🌟🧘‍♀️STUDENT OF THE MONTH🧘‍♀️🌟

🌟December 2025 Student of the month is……. Jackie Wilkinson!

Some people don’t just come to class — they weave themselves into the fabric of your life. Jackie was in the very first yoga class I ever attended, and somehow she’s been part of almost every meaningful yoga moment since. Over the years, we’ve shared workshops, laughter, pauses, challenges, breakthroughs, cups of tea, and all those in-between moments that don’t need naming to be felt.❤️

Jackie isn’t “just” a student. She’s a dear friend, and we’ve been through a lot together. Her practice has never been about rushing or proving — it’s been about showing up, again and again, with trust in the teachings, reverence for the subject and patience. She is the living embodiment of what consistency really looks like: slow, incremental, often invisible… until one day it isn’t.

After practising since 2002, now at 67 years old, Jackie can now just about lift up into Urdhva Dhanurasana — and the joy she feels in those tiny gains is everything. No drama. No shortcuts. Just devotion, time, and trust in the process.

And honestly? That’s the kind of yoga that stays with you for life 💛

This is what a lifelong practice looks like. Reminding us that yoga isn’t about how far we go — it’s about how faithfully we stay.🙏

❓Tell us a little about yourself…..

🧘🏼‍♂️I am Jackie Wilkinson 67 years young from Yeovil. A retired Dressmaker who now has time to practice more. I am also a keen Rambler which I joined this year. I have 2 children. Lucy who lives in Malaga and has sometimes joined us at summer school. She is taught Iyengar Yoga by senior teacher Jose Maria Vigar. Tom who lives in Bristol I am still working on!!

❓How long have you been practicing yoga?

🧘🏼‍♂️I first started Yoga in 2002(I think) when Cannons opened in Yeovil. I was delighted when Anna Finch started a class there. I have been a devotee of Iyengar Yoga ever since.

❓What made you start yoga?

🧘🏼‍♂️It was something I always wanted to do.

❓What’s your favourite pose?

🧘🏼‍♂️Viparita Karani, Vriksasana and Sirsasana
I never ever thought I would be able to balance in headstand !! I love that I can😀So anyone with the fear it will come!! Just over rule that voice in your brain saying you can't 🤣

❓What’s your favourite prop?

🧘🏼‍♂️My favourite prop has to be my bolster! Where do I start? It's great for so many poses from sitting on at the beginning of class to restorative and Pranayama.

❓How has practicing yoga benefitted your life?

🧘🏼‍♂️It has brought joy to my life and seen me through some really tough times and there have been a few!! As soon as I am on my mat a calm comes over me. I also wouldn't be without my Yoga Buddies!!

❓What makes you keep practicing?

🧘🏼‍♂️I love the way Yoga makes me feel. I leave my mat out so I can do a few poses at will. Sometimes it is just that, other days 2 hours have passed in a flash. Yoga has definitely helped my posture too.

❓Anything else you’d like to add?

🧘🏼‍♂️I have attended many workshops and Conventions over the years and my list of teachers is quite impressive. But my highlight was being taught by Geeta Iyengar in 2009. A week long convention that covered everything from asanas to chanting. It was also where Lisa and I became Yoga Buddies. Another highlight was visiting the institute in Pune in January 2020 with Lisa and Lesley an experience we will never ever forget and an honour to attend. The World Yoga Festival brings a lot of us together. We have a weekend of love, laughter, great food and of course lots of Yoga!!

Well done Jackie and Happy Birthday (26th Dec)! And thank you for sharing your yoga journey with us! ❤️🙏

Student of the Month - December 2025 - Jackie

Student of the Month - November 2025 - Paul