How to Please Your Yoga Teacher

This is a survey I conducted for International Yoga Day. I asked yogis from my classes past and present to help me compile a Top Ten list of How to Please your Yoga Teacher. Here's what they said:

The list so far:

1.    Identify your right and left correctly! If your teacher instructs the class to lead with the right foot, try your best to lead with the right foot Failing that, get a GPS-equipped mat.

2.    Enjoy the class. Teachers respond to grins or laughs... or groans. Enjoy plank! If you don't, pretend or you'll have to do more.

3.    Bring a friend, partner or family member. Teachers love it when you put your faith in their class and bring someone special.

4.    Teachers like it when you use yoga props. If you are struggling, it's not cool to have the teacher run around the class getting blocks and belts for you.

5.    Get your game on! Do your best. Concentrate. Meditate. Play your A game. They love good effort. 

6.    A shower before class pleases everyone, not just the teacher. Freshly laundered gear is a good idea. Smelly feet are never a good idea.

7.    Checking your mobile phone during the class is not yoga. Don’t answer a call. Don’t rush out of the studio saying ‘I’m in my yoga class’!

8.    Falling asleep in Savasana and snoring loudly is quite funny. It's OK though. 

9.    Don’t say “I’m not flexible enough for yoga”. The teacher will roll their eyes.

10. Your teacher thinks you’re amazing. You should too. (That one is from me!)

Secret History of Yoga

Dear Yogis,

The new on Wednesday after class got off to a wonderful start. Eleven yogis for a 2.30 class is absolutely amazing and I know it will build. When I started the Friday class it had a regular 11-14 people. It is double that now. Just a note about the Friday class... Management need to know if you would be happy to move the class forward to 9.15, or earlier. It’s your class so please let your voice be heard.

International Yoga Day

I had a great IYD on Tuesday. I taught  a new class with new yogis and some complete beginners. I’m told that the class inspired a couple of converts. It just couldn’t be better. One guy said he didn’t realise yoga was such hard work! Would more guys turn up if they knew it was a chance to show off the biceps? 

I wonder if you managed to catch this programme on Radio 4: The Secret History of Yoga http://bbc.in/1YsapDx . The programme discusses the roots of modern yoga with Dr Mark Singleton who wrote one of my favourite books: Yoga Body. It’s a lovely half-hour listen

Workshops

This weekend I’ll be at a workshop in Exeter huffing and puffing my way through an Ashtanga Second Series Intensive. I’m aching at the thought. There are places left if you want to hot-foot to Exeter: bit.ly/28VXabE . Whereas the first series is called the Yoga Chikitsa, meaning yoga therapy because of the cleansing and toning, the second is ‘Nadi Shodana’ which is nerve cleansing. Hmmm... on the agenda is ‘putting the leg behind the head'. I think major surgery might be involved!

Free Yoga

There is free yoga in the park this summer courtesy of Yoga West, our own west London yoga studio. The first one is tomorrow, 25th June, 2-3:15 pm with Christian Coelho. He’s an absolutely wonderful teacher. 

Greek Retreat

Thank you to those who have either paid up in full or have made your next instalment. I can’t wait to get out there and teach in the warmth of the Greek sun. There are still people who are interested in coming and, of course, you are very welcome. Pop me a line and let me know if you have any questions.

Home Studio

By the time I write my Friday email, places are already booked for next week. If you haven’t tried a small, tailored class, come and have a go. It’s a great environment for complete beginners or advanced Ashtangis. Drop me a line if you have any questions about what evening might suit you. 

NEW CLASS

Dear Yogis,

I have a new gym yoga class starting today! It’s at Eden Fitness in Eaing where the demand has been high for more yoga. The new class will be at 2.30 every Wednesday. It’s a trial run for three months and it’s at an odd time... but we can make it work. I’m a big fan of Eden Fitness and it’s the only gym I teach in regularly. The Friday morning class was my first regular class after qualifying as a yoga teacher. It has been an absolute joy to teach there and see the numbers double in size.

International Yoga Day

It’s on the 21st which is next Tuesday. This weekend there will be a lot of free events, the biggest of which is at Alexander Palace. David Sye will be taking a 30 minute session and he’s worth checking out – he’s such fun, though he won’t have the tequila for this session! Here is the day’s showguide: bit.ly/1V0v3Vt

Father’s Day

Our newest Ealing gym, Tribeca in The Mall, invites you to bring a father for free this Sunday. This applies to all classes but there is a Total Beginner Yoga class at 12.45 for just 45 minutes. Email hello@tribecastudios.co.uk with the name, number and email address of the dad. There are two days left of Triyoga’s offer to bring a dad. Details here: bit.ly/1P9LRrr

Workshops

This Sunday I’ll be doing an inversions workshop at Yoga West with Christian Coelho. It’s £22.50 for two hours from 14:00-16:00. Come with me – especially if you’ve never experienced a workshop before. bit.ly/1q3WvHD

Greek Retreat

Many of you have either paid up in full or have made installments. We have only a couple of months left so please make sure the payment doesn’t come as a shock at the end of August. There are still people who are interested in coming and, of course, you are very welcome. Pop me a line and let me know if you have any questions.

