What is Yoga?
Yoga means union, balance or non-duality. In the Yoga world there are a number of constructions that can be placed on what union means; all of them right. In the Upanishads (Vedic Sanskrit texts) it refers to linking our awareness within but as a starting point consider that the union is that of the individual consciousness with the universal consciousness AND is a means of balancing and harmonising the body, mind and emotions.
The science of modern Yoga (last 100years) begins to work on the outermost aspect of the personality, the physical body, which in turn can force an effect on consciousness. For most people the physical body is a sensible, familiar starting point and the best introduction is in a neo Hatha Yoga class. Hatha Yoga classes are not the dominion of those who are ultimately seeking enlightment. They are for EVERYONE no matter their age, size or body condition and the benefits of practice are direct and tangible to anyone regardless of their spiritual aims.
Yogasana offers a science of living right and a means of maintaining health and wellbeing in an increasingly stressful society. The yogic way of life is not something that can be easily understood intellectually but becomes living knowledge through practice and experience.
Asanas (postures) are techniques that are an effective means to restore and maintain physical health. What makes Yoga different is that it works on all aspects of the person not just physical but also the vital, mental, emotional, psychic and spiritual bodies. They can help force that effect on consciousness in time. Nonetheless, as a consequence (or if you like “side effect”) of practice the individual cultivates relaxation and concentration and meditation and awareness, establishing a new perception of what is real and what is necessary.
CLICK LINK to BLOG for longer explanation on Where/How Bikram Method Fits in YOGA
What is Bikram Yoga?
Bikram Yoga, ALSO commonly known as The Original Hot Yoga, Classic Hot Yoga, 26/2, 26&2, is a sequence of 26 asanas (done twice) selected and developed by Bikram Choudhury from traditional Hatha Yoga and some Bayam, as learned from his guru Bishnu Ghosh at Ghosh’s College in Calcutta, and practiced in a heated environment of 105F (as added by Bikram). These 26 postures are a ‘generic Yogasana prescription’ systematically work every part of the body, to give all the internal organs, veins, ligaments and muscles everything they need to maintain optimum health and maximum function. Each component takes care of something different in the body, and yet they all work together synergistically, contributing to the success of each and every other one, and extending its benefits. This generic class model was designed so that more people could work to receive the benefits of a Yoga practice and of course the Asanas can be modified easily for individual practitioners needs.
How long is the class?
90 minutes. Please arrive early to enable a stress free start to each practice session. Doors lock 2 minutes before class start for security reasons. Late arrival as a one off (text studio) is sometimes unavoidable but on a regular basis will be noticed by other practitioners, can be disruptive to the class and creates a security dilemma for the studio. Please research/consider your driving/parking dilemmas in the vicinity of the studio and allow extra time to ensure you travel safely and arrive timely.
Why so Hot?
The heat enables you to do the asanas optimally. A warm body is a flexible body. Like many before you, you will find that practising yoga in a heated environment creates a very satisfying feeling of achievement. The heat enables you to safely and effectively go deeper into postures and discover new frontiers within. The benefits are vast and they come quickly:
• the heat produces a fluid-like stretch allowing for greater range of movement, improved elasticity with less risk of injury
• capillaries dilate in the heat; more effectively oxygenating the tissues, muscles, glands and organs and helping in the removal of waste products
• enhanced perfusion of your extremities (peripheral circulation)
• your metabolism will not get sluggish therefore keeping efficient at its breakdown of glucose and fatty acids
• you will work hard at self control and concentration in this challenging environment and that will translate into other areas of yoru life
• your body burns fat more effectively, fat may be redistributed and burned as energy during the class. It is common to change body shape in a short time with a regular consistant practice
• your cardiovascular system gets good attention
• a good sweat will flush the skin which is the body’s largest organ
• a sense of wellbeing: sweating produces endorphins that make you feel good; this alone is just as when your body raises its temperature to fight infection, the raised temperature in the room will assist in improving T-cell function and the proper functioning of your immune system
• your nervous system function is greatly improved and messages are carried more efficiently to and from your brain (improved body/mind connection)
• muscle tissue is put in an optimal state for reorganization and strengthening
• probably one of the best reasons to practice 🙂
• just as when your body raises its temperature to fight infection, the raised temperature in the room will assist in improving T-cell function and the proper functioning of your immune system
• muscle tissue is put in an optimal state for reorganization and strengthening
How to practice Bikram Yoga?
