"The success of Yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures but in how it positively changes the way we live our life and our relationships.” ― T.K.V. Desikachar

Many classes will be extra sparkly in December with special offerings to help you navigate the holidays. All of these events are included in your membership/credit package and do not cost any extra.

Our December special events:

📆 03/12/22: Saturday Special: Jivamukti Open and Satsang with Andrea K 
Book here

📆 04/12/22: FREE ONLINE CLASS: Yoga Flow with Beth
Book here

📆 06/12/22: Gentle Jivamutki & Sound Experience with Bianca 
Book here

📆 10/12/22: Saturday Special: Ashtanga led with Emma 
Book here

📆 15/12/22: Jivamukti Restore & Renew and Sound Experience with Andrea K and Bianca
Book now

📆 17/12/22: Saturday Special: Body & Soul Detox Flow with Anita 
Book here

📆 19/12/22: Festive Candlelit Yang & Yin with Janine 
Book now

📆 20/12/22: Festive Candlelit Literary Vinyasa with Jessica 
Book now

We look forward to welcoming you to the studio this month.

More events will be added throughout December

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Have you attended CAMYOGA classes before and are thinking of rejoining?

Sign up for our Welcome Back New Client Offer: £45 for 30 days of unlimited yoga!

(if you have any issues with this purchase, drop us an email - info@camyoga.co.uk)

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Flow Flow Flow!

Ashtanga is a set sequence of postures linked together and practiced in a vinyasa (Flow) movement which will build heat in the body - a beautiful moving meditation whereas you'll find that this set sequence will stretch and strengthen your body and allow the breath and energy to flow through it.

Our biggest excitement falls with offering now 2 in-studio classes!!! CAMYOGA & Emma Lindsay have also been delighted to see so many familiar faces returning to the Ashtanga-led classes.

What are the Benefits of Ashtanga Yoga?

• Hands-on adjustments

• Enables you to sweat it out

• Increased strength

• Quietening of the mind

• A set sequence - know what's coming

• Increased flexibility

• Blood pressure lowered

• Stress reduction

View fullsize

Ok, so when can I practice?

📆 Tuesdays 5:30pm-6.45pm

📆 Fridays 1:00pm-2.15pm

Book here

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Have you attended CAMYOGA classes before and are thinking of rejoining?

Sign up for our Welcome Back New Client Offer: £45 for 30 days of unlimited yoga!

(if you have any issues with this purchase, drop us an email - info@camyoga.co.uk)

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*Life-changing Yoga Benefits*

There are several benefits of practicing yoga that falls on the physical and mental side - and they will surely keep revealing themselves to you every time you step on the mat!

Although, there are so many other perks that we don't mention as much as they "just happen" and we don't always have the opportunity to catch them

Some examples:

• The sense of purpose when you book a class

• The joy when walking into the reception to sign in

• The smiles shared with others when seated on the mat waiting for the class

• Others’ grunts after a more physically challenging asana that reminds you (I'm not the only one struggling with this one!)

• Listening to one-anothers breath

The list goes on... but one of CAMYOGA'S favourites is the Community aspect!

Here's a capture of one of those moments - just after Gez’ (the magician - as a student named him) class our the students have a very much-deserved cup of coffee (the class starts at 8 am!) and chat just before they go and face the day.

What benefits would like to share? Let us know :)

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Have you attended CAMYOGA classes before and are thinking of rejoining?

Sign up for our Welcome Back New Client Offer: £45 for 30 days of unlimited yoga!

(if you have any issues with this purchase, drop us an email - info@camyoga.co.uk)

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Make Time for YOU

Here's Anne, one of our lovely students just after doing our brand new Flow & Restore class with Rachael Moore on a Thursday morning.

She has been with CAMYOGA since February 2015 when she started with our "old" 10 class pass (aka 100 credits nowadays) and hasn't stopped since then.

Anne is currently a member using her unlimited membership to fully take advantage of the new and not-so-new classes in-studio and as she said:

"Fantastic to be back at Camyoga Central studios. The class today with the amazing Rachael Moore was wonderful. Rachael has unique sequencing. There are other great classes at Camyoga, all now in the studio or online. I love Ashtanga with Emma and Jivamukti with the great Camyoga teachers, Andrea, Vicky, and Hakan. Jasmine's class is fantastic too for her careful choreography and essential oils. thank you CAMYOGA. You kept me going with the virtual classes throughout the pandemic and now it’s wonderful to be back in the studio "

Do Make time for YOU and join our vibrant community!

Thank YOU, Anne!!!!
(We LOVE the jumper too)

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Have you attended CAMYOGA classes before and are thinking of rejoining?

Sign up for our Welcome Back New Client Offer: £45 for 30 days of unlimited yoga!

