Yoga in the Holy Month of Ramadan

Dear Yogis,

It’s the holy month of Ramadan so very best wishes to those who are observing. Happy Ramadan! I have some yogis who decide to give up yoga for the duration and some who stay with the practice and find it very helpful. If you do decide to come to class, please let me know if you’re fasting. You won’t need a power/ashtanga/vinyasa/ full-on practice. You’ll need a more restorative and introspective practice - possibly in the evening. A yogi that I teach privately twice a week wanted me to say that he finds yoga very helpful during Ramadan; it helps with focus and mindfulness... as well as digestion. Also, you may feel the postures, especially the twists, in a different way. Call me if you have any questions. If you're interested in special classes for you and you're friends who are observing, give me a call or email.

For the rest of us, we are supposed to practice in the morning on an empty stomach! Perhaps you can use this month to give it a go. For some, there is a better meditative quality this way. Yoga, after all, helps us create a sense of peace and quiet; we relax the mind and allow our best selves to come to the fore. Try your yoga practice when the system isn’t using precious energy on digesting.

Free Yoga

Triyoga suggests that you ‘Bring a Dad for Free to celebrate father’s day from June 13th to 19th.  The definition of ‘a dad’ is ‘your own dad, husband, granddad, a friend - simply anyone who is a dad’. 

Greek Retreat

There are still places. We have more capacity than last year because, just for us, my friend and owner of the amphitheatre is building another yoga deck. The capacity was 12 last year which was our group plus the Kytherans who joined us. We easily and naturally get to know people from the island by sharing our practice. Kapsali is so small that the friendliness level is higher than that of any other yoga retreat! (My ego tells me so!) 

Home Studio

I spotted Traffic Wardens being trained up by Ealing Council this week. So far, those of you who come for the 7.30 classes on Monday and Tuesday evening haven't been caught... I propose we actually start the class at 7.35 so that no one takes a minutes' risk! 

Survey

Thank you for your responses to my very light-hearted survey for a Top Ten list of How to Please your Yoga Teacher for International Yoga Day. Thank you to the yogis who contributed: ‘Don’t fall asleep in Savasana and snore loudly‘(actually, that hardly ever happens!) and ‘Don’t say “I’m not flexible enough for yoga”’ (that happens all the time!). And thank you to the yogi who said that ‘yoga is like a breath of fresh air running through the body’. Not a survey response but what a nice thing! Send suggestions that are fun and entertaining, intelligible to non yogis, short... and broadcastable!

Finding your inner calm

Dear Yogis,

This week I met a homeless man whose mother taught him Hatha Yoga as a child. He had an aura of calm. He was soft-spoken. He sat on the pavement with a hat for money and a Frederick Forsyth book - he said it’s easy to read. He said in his soft voice that he was frustrated to see people going to work and he wasn’t. If I ever hit hard times, I wonder if I’ll retain any calm at all. I put in a call to The Connection at St Martin’s to see if I can organise yoga sessions for the homeless there. By coincidence I found this article in the Huffington Post:  Yoga: How We Serve Those in Homeless Shelters. 

Free Yoga

Triyoga suggests that you ‘Bring a Dad for Free' to celebrate father’s day from June 13th to 19th.  The definition of ‘a dad’ is ‘your own dad, husband, granddad, a friend - simply anyone who is a dad’. Not bad, eh! 

Workshops

My guru, Valentina, is hosting an Alignment and Adjustment workshop this weekend at Coco Club in Hammersmith tomorrow, Saturday, at 2.00-5.00pm for £25. It’s suitable for teachers and students. You can book here.

When I do workshops I always look for the biggest names in the world of yoga. This is because I made a huge mistake and spent a lot of money (£thousands!) on a terrible course a few years ago. Since then, I want to know the lineage of teachers I spend significant time with. If you’re interested in the original teachers in the West, you can hardly do better than Doug Swenson who is visiting these shores this Autumn. He has been practising yoga since 1969. He hails from very conservative south Texas and in the early days neighbours called the police when he and his brother were spotted practicing yoga.