Follow these three principles to practice correctly:
1. Breathe – normal
2. Freeze – hold your best asana in absolute stillness
3. Squeeze – for the tourniquet effect
So what is the ‘tourniquet effect’?
Stretching, balancing, and creating pressure all at the same time. The blood vessels are momentarily squeezed shut, creating pressure (like a lock gate). The release of pressure causes blood to flush through the vessels awakening and energising the body systems and organs so they function at their maximum capacity.
Body conscious or shy about abilities?
Everyone’s body shape and size and abilities are uniquely different and should never be compared; it is our differences that make us interesting. Hatha Yoga is not about how flexible you are or how svelte you are, it is about (amongst other things) stretching your body and mind to get the benefits. What matters is you are approaching the asanas the right way and taking your body to its physical limit. Do this and you will get 100% benefit no matter how inflexible you think you are. The effects of Bikram Yoga are cumulative. Being consistent over time will have a profound and lasting effect.
The Pay Back
• realign skeletal system
• maintain a youthful spine
• rehabilitate injuries
• improve balance
• increase strength
• more flexibility
• enhance mobility
• burn cellulite
• stretch and tone muscle
• lower bad cholesterol
• prevent immune system and metabolism from getting sluggish
• muscle action helps move lymph around the body/flush the Lymphatic System
• balance hormones
• stimulate white blood cell production
• radiant skin
• combined with other lifestyle changes, can assist with weight loss
• positive effects on your emotional and physical homeostasis
• relieve stress / increase calmness
• increase energy / improve sleep / reduce fatique
• gain unparalleled focus
• gain mental clarity
• raise quality of life socially and at work
• look, move and feel younger
Breath
Breath is primary! Muscles need oxygen to help them perform. In Yoga you keep your breath at the forefront of your practice; you do not inhale or exhale without attention. Do not hold your breath during the asanas as this causes tension and strain; conversely, proper breathing technique causes relaxation and stress relief ☺ . Your in breath is energising and gives you power and strength in the asana. Your out breath is relaxing, carrying you further and deeper into the asana. Try to breathe “normally” during asanas. “Normal” breath will be described by your teacher according to the asana as necessary and there will be appropriate focus on proper breathing technique as a foundation to your practice. Tip: In order to amplify the natural breath, link your breath to the asana – breath out on all asanas where forward bending and combine all backward bending asanas with an inhalation.
{nb Pranayama should not be considered a mere breathing exercise with the aim of introducing extra oxygen into the lungs; it prepares the body and mind for the class. Pranayama utilizes breathing to influence the flow of prana (vital energy) in the nadis (energy channels) of the pranayama kosha (energy body).}
Water
Managing your water consumption in a Bikram environment: So you all know you must come to class properly hydrated; come in de-hydrated and it is downhill all the way. The practitioner is responsible for coming to practice properly hydrated. Come to class hydrated and all you will need is top up sips. New practitioners will not be admitted if they cannot confirm they have hydrated before their first class; whilst the new person may not understand this, anyone who has done one Bikram class will. You all know you may drink during class; Bikram is one of the few schools of Yoga where you must have water with you.
