Didn't See That Coming

Dear Yogis.

My Ashtanga teacher, David Swenson, says that when you are new to yoga, you collect yoga postures as though you are building up a huge bank balance. He follows this sentence by saying that; ‘At my age, you start giving them away to charity’. It’s a funny line. But isn’t it the case that while we think yoga is all about acquiring postures, having phenomenal physical abilities, getting better and better, that fact is that we are really in the opposite business of discarding: ridding ourselves of a unnecessary thoughts, unwanted energies, useless attitudes, unhelpful approaches. That’s the yoga trick and you don’t see it coming!

We are training, in the length of a class, to make the mind a more skilful instrument for our daily use. The goal isn’t touching the toes but removing the barriers to a life less complicated. By practicing breath-focus and a handful of postures the mind de-clutters. With a quieter mind you take a quieter attitude to life and perhaps the noise of unsupportive relationships, unsuitable jobs, and unhealthy patterns become obvious. In the hush, our internal compass can direct the soul towards its rightful course. Yoga postures are interesting but not nearly as interesting as the choices we make in life having discovered yoga. It describes my life and I didn’t see it coming!

Home Studio

My little home studio is not operating next week. (I’ll be training with Manju Jois in Finland and hopefully finding some interesting material for next week’s email!) Classes here start again on Monday 7th August. There are plenty of places to book. (If you are not altogether sure if you’ll be free, please book late rather than cancel late. It’s proving impossible to operate a waiting list.)

While I’m away I’d love you to discover other teachers. The brilliant Jenny Fearnley is taking over the Eden Fitness gym classes and you can also take her classes at Yoga West. (Come with me tomorrow, Saturday, to her 8.30am class if you like). If you fancy wandering further afield, discover classes with Andy Gill near Tower Bridge on a Saturday morning. (I mentioned his yoga retreat last week.) What about some fun this evening at Lumi Power Yoga in Hammersmith with Friday Night Funk & Flow? Let me know if you fancy it!

Yoga in the News

The Guardian sports the headline: ‘Yoga in the office? Firms should help us stay well, says public health chief’. The chief executive of Public Health England wants workplaces to help improve employee wellbeing and public health by combating stress and preventing/managing poor musculoskeletal health. Actually, the article barely mentions yoga but cycling comes up trumps! HR Magazine recently found that employers and bosses believe that cyclists are more productive and had more energy than non-cycling colleagues.

 DJ Goldie is at it again in the Belfast Telegraph talking about how yoga saved his life. (Actually, I’ve heard him talk about it and it’s... a good thing!)

The Daily Mail had a yoga campaign this week with daily articles from a teacher called Barbara Currie who is in her 70s. Here’s yesterday’s article – the final one. It’s an inspiring read.

Have a lovely weekend. Good luck if you’re taking part in the London-Surrey 100.

Diet and Yoga

Dear Yogis.

Sometimes I get asked about diet – in particular a vegan diet. Before going any further I have to say that different diets suit different people (Ayurvedic principles) but, probably, everyone needs to look into supplements. Here’s a lovely podcast by my favourite podcaster Lucas Rockwood about exactly that. He had a blood test done and, in this edition, discusses the results with a doctor. They are a bit longwinded but it isn’t often you hear people talking about digestive enzymes and detoxification pathways and the effects of plastics and pesticides and heavy metals. It’s never a waste of time to hear talk of B12 deficiency, or if the sun gives enough Vitamin D (discussed at 27.35)? Artificially lowering cholesterol is a fashion... what are the consequences?

Does this have anything to do with yoga? Is there a philosophical case for a yogic diet? Jivamukti Yoga believes so. I have taught many people who instinctively tweak and improve their diet without any prompting.

Home Studio

There are plenty of spaces in my Home Studio next week. More and more new yogis are coming along; some ordered to attend by partners, all leaving with a sweat and a smile. Every day I reflect on how lucky I am. Many people book a few weeks ahead and so I need to say that there will be no classes in the first week of August. I’ll be training with Manju Jois. (Lovely interview with him here.) When you find that no classes show up in the booking system for the full week, that’s why.

