Sunday, 2 March 2014
A Sleepy class
Where: Life Centre
When: wednesdays 8:15 pm
This class was a recent find and I thought I would share it. Tired from a long day at work, I decided to leave later than usual from work as this particular teacher I had bookmarked for a long time. Her name is Lucy and upon lying down in a rather busy studio, I immediately felt her grounded, warm approach and knew I had come to the right spot. I don't quite know how she did it but she found enough minutes prior to class starting to go around and ask everyone about their injuries and for the first time in my life, I told her that yes, I do have an injury but it is not as physical as other ailments. Mine is insomnia and i have relentlessly suffered for many weeks now, trying all sorts of old wives' solutions to stave off sleeplessness but to no avail. So, when I rather reluctantly told Lucy about this, her response was of genuine concern and one which I had not been expecting. To my surprise, she had actually been planning a class to teach postures for sleep and throughout class made several educated references to asana and sleep, including a mention of the doshas and how to ground before bed. This all made perfect sense and I was relieved to be taken under her wing and annoyed that I had not come sooner.
There are certain teachers who don't profess guru status and yet still hold their own in a class, inspiring confidence and a down to earth approach which is actually so needed in such an unlevelling city,. Her soft but earthy voice stilled my mind and the well-selected postures felt good in my weary body, deprived of so many weeks of sleep.
I went to bed happy that night and hopeful that there are some old wives' tales that may actually contain some all important truth.
the best thing ever written about yoga
i think this might be the best thing ever written about yoga
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/01/the-tyranny-of-the-yoga-industry-ruth-fowler/
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/01/the-tyranny-of-the-yoga-industry-ruth-fowler/
Kundalini time
When: Sun 9 Feb, h 12.15 -
13.30
Where: Evolve, SW7
How much: 16 £
Kundalini has been on my yoga-to-do
list for a while. I have heard & read about it, but - probably due to some
stupid prejudice - I have always carefully avoided any kundalini class in the
yoga studios I normally go to. But why? Why choose (or not, in this case)
something without taking a closer look? Ignorance, indolence, judgement…what a
yogi am I if I let these rule? One of my teachers advised me: ‘try it, but you
are not going to like it’. Mmmm. A yogi friend who wanted to practise with me
today: ‘sorry Anna, I cannot do kundalini’. Double mmmm. And there all these
freaky stories about kundalini awakening...To be honest, given the premises, I
was not exactly looking forward to this class.
To minimise the shock, I decide to go
to my regular studios, Evolve in South Kensington, for my first kundalini
experience. The teacher at Evolve is Sivaroshan Sahathevan, one of the most
popular in London. ‘Hi Anna. Are you here for Kundalini??’ the receptionist
seemed quite surprised. I do not know much about Yogi Bhajan, who bough it to
the West in the late 1960s, but I have read they use many ‘Kriyas’ to strengthen
mind, body and spirit - which seems very interesting. I am told they use many
mantras, and they chant too, and they even meditate! Anyway, I get to the studio
10 minutes before class and the teacher is already there. But despite the all
white attire (turban included), she does not look at all like Sivaroshan…’I am
Maren, welcome’, as she greets me with a soft German accent. I tell her this i
my first time - I am the only one apparently in a class of seven - and she warns
me that the practice is very deep and powerful, tailored to help me connect me
with my true self. And she also tells me that it may feel weird…The whole
practice is with eyes closed and apparently there is quite a bit of chanting
(thumbs up). Today she has chosen a Kriya aimed at maintaining perfect health.
which mainly involve work around the hips and the navel. The next 75 minutes are
a few repetitive and pretty intense exercises (each repeated for 3 to 5m, either
sitting or laying on our back) targeting the arms to start and finish but for
the majority of the class the svadhistana and manipura chakras - all chanting
mantras to help us maintaining the rhythm of the practice. As a result of each
exercise the body felt different indeed. And yes, I could feel the energy
moving, in quite an uncontrolled fashion though: I had this sense of vibrating
and shaking, but not quite the deep ecstatic sensation Maren keeps talking
about. Is that my kundalini? The final meditation is not as balancing as I would
have hoped (5 minutes with the right arm extended, with left fingers touching
Ajna chakra felt a bit strange) but I have been quite intrigued by the very
strong flow of energy I have experienced. I understand now why some can find
this practice destabilising. Well, guess my kapha these days keeps my kundalini
sleeping tight...
Friday, 28 February 2014
The Hackney Project
The Hackney Yoga
Project (HYP)
When: Sat 22 Feb,
from h 9.30
The Hackney Project
Where: Hackney City Farm, E2
Where: Hackney City Farm, E2
All of us whose
life has been touched by yoga knows how transformational this journey can be,
once the channel is open there is no way back. After all, we all know how yoga
can result in people feeling happier in their own skins. But not all of us may
have realised, for this exact reason, how important making yoga accessible can
be.