Wait until after Eagle (the 4th pose) for your first sip (if you have properly hydrated, waiting will not be a problem). First class practitioners may drink their water as and when they feel like (except before Eagle or if they are not practicing an asana) but do not gulp it as too much will swill around your belly and make you feel uncomfortable and this will only make asanas harder. Now, I am not the water police and you are not expected to surrender your free will when you walk into the studio, BUT, for new people, if you need to drink please wait for the time between the asanas and only take little sips. If you have been practicing for a while you may wish to hone the timing of your water consumption during class to get the most out of your practice, here are some suggestions. Best asanas to drink AFTER (if required) are: Eagle / Balancing Stick / Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee / spine strengthening series / Rabbit / Kapalbhati. No drinking: before Eagle / between first and second set of asana / if you are taking a rest and others are working or if you fall out of an asana and do not intend to get back in (just stand still) / before floor strengthening series (lying on your belly) / before/during Kapalbhati / during Savasana.
Whilst some of these habits are integral to the practice (no water before Eagle) (or if you fall out or between Kapalbhati) the rest are suggestions to help you and the choice is yours. If you are ready to try mindful drinking, do it for one or two classes and you will quickly stop being preoccupied by your water bottle and your next drink which is often just another external distraction/ habit that you may have fallen into. It will be a surprisingly easy habit to break – just test it! And you will be saving your energy for where you really need it. Tip: Ultimately, drink if you need to and don’t feel guilty about it but do it mindfully.
For more information on hydration please do read our blogs on this topic; go to our ‘Live Your Yoga’ tab.
Heat & Acclimatization
So it’s HOT in the room. There is absolutely no point in walking into a Bikram Hot Yoga environment and then complaining about the heat! No matter your level of fitness when you first enter a Bikram Yoga environment the heat will always be a challenge. The body adapts to heat stress over a period of time by stimulating physiological changes that improve its tolerance to the heated environment. The time it takes to acclimatize depends on regularity of attendance at the outset of ones practice. Some people adapt after 3 classes, others 3 weeks, some take a bit longer.
You can have an exceptionally strong class in a scorching hot room and have to rest several times in a relatively cool room, it almost seems like there’s no rhyme or reason! There are so many variables and trying to get the exact right combination and keep everything external to you perfectly under control is nigh on impossible. Temperature can vary a little from class to class, studio to studio, country to country. Climate, season, heating technology, class numbers, hydration, what you ate, what you didn’t eat, timing of alcohol, sugar consumption, other activities you have done that day, day before, immune system compromised, frequency of practice are just some of the variables that will determine your perception of how hot it feels for you. Often it is not the environment but your response to it that gets you into trouble with struggle. Think: there is little you can do to change the variables once you have started your class.
Trust me, the best you can do is to adjust your level of effort based on your quick assessment of the environment and how you feel on any given day. If the heat doesn’t feel like much to contend with, concentrate on checking your technique and hold your poses stronger, lift your leg a little higher, sit a little deeper in awkward. When you are tired, back off effort slightly and concentrate on surrender and relaxation. Do these and you will have a practice that is a more authentic reflection of where you are at. Top Tip: Let the heat do most of the work, trust the heat, go with the heat, surrender to the heat, relax into the heat. The heat is inevitable. Tip: persevere – it will be worth it.
Thermoregulation & Sweat
The body thermoregulates using the cardiovascular system (controlled by the central nervous system). The body naturally adapts during any exercise to transport heat from its core to the skin surface. In a heated Yoga environment heat is removed from the body (preventing the body from overheating) via evaporation of sweat from the skin. To produce this cooling effect the sweat must be allowed to evaporate. Tip: do not wipe sweat from your skin surface using towels or evaporation will not occur.
Rest & Relaxation
The structure of the class is ‘asana rest asana rest’ – get through the class by taking it one asana at a time.
• Minimize your rest time movement – become efficient at getting into the resting start position for all standing asanas or Savasana between all floor asanas, concentrate on your breath, be still, look at yourself at one point in the mirror; be efficient about when you choose to drink water.
• Make sure your hair is secure before you start class so you don’t have to mess with it when you could really do with a few extra slow deep breaths.