Retreat

I’m not taking a retreat this year but there seems to be more and more interest in yoga retreats. In order to take the plunge and commit to a teacher for a non-stop week, you need to have confidence in their teaching, their kindness and their knowledge of yoga and its intelligent variations for different bodies and needs. You’ll have heard me mention Andy Gill in class and I’ve mentioned his workshops in previous Friday Emails.  If you’re looking for a recommendation, you couldn’t be safer than in his classes. He has a retreat coming up later this month at EcoYoga in the Scottish Highlands. Have a look.

Yoga Festivals

Having been to my first yoga festival, I’m hooked! Here are a few if you fancy some Outdoor Omming. CAMYOGA’S ‘Waterfront Yoga Festival’ is a free, packed event for just one manageable day, Saturday August 5th. Then, the Soul Circus Festival is outside Gloucester in Elmore, August 18th – 20th.  There you’ll find Maxi Jazz from Faithless DJ-ing a yoga class, giving a Buddhism talk and DJ-ing the ‘After Party’. You’ll find brilliant teachers I’ve mentioned before like Marcus Veda, Dan Peppiat and Ambra Vallo. Finally, Wanderlust 108 bills itself as a mindfulness triathlon. You have a 5k run, a 90-minute yoga session and a 30-minute guided meditation for £21.80 – £30. It’s in September on the 23rd and starts at 7.30 in Victoria Park, London. Celest Pereira from triyoga will be teaching – I have taken a January 1st class with her and she is very inspiring. Here are a few more options.

Yoga in the News

The Kilted Yogis are back. The Scotsman reports that they have a book called Kilted Yoga: Yoga Laid Bare.

Heart Chakra of the World

Dear Yogis.

I found out some lovely things about Glastonbury at last weekend’s Yoga Connects Festival: that Glastonbury is the Heart Chakra of the globe (who knew?); that howling at the full moon after Omming at the universe is normal; that hugging is preferred to shaking hands. Hanging out in a field with yoga nomads, sunscreen and vegan food is an excellent way to spend a weekend. You meet teachers who get invited from country to country, perpetually travelling to antique lands and foreign fields to teach. I made a resolution to go to more yoga festivals.

I have two new recommendations and if you get a chance to study with the following, please have a go.  Jim Tarran taught a beautiful, fun class entitled ‘Experiential translation of yoga philosophy’, quoting yoga sutras and ancient texts. Stewart Gilchrist, for the fast-paced and energetic, similarly quoted constantly but like a man possessed. He said that we may find practice physically hard but that is because we are stuck in Anamaya Kosha, the gross body. We aim to practice with the Pranamaya Kosha which is the breath and the energy body which we feel pervading and surrounding our physical body. True that! As usual, it was a privilege to practice with Ambra Vallo and Eugene Vegan Butcher (see attachment below).

Home Studio

There are loads of spaces left next week and lots of cancellations these days so last-minute bookings might also be possible. Come along. It’s less hot and we can put in more energy. This week we explored the Intermediate Series for a change. (Just a caution; when booking online click the 'Complete Booking' button and whitelist emails that come from the @simplybook.me.)

Summer Training

Yoga West has started it’s Yoga in the Park sessions held on Chiswick Back Common, Turnham Green Terrace. Triyoga has teamed up with lululemon to offer a series of free Sunday morning yoga classes at their Chelsea and Regent Street stores.

Yoga in the News

I teach yoga in a few companies so I found this from The Entrepreneur interesting: “How Can You Reverse Your Company's Work-Life Imbalance? Through Yoga.” It says employees’ expectations of the work environment have changed and bosses have to keep up. It’s not parking spaces or free food or old-fashioned perks that are needed but “a change from within” via self-improvement, happiness, sanity and implementing yoga values.

I once worked at The Telegraph as a sub-editor. We called the paper The Hurleygraph. Here’s an article that shows why.

Enjoy your weekend.

