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Three days immersed in the world of yoga, meditation, fitness, food and socializing, with flowing good vibes and a range of activities, allowing yoga to be accessed by all, no matter the age, gender or fitness level at the Omyogashow
Over the weekend there were about 200 classes to try out and take part in depending on your activity preference and when I looked at the schedule beforehand, I was quite overwhelmed with how much was actually planned for the weekend, what seemed like endless workshops, classes and talks, how could I possibly plan my time to attend everything? Feeling as if I needed that magical gadget Hermoine uses in Harry Potter to turn back time, but instead I tightened on my “organised Bridgette hat” and created my own excel sheet with the activities I was most interested in, as I knew once I had arrived, I would get carried away in the excitement and possibly lose sense of time…….well let me tell you, that definitely happened! Off I went, travelling to north London from the south coast, which was quite an onerous journey, but I was fully organised with my backpack, flask of tea and lots of homemade travel snacks!
Held at the enormous beautiful Alexandra Palace, this was an amazing location for an event, high ceilings, dramatic architectural decorations and panoramic views of London. I arrived at the show for 2:45pm on Friday, dropped my bags at the cloak room and dashed off to the first class on my list, full of anticipation, and although I had an event map in my hand, I was very lost and only had 3 minutes to get to the class. The building was filled with chattering people, constant movement and stalls everywhere, but I finally found the room, the Acroyoaga Sanctuary room! My heart was racing, and I was already sweating, as I was ecstatic to try this class, and learn as much as I could. Acroyoga is a combination if simple calm movements and acrobatic poses, which obviously the instructor and his partner made it all seem so effortless. Once I was able to overcome the fear of being lifted and try my best to hold shape and form, I was able to reach many of the poses during this first class of mine, and I definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to push their boundaries and have fun with fitness.
The body achieves what the mind believes
If you are interested to see more from the Acroyoga Sanctuary, click here. It was not mentioned to bring a partner, and seeing as I was alone I teamed up with 2 other single ladies to work in a team, challenging but fun!
A bit shaky, with adrenaline pumping through me, I then wandered around the show for an hour inspecting the many different stalls and food taster stands, including chocolates, nut bars, sweet potato bread, drinks and veggie dishes, as well as the large juice bar in the middle of the room which held a never ending queue for fresh juice and smoothies. There was also a range of food stalls to purchase meals from, which included Caribbean veggie curry with rice and peas (I grabbed one of these to take on the go for dinner), vegetable pies and quiches with salad and mixed vegetable sides, pizza, veggie burgers and cakes. The room was constantly filled with aromatic food scents and happy friendly chatter, that is was sad to leave, but knowing I was to return the next two days kept my excitement high for more activities to take part in. So off I went to meet my friends, as we were staying in the nearby town of Wood Green, sharing a very comfortable apartment, which was easy to return to, because luckily there was a free shuttle bus running from the Palace to the main high street.
The next 2 days were filled with exciting classes, lots more food and many, many purchases. We were up and at the show for 10:30, just after opening and it was already packed with excited visitors, classes already on the go and stalls in full swing chatting to passers-by. We were dashing to make it to our first class, which sadly we missed because it filled up so quickly that there were not any spaces left, but we were then able to join the Atmananda Yoga session, a few rows down and starting in ten minutes, all 4 of us found mats in the same row and made ourselves comfortable. This was a fun and challenging class, as I already know most basic yoga moves but I had a chance to try some new asanas and also having the teachers wander around the class helping you get the most out of the positions with slight body adjustments was helpful. This class was a good challenge as we were using detailed mats showing hand and foot placement, with lines and markings on them. I loved these mats as they help you understand how to get the most out of your asanas and ensure correct alignment, I just had to buy one after that class to use for myself and also to help my partner and family understand and enjoy yoga more.
After a delicious warm coffee, we wandered around the vast room inspecting the different stalls, as there was everything to see and to buy, including clothing, yoga mats, chemical free beauty products, cooking utensils, fitness accessories and much more…..definitely overwhelming for the eyes and ears, not knowing which direction to look most of the time. I was excited when I found a stall offering 15minute Thai massages for only £10! This I definitely signed up for as I had very tight upper back muscles, so a massage was just what I needed.
As we made our way around the room they were many curious noises from all the different allocated yoga areas where the classes were free to join but had dedicated enclosed areas, each with a stand indicating what the classes for the day were and the times, so you had to ensure you were there early enough as there were only a certain amount of stations and mats to be filled, so If you were not on time, you would be left on the side-lines watching.
Take time to do what makes your soul happy!
Another interesting class we took part in was a sound body class, fun and exciting as we were expecting movements and exercises to music or instruments, but this was the wrong expectation. It was actually a gentle movement and meditation class, heightening your awareness between your body and the noises that came from it. Some of these included loud breathing, fluttering your lips, humming, gentle mantras and blocking you ears, and although it does like a very weird situation we stumbled upon, we thoroughly enjoyed it and left feeling very calm and relaxed.
From the calming chilled vibe of the sound class, we moved onto something a little more upbeat – the dance yoga area, this was such fun! It incorporated yoga moves co-ordinated to a gentle flowing routine to create a continuous dance movement, rather than a physically difficult class, this was more free and an easier choice of activity.
We also planned in to attend a few talks which were all really good, insightful and packed with interesting information. The talk by Earthen Living, I was excited to attend as this was relating to the basics and routines of Ayurveda, as I have been learning more about this practice and wanting to take on many of the principles into my life. I found this talk very useful, as well as attending their stall and purchasing a morning Ayurveda kit which consisted of natural toothpaste powder, tongue scraper and amla powder tablets (If you want to know more about amla, click here for more information and to try out a delicious creamy amla smoothie). The other talk was given by a couple who run successful wellness retreat in Sussex, they were happy to hand out advice for anyone who would be interested in holding a retreat (as this is something I definitely have in plan on the horizon!) They were very helpful with talking through activities, spending choices, money management and marketing schemes.
Then, sadly an amazing weekend at the Omyogashow had to come to an end, and home we headed, with happy, tired bodies, fulfilled minds, calm hearts, and lots of new goodies to play with! As relaxing and chilled as the weekend was, it ended up being rather busy and filled with fun activities and opportunities to learn about many topics in health and wellness. I definitely would love to return next year! If you have any questions relating to the show, yoga or nutrition, don’t be shy to pop me an email 😊
Email: hyperhealthnut@gmail.com
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Lots of love,
Bridgette from Hyper Health Nut,
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