Stronger Muscles. Safer Poses. Better Yoga.

Aimee Purgal, Rehab Personal Trainer started her Strength Monday's - functional strength training - classes in the Synthesis Yoga Studio in Grouville last week. As we get older, niggles can start to appear in our lower back, hips & knees.

My yoga is a depth embodiment practice encouraging self-awareness and personal development. Clients develop a kindful learning relationship with themselves. Specialising in difficult transitions, my passion is finding hidden potential, helping you to integrate it in a way that improves the quality of your life and enables change from the inside out. We do all that by softening, stretching and letting go through traditional tantra.

It is a unique transformative & therapeutic yoga practice, but I know that I need support with my left hip and knee if I am to avoid slipping into arthritis as I get older. So that was the brief that Aimee was given and her first class did not disappoint. I noticed the following during and after the class:

• Fairly quickly endorphins kicked in. I am familiar with increased serotonin in my yoga practice, endorphins are different. I felt energetic and uplifted, which continued for the remainder of the day.

• I didn't feel stiff in my day-to-day activities, but I could feel stiffness in my dandasana 24 hours later. After a full week of yoga classes, I could feel stiffness in my glutes.

• I felt less "clunky" in my left hip and knee.

Chatting with Aimee about my experience, this is what she had to say:

"When you exercise, your body feels physical strain. Your brain responds by releasing endorphins, which are natural pain-relieving chemicals.

Endorphins:

      •     Reduce pain

      •     Help you feel good

      •     Make it easier to keep moving

They attach to pain and pleasure receptors in the brain, calming discomfort and boosting mood.

In short: your brain releases endorphins during exercise to protect you from pain and reward your body for working hard. You can feel the effects straight away and they can last for most of the day.

If you want to feel stronger, more stable, and more confident in your yoga practice, functional strength work is the missing link.

Targeted training for the glutes, hamstrings, and core directly supports the poses you practice every day. These muscles create stability in standing poses, power in transitions, and protection for your lower back and hips — so you can move with control instead of strain.

This isn’t about “bulking up.”

It’s about building functional strength that allows you to:

✔ Hold poses with ease

✔ Improve balance and alignment

✔ Reduce injuries and overuse pain

✔ Move deeper without forcing flexibility

You might feel muscle soreness 24–72 hours after strength work — this is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). It’s a normal sign that your body is getting stronger.

Yes, your yoga practice may feel a little heavier at first — but this phase is temporary. As your muscles adapt:

      •     Soreness reduces

      •     Stability increases

      •     Your practice feels stronger, not stiffer

The payoff? More control, more confidence, and long-term progress on the mat.

Why this works?

Flexibility without strength leads to instability.

Strength without flexibility leads to restriction.

This training bridges the gap — giving you the support your yoga practice needs to thrive.

✨ Build strength that serves your yoga

✨ Move better, longer, and pain-free

✨ Feel the difference in every pose"

Come and join me in Aimee's Strength Monday's class. Experience how functional strength transforms your yoga practice and supports your body for a fuller experience of life!

Sarah is a Psychosynthesis Embodied Supervisor, Executive Leadership Coach with further qualifications in systemic and embodiment disciplines. Her coaching clients are women, located in Jersey, France and London, in senior leadership roles, who are responsible for innovative change. Find out more about Sarah.