Magic Wand Yoga

Dear Yogis

Ahhhh, the absolute magic of yoga! Last week I was feeling nauseous, shaky, hot and dizzy before having to teach two evening classes. I had walked a while in the sweltering day and felt as though I had walked across whole continents! Legs Up The Wall posture was a god send and absolutely instinctive. Without any deliberation, my body seemed to know that bed rest or sofa slouching was not going to cut it. The posture is a magic wand! So much so it’s on my website now. Absolutely everybody can do this and I also used to start my Yoga for Sports classes like this. After half an hour I was completely restored.

Gratitude

In Greece recently I taught this sequence to friends including the just awarded MBE, Chris Shurety, for services to music. He founded the orchestra I was a member of for a decade, he introduced me to Kythera where he held orchestra ‘retreats’ and he is the reason I started yoga retreats there. Endless gratitude!

Training

After writing this I’ll be packing for a weekend at the Yoga Connects Festival. I can’t wait to practice with Ambra Vallo and acro-man Eugene Vegan Butcher, and people I’m hesitant about but I’ll have a go such as Stewart Gilchrist (who has the kind of Om that invokes the devil!), and other teachers I can’t wait to practice with like Jim Tarran and Keef Miles. There’s even ‘Dance and Yoga’; the description is accompanied by a picture of a couple in a Tango pose. Why don’t you come! Thea Gordon-Rawlings has a spare ticket you can have for £85 (RRP £250). Contact theajgr@gmail.com.

Eden Fitness Ealing

I’m very humbled to say that the brilliant Jenny Fearnley is teaching the two Eden classes this morning(7th July). She’s a wonderful teacher and I often tell you of her workshops at Yoga West. I’m so pleased to introduce her to the lovely Eden Yogis.

Home Studio

There are a few spaces left next week. Come along. Lots of newcomers have discovered my little Bikram studio so book early. While it’s so hot, the Ashtanga-based classes will concentrate on the seated postures with the option of vinyasas. It’s a nice opportunity because classes usually concentrate on the standing postures to the point that you will probably know the standing sequence but have no idea of the order of seated poses. (Let me know if you have any questions about your booking. Sometimes the confirmation email doesn’t generate. You must click the 'Complete Booking' button to secure the space when booking online.)

Yoga in the News

For Wimbledon fans, the Yorkshire Post tells us that: ‘British No 1 Johanna Konta is hoping a combination of yoga and mindfulness can help her handle the pressure at Wimbledon. She looks to yoga for mindfulness, breathing techniques and practicing something that isn’t tennis!

I thought this was an interesting and entertaining way of describing the benefits of yoga in a particularly Red Top way! The Mirror urges us to ‘Beat your body niggles by busting a move and ease your aches and pains’.  Wind, constipation, snoring and cravings... I suppose the things they thing will be relevant for their readers! Nice article!

Children's Yoga

Dear Yogis

I’ve been promising to look into YouTube offerings for children's yoga. The first thing I looked at was Fun Yoga For Kids for ages 4-10. After 4 minutes of waffle in the beginning (a bit annoying!) the 50 minute class goes at a good pace. It includes children doing the class with a teacher punctuated by cartoon characters announcing the next posture. It’s pretty Ashtanga, really!

The next is a bedtime story. It’s only 6 minutes and is an extract from a book called Good Night Yoga by Mariam Gates. It has a postures section and a visualisation ending (see screengrabs below). It's very sweet. If you like that, there’s a Good Morning one! My next choice is a proper class, not a game. Yoga for Kids - Vol 1 (All Standing Postures). With posture instruction and names in Sanskrit, this is what earnest yoga teachers will have their kids doing from toddlerhood onwards! Actually...I could learn a lot from it. It finishes with Sun Salutations. Here are the seated postures.

Home Studio

Thankfully it cooled a little last week and yogis were slightly less cooked (medium rare) during class! Some classes are already full next week, some are not. Come along. (You must click the 'Complete Booking' button to secure the space when booking online.)

I sometimes hear senior teachers complain that people only come to class to dress up in Lululemons (oops) and show off!  I can’t tell you how this baffles me. Show off what?! I only ever see people giving it their best shot and practicing with concentration... and enjoying the results so much that they want friends and family to come along. It’s truly lovely. It really is a practice for every ability.

