Fitness: Read about instructor Emma Fryer’s life-changing yoga journey

Emma Fryer’s yoga journey began back in 2017 and was so life-enriching that she went on to train to become a teacher. The founder of Girl On A Rock Yoga, Emma teaches classes in Burwell, Bourn and beyond

My fitness story

I started my 200-hour yoga teacher training back in September 2019 although I had been practising yoga for a number of years prior to this.

The dreaded pandemic and lockdown happened right in the middle of my cohort’s training! This meant that plenty of teaching took place outside with a touch of online too. I run classes in Burwell and Bourn where I facilitate hatha flow-inspired practices as well as restorative yoga and yoga Nidra.

My teaching style

My teaching comes from a trauma informed background as well as from my own lived experiences. The style I teach is about allowing people to find the yoga shapes in their bodies, giving themselves permission and allowing the practise to be their own.

There’s also a splash of goat yoga thrown in for good measure just over the border in Saffron Walden and a dash of Sauna Stretch at Paus Cambridge. I have been teaching for five years now; wow time flies!

Why I love my job

I love having the opportunity to enable participants to make choices in their bodies, to move in their own way and realise their yoga shape is unlikely to look like anyone else’s and THAT IS OKAY! I love being able to bust the wellness industry and yoga myths. I love the gentle snores that pop up around the space in our more restful practices, those practices that allow the parasympathetic nervous system to come forward (the rest and digest state), as well as participants letting me know they had the best ever sleep after a class. I love being able to show that those Instagram pictures of people doing yoga isn’t the yoga I know and love. And, yes, I even love the goats clambering all over me, chewing my clothes, feet and hair!

My go-to quick workout

Yoga isn’t necessarily a workout. For me a bit of gentle movement on my mat does wonders.

My favourite feel-good long workout

Again as yoga isn’t a typical workout, a longer version for me would be by moving through various shapes and my own yoga flows. This would probably be followed by some delicious restorative yoga shapes to balance my nervous system.

How I kick back and relax

Honestly, doom scrolling, trashy TV, a potter around the garden or indulging in some crochet; my cardigans are legendary.

My top tip for anyone who needs motivating to start exercising

I always tell people if you can breathe you can do yoga! I totally get that a lot of settings can feel intimidating or a bit scary. I was terrified when I first went to a class. Get in touch with the teacher to have a conversation and ask as many questions as you need to.

Find out more about Emma at girlonarock.com or by emailing girl@girlonarock.com