The Hackney Yoga Project is bringing to London and its
yoga community something incredibly noble, brave and valuable. The HYP 's goal
is to make the lives of refugee and asylum-seeking women a little brighter
through yoga. They work mainly with survivors of human rights abuse, teaching
them yoga and English, providing a hot lunch, travel refund, moral support and
signposting to other activities. And they provide all this for free, helping
these women increase their confidence, bring a little light and lightness in
their lives, and make friends. There are many ways to support the HYP, starting
from simple donation which are always welcome. When I asked Emily, the HYP
founder, how one can concretely help, she pointed me to their Mala programme,
which all of us should consider. In fact, with this programme yoga teachers and
studios, and everyone else really, are enabled to help directly, holding a class
or any other event and donate any money raised to fund the project.
This Saturday though I went to the Hackney City farm -
their main site, currently - for the Bead not Bullets initiative, run by a team
of graduates from the YogaLondon school. The day started with a morning practice
guided by a YogaLondon graduate (quite a curious sequencing, indeed) and
followed with a joyful and heart-warming mala making session. Thanks to the
donation a beautiful collection of vintage beads by a local yogi artist, about
twenty volunteers gathered together and spent the day making the prettiest
meditation malas ever - the idea being that the malas would be soon available
for purchase in selected locations and on the HYP website. The proceeds will
fund travel expenses for the refugees. I have never been into beading at all,
but the cause was worth the challenge and the atmosphere so lovely that the day
flew. And before you ask, yes, I dreamt of beads…loads of beads...
Help us spread the word and support the HYP - it is worth it.
Broga!
When: Feb 26, h 13:15 – 14:15
Where: Blue Cow
Yoga, Moorgate, EC2R
How much: £ 18
for 45-60m class
The Broga
Code
I have been quite
curious for a while about this Broga thing. Especially since that day I happened
to walk by a studio room where a Broga class was held: the overly keen ‘inhale,
exhale’ that could clearly be heard from outside did raise some attention.
So, what is
Broga? Yoga for men (bros or even dudes, if you rather). Well, not only - I
hope.
So here I am
today in this City yoga & pilates studio located in a basement in Moorgate
for my first lunchtime Broga class. The class schedule is predominantly filled
with flow classes. And given the location, Broga definitely seems to fit in.
This time, I have done a bit of research beforehand. Matt Miller, the (big) guy
behing Broga in the UK, has a very interesting bio: a former American football
player (Miller the Pillar was his battlefield nickname), body builder, sports
training and physiology graduate, fitness instructor and, dulcis in
fundo, yoga teacher. Matt makes no mystery of his yoga muse, Rachel Okimo –
one of the most creative teachers on the London scene – who is also his business
partner.
I can see the
idea behind this – nowadays, yoga seems to be predominantly a women affair. Too
often I hear from men that they are not flexible enough and hence yoga is not
for them. Left aside that the point is not to be able to cross your leg behind
your head or touch your toes with your fingers in Pashimottanasana, this seems
to be enough to prevent most men I know from stepping on the mat (not to mention
the spiritual side of the practice, that equally scares them). Broga tries to
demistify this adapting traditional asanas and sequences to those who may be
strong and fit, but struggle with agility and flexibility.
It is only five
of us today, great size for a class – and despite guys being the majority, I am
not the only girl! Matt starts by introducing today’s theme – legs (at which
point, I confess, I have swallowed). What follows is a strong, slow flow class,
with a remarkable focus on alignment and the best anatomy cues I have come
across in a long time. While weak on philosophy (pourquoi?), I have found the
class pretty well rounded and varied – offering options and raising awareness on
common ego-driven mistakes. As we roll the mats at the end of the class after a
savasana-meets-yoga-nidra, I ask my neighbour if he enjoyed that. ‘Very much!
This is no-nonsense yoga’. I am not too sure about that. I can see though why
Broga can be an attractive yogic entry point for the so-to-speak ‘male
athlete’.
Friday, 14 February 2014
Sunday morning wake-up
where: evolve
When: Sunday morning
There are classes you simply stumble upon because it's cold outside and because you are a bit lost of a morning so you turn up amongst the regulars and you know that in attending a full-on vinyasa flow class, you are going to have to fake it to make it. Not my usual setting but I thought a Sunday morning and all the rest and sleep from the weekend would allow a few extra chaturangas in my body and incite my tejas.
With as much speed as the class itself, I realised that this was not the case, that I would much rather be in stillness away from jumping jacks and sweat.
So, I resorted to a lot of child's pose and as the teacher urged everyone through her hectic flow, I noticed my resistance, my intolerance and my irritation. I felt controlled so I stepped back from it and went inside. This was far better and I realised that my ability to take from the external what I need is an important coping mechanism. Not being a yes girl is ok too
Having said that, I loved parts of the class and especially her outfit: pink leggings with a matching bandana. Making my way to sweaty Betty as I write :)
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