Tuesday 13 May 2014
Monday 12 May 2014
Thursday 8 May 2014
Space and Flow
Where: The Life Centre
When: Wednesday pm
I have to admit that I went to this class purely because of the positive spin on the name and my expectations were not particularly high. I thought that the class was going to be exactly the same as a vinyasa class and that the centre had resorted to branding their classes for extra cash. I was sorely mistaken because this class was nothing like anything I have done before. The emphasis is on creating space in the body and on flowing through very carefully selected kramas and ones which I have never done, at least not in that order. If, like me, you thought the name of the class, reflected a gentle softening of the practice, then think again. This class is as challenging as they come, with some around me launching themselves into frequent handstands as well as other nameless inversions.
It was good for me, though and made me question the stagnation of my practice and the routine or habit that this creates. I am a taurean and these bulls don't like change so when I am caught off guard like that, it is both frustrating and animating. I felt more alive than usual and maybe that had something to do with the novelty of the practice ( the teacher even used asanas that had no name, presumably ones he had invented!) and I think that the boldness and courage of this teacher is something to be welcomed and admired.
When: Wednesday pm
I have to admit that I went to this class purely because of the positive spin on the name and my expectations were not particularly high. I thought that the class was going to be exactly the same as a vinyasa class and that the centre had resorted to branding their classes for extra cash. I was sorely mistaken because this class was nothing like anything I have done before. The emphasis is on creating space in the body and on flowing through very carefully selected kramas and ones which I have never done, at least not in that order. If, like me, you thought the name of the class, reflected a gentle softening of the practice, then think again. This class is as challenging as they come, with some around me launching themselves into frequent handstands as well as other nameless inversions.
It was good for me, though and made me question the stagnation of my practice and the routine or habit that this creates. I am a taurean and these bulls don't like change so when I am caught off guard like that, it is both frustrating and animating. I felt more alive than usual and maybe that had something to do with the novelty of the practice ( the teacher even used asanas that had no name, presumably ones he had invented!) and I think that the boldness and courage of this teacher is something to be welcomed and admired.
Tuesday yoga
Where: The Life Centre
When: Tuesday evenings
As a regular urban yogini, sometimes it is really hard to find your yogi fix and you end up wandering the streets of this town looking for inspiration and a moment in savasana. More recently, I went back to my roots and a teacher I have known for some time at The Life Centre in Notting Hill. For one reason or another, getting to her class has been a feat near to impossible of late but with the new year firming my resolve, I went back.
And there are no regrets... sometimes with all this chasing our own coccyx, we don't realise what is under our noses the whole time. I went to class one version of a fried Isabell and came out a slightly different version of a much less fried Isabell and what happened in between was a mixture of softness, encouragement, life and creative movement that lifted my being.
It occurred to me during class that there are not many teachers able to define yoga by not uttering a word about it, by not preaching to the clearly converted, by just being present. There are not many who, with the grace of their own bodies and the stillness of their mind, can incite the same in a whole group of others and there are not many, who can leave me at some great distance from the cynicism that I so often feel in these situations. Her voice, her insights and her practice leaves me almost shouting Namaste from the rooftops (except that I can't even get to one in the pricey Notting Hill area) and my faith in London yoga is restored. For now...
When: Tuesday evenings
As a regular urban yogini, sometimes it is really hard to find your yogi fix and you end up wandering the streets of this town looking for inspiration and a moment in savasana. More recently, I went back to my roots and a teacher I have known for some time at The Life Centre in Notting Hill. For one reason or another, getting to her class has been a feat near to impossible of late but with the new year firming my resolve, I went back.
And there are no regrets... sometimes with all this chasing our own coccyx, we don't realise what is under our noses the whole time. I went to class one version of a fried Isabell and came out a slightly different version of a much less fried Isabell and what happened in between was a mixture of softness, encouragement, life and creative movement that lifted my being.
It occurred to me during class that there are not many teachers able to define yoga by not uttering a word about it, by not preaching to the clearly converted, by just being present. There are not many who, with the grace of their own bodies and the stillness of their mind, can incite the same in a whole group of others and there are not many, who can leave me at some great distance from the cynicism that I so often feel in these situations. Her voice, her insights and her practice leaves me almost shouting Namaste from the rooftops (except that I can't even get to one in the pricey Notting Hill area) and my faith in London yoga is restored. For now...