Cyclists

The blessed day of the Tour de France Depart arrives tomorrow. Cycling can be a posture killer: tightening hamstrings, straining the lower back and bringing the shoulders forward. Why wouldn’t a cyclist do yoga! Here’s a lovely demonstration of 5 key postures for cyclists.  

Training

This weekend I’m training with Philippa Asher at Triyoga Camden. Phillippa is apparently the only British woman to be certified to teach the traditional Sri K Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga yoga method. I’m so used to American accents talking about ‘Guruji’ this might be a culture shock! Come with me. There are places left.

Grenfell

Yogahaven has its fundraiser this Sunday and here’s another yoga fundraiser for Grenfell victims if you’re in the Wandsworth/Clapham/Battersea area on July 7th. It’s run by Union Station Yoga. Hopefully these events will continue.

Yoga in the News

The hilarious news that Heathrow's opening a fitness studio so you can work out while you wait for a flight appeared in City A.M this week. I wonder if this is an admission that delayed flights are on the increase or if they think you might want to add to the stress of flying by turning up early and taking a yoga class! Anyway, Heathrow is “opening a studio in Terminal 2 this autumn, offering passengers instructor-led yoga and cardio classes”

Honour the Blessing of Each Moment

Dear Yogis

The yoga community has been embarrassingly quiet about Grenfell Tower but two yoga studios have a charity offering to raise money. Triyoga Camden has a fundraising evening this Saturday (24th) attempting to ‘Create Sanctuary in Turbulent Times. Next Sunday (2nd), all classes at Yoga Haven (63 Wingate Square, Clapham Old Town, SW4 0AF) will raise money for the Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund.

I think, as the politics settles into organisation, the yoga community will step up properly. I do hope so. There are plenty of yoga teachers who are all about activism; David Sye, for example, who teaches in conflict areas of the world. I spoke to him at the weekend and hope to organise an event in the near future.  Here he is telling yoga teachers to ‘wake up’!

Home Studio

I’m afraid I’ve made another change to the timetable. Pregnancy yoga really wasn’t popular. The one person who came regularly came from miles and miles away and it really is better to find pre-natal yoga in your own area where you can mix with and learn from other pregnant women. So I have a free space for a new class on Tuesday at 6.00 and I’ll wait to hear from you to see what you want – more Ashtanga? More stretchy yoga? More Yin? What suits you? The Thursday early evening Ashtanga class at 6.00 is now a permanent fixture to the evening line-up.

It’s hot in my little studio although nobody so far has turned up in Speedos. You can shower here and freshen up if you’re coming from work and I have all kinds of products for you to sweeten the feet and gladden the air. Don’t forget to click the 'Book' button to complete the booking process when booking online. Please cancel with fair notice...

Training

Tomorrow (24th) the wonderful Jenny Fearnley at Yoga West is teaching the whole of the Primary Series. We rarely get the time or opportunity to go right the way through the 90 minute practice so I highly recommend that you give it a go with such a caring teacher.

Yoga in the News

Ndtv.com reports that 54,522 people turned up for their 6:45 am session of yoga in Ahmedabadto celebrate International Yoga Day and break the Guinness world record. The BBC website asks: ‘Yoga: How did it conquer the world and what's changed?’. It’s a nice article with beautiful photography from International Yoga Day. The Metro gives us 15 reasons to take up yoga immediately which includes looking good on Instagram, new party tricks and, of course, wearing yoga pants!

One O' Level: Many Chances.

Dear Yogis

I found a gem about BKS Iyengar’s beginnings that might give encouragement to exam households. Today, Iyengar Yoga is a worldwide business born of its founder’s unpromising beginnings. He was born to a mother who suffered in the 1918 worldwide flu epidemic in pregnancy. He apparently believed that weakened him physically and mentally; he failed his school certificates. I hope you pass all exams and get your dreams but, more importantly, I hope you find your calling. No amount of exam success or failure should stop that. My career has nothing to do with the one O’ Level (Woodwork) that I left school with, nor the Politics degree that I eventually got.