A wonderful teacher friend of mine is hosting Doug at her studio in Cambridge for a weekend from Friday 30th September to Sunday 2nd October. His ‘poetic flow’, wholistic style may appeal to you, especially if you practice Tai Chi. Doug teaches a balance between both hard and soft styles of yoga practice. The cost of the weekend is £150. More information here.

Home Studio

More loveliness in my Home Studio this week. People come with their back pain, sciatica, reservations about being new to yoga, fears of not being flexible enough, fears of going upside-down... but they come anyway! I admire you all so much. Next week is pretty booked up but there are still spaces left on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, not Monday!

Survey

Thank you for your responses to my very light-hearted survey for a Top Ten list of How to Please your Yoga Teacher! I’m compiling it for International Yoga Day. Thank you to the yogi who said: ‘Make sure your teacher is watching when you do a clever posture (in this case, headstand with piked legs at a 90 degree angle). And thank you to the yogi who contributed: ‘Identify your right and left correctly! Failing that, get a GPS equipped mat.’ Send suggestions if you have a contribution that is fun and entertaining, intelligible to non yogis, short... and broadcastable!

Yoga on a battlefield

Dear Yogis,

We’re heading into June and hurtling towards the second ever International Yoga Day which falls on June 21st. The event, only in its second year, stirs interest that wouldn’t otherwise be stirred. Because of it, I’m getting booked to teach yoga in workplaces that see the event as a good ‘hook’ to get employees thinking about health and wellness. I’m so pleased this is happening more and more at work. An employer is really out of date if not providing wellness perks for employees.

Meanwhile, in the home of yoga...

India is planning elaborate, worldwide yoga demonstrations to celebrate International Yoga Day. Last year India’s main mass yoga event made it into the Guinness Book of Records. This year, according to the Hindustan Times: ‘The defence ministry will also organise yoga demonstrations and the home ministry has instructed all central armed police forces to hold mass yoga training sessions’. Yoga instruction by armed police! Now that’s... and interesting meditation aide.  

Workshops

This weekend (Saturday 28th) I’m be attending a four-hour class on the Bhagavad Gita at Triyoga Soho. If you’re thinking of doing teacher training, this is a set text so consider coming with me. It’s a wonderful read. Events take place on a battlefield with a warrior who doesn’t want to fight and kill and cause suffering... he wants to be a brother, cousin, nephew, student and friend. God tells him not to be ridiculous, that he’s on a battlefield and not at a dinner party! (Kind of!). I read this in my last ‘proper’ office job when I was going through probation after probation, shifting goalposts and incredible lies. I was like the warrior who doesn’t want to fight. Instead, I wanted to be recognised as a great worker and colleague. I didn’t act in a way appropriate to my situation. If you’re on a battlefield, that’s where you are! The Bhagavad Gita reads as though it’s about war but it’s actually about right action and peace of mind. The battlefield represents our internal battles and the Gita tells us to step up to our true purpose in life.

... and then I became a yoga teacher!!!

Home Studio

Every class makes me reflect that I meet such lovely people though yoga! This Monday, as with the last bank holiday, I'll hold two classes here in my Home Studio. One will be at the normal time, 7.30, and you can book that through my website. I'll hold an extra one at 5.45 - 6.45 and you can email or text me to reserve a place. You may be on holiday - if so, have a lovely time. 

Survey

Thank you for your responses to my very light-hearted survey for International Yoga Day. If you didn’t see last week’s email, I’m putting together a Top Ten list of How to Please your Yoga Teacher. Send suggestions if you have a contribution that is fun and entertaining, intelligible to non yogis, short... and broadcastable! Thank you to the yogi who wrote ‘Get you game on’! Love it!

The Foot Whisperer

Dear Yogis,

Last week I had my first ever reflexology session and I thought I would share my experience with you. You might find it useful. Reflexology is a therapy that applies pressure to ‘reflex areas’ on the feet and hands. In this way, a reflexologist can detect imbalances in the body and nervous system and stimulate the body's own healing processes...  a perfect complement to yoga!

