How I see yoga.
Yoga means 'to yoke', to join, or 'union'.
Union of people in a space or practice; of body and mind; of awareness; of breath and movement.
Yoga should be non-competitive, suit you, nourish you, provide for you. Yoga will give to you what you give to it. Turn up, do the practice, try to let go of the outcome. It is the literal example of 'go through the motions'. Just keep turning up and going through the motions. Not pushing or punishing, but experiencing more fully and wholly being a body, and all the mental and physical sensations involved with that. Exploring with curiosity, and acceptance.
When I started out I called this venture Om Bodies - 'om' being properly pronounced rhymes mostly closely with 'home', so this was a pun on 'home bodies' and the hope we could all aspire to be more at home within our bodies.
Note: I do still find this distinction created by referring to 'our' bodies jarring, because we are bodies, rather than this mind/body duality the 20th Century (Western) science professed. Though they are the grounded, physical, earthy thing in which the spontaneous neurological (and spiritual, if you are open to that language) experience of being conscious is anchored
Yoga continues to help me become more of an integrated whole. I am more in-touch with myself, discover more of my authentic self, become more aware of the good, the bad, the desirable bits and the less desirable, and to be more at home with the whole range of these.
This is the yoga I'd like to share with you.
Union of people in a space or practice; of body and mind; of awareness; of breath and movement.
Yoga should be non-competitive, suit you, nourish you, provide for you. Yoga will give to you what you give to it. Turn up, do the practice, try to let go of the outcome. It is the literal example of 'go through the motions'. Just keep turning up and going through the motions. Not pushing or punishing, but experiencing more fully and wholly being a body, and all the mental and physical sensations involved with that. Exploring with curiosity, and acceptance.
When I started out I called this venture Om Bodies - 'om' being properly pronounced rhymes mostly closely with 'home', so this was a pun on 'home bodies' and the hope we could all aspire to be more at home within our bodies.
Note: I do still find this distinction created by referring to 'our' bodies jarring, because we are bodies, rather than this mind/body duality the 20th Century (Western) science professed. Though they are the grounded, physical, earthy thing in which the spontaneous neurological (and spiritual, if you are open to that language) experience of being conscious is anchored
Yoga continues to help me become more of an integrated whole. I am more in-touch with myself, discover more of my authentic self, become more aware of the good, the bad, the desirable bits and the less desirable, and to be more at home with the whole range of these.
This is the yoga I'd like to share with you.
Yoga for life.
Drawing on my background in developmental psychology, I see the proven, research-backed value of yoga-like practices from birth and reaching throughout our life-span. I offer classes in baby massage and baby yoga, helping the youngest infants develop their body awareness, maintaining embodied experiences and enhancing bonding - union! - between carers and infants for better mental health and relationships.
I offer yoga for children, helped by my experience as a primary school teacher. Using story telling to inspire yoga sequences, we build awareness of breath, mental processes (monkey minds!), mindful movement and introduce yoga concepts like ahimsa (non-harming), satya (truthfulness) and santosha (contentment).
With adults I offer classes that encompass yin and yang styles and reflect my personal practice.
I offer yoga for children, helped by my experience as a primary school teacher. Using story telling to inspire yoga sequences, we build awareness of breath, mental processes (monkey minds!), mindful movement and introduce yoga concepts like ahimsa (non-harming), satya (truthfulness) and santosha (contentment).
With adults I offer classes that encompass yin and yang styles and reflect my personal practice.