Urbananda
Urbananda Yoga is a community project launched in January 2013 as a no-profit studio which utilises vacant spaces in London, bringing them to life with yoga.
They are currently located in Kensal Rise (NW10) and the centre is donation based only. At the beginning of class, as you sign you in, you can give any donation you wish to make. The funds raised support the provision of yoga therapy for adults and children with special needs (Special Yoga).
All yoga teachers are volunteers and passionately teach with the objective to make yoga more accessible in the community, as well as support the selected charities and causes. They schedule include quite a comprehensive offering in terms of styles and levels and they seem to be in expansion.
There is such a good vibe in this place. It is very spacious and well organised. As I check in for my first time, a lovely girl at the reception welcomes me and guides me through the basics. My class today is held in the main of three studios, a wonderful room with wooden floors and high ceilings and plenty of mats and props.
As I make my way in, James Giuseppe, the teacher, smiles and introduces himself. After a few years living abroad, he recently came back to the UK and got involved with this project. I ask him about his background: Iyengar, Sivananda, Vinyasa, Astanga. 'But you should know what I think about the physical practice', he says. 'This is only a mean to aptly prepare for meditation'. I am so pleased to hear it that I cannot resist but comment 'Well, guess we come from the same school'.
The class is 1h 45m long and is a solid, well rounded and heartfelt practice which encompasses meditation, asana and relaxation. He is a very experienced teacher, and this becomes evident from the very beginning of the class. His sequence is well designed and balanced, his instructions are very precise, his cues extremely accurate, his philosophy and anatomy references clear and accessible. There is only 7 of us, a mix of regulars and newcomers, and James treat all of us equally, proposing variations and providing adjustments to all - and yes, he remembers all of our names!
This is not fast food yoga, this is not a fashionably labelled session: this is just a great yoga class for everyone.
I am glad I have found Urbanananda: unpretentious, genuine, authentic: this is a great home to practice yoga and the kind of place I would love to go back to. I only wonder whether there are more places like Urbananda and why it took me so long to get there.
They are currently located in Kensal Rise (NW10) and the centre is donation based only. At the beginning of class, as you sign you in, you can give any donation you wish to make. The funds raised support the provision of yoga therapy for adults and children with special needs (Special Yoga).
All yoga teachers are volunteers and passionately teach with the objective to make yoga more accessible in the community, as well as support the selected charities and causes. They schedule include quite a comprehensive offering in terms of styles and levels and they seem to be in expansion.
There is such a good vibe in this place. It is very spacious and well organised. As I check in for my first time, a lovely girl at the reception welcomes me and guides me through the basics. My class today is held in the main of three studios, a wonderful room with wooden floors and high ceilings and plenty of mats and props.
As I make my way in, James Giuseppe, the teacher, smiles and introduces himself. After a few years living abroad, he recently came back to the UK and got involved with this project. I ask him about his background: Iyengar, Sivananda, Vinyasa, Astanga. 'But you should know what I think about the physical practice', he says. 'This is only a mean to aptly prepare for meditation'. I am so pleased to hear it that I cannot resist but comment 'Well, guess we come from the same school'.
The class is 1h 45m long and is a solid, well rounded and heartfelt practice which encompasses meditation, asana and relaxation. He is a very experienced teacher, and this becomes evident from the very beginning of the class. His sequence is well designed and balanced, his instructions are very precise, his cues extremely accurate, his philosophy and anatomy references clear and accessible. There is only 7 of us, a mix of regulars and newcomers, and James treat all of us equally, proposing variations and providing adjustments to all - and yes, he remembers all of our names!
This is not fast food yoga, this is not a fashionably labelled session: this is just a great yoga class for everyone.
I am glad I have found Urbanananda: unpretentious, genuine, authentic: this is a great home to practice yoga and the kind of place I would love to go back to. I only wonder whether there are more places like Urbananda and why it took me so long to get there.
Hotpod
Where: Pop up Hotpod Yoga in W9
From their website (www.hotpodyoga.com):
'We make hot yoga accessible – that’s the real raison d’etre of the business. Accessible to all types and accessible at any location. We passionately believe in the good that hot yoga can do, and want to get as many people involved as we can. We want to get it into offices, into halls, into gyms and into schools. Everywhere! We also want to give the entrepreneurial yogis amongst us the chance to have their own hot yoga business in a really accessible way – through our franchising operation'.
