November Newsletter
Just sneaking this out before December comes and none of us have time to read anything.
The dark nights are here…had you noticed? Even those of our members who have been with us for years still spend a bit of time dithering in the hallway before they leave the warmth of their houses and head out into the night. I’ll include myself here, I thought it would somehow get easier but when it’s been dark for HOURS and you’re signed up to a session that starts at 7pm, that pretty much feels like midnight. Yet, most of us manage to find the strength to step outside and when we do we know we’ll find a group of cheerful people waiting for us in the woods.
We have lots coming up for you this month, new groups, WildStrong Bombs (think seed rather than atomic), our Level 1 Certification and some extremely crafty members.
Happy reading and a lovely festive season! We’ll be back in January with some more musings.
Gill
New WildStrong - Hello Berkhamsted!
We’re really excited to be bringing WildStrong to new locations! We’ll be starting a new community in Berkhamsted in Spring 2023. More on this to come in next month’s issue!
It makes our hearts sing to see just how many people are thinking about starting a WildStrong.
When we began it was more of a hunch, but as we grow the more people approach us who are looking for “something else.” Something that gets them moving more, meeting people and spending more time outside. WildStrongs work best at the micro scale, offering a few sessions a week and run as a side-gig by people who live down the road.
WildStrong Level 1 Certification
Our next course is coming up! Split over two weekends in January and February and held at WildStrong Pangbourne. Open to new franchisees and existing members of any of our groups, you’ll come away with a thorough understanding of:
- Different movement and health philosophies,
- The ability to think critically about exercise selection,
- WildStrong’s movements for life and how to improve your movement practice,
- The skills to develop diverse programming.
We like the idea that our members can also be coaches, a spread of knowledge in a group leads to a more sustainable community - it also lightens the load for the group leaders.
WildStrong on the Road
Next week we head to Worcestershire to Lenches Lakes to run an introductory session. We’ve started offering these sessions to anyone thinking about starting their own WildStrong – It’s a great way to experience how we work and introduce the concept to friends and people local to you.
We were bowled over by the response to the Lenches Lakes session and we look forward to meeting everyone next week!
When we first started offering WildStrong classes we decided to include a monthly focus: handstand progressions, picking up heavy things, balance etc. After thinking over the last few years, we've realised that since we work outside and plan around the elements, all of our programming and exercises should be seasonal. We've always changed our exercise selection based on the season, it follows that we should also make our focus seasonal and not monthly.
One month isn't always enough time to get in the practice that you need. Sometimes it’d take a few weeks for everyone to get the hang of a new movement, then we’d move over to something new. Sometimes the coaches would just want more time to explore an idea. I know that I wanted to keep revisiting the balance theme this summer once I saw how practical it was.
Starting this week and moving into December, our winter focus will be overhead work. This includes any sort of pulling, pushing, hanging, carrying or stretching that involves putting your arms over your head. Gill has been doing a lot of supplementary pull up negative work and it seems like a great choice for the winter. I’ve noticed that a lot of clients struggle with overhead walks, or even just getting their arms over their heads with straight elbows.
To get everyone on track across the various weekly classes, we’re going to repeat some peer coaching and skill sessions. We want to ensure everyone has a solid base of understanding. At WildStrong Pangbourne, we’ll be spending more time in the ‘Ewok Woods’ - it’s a nice cozy spot to exercise in during the winter. Something about being surrounded by illuminated trees feels warmer than working out in the open.
We’ll keep you posted with our progress across the groups!
Andrew Telfer, Head Coach
Shop local and handmade this Christmas
Just as we head into the Christmas madness we thought it would be nice to showcase some of the beautiful products from our crafty members.
There’s a lot to choose from and none of these gems can be found on the high street - from jewelry, to cushions, candles and cards to songs and spectacular carpentry.
OK David – OK David is a painter and designer who works with interior designers and has designed fabrics for Liberty. His pictures have colour and character and often feature animals. He makes quirky prints, cards, cushions and tea towels. He also does fantastic commissions!
Mary Erskine – Mary tours and records under the name Me for Queen. Her new album, Microclimate, is due for release in February. Her music blends traditional folk story-telling with a contemporary edge. Mary recently released Inside, a heart wrenching account of her miscarriage last year. Mary is also a piano teacher and is the resident co-composer with Goblin Theatre. Find her on ko-fi.com/meforqueen where she hosts monthly online gigs for subscribers and also takes commissions – Mary can whip up songs on just about anything.
Helen Lawrenson Cards – Helen hand-makes felted cards. Pop over to her Instagram and you’ll see the whole collection. I loved the one she made Lynne from WildStrong Falkland for her birthday! Helen takes commissions too!
Cradle&Tonic – Sarah’s company make motherhood aromatherapy candles with the purest essential oils, hand poured using natural soy wax with unbleached cotton wicks. The motherhood collection supports relaxation and calm for Bump, Birth and Baby using a blend of essential oils that have been uniquely formulated with beneficial properties. Elegantly designed, the motherhood tonic collection is the perfect gift for any mum-to-be or new mum.
The aArtvark Collective - Founded by Master Craftsman Cobus Swart and run by Kate (long time WildStrong-er). Cobus can turn his hand to just about anything from interiors and barn conversions to beautiful furniture.
Nicola Bannister Jewellery - All of Nicola’s jewellery is handmade using recycled precious metals such as sterling silver, gold and platinum. As well as designing and making her own collection, Nicola also takes on commissions - working with you to design bespoke pieces and loves to remodel old, sentimental jewellery. Get in touch if you have any repairs, resizes, engraving, ring MOT’s, jewellery cleaning and general jewellery questions.
K White Coaching - Kathryn offers a supportive, empowering space for mums who are looking for a career change or who have taken a career break and are deciding what to do next, or looking to return to the workplace. Kathryn, a certified career, life, and confidence coach, helps you work out what you want next in work and life and supports you in taking the steps and gaining the confidence to make it a reality.
Video of the month
Any of our experienced members will be used to our coaches asking us to gain a full range of motion on every movement. But why do we insist on it? Andrew explains all..