(if you have any issues with this purchase, drop us an email - info@camyoga.co.uk)

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WORK! WORK! WORK!

“Yoga is one of the oldest systems of personal development in the world. This system of balancing the body, mind and spirit was formulated by ancient yogis, who understood man’s essential nature and realised a way to utilise all of man’s inner resources to live in harmony with himself and the environment.

Pupils learn through a carefully graded and systematic programme of asana (posture). Teachers gradually introduce Pranayama (breath control) once students have a firm foundation of yoga practise. Yoga practice relaxes and energizes the body and mind and brings vitality, flexibility, strength, concentration, self-confidence and mental calm. Iyengar yoga is suitable for all types of people and all levels of fitness.

Practicing yoga can help you overcome and prevent many stresses, strains, aches and pains. It promotes a firm foundation for health and well-being." Exerpt from Iyengar Yoga UK

What are the Benefits of Iyengar Yoga?

• Improves Flexibility

• Builds strength in both body and mind

• An extra layer of challenge by holding poses

• Improves your posture

• Focus on standing poses, forward bends, back bends and breath work/ restorative on a 4-week cycle

• Improves the overall function of the body

• Props!!! Props allow you to bring awareness to your body

Ok, so when can I practice?

🗓 Tuesdays 10am-11.15am

🗓 Wednesdays 6:30pm-7.45pm

🗓 Saturdays (Intermediate) 4:00pm-5.30pm

Book here

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Have you attended CAMYOGA classes before and are thinking of rejoining?

Sign up for our Welcome Back New Client Offer: £45 for 30 days of unlimited yoga!

(if you have any issues with this purchase, drop us an email - info@camyoga.co.uk)

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Latest blog posts

November special events:

📅 05/11/22: FREE Online Class: Yoga Flow with Beth
Book here

📅 05/11/22: Saturday Special: Ashtanga led with Emma Lindsay
Book here

📅 12/11/22: Art of Assists CPD Workshop with Andrea Kwiatkowski (Fully Booked)

📅 19/11/22: Saturday Special: Body & Soul Detox Flow with Anita Tambala
Book here

📅 25/11/22: 3 Day Yoga Nidra Facilitator CPD Course with Barefoot Body Training (2 spaces left)
More info | Apply here

We look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful community space.

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Have you attended CAMYOGA classes before and are thinking of rejoining?

Sign up for our Welcome Back New Client Offer: £45 for 30 days of unlimited yoga!

(if you have any issues with this purchase, drop us an email - info@camyoga.co.uk)

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Latest blog posts

It’s Here!

Cozy up with our November Playlist on Spotify.

Chosen by staff and teachers especially for you 🥰

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Latest blog posts

🔥🔥🔥

We are so happy to be back at Central. It really feels like home.

We now have changing rooms with lockers and a lovely lounging area for enjoying a cuppa, reading a book, just chilling or having a good old chinwag with your fellow Camyogis.

However, this is one of our biggest excitements… The thrill of being able to offer Hot Yoga classes again.

Yes that’s right.

We’re back to 36/37°C!!!

Jozef and all the students’ smiles said it all - the hotter the better!

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Thinking of trying Hot Yoga?

Here's a list of some of the benefits:

• The heat promotes greater flexibility

• Gives you the opportunity to “sweat it out”

• Adds another layer of challenge

• Improves circulation

• A set sequence allows you to measure progression

• Bigger burn of calories

• Increased sweating which nourishes the skin from the inside out

• and more…

(This is one of our most popular classes, so do book in advance to avoid disappointment)

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Hot Yoga Schedule

(if it doesn’t load, please refresh your page)

Hot Yoga: Wednesdays 5:00pm-6.30pm, Fridays 6:00pm-7.30pm

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Have you been with CAMYOGA before and thinking of rejoining?

Sign up for our Welcome Back New Client Offer: £45 for 30 days of unlimited yoga!

(if you have any issues with this purchase, drop us an email - info@camyoga.co.uk)

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Latest blog posts

Style of the Month

Our senior Hot Yoga teacher (Jozef) - answers your HOT YOGA questions here:

1. What is your definition of hot yoga?

Hot yoga as I teach it, is a style of yoga were students while being in an artificially controlled heated room, do yoga postures which are based on a set sequence with the flexibility to introduce and integrate postures from outside this sequence, the focus is on alignment, breath and postural awareness in order to maintain, regain or improve their physical, emotional and spiritual lives.

2. Why is hot yoga good for you?

Practising Yoga in a hot environment makes the body reach its optimal working temperature more quickly if you like and when doing the floor series you stay warm whilst the profuse sweating cleanses all the pores of the skin.