When: h 14 - 15, 14 Dec 13
How: Booked on line, have received, receipt, relevant instructions (towel, water, recommended to get onsite 15m before), and friendly reminder the day before
Having practised hot yoga before I was not at all worried by the prospect of yoga at 37 degrees.
I took me a while to find the place, though. I was looking for a studio, instead a few lads from a nearby pub told me that the class was probably at the Paddington Arts Centre, a pretty decadent building, no info of any sorts, none at the reception.
As I go up the stairs, I meet Nick Higgins, one of the two founders of hot pod yoga. He is very friendly and welcomes me with smiley eyes to this inflatable pop up hot yoga pod, asking if I am familiar with yoga at all. He seems so young - def in his 20ies. I have practiced some - I say. You will be fine, he mentions, my classes are flow - just slow down if the heat bugs you.
I enter a parquet floored room where there this this massive inflatable tent (so it seems). Nick tells me it takes him 10 minutes to get it set up and roughly the same to get the pod to 37 degrees.
I chat in the kind of changing room with two girls, Americans, telling me that the class I am going to have is going to be awesome, so much fun. Ok then, I am ready.
There are 18 mats laid in this dark violet pod, no props, lights are down, nice and cosy atmosphere - if only I did not have the fan heater next to my mat.
The class comprises 50m of flow and 10 min of savasana. The sequence being quite balanced in fact, open level with good variety and a few challenges. My class mates are all girls expect a guy, the majority in their twenties. Americans and French dominate. How do I know? Well, it seems they had to talk during the entire class...not cool. Nick managed the class well, but it felt a little shallow to me. No philosophy, little more than a hot aerobics class I am afraid. But my class mates seemed to have loved it. I asked a few after call if this is what they expect from yoga. I got a unison yes - they like it hot, and they prefer this to Bikram as more personal. Indeed, Nick provided individual attention, he told me he changes his sequences - and he genuinely seemed a nice guy, happy to be there and teach.
He trained at Yoga Haven and set up this company with a friend of his, newer to yoga. They started this pop up last Jan, but they are getting a 'permanent' hot pod place in Portobello and another one in Hackney from Jan 14. Maybe more. They also have a number of corporate and school clients - where they hold classes regularly, every time bringing all the equipment, pod, mats, heating system, music etc. Nick and Max (Henderson, his business partner) are serious about hot yoga. They have created the designs of various pods – in essence pop-up, heated studios - and they have even got a patent pending on the concept.
Prices vary from 10 pounds (the 1h class I attended) to 35 per class (their boutique classes), and there are of course various carnet on offer.
They managed to transform a good idea into a promising business which is taking off: pop up and not, corporate clients. franchising: hats off.
Having sad that, I wished the class was a little deeper.
Having sad that, I wished the class was a little deeper.
From their website (www.hotpodyoga.com):
'We make hot yoga accessible – that’s the real raison d’etre of the business. Accessible to all types and accessible at any location. We passionately believe in the good that hot yoga can do, and want to get as many people involved as we can. We want to get it into offices, into halls, into gyms and into schools. Everywhere! We also want to give the entrepreneurial yogis amongst us the chance to have their own hot yoga business in a really accessible way – through our franchising operation'.
Jivamukti
Where: Jivamukti Yoga London in W10
How: Registered as new student 10m before class (1 page questionnaire), GBP 16 for 90m class but they also have carnet available.
I have been practising with Jivamukti certified teachers for some time know, but I admit this was my first ‘official’ Jivamukti class. Fighting the temptation to stay on bed on a rainy Sunday morning, I let Otto (my vespone) lead me to Jivamukti Yoga London in W10. The studio is in a modern block, on the first floor, within a typical corporate / office space setting. However, as you step in, you find yourself in a welcoming and friendly environment: spacious but not huge, well designed but not over the top. As soon as I declared my status of a newcomer, the receptionist quickly handed me over a questionnaire asking just to put name and contact number - I would complete the form after class. They offer open level classes (90m), spiritual warrior classes (60m, ‘condensed’ sessions for busy people) and basic classes for beginners, as well as periodic seminars from resident teachers or guest teachers within the Jivamukti lineage.
