Interview with Sam: Om and Me Yoga
Sam Wills, Om and Me Yoga, teaches Hatha yoga and Vinyasa yoga each week in the Gullivers Wellness Yurt, near Wimborne in Dorset.
We talk to her a little more about yoga’s benefits, what to expect from her classes and why you really don’t have to be flexible to do it.
What do you love about what you do for a living?
Yoga has helped me navigate so many challenges my life and to be able to impart the tools to help others find calm in the face of adversity is a real honour.
I am so deeply privileged to love what I do for a living, and my soul sings when students come up to me to say how yoga has decreased their back pain. Or how the breathing practices have helped them deal with stress or get through an MRI scan and so on.
I live and breathe yoga and truly believe in its benefits.
What can people expect from your classes?
Yoga should be available to all, so I try to make my classes as accessible as possible. I am able to modify poses to accommodate most injuries and ailments, and will work with students if they feel they cannot do something specific.
While I am passionate about what I do, I don’t tend to take myself or my yoga too seriously. I like to throw in a fun element or two in a class to keep the energy light.
What’s the most common assumption people have about yoga?
People often don’t come to yoga because they fear they are too inflexible. If everybody was flexible, I wouldn’t have a job! I teach complete beginners, advanced practitioners, and everything in between. They are all taught with the same principle: yoga is about moving in a way that is right for your body.
No one else knows your body better than you. But if you want to tune in and learn more about your body, practice yoga.
What do you enjoy about teaching at Gullivers?
The Wellness Yurt at Gullivers is a special place to teach. It is a custom-built sanctuary for wellbeing and, as such, has a peaceful energy to it. There are no bright lights or typical gym noises that distract you from the experience. Often you’ll hear the gentle sounds of the nearby farm animals, which is relaxing in itself.
Sam’s runs two different yoga classes in the Wellness Yurt. The faster-paced Vinyasa yoga class is held on Tuesdays, from 9-10. While the slower paced Hatha yoga classes running on Friday mornings. Both are available as drop-in sessions or block bookings.