By working around my big toe, my practitioner told me that my neck was 'nice and loose'. Then she told me that my 'spine felt good'. Applying pressure to the zone that included my bladder felt really very nice! Loads of stress evaporated. Who knew! But the first thing I learnt was that a reflexologist can tell with one glance if you're drinking enough water. I was apparently dehydrated... and quite embarrassed. You can also see a foot whisperer for menopause, migraine, sleep problems and it’s great for adolescents in their hormone madness. I wish I’d known that!  Give it a go. Let me know if you need a contact.

Workshops

Tonight at 7.30pm I’ll be doing “Headstand and Shoulder Stand” with Dina Karim at Triyoga Chelsea. I also plan to go to Amanda Denton’s Sunday class at Indaba at 4.30. (She was a gigantic and gorgeous influence on me when I was a new teacher.) You’re welcome to come with me if you like.

Home Studio

Classes get booked up online by people who are finding me through Google search. It’s very exciting to see new faces come through the door. It amazes and delights me constantly that there are so many fans of home studios; the simple setting and the camaraderie of a small class. If you are a regular here, try clicking the box for ‘recurring booking’ Next Tuesday and Wednesday are already full (unless a cancellation comes in) but there are places on Monday and Thursday.

Yoga in the News

The Telegraph (one of my ex-employers!) published an article by the science editor this week called: ‘Yoga better than crosswords for preventing pre-Alzheimer’s memory loss’... a snappy headline! Even though the article is about Alzheimers, it has information relevant to all of us, especially for people in the workplace who need to fend off brain tiredness and keep a sharp mind to stay ahead of their workload. For example: ‘Participants practising yoga and meditation were also less likely to be depressed and anxious, and were better able to cope with stress.’  Have a look here. 

Have a memorable weekend.

You're so great!

Dear Yogis,

It’s been another lovely week of teaching you and filled with so much pride for those of you who ran the marathon, qualified for Kona Ironman, took to yoga or running or another sport for the first time or struggle through physical challenge to stay on the yoga mat. I teach wonderful people from boxers to golfers to martial artists to everyone else and I can’t believe how lucky I am to see all these victories, share them with you and support you in some small way. 

Home Studio

Next week starts with bank holiday Monday and I’ll be holding the evening class in my Home Studio as usual. If there is more demand I’ll hold an earlier class as well – a 6.00pm class. Let me know if you would like to come at that time. Otherwise, classes as usual. Book online! I’m trying to make Wednesday and Thursday more Ashtanga-based but it really depends on who comes and what the mood of the class is. Please bring your requests along with you if there is a posture you’re trying to figure out.

Podcast

This is a nice listen  (if your start at 9.15 and skip the niceties!) of an interview with Eric Shaw, a true polymath. He gives an overview of the history and lineage of yoga. He talks about the origins of Bikram yoga and Kundalini. He says: “More people come into the door of Hatha Yoga through Bikram, worldwide, than any other practice.” Other gems: whether Nixon did yoga; if Pope John and Pope Paul VI practiced with Iyengar in the 1950s and 1960s; whether yoga is a religion; and evolution of yoga into Corporate Yoga (a fact that I love and find most interesting!). 

Some of it might wash over you. There are a lot of names and dates but, all in all, it’s a nice listen. He sites two books which are wonderful – Yoga Body by Mark Singleton and Hell Bent by Benjamin Lorr. If you need holiday reading these are page-turner .

Corporate Yoga

Yoga in the workplace is not just about touching toes and impossible postures. In fact, it’s not at all about that. The physical practice is a wonderful thing for a body not designed to sit at a computer all day. More than that, Yoga in the workplace introduces us, surreptitiously, to meditation and mindfulness.  I’m told again and again that the mindfulness helps people send a more nuanced email, deal with a difficult colleague or situation in a calmer way, and feel more contented at work. Give me a call and let’s give it a go!

Yoga ‘n’ Chill Retreat

Join up! Come! You know you want to!