• Try breaking that old habit of hand wiping to free up some more time for breathing.
• Forget about the wrinkle in your towel or that your water bottle has accidentally fallen on its side and rolled, nobody around you cares, they are all working too hard.
• Do take any additional break you feel necessary at any time during class by standing still, sitting or lying quietly on your mat.
• This is a class not a competition; if you feel dizzy then please feel free to lie down.
• Yoga rewards dedication and hard work but it is equally important to rest and recover as needed.
If you are new and you feel like leaving, kneel down, sip water, rest. Usually you will feel okay very quickly. When you are ready try to do one set of each of the remaining asanas or stay and observe. This at least allows the teacher to keep an eye on you and ensure your wellbeing and you can chat with the teacher after class about how you are feeling or raise any questions you might have. After a few weeks you will no longer feel like leaving. As a beginner it takes 3 classes to start to understand your approach to the asanas and 10 classes for your body to start to work with the asanas. Everyone’s ability is different but you are guaranteed to get all the benefits by doing the best you can in each asana, by responding to the instructions, concentrating on alignment and working to your level of discomfort and not pain! Follow these guidelines and your practice will progress before you know it. Work on asanas patiently. Your body might have a different level of endurance each day. Tip: Take your Savasana – it is the most important posture.
Mirrors
The mirrors are an important tool in Bikram Yoga for checking your alignment front AND side profile. They give you knowledge of your body, help with postural awareness and help with acceptance of yourself/body. How you look and how you feel you look in a pose can be two very different things in the early days of your practice and so you employ your vision as your primary sensory aid in your practice to tell you where your body is. Don’t be afraid to take a little peek to the side mirrors (if you are placd near them) but don’t let your eyes wander continuously. The mirrors help with the direction of your mind i.e. fixing your gaze on some relevant part of your body e.g. a point you are stretching; focusing the mind on an area can help a little in directing the flow of blood to that area therefore increasing benefits (breathing into an area being another way to direct your mind). Show consideration for others behind you; if you fall out of a pose without getting back in – stand still, breath, focus inward, meditate but don’t toy with bottles and towels until the asana is over; others behind you might be holding the pose and you will be interfering with their concentration/view. Likewise – when you go to the floor; be aware of those behind you – if you have giant bottles, lay them on their sides rather than standing them up right in the field of someone’s vision. If you do not have a view of your own reflection, fix your gaze on something that does not move and relevant to the direction you are working in. Tip: Don’t get attached to the same spot in front of the mirror; don’t be obsessive about how you look. Whilst you can check outward form in them you should also be working on your inward focus in your practice. Those who can’t see themselves have to refine/use their powers of concentration and focus more and over time may be able to better judge more accurately how their body positions itself or moves. Find the balance ☺
For more information on mirrors and their use please do read our blogs on this topic; go to our ‘Live Your Yoga’ tab.
INSTRUCTOR PROFILE & QUALIFICATIONS ~ TRISHA
Never Too Late… To Start Again
I discovered Bikram Yoga late July 1998. From the moment I walked out of my first class I wanted to share the physical and psychological benefits with anyone who would listen. I coerced many to coming to classes. I could hardly think or talk about anything else; I became a Yoga bore. I quickly learned that Yoga does not purport to provide a cure for life but it does present a proven method for coping with what it throws at you. After six months of practice I calmed down and began to focus; I knew then that I wanted to learn to teach and set myself a goal of three years steady practice (and saving) before I attended the teacher training and I finally graduated in Fall 2001. For three and half years I taught the Bikram method as well as managing a career in the finance industry. Being able to teach made me a better student. Being able to teach was as essential to me then (as it is now) as asana practice was. Practicing asana and meditation and teaching transformed my problems into something that I could deal with and kept me strong to face the many challenges that arose every day between 9 and 5 AND I was able to eat huge amounts of food without gaining any weight!! Nonetheless, the hardest Yoga I did was always between 9 and 5.
