No Goats in Class! February 2018

Dear Everyone,

From goats to white supremacy, the media seem to increasingly enjoy linking yoga with the bizarre and the extreme on a fairly regular basis.

Yet despite these stories, the number of people attending yoga classes continues to grow. It is estimated there are now around 300 million practitioners worldwide, equal to the entire population of the US, and it’s been lovely to welcome some new faces to classes this January.

Students often ask me what ‘style’ of yoga they are practising when they come to my class. Hatha? Iyengar? Vinyasa? Yin? Restorative? Scaravelli….?

In a nutshell, I draw on practices from a number of traditions like these, to create sequences of breath work, movement, relaxation and meditation that support and balance busy modern life.

Each class begins with breath awareness and regulation, before sequences of both dynamic and more static postures that build strength and flexibility. The combined effect of these ‘asanas’ is to encourage our energy to circulate more efficiently and make us feel more at ease in our bodies. As a result, our mind settles and calms enabling us to finish class by adopting a passive, restorative pose or sitting in meditation.

Every class has a different physical and energetic theme. One week we might focus on the area around the shoulders and upper back to create a greater sense of openness and balance, whilst another week we might spend longer holding standing postures to strengthen the feet, knees and hips and to foster a sense of enhanced mental and physical stability.

This combination of dynamic movement, attention to alignment, restorative yoga and meditation helps to create space and strength throughout the entire body and calm and quieten the mind.

Just don’t expect to see any goats in class!

There are just a few spaces left at the next weekend workshop on Sunday March 11th (4-6pm in Primrose Hill). We will enjoy a dynamic asana practice designed to create space throughout the whole body, releasing the spine, opening the shoulders, freeing up the hips, and calming and focusing the mind before a long relaxation and some delicious cakes. Please click here for more details and let me know if you’d like a space!

For those keen to plan ahead, this year’s full day retreat in rural Berkshire will be on Sunday August 12th. Those who are interested can click here for details and photos of past workshops and retreats.

Very best wishes,

Caroline