YOGA/10 years

May this year marks the 10th anniversary of Peninsula Yoga becoming “Gnostic” but my yoga journey goes back much further than that. It’s been a journey of evolution, self-discovery, recovery, adulation and interspersed with great highs and lows. Becoming a full- time yoga teacher and the first yoga studio owner on the Peninsula was something I could never have imagined. I originally worked in an occupation completely alien to the world of yoga, I was a Sergeant in the NSW Police Force, I served 25 years of which I am extremely proud.

My service as a Police Officer certainly gave me first-hand experience in the plight of first responders and the trauma that occurs by simply doing your job. Shift work ruins sleep patterns, it leads to poor eating habits and routine doesn’t exist. The saying goes that you don’t join a job, you take on a lifestyle. You experience the first worst of humanity, resulting in all the psychological damage that goes with constant bombardment. That experience has made me a much more empathetic yoga teacher and I’ve been fortunate enough to run classes specifically designed for front-line workers.

I attended my first ever yoga class on the recommendation of my Chiropractor who happened to be a very good yoga teacher. I was being treated for a severe back injury and yoga movement was suggested as one method of treatment. Carlo introduced me to yoga and was the catalyst for my journey into yoga teaching, basically he ignited the spark through practice, education and inspiration. I soon came to realise that the psychological effects of a physical injury can be much worse than the injury itself. You start to identify with the injury and the pain, it becomes all-encompassing and takes your focus away from every aspect of your life. I learnt that the body and mind are not separate entities, the reality being that the functioning of one affects the other. Whatever happens in the mind will be reflected in the body, whatever happens in body will be reflected in the mind.

I received great benefits, from yoga from those early classes, I lost weight, I became more mobile, gained perspective and developed healthy sleep patterns. I was given the opportunity to teach classes very early in my yoga journey, I saw the benefit people were receiving and how much my own condition improved, I knew that yoga was my purpose in life, my Dharma.

I undertook formal yoga teaching training, became an apprentice teacher (which doesn’t seem to happen anymore) and intensified my practices. I had a few setbacks along the way with injuries and trying to teach yoga while learning all the bureaucratic obstacles of running a business. I persisted, offered free classes, I hired various community halls, worked at gyms from Hornsby to Wyong and eventually developed clientele. The first studio I opened was in Woy Woy where I spent 5 years, eventually, starting at Gnostic 10 years ago. The move to Gnostic corner was a game changer for showcasing local yoga, the gnostic group of like-minded businesses and people all are committed to wellness and selfgrowth. You can see from journey that Yoga is both transforming and life changing.

The world of yoga has completely changed while I’ve been involved. There has been an incredible amount of interest and a massive influx of practitioners as the healing and wellness benefits of yoga become known. It was once considered the domain of mystics in the east and hippies to the west, yoga has now become a legitimate mainstream form of healing across the world.

The internet and social media has helped spread the good “yoga” message but unfortunately has also created a false image with an emphasis on physical contortion rather than all the overall aspects of yoga as a healing science, some of the images on Instagram couldn’t be more un-yoga. You don’t have to be a physical gymnast or be able to meditate like a Zen Monk or bow before some faux guru to practice and benefit.

The success and longevity of Peninsula Yoga is reflective of the quality of yoga offered. I acknowledge the thousands of people who have

practiced yoga with us, some have gone on to become yoga teachers and are presently teach at the studio. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some customers who have been with me from the start and I appreciate their patronage more than they’ll ever know. I’ve worked with some magnificent teachers and I’d like to mention Michelle Flynn who introduced and established the Yin style yoga and Faye Schindler who offered incredible business insight and therapeutic yoga classes to the studio.

Regardless of your physical condition, fitness, mobility, flexibility or balance I can provide a class for you. Yoga is a great adjunct to other physical exercise modalities; it can be used for rehabilitation, therapy, weight loss, anxiety or simply a way to move your body in a mindful way. Yoga offers you techniques to help relax, destress and sleep soundly, advice on diet and constitution, appropriate foods along with detoxification practices are available. Yoga is much more than stretchy exercises, it’s a blueprint for “right” living. Basically, if you can breathe and feel there is a suitable yoga practice for you.

Peninsula Yoga now offers yoga teacher training with an extensive range of education packages available for post and undergraduate students, if you have interest in becoming a yoga teacher and would like to study locally on the central coast, have a look at our training prospectus. https://immersion-yoga. com/200-hour-immersion-yoga.../

The yoga teaching journey started in a community hall in Ettalong years ago which has led to me teaching interstate and internationally, and as a pioneer of local yoga I’m looking forward to the next 10-year phase. I’ll continue to offer traditional accessible yoga without gimmicks.

