Why Finding The Right Yoga Practice Changed Steffy White’s Life!

If you’re a natural worrier, and you spend more of your day feeling stressed and overwhelmed than light and airy, then you’re not alone. The good news is, according to actress-turned-yogi, Steffy White, a consistent yoga practice can make a world of difference. But if finding the right type of yoga causes you to panic as well, then Steffy’s got that the answer for that too.

“I have always been someone who daydreams, worries and plans,” says Steffy, who came to yoga in an unusual way. She explains that yoga should be approached in a fun, playful and highly energised way – rather than being overanalysed – and that experience and flexibility only comes in time.

Trained by The Yoga People in India, Steffy’s own way of teaching encompass her passion for connecting with her students, especially beginners.

“I can find myself quite in my head, going around in circles thinking about everything from family, what’s happening tomorrow and even what I’m going to eat for dinner,” Steffy explains.

“Through school and university I often found myself with quite a lot of anxiety and stress, exam time and deadlines had my tummy in knots. I was a real worrier. Nowadays I like to think I’m a warrior not a worrier.”

The change, Steffy says, comes down entirely to her yoga.

“Yes of course I have fluctuations from time to time and some days are more peaceful than others but on a whole I have managed to put my worry and anxiety to rest. And I can tell you this change was completely due to my yoga practice.”

Steffy, who now teaches a host of renowned wellness personalities including Ella Woodward, started yoga at a difficult time in her life – where she wasn’t sure what she was doing, but knew she wasn’t happy and needed a change.

“Instead of suppressing this overwhelming feeling of unhappiness, I decided to see it head on and began to practice yoga everyday,” she explains, saying that situations that may have previously worried her became more manageable and enabled her to see things as they were, rather than ten times worse.

“I was really lucky to find a fantastic teacher that enabled me to start to find a bit of peace,” she adds.

“Yoga really is a journey of the self and although I didn’t know it at the time, through my practice of asana and meditation I was starting to see myself and my life more clearly. Things became less challenging and therefore I was filled with less anxiety. Yoga has taught me that the present moment is what’s important and anything that you worry about in your head will probably never happen. So what’s the point in that wasted energy?”

As far as the physical benefits go – Steffy also noticed flexibility, strength and stamina – which all come over time, although she insists that what really made the greatest difference, was an ability to take herself and her life moment by moment.

“It’s funny that what looks to be a very physical practice on the outside is actually a practice for the inside,” she says.

Steffy is the first to admit that starting out is once of the biggest challenges, saying that feelings of alienation or overwhelm are totally normal.

“I urge people to go and sit in a quiet room, close your eyes and be still for ten minutes. Start from there. That’s the perfect place to start. Take it day by day and don’t feel you need to be flexible, that comes by practicing. Find a teacher you enjoy and go in with an open mind.”

Steffy White teaches a host of classes online and in London. Details can be found on her website: www.steffyoga.com