The Sunday morning the 90m open level class is held by Adrian Squirrel in the main studio. The class was full, about 25 people, but I easily accommodated some place to lay my mat. All the students were awaiting into some form of savasana, enjoying the ambient music playing in the background.
From the beginning, starting in Balasana, the class flew at a steady pace: the sequence was well thought, accessible to all - still challenging. After class, I have asked the teacher if there is a recommended sequence and whether he follows some kind of a script. ‘I like to change it every time’, Adrian says. While today the class did not cover much in terms of philosophy, it was indeed very well constructed: from warm up to a strong vinyasa section, to then slowing down and emphasis on grounding. I would have loved even a few minutes in pure stillness though. However, during the week, Adrian offers 15m meditation classes after a 60m asana session.
Overall it was a solid, well run class. There was also a good level of individual attention, especially given this was a busy class: and I loved yogi perks such as china gel on lower back and shoulders at the start of the class, a couple of hands on adjustments and a great massage in savasana. I infer Adrian must have remarkable taste in music, based on the selection he played - although in my practice I would tend to opt for predominantly instrumental music. I am notoriously a music geek and I found myself focussing on the lyrics rather than on my breath at least a couple of times. Still, is that really more vritti (bad, bad…) or does that lead you into some form of absorption into a point, anyway?
At the end of the class, I tried to introduce myself to Adrian and have a quick chat - as I actually had a question on a specific pose. He was friendly but given the queue of students willing to talk to him we had to quickly wrap up. Besides, I noticed many students were chatting to each other, leading me to think that this is more than an established studio - it is a small yoga community.
This is good news: while a big brand and a successful commercial operation, Jivamukti Yoga London to date seems to maintain its authenticity and its strong connection to the yoga tradition, filtered through the lenses of Sharon Gannon and David Life. I will go back to check out whether my first impression is right and hope not to be disappointed.
Life Lose life
Life in Shoreditch has shut down and there are rumours floating around that the owners have scammed people of their cash for their own benefit. They are said to have been trying to finance a restaurant with clients' membership money and people are still trying to get their money back, while the owners look for more investors.
We went onto their facebook page to find out more and the comments posted show a rather tainted story, with some deeply regretting the closure and others convinced that this is their bad karma. Either way, this scandal is one of many in London and indicates the fragmented state of the yoga world at large. Where are the yogic principles that we hold so dear? Is London distorting their origin in an attempt to make a buck?
Read more comments here:
https://www.facebook.com/lifeshoreditch
Boxing Yoga
Where: Angel Fitness First (Other studios Sweaty Beatty, H2, Crouch End) www.boxingyoga.com
When: Wed 18 dec, 20h-21h
When: Wed 18 dec, 20h-21h
The boxing club in Crouch End is apparently the place where it all started: Matt Garcia, a senior coach, started wondering why yoga was so unpopular with boxers. Determined to change this, he created the very first boxing yoga series, utilising his boxing knowledge in combination with professional dancer (and daughter of an Astanga’s teacher) Kajza's yoga experience, to develop a yoga work-out that specifically addressess the needs of boxers.
I am lucky enough to get a very special treat. 'Everyone seems to be already on holiday', Kikki, my teacher says. She is lovely, very friendly. I ask her about her background: 'Martial arts', she answers, but she has practised Astanga and hot yoga too. She completed her boxing yoga TT last October and is one of only five qualified teachers. 'But they are planning to do more TT to get more teachers on the ground, we have so many requests for classes'. I am told boxing yoga classes are equally popular across gender and that at last 'guys have a class that is strong enough for them, to make it accessible to men'. We agree that yoga can be very physically challenging nevertheless, and that there is more to it than fitness. With such a premise I got a bit intimidated, especially given I was the only student so there was nowhere to hide...still, we get going.
The series comprises a number of set modules and lasts 60m. I am told there is an advanced series too, but not currently taught yet. Postures are repeated twice, echoing Bikram's approach, and no props are used.