The 2021 teaching team is the best I’ve ever been able to offer. The teachers, Maureen, Carolyn, Elif, Nicole and Gina are highly qualified, ethical and very experienced. The longevity and success of Peninsula Yoga is a testament to the quality of yoga we offer and the remarkable wellness results we achieve with our clients.

If you’d like to try a class or know more check out www.peninsulayogacentre.com.au

John Wilson – Principal teacher and founder of Peninsula Yoga on Gnostic.

PRICES

Casual Class $20 5 class pass $75 10 class pass $140 3 mo. unlimited $330 12 mo. unlimited $1000 Mon

Tues

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Sun TIMETABLE

1 9.30am 60min 2 5.30pm 75min 1 7.00pm 60 min 8 6.30am 45min 4 9.30am 60min 3 11.00am 60min 1 5.30pm 60min 1 9.30am 75min 2 5.30pm 75min 6 9.30am 60min 2 5.00pm 75min 1 6.00pm 60 min 5 4.00pm 60min 1 9.00am 75min

7 10.00am 60min

1:General Level 2:Yin 3:Chair 4:Gentle Energy

Flow 5:Restorative 6:Stretch 7:Sunday Chill 8. Sweating Sveltes

John Wilson John Wilson is the founder and principal teacher at Peninsula Yoga. John is a true local, having been a resident of the Woy Woy Peninsula for 30 years and has offered Yoga classes for the past 18 years. John opened the original dedicated yoga studio on the Peninsula and is a pioneer in yoga teaching. John was introduced to Yoga on advice from a Chiropractor after suffering a serious spinal injury. The therapeutic and meditative benefits of yoga were soon realised. The gentle mobilising and stretching of this first practice not only relieved chronic pain but also led to a positive life changing experience. John graduated from the distinguished “Yoga Teaching Diploma” at Nature Care College in Sydney. He began teaching in and soon became a highly regarded team fitness leader. Maureen Catherine Crawley Maureen presently teaches cover classes in general yoga and yin yoga. As the events manager at Peninsula Yoga Maureen has hosted many very successful programmes in meditation, relaxation and sound healing. Nicole Turner-Butler Nicole injects her own special brand of love and care into everything she teaches and invites you to come and feel the joy as you extend your body and mind. During Nicole’s classes you will be encouraged to listen to your body (modify, do less or more) so that the yoga experience fits you rather than you trying to fit into a yoga pose Elif Sari Elif has undertaken over 1000 hours training in Yin Yoga and has been teaching since 2008. She has studied with Paul Grilley who is the founder of the Yin method. She has also undertaken training with many other internationally acclaimed teachers in the USA, Canada, Europe and Asia. Carolyn Masterton Carolyn undertook studies in yoga and graduated from the prestigious Immersion Yoga Teacher Training 2019. She is a registered nurse and a blackbelt in karate. Her gentle nature, caring and supportive approach to yoga has made her a Peninsula Yoga favourite and very much-loved teacher.

Gina Hendriksen Gina is a vibrant and gregarious person. She is welcoming and engaging in her approach to yoga teaching. After graduating with a 350-hour yoga teaching diploma she undertook further meditation training in India, eventually deciding to specialise in therapeutic chair yoga classes. Chair classes make yoga all-inclusive and available to anyone regardless of level of fitness or mobility.

Create your

Sacred Space

When we find ourselves caught up within our worldly journey, we need to recognise that our own sacred body is sensitive or uncomfortable and needs to be tendered to gently. We should take time and ask how much does our eternal self need, love, care, and attention?

To create a safe space, a nurturing retreat is a gift to yourself. Whether your space may be situated within a home environment,including sacred altars, or placed amongst the bearings of nature outdoors, the most important aspect of a sacred space is how the energy feels. In particular, this space should serve as the place where you leave behind chaos of the world and go inward for healing and restoration.

This is a personal process based on your intuition and inspiration, a selfcreation, a space where you can retreat and wholesomely draw yourself inward through sensory objects that inspire your senses of Sight, Smell, Sound and Touch, completely becoming aware of the physical body and its own personal energetic entity. By taking the time to allow yourself to be within a sacred space for introspection, you will connect to the higher vibrational frequency of love and light within your soul. – Ruby-Mae, Gnostic Forest