Yoga class strikes pose

IF you’ve ever wondered how Madonna and Sting stay in such good shape it might be worth taking a peek at what goes on twice a week at St George’s church hall in Gainsborough.

On Monday and Wednesday evenings Roger Hooton can be found teaching ashtanga yoga, the keep fit regime followed by the famous.

The 55-year-old first learnt the techniques about 10 years ago in Ireland and in 2008 spent a month in India studying the discipline and practising seven hours a day.

“There are many, many benefits with this type of yoga,” he said.

“It improves flexibility and makes you stronger, it’s great for rebalancing the skeletal system, it gives you core strength which supports your back, and teaches you how to breathe properly and deeper.”

“It also improves your concentration and helps with relaxation.”

“I absolutely love it and wish I had started when I was eight.”

Roger teaches primary level ashtanga yoga and he describes his classes as being like a sandwich, with the middle part of the session placed between starting and finishing sequences.

He begins with the sun salutation, a series of standing postures to loosen up, before moving on to the ‘filling’, a series of seated postures.

“Then we have a finishing sequence of postures designed to bring you out of the practice. The whole lesson lasts for an hour.”

“I teach using the mysore method, which is letting each individual work at their own pace, rather than having the whole class doing the same thing at the same time.”