We start standing. No sanskrit, no breath calls. It gets better: in boxing yoga, clenched fists in guard is the new Anjali mudra. the class kind of flows in an unusual way, and admittedly, a couple of modules are very gracious: from standing to floor to standing to floor to balancing on one leg to floor again. It is actually seriously hard, full on core stuff (an insane number of plank and side plank in a number of variations), heavy on twists, good hip and spine alignment, no jumping, no inversions other than downward dog. I have had a lot of attention from my teacher, which probably resulted in quite an intense class. I am sure she is following the script, but hers seems just a series of instructions. And I appreciated her focus and effort but her spotting is quite destabilising. Anyway, the class is very dense, probably as there is no proper winding down here...to give you an idea, the last posture is warrior 3, practiced twice. Before a 60 second savana I only get a very short finishing sequence comprising hamstring strech followed by spinal twist and hip strech. 'It is so nice to teach to someone who practices yoga and have such a lovely downward dog', lovely Kikki comments at the end. 'And you are quite strong, too'. Good to know.
The series comprises a number of set modules and lasts 60m. I am told there is an advanced series too, but not currently taught yet. Postures are repeated twice, echoing Bikram's approach, and no props are used.
We start standing. No sanskrit, no breath calls. It gets better: in boxing yoga, clenched fists in guard is the new Anjali mudra. the class kind of flows in an unusual way, and admittedly, a couple of modules are very gracious: from standing to floor to standing to floor to balancing on one leg to floor again. It is actually seriously hard, full on core stuff (an insane number of plank and side plank in a number of variations), heavy on twists, good hip and spine alignment, no jumping, no inversions other than downward dog. I have had a lot of attention from my teacher, which probably resulted in quite an intense class. I am sure she is following the script, but hers seems just a series of instructions. And I appreciated her focus and effort but her spotting is quite destabilising. Anyway, the class is very dense, probably as there is no proper winding down here...to give you an idea, the last posture is warrior 3, practiced twice. Before a 60 second savana I only get a very short finishing sequence comprising hamstring strech followed by spinal twist and hip strech. 'It is so nice to teach to someone who practices yoga and have such a lovely downward dog', lovely Kikki comments at the end. 'And you are quite strong, too'. Good to know.
Gracing Post
Where: Dynamic Level 2, Sadhaka Yoga Centre, NW1
When: 26 Jan 2014, h 10-11.30
How much: £ 16, but they also do introductory offer (10 days for £ 20)
It is raining again….After all, this is London and this is winter. So why do I keep on scheduling on my agenda early morning Sunday classes?
Anyway, calling out every single Pitta cell in me I manage to get out of bed & get to the Stables Market in Camden by 9.30am. The Stables are unexpectedly quiet at that time - accomplice the light rain - and I easily find my way to the Sadhaka Yoga Centre, up the stairs in the heart of the market. I quickly sign up as a new student in the reception and head to the studio area. There is none in yet, which makes my first time there even more exciting. I had read this is the place where Alchemy, one of the most popular London yoga outposts, was located before it unexpectedly closed down a few months ago. Mollie McClelland Morris managed to rescue the place and get it back on the London yoga map. The space is truly amazing: two great studios, a great social area (the soul café), spacious changing rooms and a few therapy rooms. They offer an enticing variety of classes in different styles (Ashtanga, Dharma Mittra, Vinyasa Flow, Kundalini, Scaravelli and Yin yoga) as well as meditation and teacher trainings. But I am here for Mollie today, one of my favourite teachers in London. Her vinyasa classes are truly unique, full of depth and content, flowy yet grounding, incredibly gracious and well rounded. No class is equal to the other: Mollie has always a theme or a source of inspiration, from which she unfolds her creative and heartfelt sequences. We are less than a dozen in class this morning, all regulars. ‘If you see me wobbling today that’s because I cut my foot. This reminded me how important our feet are’…here we go, that’s today’s theme. For the next 90 minutes I enjoyed the most thoughtful class, rich of subtleties and expressions: I feel safe when I practice with Mollie, and I always discover something new about a pose, or myself – or both. Fast forward 90 minutes and you find me in the deepest of savasanas and with every part of my boasting a big smile. And yes, I feel a bit more gracious, a little softer – that’s the ‘Mollie effect’. To be honest, I am in bliss and I do not even care about the background yelling from very keen kick boxers (which whom I had a quite embarrassing close encounter in the shower room, but that’s a different story….) in the studios next door.
Will I go back? No doubt, but that I knew from the start.