SERVE LOVE GIVE PURIFY MEDITATE REALISE
In 2005 I attended a Sivananda TTC and became a Yoga Siromani… Now that was a curve!!! I learned Karma Yoga shirkers did not do well on the mat or otherwise… But seriously, I did extend my knowledge and understanding of yogic philosophy and the yogic way of life but I also learned you are your own Guru in your heart.
Oh Life
However, the other world kicks in now and then and mortgages etc. have to be paid so after I lost my opportunity to teach, a number of years were spent focusing on finance industry career progression. I know first hand how such a career can stress and wear you down especially if you don’t sustain your Yoga practice. Every now and then attempts to find an opportunity to teach (that enabled mortgage payments) failed. My enthusiasm for Bikram’s Beginning Yoga Class and its benefits never waned but it was put on hold whilst I juggled pregnancy, work, wobbler/toddler rearing, work, house moving, work, job changes, work, karma… you get the gist.
Having an overabundance of rajas I knew I needed Bikram help me realize my Self again. I resolved to stop being a Yogi wannabee and taking a leap of faith, with the help and support of family, established my own Yoga studio and have transformed from finance industry worker to Yoga worker. I have been enabled to finally make a deep commitment to my other passion.
Yo Kids
In 2013 I attended a training course in the UK with Christian Kerr of ‘Calm for Kids’. Although I was already qualified to teach children I wanted to refine my knowledge and understanding of the younger body and mind and the positive effects Yoga can have for the younger age group.
Health Is Wealth
In 2015 I attended an Intensive Yoga Therapy TTC in Chennai under the tutelage of Guruji Dr Asana Andiappan. Many people come to our studio with an existing condition and/or injury that require the application of Yogic techniques. They just want to feel better. It is my job to help them try to follow Yogic principles to ensure the healing techniques are applied and to ensure their Yoga practice is serving them.
This is often what is going on in the Yoga room although practitioners do not think of it in this way and I do not necessarily talk about it in such terms. My goal is to continue to learn more about the curative effects of asana and to become more efficient in tailoring and applying adaptions for the individual whilst teaching group classes in order to achieve a more smooth transition when directing changes in individual’s approach to practice.
Yoga Heals
I wholeheartedly believe in the healing power of Yoga and the positive effects it has on the body and mind and know that the changes it stimulates in the body can often result in deeper more spiritual changes. I have first hand experience. I have seen Bikram’s method play a pivotal role in changing peoples’ physiques, quality of life, attitudes and limiting beliefs. Apart from family life, nothing brings me greater pleasure than being in the privileged position of teacher and being one of the spreaders of the Bikram method, seeing what this Yoga does for people and hoping that in some way I may help facilitate this.
Qualifications
I took up Bikram Yoga in 1998 and am qualified to instruct via the Bikram (2001) (for those who LOVE hours!! 10billion hours 🙂 just kidding: 600+hrs) and Sivananda (2005) (500hrs) Schools of Yoga. I have further trained with a specialist in children’s Yoga, Christian Kerr, who is the founder of ‘Calm for Kids’ in the UK (50hrs). I am a qualified Yoga therapist having attended and completed the necessary training at Asana Andiappan College of Yoga & Research Centre in Chennai, India (300hrs). I completed the Inferno Hot Pilates training with Gabriella Walters. I attend workshops and lectures on anything that might remotely relate to or transfer into what I do and I continue to broaden my knowledge base (Fascia workshops with Jon Burras and Tom Myers and I am a qualified masseus). Over the years I have attended many intensives, adding many more ‘hours’ and have trained under, amongst others, Judith Lasater, Christian Scaraglino, Craig Villani, Mary Jarvis, Marc Beuvain. I have trained in the company of many who have moved on to become world renowned in their Yoga field in their own right. I have a keen interest in functional anatomy and functional movement and how it can be related to individuals’ Yoga practice and so I study this privately. Aside from formal training I have also privately practiced (was almost obsessive at one point about my daily dose of Erich Schiffman/Ali McGraw video/home practice!) and studied other schools of Yoga and Meditation. This all adds up to give a diverse range of styles and influences to draw on. I have being building my knowledge and skills in this area since 1998 and continue to study in order that I can respond better to the needs of those in front of me.
