Some of you will know that in addition to my vocation as a yoga teacher, I also follow my other passion in life and work part-time as an upholsterer, running my own small upholstery business, Riverbank Upholstery. I absolutely love to make and create things!
In addition to upholstery, over the last few years I’ve been starting to make some of my own yoga props, supplying these to my previous yoga studio (but often being too busy to make them for myself!).
For those of you who already practice yoga with me, you’ll know that I love yoga props! They provide support, safe alignment and accessibility into postures that would otherwise not be possible. Most basic yoga props I buy through Yoga Matters, who provide excellent value, good quality yoga props.
There are some props however that I haven’t been able to source through Yoga Matters in the size or style that I would like. As a result I’ve started to make some of my own yoga props and I’ll be gradually looking to introduce these in forthcoming lessons. These include head supports, knee and feet supports and some innovative wedge blocks for squats and downward dogs. In the meantime, I’ve been starting off with making some eye pillows for final relaxation and students (if you have one of these, please note they cannot be microwaved! They are filled with organic linseeds and dried lavender, with a removable, 100% cotton cover – this can be washed at a cool temperature!).
I’ve also been designing and making my own fabrics for these props, starting with my own sheep design (shambhaa, the marsh yoga sheep mascot). I have a number of other designs ready to go into production and I’ll look forward to sharing more information on these with you in the coming months – see my Instagram page marshyoga for regular updates. If anyone would like to come and visit me at my upholstery workshop during the week, please do get in touch as I always love to have visitors.