21 years ago I changed my job as a full time expedition and tour leader and got a base in London from which to pursue my travel and adventure career at the business end. To keep body and soul balanced in this high energy, frenetic and sometimes disruptive city, I found gym and swimming effective but soon discovered yoga had something more, and I’ve been practising ever since. I began by teaching myself Sivananda yoga from a book, before finding Dan at the local gym who was my first teacher of Ashthanga and inspired me to my first serious practice. Since then I’ve had many teachers in varied styles including almost a decade with the Fulham Power Yoga studio in London and a host of their great teachers.
The great classical yoga traditions have been developed, by an array of inspired modern teachers with careful attention to the wisdom of millennia and I’ve found the possibility of hybridizing yoga (specifically the asana practice) to adapt to today’s individuals and circumstances, while maintaining integrity and discipline, hugely effective, sensible and fun.
An Ashthanga based vinyasa flow remains my favoured practise and I took my 200 hour teacher training with the extraordinarily experienced, wise, rigorous and delightful Carol Murphy and the elegant, precise, dedicated and wonderfully talented teacher, Noah McKenna at the beginning of the year. I’m enjoying the new found gift of teaching something that I’ve gained so much from.
Yoga has given me focus, wonderful health and equanimity, an ever developing mind body connection, a fascinating hobby in which I continue to learn about my anatomy in detail and how it connects to my mind, health, energy and morale, and a structured, ongoing and disciplined approach to well being and personal growth.
Also, there is nothing like a good work out for creating endorphins and bliss!