Yogi Stylie
My teaching style is a mix of verbal instruction, workshop/demonstration. My teaching vocabulary stresses breath, postural awareness, mindfulness and remaining present. I am sensitive to the individual needs of practitioners, who have often come to class after a long day at work to work hard again. Experience has taught me that as I am presented with a variety of people in every class at our studio, I must continue to work to respond better to their needs. I have honed my skills in recognising when and providing appropriate variations for people who need one whether it be from injury, conditions, sometimes simply because they are stiff/tight or tired. I limit numbers in my class so that I can know each practitioner individually and connect with them on the day. To me each class is a unique event and should be approached accordingly. I believe the asanas are a means to an end; they are not the goal in themselves and therefore people must be helped in every class to get what they need from the class on the day. The people I am teaching do change. On their personal Yoga journey from class to class they evolve; because of this my overall approach to teaching is I am teaching PEOPLE, not bodies, not postures, I am not reciting a pile of words. So, I am teaching people in their unique bodies ~ this focus helps me prioritize the individual student needs and their body’s needs (age, ability).
I am grateful for, and never take for granted, the practitioners who choose to come to the studio and am delighted to be running my own studio, the opening of which was a dream come true.
Realise
I Love to blog and share my Yoga aspirations, inspirations and insights that I have gained on my journey. I want my blogs to act as guideposts for the ‘new to Yoga’ aspirant that what they are feeling in the world we all operate in is not ‘wrong’ so they can shed some of the guilt of not being an actual Yoga saint (if an apparent conflict arises with their newfound practice and the world they have to operate in) that not being ‘perfect’ is not a fail but an opportunity to learn. We are all just doing our best in the short time we have got on planet Earth.
IT IS MY DREAM FOR ME ~ is that I may continue to propagate Yoga and its benefits for as long as I am alive. I will continue to evolve my experience and knowledge on how to use Yoga to help those that want to free themselves from mental and physical suffering. I will continue to ensure the safest means of practicing pranayama and asana. I will continue to strive to better serve my students.
MY DREAM FOR THOSE WHO PRACTICE WITH ME AND ALLOW ME TO BE PART OF THEIR JOURNEY? is that if they decide somewhere along the line that our ‘Yoga Matters’ was just a stepping stone to finding a different path and they decide to move differently or change their path then maybe they will look back on our offerings with kindness and fondness for the stepping stone that it was for them. FOR THOSE THAT STAY WITH US IN THE LONGER TERM? that they ‘OWN’ their practice, a sustainable practice in a functional body, that they Love themselves and GROW beyond their wildest dreams and learn to move with ease and Grace. I hope I am not hoping for too much; but that would be something!
“To Understand Intellectually Is Not To Understand At All.” I will continue to be a student and I will continue to practice.
Welcome to Yoga Matters.
In Pursuit of Stillness ~ Trisha
INSTRUCTOR PROFILE ~ DARREN
So the year is 1999, I’m an asthmatic plumber with a bad back, a dodgy left knee, one kidney and a new girlfriend who is crazy about Bikram Yoga! Not quite sure what Yoga is all about! Maybe floating around a room on a white fluffy cloud? Anyway my back gets worse and after repeated visits to various GPs and an MRI scan I find out I have a prolapsed disc and a bulging disc both in my lumbar area. With aggravated sciatica and for a short spell unable to walk (my mum used to come down to the flat where I was living and help me get dressed; a little embarrassing for a 29 year old man), followed by a few weeks off work I go for a series of epidurals (4 in total) and am told that there is a possibility I could be in a wheel chair by the age of 50 and that an operation to fuse my spine IS my best option. I decided not to have the operation but did change career and was lucky enough to get an office based roll in a builders/plumbers merchant.
