from practicing until I get home.

6.What’s your favourite yoga pose?

My favourite pose is a standing forward bend done against a wall, to be eased in and out of very slowly.

7. Tell us one fun fact about yourself!

I took part in the can-can dance which holds the world record for the most participants.