Yoga means “yoke” – often translated as “union.” Many views are given on what that union refers to; body and mind, mind and spirit, breath and flow, inner and outer worlds, body and gravity/ground, one person with another; heaven and earth; thoughts and felt sense, feelings and experiences, awareness and conditions etc. Perhaps the list is endless. We each have a sense of what we long to enjoin or fiercely hold separate.
Yoga is the force that re-joins, unifies, balances. Our “practice” restores our awareness of this force at work. This process is observable by (and therefore beneficial to) anyone – whatever their condition, experience or starting point. Being a natural process, yoga cannot be mandated or “taught”- rather, providing space and focused attention enables us to attend to our experience. Then we can see the unfolding force and the blocks it addresses.
These days most people think of poses (asana) when discussing yoga although these are only one aspect of the eight described in its philosophy. The poses are really one avenue into to the clearing that is “yoga” – there are other ways; breathwork, concentration, meditation etc. These ways can be explored in a specific setting or timing or, as opportunity arises, during one’s day.
In line with this philosophy and my approach to life, I provide space and focus for those wishing to attend to their experience and practice. I concern myself with the approaches that will best suit an individual situation and conditions. For this reason each approach is uniquely tailored. Consultations aim at a providing a focus or a “practice” designed to address the issues arising.
A “practice” sets aside time and space and uses set positions and movements, regulation of breathing, awareness of one’s attention, concentration etc., as routes towards self-awareness. I facilitate such practices for individuals, couples or small groups seeking to begin a focused practice or revitalise an existing one.
I have facilitated yoga for many years having trained and qualified as a yoga “teacher” with Simon Low’s Yoga Academy and done subsequent immersions with Sarah Powers (Yin Yoga) and John Stirk (Scaravelli) among others.
My practice today arises from my wide-ranging experience of yoga in everyday life as the force that sustain us.