The Marathon

Dear Yogis,

If you ran the Marathon last weekend, you’re amazing! I hope you got your time. I have a few thoughts about yoga for runners (below). When you get back on the mat, you will probably need 'restorative' yoga session, not a full-on Ashtanga practice! Take it easy (and write to me if you want more explanation than this)

1) feet-up-the-wall is an easy hamstring stretch with the back completely supported. You can flex and point and rotate from the ankles here too. You can part the feet, wide legs, and do an inner-thigh stretch as well. All nice.

2) You can stay there and do pigeon pose by putting one ankle on the opposite thigh and drawing that (opposite) knee towards you. Then the other side!

3) You can ‘iron’ up and down the spine by placing the soles of the feet onto the wall, push away, knees and hips over the shoulders and roll up and down with the breath. Nice and easy shoulder stand without holding it. You don't even have to come too far up. Just a bit of massaging the length of the spine.

4) You can pull the knees into the chest and drop them over to the side, arms out in a 'T' shape, and get a supported spinal twist. Then the other side!

5) Now you need to roll over onto your front and do quad stretches.  Start in Sphinx pose. Reach right arm back to hold right foot. Ease in and out of the stretch with the breath. Then the other side!

6) Finally, this is fun for the hamstrings and other strings:  You need a yoga belt.

Freebies

Triyoga says; ‘Free class for marathon runners - Bring your medal into triyoga between the 24th April and 1st May and enjoy a yoga class on us for that week’. They do this every year! Here’s the schedule. 

Home Studio

We’ve been trying out The Moon Sequence in classes this week. It seems to go down well. It’s a sequence devised by a teacher called Matthew Sweeney who is based in Australia and it’s a gentle practice. Take a look at the Moon Salutation here. It is repeated seven times: Have a go and let me know what you think.

If you haven't been to my home studio you can book for a class here! It's small, you'll find great company with lovely yogis. Monday and Tuesday classes are at 7.30pm. Wednesday and Thursday classes are at 8.00pm.

Have an excellent weekend, whether you’re running or stewarding!

Moon Sequence and Male Mula Bandha

Dear Yogis,

Tomorrow afternoon (16th April), my teacher, Valentina Candiani, is hosting a Moon Sequence Workshop in Hammersmith. I urge you to try it out. Mike Conroy, who is leading the workshop, says; “The Moon Sequence is particularly good for opening the hips and shoulders and preparing for backbends”.  Mike credits this practice for his ever increasing flexibility. You will find familiar poses (pigeon, cat/cow, camel, crescent moon) and reference to the breath, bandas and drishti. It ends with a relaxation sequence against the wall. There are no spectacular inversions, no weight bearing jump-backs, no constant repetition of chaturanga. It’s good for beginners, advanced, Ashtangis and will give new information to teachers to include in their classes. It leaves a deeper sense of peace and contentment. Here’s a link: bit.ly/1NcO6P2

Talks

I went to the British Museum for the Yoga: Austerity Passion and Peace talk last Friday. I found the first speaker, Jason Birch from the Hatha Yoga Project the most interesting and mercifully short. He showed the earliest (1159CE) bilingual yoga text – Sanskrit and Tibetan. I liked that! Yoga shared across borders through the centuries. I’m sure they didn’t worry too much about cultural appropriation. You can see his 4 minute presentation here: bit.ly/1NcOhdb

Home Studio

Hilarity overtook the class on Wednesday when we focused on the pelvic floor. Particular thanks to participants who made me use graphic description on how to engage the pelvic floor... for men!!!! I might do a You Tube on this!

Classes get booked up online now. Even technophobes are booking online. Please give as much notice as possible if you need to cancel, preferably 24 hours.

Yoga ‘n’ Chill Retreat

“Wake up with determination, go to bed with satisfaction”! I saw this quote on Facebook... and like it! This is what a yoga retreat is like. So much try or achieve as you look out over the day. So much tried or achieved as you look back on the day.

Join up! Come! You know you want to!

Helping or Hurting?