Anna gets (Anti)Social
Social Yoga
When: Tue 4 Feb, h 19.30-21
Where: The Albany Club, NW1
How much: 10 £
The more I study and practice yoga, the more of “a private affair” it becomes. I wonder if this happens to others and whether I should do something about it….Then one day I read on one of weekly London mangazines about Creative Yoga London (http://www.creativeyogalondon.co.uk/) and Richard Brook. Richard describes himself as “a true Holistic Health expert and also designs bespoke wellness programmes which also incorporate acupuncture, meditation, yoga and movement practices”. Social Yoga and Singles Yoga are two of his initiatives which are stitting up quite a lot of interest in London. How come? “People are obviously interested in finding more conscious ways to connect with others – even if it challenges some of their preconceived ideas. And i mean this in respect of people at both ends of the spectrum of the demographics who attend my class’. His idea behind this is that after class one feels positive and refreshed and integrated in body, mind and spirit – hence more receptive and more prone to connect with people.
The thought of Social Yoga does not exactly thrill me, but that of Singles Yoga totally terrifies me. So, I opted to experiment the former, I am too faint hearted for the latter. And I would have kept on finding excuses not to go, unless I had persuaded my friend Luca to come along. I am a woman of honour, no chickening out.
The classes are held in a gym, located in a former church a short walk from Great Portland Street tube station. Tonight tube strikes will commence, so there are only 14 people attending – I am told the typical audience is more than double this number. Even split between men and women, from early thirties to late forties, I would say.
Richard tries to offset the pumping techno in the background with some brit pop and starts the class with some ice-breaking coordination exercises. We are all running in a big circle, three balls floating around, depending on the ball you get, you need to say out loud either a type of food you like, or something you want to achieve in 2014, or a place you want to travel to. Where am I? After 5m of this, we all sit down in a circle for introduction time. What follows next is an accessible variation of a chakra meditation, some basic yoga sequences including a few partner yoga exercises, two rounds of kapalabhati and yoga nidra. By then the rest of the gym is empty so no background music – and within minutes a few people get pretty relaxed, I mean, snoring kind of relaxed….whatever works.
What usually follows, I am told, is a drink at the pub next door but this evening everybody is rushing due to the tube strike.
What can I say…this is not for me and it has not made me any more social. But people seemed to enjoy it, the atmosphere was indeed very friendly, and the intention is good…so who am I to judge it?
Anna joins the Fierce Grace
When: Fri 31 Jan 14, h 19 - 20.30
Where: Fierce Grace North, NW5
How much: Drop in 16 GBP
The Fierce Grace North studio is not that easy to find, hidden on the second floor of a shabby building, above a Pound Store and a deli in NW5. Frankly, though, the darkness and the pouring rain do not help my cause. Anyway, I made it: this evening Michele Pernetta - Fierce yoga’s founder - is teaching and I look forward to the class.
Fierce Grace ( integration of male and female forces giving rise to vibrant health, emotional balance, and mental clarity) is a new yoga system, based on classical Hatha yoga, Bikram, Ashtanga and Power Yoga. Michele, I learn from their website, is the one who brought Bikram Yoga to London in 1994. After about 20 years she has recently decided to spin off and create a new brand, her own, for the 4 studios she manages in London. Their offering is more varied than Bikram and includes five types of classes - Core, Classic, Fierce Grace, Fierce (aka The Beast) and The Fix - designed to give students different options to suit their experience, schedule and mood, but based on the same core poses and principles (and yes, in a hot room).
As I get to the reception area, I instantly know I am in the right place: friendly faces, nice vibe, tons of mats, towels and water. My class (90m) is described as the 49 steps to peak fitness and health. A challenging but user-friendly general level class, with hip openers, upper body strength, bum toners and core stability for a fully rounded workout. The room, a bit scruffy, is full, about three dozen of people, most over 35 years old I’d say - and quite surprisingly no less than 40% are men! And they all seem regular. I am not a big fan of hot yoga, but I confess it is so cold and wet outside that I do not mind at all the 38 degrees of the hot studio (if only there was not carpet on the floor, Om om om). The class flows slowly, it is indeed quite balanced and approachable by all levels. Michele guides from pose to pose with grace and authority but I wish I could get more alignment cues and breath calls. And I wait and wait for any hint at yoga philosophy, but in vain. As the class ends, Michele invites everyone to extend the savasana or meditate after class for as long as we want. Briefly after, in the changing rooms, Michele and I are queuing to get a shower - so I chat her up and ask her why she departed from Bikram. ’20 years are long, and I felt I wanted to do something more complete. Bikram does not let you do anything else but his sequences. There is an advanced, and also an intermediate series but we cannot teach it. And if you do not like his way of doing things, then it is divorce’. Michele is not only friendly, she has the ‘yogi aura’ (if this makes any sense to you...). Both her and the senior teachers at Fierce Grace can design their own classes, while junior teachers follow set sequences, that are anyway revised from time to time. And sometimes they play music too. It all seems very nice but I am not entirely satisfied, as if something is missing….Is this one of those cases when the idea is better than the real thing? Hats off anyway, they are definitely great in P.R. - I like their ironic website, their manifesto and their video is hilarious (http://www.fiercegrace.com/our-story) - a good lesson for those who are taking yoga too seriously.
