From Paradise

Dear Yogis,

Next weekend I’ll be doing workshops at Triyoga Camden with Danny Paradise. It’s a name only a yoga teacher could have! He’s a student of Pattabhi Jois, the teacher everyone calls ‘Guruji’ who codified Ashtanga Yoga and taught many westerners in the 70s. Danny Paradise’s first teachers were two people I have practiced with, David Williams and Nancy Gilgoff. (Apparently he introduced Sting, Madonna, John McEnroe and Paul Simon to yoga!) I’m really interested in all of the original Ashtanga teachers. They have such a length of service and a beautiful humanity and acceptance. If any of this is faintly interesting to you, please join me.

Greek Yoga Retreat

The countdown to our Greek Yoga Retreat adventure has started and there’s one place left. Right on cue, as I write this, an email came from one of the participants last year who is now back in her homeland, Australia. She said: ‘I absolutely loved all of the workshops we did! Being able to practice all of the complex moves like that really helped me...  I think the real benefit of the retreat is the depth it gives to your yoga practice. Before I had participated in classes and had really like them but not really understood what’s going, why we do them and even the proper way to do things.’

The retreat dates are Sunday 11th September to Saturday 17th. Knowledge of the Primary Series is expected. For more details, get in touch and/or check out my website: www.goodtimesyoga.co.uk/greek-yoga-retreat

Home Studio

The lovely thing about the classes in my home studio is the introductions that are made and the support people give each other. People find what they have in common: trials in life or in yoga, they complain about work or celebrate each other’s successes, some bring along a posture from a gym yoga class that they couldn’t understand and we break it down and make it more manageable. We talk about parents and/or children or whoever we’re looking after. People bring partners, family members or friends to share the class. We take plenty of time after the class to leave – it’s a languid affair. No one jumps up after ‘Namaste’. Getting off the mat, chat and banter, putting shoes on and then off into the evening can take up to 40 minutes! It’s really sweet. It couldn’t be more different to yoga in a gym or studio.

At the moment I’m not teaching on Thursday evenings in my Home Studio unless there is a demand for it. This means you can have a private class at that time or get me in to your workplace and have a go at a corporate class with your colleagues.

Free Yoga

Lululemon in Westfield, Shepherds Bush, has free yoga every Sunday at 10.30-11.30. They provide yoga mats and just ask that you get there 15 minutes early. Pretty good, eh! (All Lululemon stores have yoga classes in the store). bit.ly/29Ef9WG

Whatever you do this weekend - yoga, London-Surrey 100, beach rugby on Finsbury Square -have fun!