Welcome to 'Greenspayoga's very first blog post.
I'll hope you will enjoy and find the blog posts enlightening, educating and fun.
I thought it be appropriate to kick off our very first post with a little background and history of where it all began and how 'Greenspayoga' has come to what it is today.
As so many people has asked me how long have you been a yoga instructor, where did you study, how long did you study, do you like bananas? (haha... yes I see the last question as quite legit and valid).
Well, let start at the beginning... I was born five minute past six in the afternoon....hahaha...okay so maybe we shouldn't go that far back...
To give you a very brief history, I was born and bred in Pretoria, the youngest of three daughters, from an early age I was a very peculiar child (that's code for being a tomboy, climbing trees and falling off my bicycle on a daily basis) and just loved being outdoors playing in the garden, curious about nature and especially animals. I already knew in my primary school years chances are, me ending up in a "proper" corporate job is going to be very slim... lets just say I really hated maths and wasn't to keen ons science either, but LOVED biology.
Flash forward to high school, I was convinced to become an Archaeologist (cause who doesn't love dinosaurs, I mean come on)..., or an actress or wait for it...,drum roll please..., even a medical doctor hahaha... yeah my math marks really skyrocketed in high school *insert sarcasm* thus lead me to nearing the end of high school feeling lost and panicky what to study or what to do with my life after school. Bless my parents but they would have never let me go on a "gap year" and acting was out of the question...,"Thea, weet jy wat die aktrises moet doen om n groot rol in die film bedryf te kry"..., thus leading me back to square one, that is until I stumbled upon an Essentials magazine, those last four pages of the weekly magazine change the course of my now career and life.
Every week, the last four pages would cover a 'holistic' therapy or treatment, like Reiki, Aromatherapy, Massage, Colour Therapy and the list went on and on, and alias I decided I am going to conquer *ahem* heal the world one Tea-Tree droplet at a time..., there was just one teeny tiny problem...
Way back when to study 'holistic therapies' you had to study Beauty Therapy (Somatology) first, then you "specialise" in 'holistic therapies' in your 3rd year of varsity. Well then as we say in Afrikaans, "so gese, so gedaan" off to beauty college!
I enrolled for my two year 'Health and Skincare Diploma' at Madge Wallace International Beauty Collage and (if I may brag) ended up top of my class and Cidesco Student of the year, which in the beauty industry Cidesco is like kind of a big deal.
Finally went on to study/specialise in my third year in various 'holistic therapies'. it was also at this stage that I stared a micro salon from my parents house as to sustain my student living habits.
After studying full time for three years I was off to the big world to werk, werk, werk, werk, werk as Rihanna would say. I found an amazing job at a Health Hydro in Sandton, and ended up working there for about two years until they sold the SPA to ABSA, ja sure those bankers need them floatation tanks..., stat!
Also this time around I starting dating (my now husband) bf Anton Opperman, who was a photographer, and I thought by myself how romantic and o boy how poor we will be..., but happy (I knew I should have stuck it out for a charted accountant, or a prince in Monico, or a genie in a bottle) hahaha... grappie
In the mean time my little micro beauty salon at my parents house was still alive and wasn't so little anymore, then came Camelot International (a mega beauty college) out of the blue and approached me, and asked whether I will be their Aromatherapy lecturer, and Skin Care, and Anatomy & Physiology, and Pathophysiology and and and...
Whilst lecturing in my first year and running my small salon at the same time I thought it was about time to further my studies and love for holistic therapies and enrolled for my 200hr Teacher Training in Yoga in 2006.
I had to work at a bar over weekends up and till 2-3am in the mornings to be able to pay for my Teacher Training and you may think but you weren't you a Beauty Lecturer at the time and performing beauty treatments?, Well then exposing the not so secret of the Whole Beauty industry..."Pay Sucked"..., big time. The college probable would have fired me, knowing that by day I wore a suite and tie and by the weekend, it was all "Rasta Man".
Again (not to brag...,but to brag) I was top of my 200hr Yoga Teacher Training Class as well and the whole course took a year and a half not your typical youtube-fly by night-crash course trainings that they offer nowadays.
After lecturing for seven years it felt that it was time to take the plunge and pursue my dream in holistic therapies full time and so my Beauty College Lecturing career came to an end (for now, in anycase).
Then one hot October afternoon in 2012, five minutes past six 'Greenspayoga' has seen the light of day and was born...,ahhhh sewenjhaaa!!!
'Greenspayoga" (as the millennial-hipsters would say) is a Bespoke, Artisanal Spa, and does not follow the norm...,just like her owner. This is not your conventional, traditional Spa where it is a massive destination where you set a day aside with your girlfriends, sip on cocktails whilst your toe hairs are being waxed...,that is so 1997,
you know us entreperneurs like to do things differently.
Rather the emphasis of the only two treatments that 'Greenspayoga' offer is to feel 'treated', healed and taken care of naturally with very carefully selected products with healing herbs as their main ingredients and off course benefiting the environment as well.
Simple, healing, healthy, beautiful, therapeutic treatments.
Yoga at 'Greenspayoga' as you may have guessed it, also doesn't fall into the 'norm' or should I rather say the picture, that the yoga marketing world has projected.
Being a one man (woman) band and owning a very, very small studio, classes are the same for everyone, whether you are a beginner, advance, pregnant or unfit, all are bundled-up in one class. Don't worry, I am a professional ;-) I see you shy one hiding behind the meditation pillow, I'll take good care of you, I promise.
My intentions with each and every class and what I would like my yoga clients to experience and walk away with is fun, fitness, laughter, talking, sharing, a sense of community, overall light-heartedness and general well being, isn't it what it's all about?
This might not be seen as the "norm" by some...and the question may come up: "emm shouldn't you be quiet and still as to become one with yourself and "look inward" for inner peace, calm and clarity?"
"Well, yes we do, okay some times, often, rarely, definitely not the Monday 6-7pm class hehehe..."
Let's just say 'Greenspayoga/Thea' teaches a very unique style of yoga,
where we meditate hard, asana harder and laugh the hardest.
Oraait then, this sounds like a well rounded, Thea-Traditional style of Yoga to me,
I like, no I love it, give me two please.
Aaand..., I would say this is about a good of a summary of the history of 'Greenspayoga' as it gets, otherwise Thea Opperman owner, therapist and yoga teacher of 'Greenspayoga' lives her quite days with hubby Anton in their cosy little house in Queenswood, Pretoria with their fur babies and when opportunity arise like not going through a pandemic love long walks on the beach, reading and listening to podcasts.
Until next time,
Namaste
Thea.