Learn more about offshore life and yoga with Lucy
I heard about yoga through a family member, did some research, and sat asking myself; why on earth am I not participating already? That looks perfect.
I first ventured into restorative yoga; working 12 hour night shifts in the North Sea (lots of manual labour!) for 3 weeks at a time and weight training 6x a week at work left my body sore, and my mind tired, scattered and in a dark place. I desperately needed somewhere to relax both. It turns out a yoga mat can be an amazing sanctuary in any environment.
From Restorative classes I decided to take the plunge and head into a Flow class; I wanted to move, create my own asana practise, and improve but nerves of the unexpected always held me back. Turns out that this was RIDICULOUS! and I had a lovely warm welcome at studio 70; the only regret I have is that I didn’t come along earlier.
Since then I’ve been deepening my knowledge and practising as and when I can (it was hard when 250 meters of ship was rolling in 10 meter 60knot wind, and I was covered in bruises smelling slightly of crude oil!). I’ve found the practise and new mindset I’ve created for myself through yoga has honestly changed my life for the better. I’m learning to lean towards love and not fear, to practise compassion not just for others but for myself, to allow myself to feel. It’s given me strength and a happy, safe place during the darkest of days both offshore and onshore, and has helped balance out hard work in the gym and the 12miles walked on a noisy ship.
The biggest benefit yoga has had for me has definitely been on a more spiritual level, deep within my mind. It’s been there for me when I needed it most, when I had big decisions to make, and when life was surrounded by uncertainty and pain. There was always the option to hop onto my mat and spend just a few minutes; whether in child’s pose or flowing through poses, reconnecting myself when I felt lost. I’m forever grateful for this.
My life has recently changed massively. I’ve just completed my last ever trip oat sea for good. I thank my new mindset (& the yoga and visioning day in January!) for allowing me to make the transition to moving shoreside. Working away is all I know (I’ve been an officer in the merchant navy since I was 20) and it was a scary idea, but something I’ve wanted for a long time. Without my new outlook on life I’d still be getting flown away from the real world for 3 weeks at a time.
Looking forward, I’m excited to enter spring and bring more consistency to my practise both at home and in the studio! It’s going to be an amazing year!
Learn more about how yoga could support your daily life and bring about positive change by joining one of our yoga or meditation courses starting in the next couple of weeks!