Last Call For Kythera

Dear Yogis

The bookends of the day are darker for longer. Bright mornings and light evenings are fading now and there’s chill in the air. Saying ‘goodbye’ to summer is an annual heartbreak. As we dive into autumn’s dusk, a yoga teacher sent me a little list of reflections à la Baz Luhrmann:

Everything has a lifecycle and will end eventually, whether you want it to or not. Get comfortable with the parting-of-ways that you hadn't planned on and find peace with change. You're not fooling yourself. Somewhere deep down you know who you are, you know the answers, and you know what's good for you. It's never too late to recreate yourself. Stop comparing. Stop Judging. Avoid negativity like a fast food. It will make you ill eventually. Have gratitude. Practice the above.

Retreat

Come with us!  Take a week where you don't have to rush to work, rush home, rush to the shops, rush back, rush to the class, rush back, rush dinner... or worse... miss yoga because the boss keeps you at work! All you have to do on a yoga retreat is yoga and relax.

A yoga retreat will gift you all sorts of unexpected benefits. A retreat can shine new light on your approach... something can click! We so easily get stuck in routine at home, in taking the same spot in the studio, in expecting the postures to feel the same as the day before, and expecting the same difficulties. A retreat relieves you of unnecessary self-perceptions. (Nothing changed about my flexibility when I finally included upside-down Lotus Pose in my Shoulder Stand sequence. My mind changed, that’s all, on retreat!)

Kythera is not the quickest place to get to but it’s special. Once you come you’ll realise what the fuss is about. People return again and again to the magic of the island. It’s my favourite place in the world... it might become yours. Come with us!!! Take a last grasp of warmth on the skin and flip-flop footwear. Details here. (See flight options from Sky Scanner attached. You can also check BA from Heathrow to Athens and then Aegean or Sky Express individually.)

Home Studio

There’s plenty of space next week in my lucky Home Studio. I love how many newcomers to yoga find their way here. Book now! I’m not here for half of September. Have a look at the latest availability attached to this email and  on my website. In the following week, beginning Monday 16th, I’m only holding classes on the Monday, then back on Monday 30th.

Training

I’ve booked Beryl Bender Birch workshops next weekend, all of them, (13th, 14th and 15th) at Triyoga Soho. On the 29th of September Kino MacGregor’s ‘the spiritual journey of asana‘ workshop held in the Oval Space near Cambridge Heath, conveniently near Hackney City Farm. Come with me!

Yoga in the News

The Washington Post has: 12 etiquette tips for yoga class — and the reasons behind them.  I had to laugh when I read this. The writer says: ‘I’ve been both culprit and victim when it comes to causing distraction in yoga class; I’ve walked into an already-underway session during the opening meditation...’ (She’s talking about my Friday class at Eden Fitness!!!) ‘Yoga class guidelines are undergirded by the concept of ahimsa... not to harm or injure... nonviolence in all aspects of our life, in our thoughts and our behaviours and our actions toward ourselves and others’.

The Times has: The DJs who are swapping wild nights for wellness and yoga. It’s a good read. I’ve noted these teacher quotes: “The grace of your entire past comes rushing to meet your body” and “enter the rainbow and explore the cosmic and creative realms”. Spottily and Sound Cloud have the Above & Beyond Burning Man yoga class track.