When Jill asked me to write up a sponsored post for Yoga St. Lucia I popped on my yoga pants and got right on it with a smile! As always, our aim at Island Effect is to be an excellent, trusty guide for you, so all opinions are our own!
Jill Hagar is the Director of Yoga St Lucia and is Saint Lucia’s only Certified Therapeutic Iyengar Yoga instructor and she’s a bit of a ‘household name’ on Saint Lucia’s yoga circuit having been teaching yoga here since 2002.
Jill began teaching Yoga in Boca Raton, Florida before coming to Saint Lucia. She recognised a need for Yoga here on the island especially for people with injury and was inspired to share her knowledge and bring wellness to as many people as she could.
Yoga as Healer
Jill say’s “Iyengar Yoga is my doctor. Yoga knows what to do whenever my body is challenged with an issue. Yoga Is my therapist, keeps me going.”
“We sometimes form bad habits from something as simple as the way that we stand which tends to affect our health. We can create knee, hip and back issues, along with many others. I watch my students move and attempt poses and help them adjust their movements to create proper alignment and fuller use of their body”
“I don’t think I will ever quit teaching yoga. I’ve been a practitioner most of my life and practicing Iyengar Yoga for over 21 years. I love sharing what I have learnt with people, especially when someone has lost ability from age, an accident or illness. I love being able to help people regain movement and strength that they thought they’d never have again.”
Jill herself suffered from a hip issue and torn meniscus, she used her knowledge of Iyengar Yoga and practiced, to strengthen and ease the pain in her hip and healed the torn meniscus. She feels that these experiences have, next to BKS Iyengar, been her greatest teachers. With this knowledge in hand and in her heart, Jill has since helped many students achieve great relief and improved movement through the practice of Iyengar Yoga.
None of us know everything and there’s always more to learn.
Yoga St Lucia welcomes up and coming yoga teachers to attend classes to share knowledge and receive mentoring: Jill’s hope is that she can pass on as much of her knowledge as possible here in St Lucia and so enable others to move forward on the path to increased qualifications. She says, “It’s constant discipline – yoga is about connecting the body and the mind, and you need to keep learning. I know getting qualified can be a huge investment and costly especially for Saint Lucians when you put it in perspective of local earnings and the cost of working toward certification, so if I can pass on what I know, that would be great. I am open to – if a yoga practitioner or student really needs help and can’t afford classes, I prefer they just come – we never turn anybody away.
Jill is certified by the International Association of Yoga Therapists and holds a Junior I Intermediate Iyengar Yoga certification. She has trained with many wonderful and internationally acclaimed senior Iyengar teachers, as well as the Iyengar family in India. She attends Teacher Training and workshops several times per year.
What to expect in a class
You can expect precision, enthusiasm, inspiring demonstrations, attention to safety, and very clear instructions from Jill as she skilfully guides you through the poses and using props. Jill walks through her classes carefully assessing each student and giving hands on adjustments to ensure the poses are done correctly…this often results in soft exclamations of ‘Ohhh!’ and the occasional giggle, as a student realises they actually CAN do something they were pretty sure they couldn’t!
New students are welcome – don’t let your fears stop you from giving it a try. You’ll find a warm welcome and the best expertise at Yoga St. Lucia – what better place to start?
Jill’s Teaching Schedule at Yoga St Lucia
- Tuesday – Thursday:
- 9 – 10:30 AM, Level II
- 10:30 – Noon Level I
- 6 – 7:15 PM Level I-II
- Saturday:
- 9 – 10:30 AM General Class
- Check Facebook for occasional schedule changes for holidays etc
- Enquire to book private classes and workshops
- Annual Holiday Workshop Dec 13th
Quick Facts
- Jill Hagar – Iyengar Intermediate Junior I Certification
- C-IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist listed on www.iayt.org
- Street and parking lot parking
- Newcomers welcome
- Props, mats etc all available at the studio
- Class prices $40EC / $15USD
Contacts
- Jill Hagar
- (758) 718-1297
- yogastlucia@gmail.com or yogaonthebay.slu@gmail.com
How to get there
What3Words
Click on this What3Words address ///ascends.rapid.mystic to be taken straight to the exact spot on the map:Use with your favorite app to get driving directions.
Lucian Directions: Coming off the Castries Gros Islet highway, turn in between the two malls, walk or drive down past Scotia Bank all the way to the end and turn right onto Reduit Beach Avenue. Keep going and turn into the 1st road on the right just after East Caribbean Condos and where you see a sign for Harmony Suites. Walk about 100 metres further and you’ll see the entrance to Harmony Suites on your right. You should also see a sign for Kevala Studio. Walk through reception, past the shops on the right and turn right at the end. The studio entrance is tucked away on your right.
Read more about Yoga in Saint Lucia in these posts:
Yoga with Ja – Yoga in true island-style!
Iyengar Yoga with Lenka Gargalovicova: Live a healthier, happier life
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