Review: Transform Now

As the stereotypical PE class dropout, I’ve never found a form of exercise that could keep me rapt for more than one session. And yoga was the absolute worst. Wedged between women who lithely placed feet behind heads and balanced on one leg, I was forever wobbling and straining, feeling let down by a decidedly unbendy body, cursing my lack of poise.

I felt too exposed to dream of relaxing and soon gave up. But when a friend suggested a private class with Niki Perry, I agreed – ever the optimist that perhaps this class would be my jam.

We went to Niki’s house and in her sun-filled dining room, decorated with photographs of her three daughters, I finally had my epiphany. Because rather than worrying whether or not I was doing it right, I connected with Niki immediately. Not only did she have that special way of teaching that made perfect sense of each pose, she was kind, encouraging and made me believe I was doing well and had something awesome to work towards.

She taught me that there is no such thing as a yoga body – there’s just my body and it’s perfect for yoga. She totally blew all my preconceptions about yoga out of the window – that it wasn’t dynamic, that I couldn’t do it – and gently incorporated the theory to help me find a sense of purpose in personal practice beyond the physical.

All it took was the right teacher.

Niki Perry’s Transform Now yoga DVD is £15 from sweatybetty.com

Photograph: iStock