Trisha still mad on Yoga suggested I give it a go as it had worked wonders for her (nothing to lose I guess) and as we were still in the honeymoon period of our relationship I thought better keep her happy and go along – besides how hard can it be! … Well what WAS that all about! Not a fluffy white cloud in sight, just hard work in a hot room and OMG did I feel good afterwards!!!! My first few months of practice were a blur as I wobbled and sweated for 90 minutes in each class. The teacher sounded like the adults speaking in the Peanuts / Charlie Brown cartoon – Mwah mwah mwah mwah mwah! And every time I bent forward in a posture sweat would shoot up my nostrils which felt like I just jumped into a swimming pool without holding my nose! You know what I’m talking about eh. Anyway, as I progressed the teacher now sounded like Jersey’s latest rap artist but at least the dialogue became clearer and made more sense. Before long I was practising 3 to 4 times a week, as well as developing a home practice. In 2005 I attended the fall teacher training at the Bikram Yoga College of India headquarters in Los Angeles, California. The training for me was not about becoming a teacher but immersing myself in Yoga for the 9 weeks with like minded people. I kinda had my arm twisted to start teaching in 2012 (Trisha was teaching 7 days a week for over a year since opening and was really in need of a day off). It was a scary thought at the time and I certainly felt out of my comfort zone teaching for 90 minutes in front of a room full of students but once I started I wished I had done it sooner! Teaching has not only enhanced my understanding and deepened my personal practice but has opened up another world of meeting lovely, inspiring people and witnessing the benefits that they too receive when they practice the 26/2. This Yoga really was a turning point in my life and I know that as a teacher and a student I can never stop learning. Apparently I’m middle aged now but I don’t feel middle aged. I do from time to time experience back ache and sciatica occasionally flares up, but fingers crossed I will never be in the mess I was in all those years ago. My lonesome kidney receives good attention in many of the postures, my left knee is way better than it was and out of habit I still carry an asthma inhaler around with me but they often go out of date before I get a chance to use them. I am certainly not alone with my aches and pains and there is always someone going through a tougher time but Yoga always makes life less rough round the edges.
Qualifications
I took up Bikram Yoga in 1999 and am a qualified instructor via Bikram’s Yoga College of India (2005) this Teacher Training is a 9 week residential course with a minimum of 600+ hours for completion. I am a qualified Yoga Therapist having attended and completed the necessary one to one prescription writing and asana training at Ghosh’s College of Yoga and Physical Education in Kolkata, India (2018). I am trained to teach Hot Yoga classes at an intermediate level (2016). Further, I have completed the ‘Inferno Hot Pilates’ teacher training. I am a qualified massage therapist and also qualified in Indian Head Massage technique. Over the years I have undertaken continuous, additional trainings and workshops with, amongst others, Christian Scaraglino, Craig Villani, Muktamala Mitri and Gabriella Walters. Aside from formal training I have also privately practiced and studied other schools of Yoga and Meditation. I have been building my knowledge and skills since starting my Yoga journey in 1999 and will continue to attend workshops and courses in my commitment to broadening knowledge and skills in order to best serve practitioners on their Yoga journey. Having come from a background of having personal conditions and injury prior to taking up Yoga myself, I am particularly interested in the healing benefits of a regular Yoga practice. I know that a stripped back posture can be very therapeutic and that most people can achieve and benefit from the most simple form of asana. Having a back to basics approach, finding stillness in best effort and keeping Yoga as true to the original teachings will preserve the therapeutic and healing and I want to share this with others 🙂 .
Well that’s all for now so hope to see you at the studio soon where I am always happy to chat about bad backs, TM, heavy metal, grunge, teacher training memories and Yoga of course ☺ .
Welcome to Yoga Matters.
Darren x