Online classes
I’m enjoying the opportunity to connect and create community, albeit virtually, in a time when I think we all need the practices of yoga and meditation more than ever.
Join me for 45 minutes of yoga flow on:
– Mondays at 8.00am via Oru Space – book here; and
– Fridays at 7.30am from home – to book in contact me for more details.
2021 practicing community
I am hosting a 43-day calendar of classes with regular check-ins and a WhatsApp group to support us as we cross the threshold into 2021. All aspects are optional. This is an opportunity to start the new year with a focus on our physical and mental health, and to gather community. It is definitely not an encouragement to resolve to create a better, more enhanced version of yourself! I’m firmly of the opinion that making space for ourselves for regular practice is an important step in spreading kindness and shaping our communities, and ultimately our world into one in which we are proud to participate. Contact me for all the details and to join us, any time. I’m posting a few of my thoughts on my blog as we move through the classes.
Online corporate classes
For employees of Janus Henderson Investors, classes have paused for the moment.
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Previous events
Prior to starting my maternity leave in July 2019, I was teaching regular weekly public classes and workshops at Paper Dress Yoga by Hackney Central. The studio is lovely and large, full of light, and offers a wide range of classes and workshops (currently online) to suit every body. Book here or via Mind Body Online.
I also ran a six week beginners’ course every few months with Hannah Turner Voakes, owner of Paper Dress Yoga. We always really enjoyed welcoming a new crowd (and some familiar faces) into the studio and the wonderful, life-enhancing practice of yoga. We had some lovely feedback from these courses too.
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On 1 December 2018, I had a lot of fun leading an inversions workshop for charity with a keen group of yogis exploring handstand, forearm stand, headstand and shoulder stand, all in support of OmPowerment. We warmed up together, had some fun experimenting with techniques and assists, and then wound down with a lovely restorative sequence.
The OmPowerment Project’s mission is to empower refugees to lead themselves and members of their communities in the healing practice of trauma informed yoga. 100% of the money raised from the workshop was donated to the first Myanmar OMPowerment training. You can find out more about the OMPowerment Project and other opportunities to support them at https://ompower.org/.
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On 8 September 2018, Hannah and I co-taught our informative and fun Inversions workshop. We began with a warm up and flow, and then looked at headstand, handstand and forearm stand in a bit more detail. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and received some great feedback.
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In 2018, April’s workshop was Chaturanga + Crow. Hannah and I led the group through a preparatory flow, refining the technique of chaturanga dandasana (“four limbed staff pose”, aka the bit between plank and upward facing dog). We followed that with quite a bit of play with crow pose and variations, and a lovely long restorative session. Good fun all around.
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In March 2018, I held a fundraising workshop called Warriors for Women. We explored the story behind the poses – of Shakti and Shiva, of love and brutal revenge – as well as looking at key alignment points for the family of warrior poses. In addition, every class I taught in March supported Ourmala’s Warriors for Women appeal – proceeds went to the successful crowdfunding campaign for the opening of a new Happy Baby Community in south London. Like the existing HBC in Hackney, it provides a range of services, including yoga, English classes and hot lunches to new and expecting mothers who are refugees, asylum seekers and survivors of torture and human trafficking. Ourmala is always looking for yoga teachers, English teachers and anyone who’d like to help out, as well as any contributions – big or small. You read more or get in touch via the Ourmala website.
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Monday 19 February 2018 saw the last evening of our first six week beginners’ course at Paper Dress Yoga. Hannah and I spent months preparing for this course, considering what best to cover and how best to present it for our new yogis. It was super exciting to get to put together a small curriculum for the course and work with the same people over a consistent period, getting to know them, and their practices. We stayed with a core sequence, adapting as we went to introduce weekly themes and new poses. I hope we’ve prepared them well for their future yoga undertakings!
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I thoroughly enjoyed taking a workshop called “From Desk to De-Stressed” on Tuesday, 4 April 2017 at the very cool Novotel at Canary Wharf for a new venture called The Conscious Collaborative. A great group came along to the class and we had a lively chat about ways of incorporating yoga into every day life, working with tight muscles and generally looking after ourselves.