Home Studio

This week we had our first Thursday early evening Ashtanga class at 6.00. It was so nice! I’ve added it as a permanent fixture to the evening line-up here so you’ll find it on the booking calendar. Those who come here will have noticed it’s getting Bikram here. Heat can be encouraging for the body and you may find that you’re more bendy. In Bikram classes it isn’t unusual to see men in Speedos and women in bikinis.  I say this with trepidation: wear whatever you’re comfortable in!

Classes next week are filling up. When booking online, please make sure you click the 'Book' button to complete the booking process. If you need to cancel you can use the link on your confirmation email.

UN International Yoga Day

IYD is celebrated this Sunday 18th but the actual day is next Wednesday 21st, the longest day of the year. On Wednesday you can celebrate IYD and the summer solstice with a yin yoga session and bath in Broomfield Park N13 4HE for £7. This is offered by Tranquillity In The City and you can book a place via tranquillityinthecity@gmail.com. At Triyoga you can celebrate all next week (19th – 23rd) by taking a friend for free, one who is new to Triyoga.  They also have a free class next Wednesday at 7.30-8.30!

Yoga in the news

The Times today tells us what we already know: that yoga deactivates stress responses. The article reports on an accademic study that investigates the genetic impacts of meditation.

Lovely Feedback

'I arrived feeling down and glum, and left feeling everything was right with the world'.

“I can stretch easily in a way I didn't think would be possible in such a short period of time and I can see now how my breath guides me easily through the different poses. It’s astonishing to discover the wonderful things my body is able to do.”

“You always make me amaze myself”.

When I'm Back On Top, Back On Top In June

Dear Yogis

June is a busy and celebratory month! Father’s Day and International Yoga Day (IYD) are due to be celebrated on Sunday 18th of this month, next weekend. You could take your Dad, or someone’s dad, to the free IYD at Alexandra Palace. Cheap and cheerful and great fun... if the sun shines. (Here’s a present idea for non-yogic Dads.) The actual date of International Yoga Day is the 21st. Triyoga Camden will have a free class on the exact day at an unconfirmed time.

Another celebration and observation is Ramadan and there are just over two weeks to go of these long summer days of fasting. If you want to continue to practice yoga, take ‘restorative’ classes. In my Home studio you could come to the Monday and Tuesday calm, stretchy classes. If you go to your regular gym class, modify postures and skip vinyasas. As with every class and every yogi, use energy wisely, watch the breath and don’t bust a gut.

Home Studio

I’m so grateful for my own studio, however small. I can’t tell you how nice it is for me when you bring family members. There are spaces in Monday’s 6.00 class next week and in the Pregnancy yoga class on Tuesday at 6.00. Other classes are full so I’m putting on an extra Ashtanga class at 6.00 on Thursday. Please give plenty of fair notice to cancel. It’s getting hard to know how many mats to put down! You can use the link on your confirmation email to cancel. Also, when booking online, please make sure you click the 'Book' button to complete the booking process.

Training

I made a mistake and wrote about Andy Gill’s Bandha workshop in last week’s Friday Email. It’s tomorrow. So, if you fancy ‘Creating Structure In Your Practice’ with a fantastic teacher, come with me to Globe House in London Bridge. I have also signed up for an evening Yin Yoga for Yang Yogis with Marcus Veda tomorrow. Marcus is a Rocket Yoga teacher and he's all kinds of tough and testing. Yin with him is a serious proposition. This Sunday my dearest yogi sister, Lisa Maarit who teaches with me in Kythera, is part of a charity day of yoga in Stockbridge. It’s at Stockbridge Town Hall, just outside Winchester. The schedule is here. On the 24th, Jenny Fearnley at Yoga West is teaching the whole of the Primary Series. She’s a wonderful teacher.

Yoga in the news

I thought this was fun from The Telegraph: Yoga quiz: can you spot which of these poses are real, and which we've made up?

Have a calm and lovely weekend.

