My afternoon spent with Sue from the Albany Yoga Room consisted of tea and cupcakes and a bit of yoga chat. I might be a little biased towards Sue (as she is my awesome mother), but according to me and plenty of other dedicated students, her style of yoga is the business. I asked her a few questions about what makes the Albany Yoga Room so special…
How long have you been doing yoga for, and why did you start?
I started yoga in 1985 when I was pregnant with my first daughter (guess who).
How long have you had your studio for?
The Albany Yoga Room opened in June 2000. I had been teaching for about 5 years before opening my own studio.
Why do you love yoga?
Yoga makes me feel good, physically strong and flexible. It’s got rid of aches and pains and minor health problems I used to have, and makes me feel relaxed, calm and happy during the day.
What are the benefits of yoga?
Yoga has both physical and mental benefits. The physical benefits are that you get stronger and more flexible. Back and joint problems and a whole range of minor health problems can be alleviated by yoga. Mentally, you are able to think more clearly, you become more calm and less stressed, you are able to focus on your problems and work them out logically. You learn to relax properley meaning you are more energetic and always in a good mood. Yoga, giving you more energy means that ailments such as depression and lethargy are avoided.
Is there something that the Albany Yoga Room specialises in and makes you different to other yoga studios?
There are a few things that make the Albany Yoga Room special. We treat every student as an individual, we make sure everyone works at their own pace. We are not a one size fits all studio. We are very friendly and welcoming and we try to get to know every student personally. We also try to give people more than just a physical experience, so we teach you to relax and destress, meaning that your yoga practice is changing your whole life rather than just being something that you do for an hour and a half.
What do you tell people who think they are too busy to fit yoga into their schedule?
The people who are too busy for yoga are exactly the people who need to make time to come. They tend to be very stressed and eventually burn out because their bodies never get a chance to deeply relax and rejuvenate.
I know you teach pregnancy yoga at the Albany Yoga Room. How does pregnancy yoga help people?
Pregnancy yoga helps both during pregnancy to alleviate the general aches and pains that come with being pregnant and we also work on getting your body ready to give birth. During a pregnancy yoga class we put a lot of emphasis on hip opening work which helps to free up the pelvis for labour. Most importantly is that pregnant girls who come to these classes learn to focus on and relax with their breath which is very beneficial and helpful for labour.
What benefit does the ‘mums and bubs’ class have for the babies? (If any)
The mums and bubs class is a great bonding experience for both mum and baby, as you are doing your practice in very close contact to your baby and you have a lot of eye contact with each other. Babies also get little arm stretches and leg stretches (nothing major), but the babies love it! This is a very relaxed class which will often have a mother breastfeeding or soothing a crying baby when necessary.
Want to try a yoga class at the Albany Yoga Room? Visit www.albanyyoga.co.nz for a full timetable and class descriptions. The Albany Yoga Room is located at 36 William Pickering Drive, Albany. Want to ask Sue a question? You can email her at albanyyoga@clear.net.nz 
