Gentle Somatic Yoga is based on the work of James Knight and Thomas Hannah.
These are very relaxing lessons and are ground/ mat based. Rather than stretching as is the norm in yoga, students are asked to sense how the body moves throughout practice. We pandiculate (hold a muscle under gentle tension) in order to relax tension held in the muscle in order to regain control of our bodies and restore freedom of movement.
Suitable for all abilities and persons with chronic fatigue and people coming back from injury who would like a gentle practice.
Ultima actualización 7 de Enero de 2022 a las 08:27 UTC
Zoe Marciniak (Yoga Alliance UK, Associate Level 2 RYT 200h and GSY-P1 and P2) started practicing yoga in 1999 and became a hatha yoga teacher in 2013 and Gentle Somatic Yoga Foundation level in 2017 and Practitioner Level 1 in October 2018 and continued her education to gain L2 (Sheffield’s first teacher to run dedicated somatic yoga classes).
She is an eternal student and blends her understanding of hatha yoga, anatomy, functional movement, fascia, form and how it affects movement and Somatic Education in to her lessons – the result of which are varied yoga lessons with an inquisitive approach to poses and a yoga practice where freedom of movement comes with much less effort – using the body’s natural ability.
She brings her experience, humour and warmth to every class. She prior to lockdown was teaching busy in person classes of her own around Sheffield in Bents Green, Ecclesall, Millhouses and Nether Edge, as well as at Nuffield Health and Graves Health and Leisure. She has taught at the University of Sheffield, Virgin Active and offered courses at Silverdale School as part of courses to develop lifelong skills for students. She has developed classes for Sheffield Wednesday football club and Rotherham United football club. Privately, she has taught a Team GB athlete and has provided one to one tuition to a premiership football player and a Premier League football manager.
Before she became a yoga and Somatics teacher, Zoe was an accountant for more than 10 years. After the birth of her son in 2009, she decided she needed a life change, so gave it all up to become a yoga teacher. She studied with Bahia Yoga, and also attended trainings in Sri Lanka, India, Japan, Australia and the US.
A life-long student, Zoe is constantly updating her skills by attending workshops and has the following qualifications:
Yoga Alliance YT200h
Gentle Somatic Yoga P1 and P2
Vasistha method of pranayama
Tiffany Cruikshank of Yoga Medicine – Yoga Anatomy
She is a student of Feldenkrais for Yoga. She has a strong understanding of how a body should move and blends her influences and learning into her teachings, which can make classes fun, interesting and varied.
Zoe regularly run 10Ks, triathlons (sprint and standard) and marathons, having completed the Paris marathon twice as well as the Nice and Berlin Marathons. Zoe also is qualified to scuba dive and likes to climb. Practicing yoga is a good companion to all of these activities, both in terms of mindset, performance, recovery post training and event, knowing what is right for the body and reduction of injury.
