After a rather long break, I’m really looking forward to re-starting the yoga classes in Wighton village hall where on fine evenings we can practice our yoga outside, overlooking the cornfields. What bliss!
The first class is on Monday 21 July, 5.15-6.45 pm and the village hall is in Buddells Lane, Wighton, North Norfolk.
Can’t wait to see everyone again!
poppies and nepeta on a summer’s evening…
I will be running the following yoga workshops in Wighton village hall over the coming weeks. The workshops need to be booked in advance so please email me if you would like to book a space.
20 August : Developing the Core
Core body strength is important not just for our yoga practice but is vital for maintaining a strong, lithe physique that can move gracefully and without strain. In this workshop we will learn how to bring awareness to core muscles and explore movements that can strengthen and tone this part of the body.
Not suitable for complete beginners.
3 September : Awakening the Spine
In this workshop we will be looking at spinal flexion and twists as a way of bringing mobility to the spine as well as flushing out toxins and refreshing the whole body.
Both workshops will take run from 5.15-6.45pm. Cost – £7.50 each.
Plus, if enough newcomers are interested I will run two beginners’ workshops on the same dates and in the same place but from 3.30-5pm. Cost £7.50 each.
20 August : Breathing
In this workshop we will look at various ways in which the breath is used in yoga, including breathing to relax the mind and body, breathing for awareness, the synchronisation of breath and movement and specific breath control and expansion techniques (pranayama).
3 September : Rooting, elongation and an introduction to the bandhas
In contrast to the breathing workshop, in this session we will focus on the physical aspects of yoga asana and the spine including how to sit, stand and move with ease and an absence of tension.
Please email me if would like further information or to book a place.
Sadly the cool wet weather meant we didn’t get to practice our yoga outside in April. Hoping things brighter up a bit in May!
That said today’s cold and windy weather means our new block of classes starting tonight in Wighton village hall will definitely be indoors. Class dates are as follows:
14 May
21 May
28 May
4 June (bank holiday)
11 June
18 June
So that’s six weeks rather than the usual five.
Pre-pay: £36 for all six classes or £30 if you want to exclude the bank holiday. Taster class £6 or £7.50 for regular drop in (but please email or phone to book a place in advance!)
Our theme in this series will be “going with the flow”. Using the breath and transitional postures to move confidently {and gracefully!) through a series of yoga asanas.
Wells yoga
I will be running a new class at the WI Hall in Wells from 21 May. I am starting it off as a one hour class from 3-4pm to see how it goes. It will be a beginners’ class with an emphasis on breathing and gentle movements to ease stiff joints, stretch tight and tired muscles and alleviate associated back pain. Cost is £25 for five classes paid for in advance, £5 for a taster class or £6 for regular drop in.
My six week stint with the Asian Women’s Group at the Geffrye came to an end this week – it’s been such a great experience I’m sorry to be saying goodbye. Not only has the group been the most enthusiastic and fun I have every had to teach but I have discovered so many new things along the way.
– early morning cycle ride along the Regent’s Canal towpath with its colourful canal boats, funky apartments and watery reflections;
– quirky shops like jewellery gallery @ Work and contemporary furniture maker, Unto This Last on Brick Lane;
– utility homewares at Labour and Wait on Redchurch Street;
– master of the the new wave paper cut Rob Ryan on Columbia Road;
– Vietnamese food in the many wonderful cafes along Kingsland Road;
– morning coffee overlooking the gardens at the Geffrye Museum as they spring into life with tulips, daffodils and an abundance of green.
Hopefully the farewell is more of an au revoir: Julie and her group so enjoyed the yoga sessions that they have asked for more! Something I hope to be able to pursue later in the year if not before.
Yoga classes in Wighton village hut will start again on Monday evening. This is a mixed ability class so open to all levels. Students are welcome to drop in to individual sessions, but for those looking to develop their yoga practice, each five week series of classes has an underlying theme running through it. So in this series, we will be looking at the principles of yin/yang and the harmony of opposites and experiencing our yoga asana and pranayama practice with this in mind.
The classes run from 5.15-6.45 pm in Wighton village hut, Buddells Lane, Wighton, Norfolk and cost £30 for the five week series or £7.50 drop in.
Now over half way though my series of classes at the Geffrye . This week I introduced some voicework – using simple sounds as a way of finding the “natural” voice as well as releasing tension in the throat and upper chest. I often find that students are uncomfortable with this to begin with, but once again the Geffrye women amazed me with their unbounded enthusiasm and complete lack of self consciousness; at one point descending into peals of laughter when it transpired that my “trying to be sensitive to a muslim audience” alternative to the “om” sound meant that we ended up chanting about mangoes (which is apparently what “aam” means in Bengali…)
Working with my new group at the Geffrye has focused my mind on the power of sound to create mood, encourage inner silence and to convey abstract ideas like the meditative state of mind without relying on words. So I will definitely be adding these sounds to my yoga playlist. The first by the amazing Keith Jarrett. The second and third more traditional Gurdjieff sounds.
Keith Jarrett – reading from sacred books
Gurdjieff 1
Gurdjieff 2
Phew! Just managed to cycle back from the Geffrye Museum this lunchtime before the heavens opened and so avoid getting drenched.
So, my first class with Julie Begum and her enthusiastic group of Asian women! The group was set up as part of the Geffrye’s community programme and for the past three years they have been meeting each Wednesday to share learning and other activities in the splendid setting of the Museum and its gardens.
The yoga sessions were to be something of an experiment – for me and for them – as I had never before taught such a large group who were a) new to yoga and b) not all english speakers. Continue reading
The Geffrye Museum in Hoxton is one of London’s hidden gems and most definitely on my top ten list of places to visit. So I’m really excited to have been asked to run a 6 week yoga programme at the Museum, specifically designed for the Asian Women’s Group. The group, like most I teach, is of mixed age and ability but with a high proportion suffering from bad posture and associated lower back problems. So I decided to put together a programme specifically to tackle this. The idea being that at the end of the course the women would understand the difference between good and bad posture and could self correct; and would also have the confidence to practice a series of postures designed to alleviate lower back pain once the classes came to an end.
In December I spent a week at the idyllic retreat of La Argayall on La Gomera with upbeat yoga guru David Sye. La Argayall means “Place of Light” and it is truly the most calming and restorative place imaginable. Set on the beach, amidst a tropical garden of mango, papaya and other luscious plants it is the ultimate in total chill experience. We stayed in one of the simple but atospheric wooden huts dotted amongst the trees, lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves and the singing frogs (well they take a bit of getting used to I must admit…). Continue reading