Home Studio

Plenty of loveliness in my Home Studio this week including a private session which was mostly about core work! Wow! After that I fed some of those postures into all of my classes. Every week in every class you inspire me.

Yoga in the Holy Month of Ramadan

Dear Yogis,

It’s the holy month of Ramadan so very best wishes to those who are observing. Happy Ramadan! I have some yogis who decide to give up yoga for the duration and some who stay with the practice and find it very helpful. If you do decide to come to class, please let me know if you’re fasting. You won’t need a power/ashtanga/vinyasa/ full-on practice. You’ll need a more restorative and introspective practice - possibly in the evening. A yogi that I teach privately twice a week wanted me to say that he finds yoga very helpful during Ramadan; it helps with focus and mindfulness... as well as digestion. Also, you may feel the postures, especially the twists, in a different way. Call me if you have any questions. If you're interested in special classes for you and you're friends who are observing, give me a call or email.

For the rest of us, we are supposed to practice in the morning on an empty stomach! Perhaps you can use this month to give it a go. For some, there is a better meditative quality this way. Yoga, after all, helps us create a sense of peace and quiet; we relax the mind and allow our best selves to come to the fore. Try your yoga practice when the system isn’t using precious energy on digesting.

Free Yoga

Triyoga suggests that you ‘Bring a Dad for Free to celebrate father’s day from June 13th to 19th.  The definition of ‘a dad’ is ‘your own dad, husband, granddad, a friend - simply anyone who is a dad’. 

Greek Retreat

There are still places. We have more capacity than last year because, just for us, my friend and owner of the amphitheatre is building another yoga deck. The capacity was 12 last year which was our group plus the Kytherans who joined us. We easily and naturally get to know people from the island by sharing our practice. Kapsali is so small that the friendliness level is higher than that of any other yoga retreat! (My ego tells me so!) 

Home Studio

I spotted Traffic Wardens being trained up by Ealing Council this week. So far, those of you who come for the 7.30 classes on Monday and Tuesday evening haven't been caught... I propose we actually start the class at 7.35 so that no one takes a minutes' risk! 

Survey

Thank you for your responses to my very light-hearted survey for a Top Ten list of How to Please your Yoga Teacher for International Yoga Day. Thank you to the yogis who contributed: ‘Don’t fall asleep in Savasana and snore loudly‘(actually, that hardly ever happens!) and ‘Don’t say “I’m not flexible enough for yoga”’ (that happens all the time!). And thank you to the yogi who said that ‘yoga is like a breath of fresh air running through the body’. Not a survey response but what a nice thing! Send suggestions that are fun and entertaining, intelligible to non yogis, short... and broadcastable!

Finding your inner calm

Dear Yogis,

This week I met a homeless man whose mother taught him Hatha Yoga as a child. He had an aura of calm. He was soft-spoken. He sat on the pavement with a hat for money and a Frederick Forsyth book - he said it’s easy to read. He said in his soft voice that he was frustrated to see people going to work and he wasn’t. If I ever hit hard times, I wonder if I’ll retain any calm at all. I put in a call to The Connection at St Martin’s to see if I can organise yoga sessions for the homeless there. By coincidence I found this article in the Huffington Post:  Yoga: How We Serve Those in Homeless Shelters. 

Free Yoga

Triyoga suggests that you ‘Bring a Dad for Free' to celebrate father’s day from June 13th to 19th.  The definition of ‘a dad’ is ‘your own dad, husband, granddad, a friend - simply anyone who is a dad’. Not bad, eh! 

Workshops

My guru, Valentina, is hosting an Alignment and Adjustment workshop this weekend at Coco Club in Hammersmith tomorrow, Saturday, at 2.00-5.00pm for £25. It’s suitable for teachers and students. You can book here.

When I do workshops I always look for the biggest names in the world of yoga. This is because I made a huge mistake and spent a lot of money (£thousands!) on a terrible course a few years ago. Since then, I want to know the lineage of teachers I spend significant time with. If you’re interested in the original teachers in the West, you can hardly do better than Doug Swenson who is visiting these shores this Autumn. He has been practising yoga since 1969. He hails from very conservative south Texas and in the early days neighbours called the police when he and his brother were spotted practicing yoga.

A wonderful teacher friend of mine is hosting Doug at her studio in Cambridge for a weekend from Friday 30th September to Sunday 2nd October. His ‘poetic flow’, wholistic style may appeal to you, especially if you practice Tai Chi. Doug teaches a balance between both hard and soft styles of yoga practice. The cost of the weekend is £150. More information here.

Home Studio

More loveliness in my Home Studio this week. People come with their back pain, sciatica, reservations about being new to yoga, fears of not being flexible enough, fears of going upside-down... but they come anyway! I admire you all so much. Next week is pretty booked up but there are still spaces left on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, not Monday!

Survey

Thank you for your responses to my very light-hearted survey for a Top Ten list of How to Please your Yoga Teacher! I’m compiling it for International Yoga Day. Thank you to the yogi who said: ‘Make sure your teacher is watching when you do a clever posture (in this case, headstand with piked legs at a 90 degree angle). And thank you to the yogi who contributed: ‘Identify your right and left correctly! Failing that, get a GPS equipped mat.’ Send suggestions if you have a contribution that is fun and entertaining, intelligible to non yogis, short... and broadcastable!