Thursday 1 May 2014
SATYA
When: Every week!
Where: Satyagraha / Vinyasa (Experienced) @ Indaba, NW1, the Light Centre, SW1 or Triyoga Chelsea, SW10
How much: Drop in 16 GBP
Satya is the Sanskrit word for “truth”; agraha means "great enthusiasm and interest”, the two words combined may be rendered as "the firmness of truth” or "the force of truth.”
I practice with Stewart Gilchrist every week, I always try to squeeze in at least one class with him. I have not been practising with Stew for long, a bit more than 2 years maybe. I remember distinctively when I accidentally landed in one of his classes. It was about 4 years ago, I was still in my orthodox Astanga primary series days, and his class was quite a shock: high octane, hot, fast paced…and what on earth was his saying? Was it sanskrit? Or maybe Scottish? Whatever that was, I was not ready for that.
But some sort of seed was planted, and I got back after a while - not sure exactly why - as I started my ISHTA 200h TT.
Yes, the practice is intense, very - almost saturated. At times I wished it was slower. But I always leave with a big smile on my face. Endorphines apart, Stewart always injects a unique combination of philosophy and secular yoga principles, humour, everyday life issues, modern society in a very strong vinyasa sequence. And he is so experienced I have no fear when I practice with him: not sure how he does it, but he infuses that confidence that I always need on & outside the mat. No kidding, he actually managed to bring me into postures I thought I would have never been able to (e.g.: Niralamba Sirsasana, oh my). "If you decide you can't do something, then sure enough you'll find you can't," Stewart often tells us. “Practice. You’ll get there."
Ask Stewart what style of yoga he practices. ‘I practice yoga’, he will tell you. He is a firm believer of the simplicity of yoga, the simplicity of breath and movement, the simplicity of sound and the simplicity of life. It is only us who make things difficult and complex - I start to believe it.
Stewart is no guru, I would not like him so much otherwise. There is such a lovely community spirit in the class, a peaceful and kind hearted tribe - with the occasional overachievers, but this is London after all. And, every week, I feel part of the tribe: even though I hardly know who these people are, they do not even know my name, every week it is comforting to come together for our bhakti practice.
Mat space oddity: Feldenkrais
When: 21 Mar 14, h 12.45- 14
Where: Feldenkrais for Yoga, The Life Centre, W8
How much: Drop in 16 GBP (free class due to sponsor day across London studios)
I am getting more and more intrigued by anatomy and movement, so I was pretty curious to find out more about Feldenkrais. Considered by some a form of physiotherapy, Feldenkrais is an experiential method focusing on learning and movement, which can bring about improved movement and enhanced functioning. It is named after its originator, Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984), an engineer and physicist as well as a Judo teacher.
Daniel Gelblum, a yoga teacher and Feldenkrais expert in London, has designed a series of classes where he uses Feldenkrais techniques to help yogis move with ease into challenging yoga postures, discovering often hidden flexibility and strength.
The class I attended started in a supine position. Well, the entire class was held in a supine position.
The focus of the day was mobility in the spine, so we spent 75m preparing the body, warming up the spine and twisting. ‘Let me show today how to twist like you never twisted before’, Daniel stated. And it was kind of true…the class slowly built up, from simple, controlled movements to much more subtle ones, to complete free style twist - very contemporary dance-y (made me think of Pina Bausch at some point!). ‘Yoga is very linear, Feldenkrais helps you breaking this linearity and improving the quality of your movement’. I see the point, especially in the context of Vinyasa, where transitions are so important.
I found the class a bit unusual, which I assume was exactly the point…I can see how this practice can be complementary to asana practice.
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