Nerve Cleansing. Take Tissues.

Dear Yogis

For the next two weeks I will be studying with my Ashtanga guru David Swenson. The course includes philosophy, ‘community outreach’ and the Second Series.  In my classes we currently do the First Series together: we fold, twist, and ring-out the body while strengthening and gaining confidence. It’s called Yoga ‘Chikitsa’ and its goal is cleansing the body. The Second Series is called Nadi Shodhana which means (rather ominously) nerve cleansing. It comes along inducing self-doubt with its fearful backbends and challenging the emotions by working on the spine, pelvis and hips where all the emotions and chakras spin. I’ll let you know if my emotions release any kind of tidal wave from my eyes... and in which pose. Apparently that happens! And who knows what next week’s Friday Email will be like...

David Swenson is doing plenty of classes so I urge you to take a class and experience his teaching, his humour and kindness.

Home Studio

Classes are all booked up next week. (My training is from 7.30am to 5.30pm for the next two weeks which means the 6.00pm classes in my home studio have been deleted. Sorry ‘bout that!) Come in the following weeks in the run up to Christmas! And please let me know if you are unable to come in plenty of time for me to tell my waiting list.

Ealing Feeling

It’s nearly here - Triyoga opening in Ealing on the 27th. Check out their offer of 30 days for £40 and their free classes on November 25th and 26th.  You can view the schedule here and bookings open 8 days in advance.

Yoga in the News

Ealing makes it into yoga news this week. Ealing Today reports on Triyoga opening in Ealing. They also report that Skinny Kitchen is coming to Ealing, upping the vegan game in the area.

Here’s a lovely article from Oxford University Press called ‘5 facts that help us understand the world of early American yoga’. It’s pretty wacky! You’ll find a history full of scary mystics and superheroes, the influence of European fitness culture on yoga and yoga’s influence on early 20th century dance.  (Stewart Gilchrist, at the yoga show, talked briefly about the original postures and the ‘made up’ postures of the 20th century. The earliest postures are named after animals. The later ones, he said, were developed for the purposes of teaching Nazi guards and the Nazi fascination with yoga! Classes with Stewart are never dull.)