Squeezing For Glory

Dear Yogis

Have you discovered your bandhas yet? Are you squeezing for glory? Are you Mula Bandha-ing throughout the class? What is this thing that is supposed to be the secret of powerful postural practice? Some teachers say it is a subtle pelvic lift action; some say it’s a rock solid holding in what is dying to flood out. Sri K Pattabhi Jois apparently pinched the yogi’s anus to illustrate what to engage. I wonder if I would have submissively squeezed, instinctively yelped or shot up into the air in total bewilderment. Cue headline: ‘Yogi Launched Into Space Shock’. (Jivamukti co-founder David Life helps inform us properly in this article.) Uddiyana Bandha has an assortment of definitions too. The other bandha is... hmm... what’s it called again?

Luckily, Andy Gill has a calm and considered Bandha workshop next weekend: ‘Creating Structure In Your Practice’ where we will learn to let our ‘practice take on a more relaxed and effortless quality’. Fancy coming with me? Globe House in London Bridge is a lovely space to discover and practice in.

Home Studio

I can’t tell you the joy I have in teaching such a variety of yogis; newcomers, expectant mothers, whole families, father-with-daughter, runner-with-granddaughter and all combinations of family, friends and work colleagues. Thank you for all the joy you bring with you.

My little studio is imitating a Bikram Studio these days (without the smell)! I’ll order another fan, I have studio towels and there’s always water available. You might find more flexibility with the relaxing effect of heat in the body. Book a class. Private classes and Pregnancy yoga are cooler by definition – smaller or less dynamic classes. Pick a class; you’re very welcome here.

Yoga in the news

Here’s a lovely news story about a yoga teacher, Charlotta Martinus, who runs the Teen Yoga Foundation. After the Manchester terror attack she recruited yoga teachers from across the country to support Manchester’s school teachers and to offer free yoga classes in Manchester during half-term to give care and support for those in need. Here she is explaining on YouTube.

Have a lovely weekend. Calm yourself for the coming week!

Kalimera from Kythera

Dear Yogis

Kalimera from my favourite spot in the world, Kythera in Greece. One day I will run a yoga studio here! It’s a place where I yearn to bring anyone who is special to me and it’s a place where fantastic yoga can be found, thanks to Kiros Tzannes. He has been our guest teacher on our Kapsali retreats of the past two years. If you are looking for a holiday suggestion, come to Kythera and take daily classes with Kiros. Tell him I sent you!  For the class timetable and directions email him at: kithiraaikido@yahoo.gr. He also invites his own teacher, Kristina Karitinou , to hold workshops here every year. Come with me for the next one!

It’s a joy to get to know this island and practice yoga here. I know more people in class here than I could ever know in a London studio: Sara the herbalist from Mylopotomos, Maria Schina the artist. Antonis from Banda Landra, Dimitri from Aerides gift shop in Chora, neighbour Pauline and next-door neighbour Harry in the village of Friligianika. If you come here you’ll see how enchanting this island is.

I’ll be running an Ashtanga retreat here next year at some point after September 15 (low season). Let me know if you might be interested in a less intense retreat and I’ll do a second retreat, depending on interest.

Home Studio

Back to normal next week. There are still a few places including on Bank Holiday Monday. Book a class. Pregnancy yoga on Tuesday at 6.00 is into its third week, If you know anyone who might be interested, please pass this email on. The next obliteration of home studio classes will be during the first week of August when I fly to Finland to study with Manju Jois.

Social Media

The first time I got Eight-Angle Pose (Astavakrasana) I got a fellow yogi to take a picture of me. The first time I got Bhujapidasana: Shoulder-Pressing Pose, I wished I had someone to take a picture of me. I completely understand if you want to take photos in class. It’s ok to take a break from meditation! In a corporate class your work colleagues are unlikely to object to photos but a gym class is different. If you’re also a member of a running club or boxing ring I can come and teach you there – you can even book a photographer. Come to my home studio and I’ll take a photo of you from a particularly fine angle.

Free Yoga

A wonderful yogi sent a review of a free Lululemon classe: “It's a very popular class. There must have been at least 50 folk in attendance and even then not all the mats were taken! They use the shop floor which has lovely high ceilings which l really liked. They had two teachers; one leading the practice and the other assisting. The assistant was very attentive. Her job was to make sure we were doing the poses correctly so she walked round and gently corrected poses. I'd recommend it. I'll definitely be going again”.