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Foreword This post has been far longer in the making than intended. Even though I arguably have more time on my hands right now, I still find it hard to sit down and get thoughts down on paper (or a keyboard to be more specific). This one particularly, has also been a challenging one to pen. I typically write in the abstract, about ideas or in third person terms. Writing personally about my life events seems overly self-indulgent and not particularly interesting. That said, s

How We Face Our Fears Every Day: Yoga as Our Training Ground Understanding Triggers Over the Christmas period, I had the privilege of attending a teacher's course in London. There was a ‘Vegas rules’ agreement for all participants—what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. So, I’ll only share that one session focused on a trauma-informed approach to teaching yoga. This framework was incredibly useful for considering the well-being of all students. Anyone who has taught for even a

The thread that weaves together the practice I’ve always tried to adopt a balanced approach to life, to keep an open mind as far as possible. In a similar guise, I have always tried to adopt a balanced approach to the way I practice and moreover the way I teach. The practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga involves (amongst other things) a combination of both strength and flexibility, something that applies both physically and mentally. That is in essence, what drew me to the practi

Reflections on the reasons people choose teaching as a vocation, even when easier paths exist. It was a few years ago, during a conversation with some elderly relatives, that I first began to ponder this question. I'd just made reference to the fact that one part of my ‘career’ consisted purely of ‘bullshit jobs’. (For clarity not all of my blog posts use this particular word. I didn’t know it at the time, but this phrase had been previously coined by the now late David Graeb

During the 10+ years I have been teaching, the global yoga industry has seen a colossal expansion. New studios, retreat centres and yoga...

Before I begin, I want to state that this blog is designed as a discussion rather that a conclusive point of view. I fully admit that I have, to quote Stewart Lee (characterisation of Roy Chubby Brown), ' done no research '. I welcome feedback and will update and amend accordingly. My intention is in no way to dissuade anyone from practicing, teaching and/or otherwise enjoying yoga in any way they wish. As always I just hope it provides some semblance of light onto one of man

Lockdowns I don’t know about you, but personally I hated lockdown. Leaving aside the loss of personal freedom, I found myself, also losing the small semblance of social life I had managed to scrabble together over the previous two years (a difficult task for a now 40-year-old in a broadly unwelcoming city). At the same time, I simultaneously learnt that my freelance job (and main source of income) was at risk; while I had to shut down my fledgling Mysore program. All in the s