Janice Kessler has been practicing yoga for many years first seeing the benefits on herself. While not limited to working with just men, the majority of her client base is male. She often finds men are a little bit less flexible. By increasing their core strength, alignment, and flexibility, her clients have gone on to meet their fitness goals. She believes what she teaches in the studio should apply to everyday life.
Q. What is your training style?
A. I am very detail oriented so I focus on alignment and correct body position in each exercise/yoga posture. With the correct form, one finds the position much harder, which allows for the weak muscles to be engaged and strengthened.
Q. What’s your favourite way to sweat?
A. I enjoy being with others, it makes exercise much more enjoyable. Not only can you encourage one another, the time just flies.
Q. Which classes do you teach at the club? Give us a little description of how you structure the class.
A. Yoga for Men classes. Everyone comes with differing abilities, different injuries and challenges, as well as different goals - from wanting to increase strength, or improve flexibility, reduce injury or even reduce stress. The differences between individuals directly impacts how I teach and progress any given class. Also, everyone learns a practice they can take anywhere, home, travelling etc.
Q. Best thing about being an instructor?
A. Helping individuals get out of pain and seeing the improvements in one’s yoga practice which often leads to improved physical well-being. When a student first starts doing yoga, some poses may seem impossible but with practice, it all comes together.
Q. Best piece of advice you’ve received?
A. “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” Henry David Thoreau
In yoga practice, we learn that although there is an “ideal looking pose” it really doesn’t matter if we ever get there, as long as we step onto our mat and be in the moment, we often find our body will open up and one feels so great afterwards.
Janice teaches at the Adelaide Club on Tuesdays at 3pm as well as at the Cambridge Club on Mondays at 6:30 and 7:30am.