Dear Yogis

I’d like to introduce you to Lucas Rockwood and his Yoga Talk Show. It’s always a great listen. He often interviews big names in the yoga world. This week he starts his show with observations about running and yoga... Nice timing with the London Marathon coming. He always talks about nutrition. That’s his beef! He doesn’t stick to one type of diet; he talks about everything from paleo to vegan diets to genetically modified food. He asks; ‘Is your diet helping or hurting?’ He’s based in Barcelona, runs a studio and does teacher training in Thailand. He’s easy to listen to because his voice is so friendly.

Freebies

Triyoga Chelsea is celebrate World Health Day with its usual bring a friend for free from 07 to 10 April. Yes, it started yesterday! This year, the focus is to ‘Beat Diabetes’. Let’s go!

Health

I get asked about sciatica at regular intervals I’ve had it myself and, if all the medical issues I get asked about, this is the one that is clearly ahead. Here’s a nice article on the subject and if you don’t feel like reading, there are pictures!

In Our Group

This is from CaiJia and David who are yogis in my Home Studio: “Do you know anyone aged 8-14 who would enjoy being creative, making kites, drawing, and building an outdoor structure? "Artkitecture" - art, kites and architecture

“Architectural designer David Shanks and art teacher Cai Jia Eng are running a week-long art and architecture camp for 8-14 year olds from 18th-22nd July, from 9am-5pm every day. The art, design and architecture workshop is a fun and unique opportunity for children to work together to create their own paper kites, models and a pavilion in the Art Rooms and beautiful grounds of St Augustine's Priory, W5. Perfect for any budding artists or designers who want to get hands on!

“Booking information and more details available at www.artkite.tumblr.com, or email ealingmakers@gmail.com if you have any questions. “

Yoga ‘n’ Chill Retreat

Loads of you have asked for a poster to put up at work so I have attached it to this email. Thank you very much. Thank you, again, to those who posted the link on your social media. Get in touch if you want to discuss coming along. Individuals, groups and corporate groups welcome.

Do The Right Thing

Dear Yogis,

I often think about what to write in this email on my Sunday run. I try to think of yoga lessons and insights... This week, I got to Kew Bridge and found a cyclist had been in a hit & run (or open-the-passenger-car-door and run). Cyclist in shock; first-aider in charge; ambulance called; Cervélo bike un-rideable. A guy came along who turned out to be a trauma surgeon and checked him out. Two other runners came along and said they were doctors and could they help. The local Sainsbury’s lent a huge jacket to keep him warm. Others were waiting for the ambulance. It brought back, of course, memories of my own hit & run; lying on the tarmac and feeling surrounded by the kindness and concern of strangers. It reminded me that there is such an overwhelming amount of caring people with beautiful hearts out there. We just need to win, that’s all!

Workshops

I mentioned before that I would let you know what workshops I’ll be attending in case you might want to have a go at something other than a class. On Saturday April 9th I’ve signed up for Quest For The press with Ambra Vallo at Indaba. It’s about developing exercises and drills to build up strength and stability for arm balances, inversions and ‘floating’.  On Saturday April 16th I’ll be going to a Moon Sequence Workshop. Click here for details. The wonderful teacher, Mike Conroy, credits the Moon Sequence for the flexibility he enjoys. Believe me, he enjoys flexibility... that’s why I’m going! I’m also considering Become a Handstand Hero at Indaba on Friday April 22nd.

Website

It’s finished! It’s transformed! Thank you for the positive feedback and thank you for booking classes online. I have passed on all comments to the web designer who is delighted. If you need help with your website then let me know and I will pass on her details.

Second Greek Yoga Retreat

I’ve put together a poster for the Yoga ‘n’ Chill retreat. A couple of you offered to put it up in your office. Many thanks for your interest and support. If you would like me to send it to you, I can do that. And thank you to those who posted the link on your social media. It’s very much appreciated. This is the retreat that would be great for all levels. If you don’t feel like you’re the ‘type’ that would do a yoga retreat, then this is for you. It has a great balance of yoga and holiday. You won’t be overwhelmed by yoga. Whatever your level, beginner, intermediate or advanced, get in touch.

Have a lovely Easter break