3. Is hot yoga for everyone? What is the biggest difference between this style and other types of yoga besides the heat?

Hot yoga is for everyone who enjoys the benefits of asana work in a heated studio. I have had students who loved it and changed to another style later in their lives and vice versa. Besides the heat, my ‘hot style’ is a sequential style similar to other sequential styles but with a greater emphasis on alignment and breath as the element of flow is not present so there is more time to focus on these points.

Book Hot Yoga

New Client Offer: 30 Days Unlimited Classes just £45, buy here

CAMYOGA offers a big and diverse schedule and most of our classes are live streamed - we then share the recorded session with you for 48h.

Many of us have learned to love the convenience of this offer for many reasons and in our schedule, some teachers and styles are only on offer, virtually.

Our teachers had to adapt to this new world and haved learned to enjoy it too. Like, Karen Stamper who teaches our Iyengar Open class on Wednesdays. In her words:

For my online yoga class, I use my partner Richard as my model. This means he gets a really good practice as he's determined to show his best poses online! But I also find it really helpful to have him there as a demonstrator, this means I can sit at the screen and help participants achieve the poses with the props that they have.

Students also tell me that it is really useful for them to look up and see Richard in the pose, he has also learnt to reverse the instructions I give so that he is performing them the same way as the student, which flips my brain when I turn to look at him!

You may sometimes hear Richard chipping in with comments because he thinks he knows best!"

This class is full of smiles, hard work and commitment! And we assure you that Virtual classes can be divine!

Book Karen’s class, and check out our other online classes here.

Who's Kate?

Now I have been asked, I’m not sure! I am…all sorts of things! So many labels, mother, partner, student, teacher…
But the things that make me tick are my family, friends, study, movement, sharing, being immersed in nature, the garden, preparing food, sewing. Life is complicated, I derive great joy from the simple things.

Why did you choose the Iyengar approach?

I did not begin my yoga journey in the Iyengar field at all, it was a strong Vinyasa class when I was 21 and I loved it! It was so energetic, fun and challenging. I felt the impact straight away and knew I wanted to go back. Wherever I was living and working I made sure to explore as much varied teaching as I could and practised diligently.

It was my Iyengar teacher though that supported me with her depth of knowledge in the practice during a period of extreme anxiety. Her practical supportive no-fuss approach was exactly what I needed and was the first time I had experienced yoga applied so deliberately without really using words. This type of practice reached so deep within the body and was so intriguing to me, the impact could be so clearly felt.

After I had my 3 children and met a new inspiring teacher I had the drive to explore deeper and perhaps become a teacher myself despite an internal voice saying “no way, you are just too shy!!!”. Inching myself in the right direction away from my comfort zone I committed to solely practise Iyengar yoga and see what happened. To my amazement, the subject of yoga became broader and more vast rather than narrow and restricted. It is complex and simple at the same time, so beautifully balanced. In the words of BKS himself “Words cannot express the value of yoga, it has to be experienced”.

Tell us the importance of Yoga in your life

My yoga practice and study is always a challenge to carve out time for and there have been moments I have felt it too hard within a busy young family to be asking for that time to practice and keep learning. But those are useful moments to evaluate and study in themselves, it’s a practice that keeps on revealing gems at every turn! It is honestly so interwoven into my existence that I couldn’t imagine my life without it.

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Kate teaches our Iyengar Beginners Courses!

Check out the next dates here.

How Yoga and Movement improved my Mental Health

Hi! My name is Jenny and I work Front of House for CAMYOGA. I struggled with depression, anxiety and OCD since I was 13 years old, and for many years I thought there was no escape from it; I was miserable. I went through a couple of traumatic instances at the ages of 17, and 25 and considered ending my life several times. Movement was my escape, I was a dancer and went to Dance College at the age of 16. However, I found that I was only eased from the pain while I was dancing.

At the age of 23, I discovered yoga and nurtured a love for it. Yoga has been a journey for me, at first, it was purely a movement practice, that again helped to ease the pain. However, over time through my practice and teacher training, I began to build a practice that was not only physical but also spiritual, meditative and mindful. It also brought me into contact with beautiful like-minded souls. Through yoga I became open to counselling, to help me deal with the trauma I suffered and I learnt how to build on my practice of yoga mindfully, even when I wasn’t physically practising.

Today, I am much happier than I ever was, not to say yoga cured me, but it’s definitely helped me to deal with the tough times.

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Has yoga helped you with your mental health, or improved your wellbeing? Let us know and you could be featured in the next blog post.

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If you or someone that you know has been affected by mental illness or is struggling with their mental health, there are some great resources available:

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/

https://www.mind.org.uk/

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/mental-health-services/how-to-access-mental-health-services/

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By Geni Ebbetts

I met Brigitte about 15 years ago, not long after she had qualified as a yoga teacher, when I attended one of her classes in Milton Keynes. I’ve been practicing yoga since I was 13 (which is a lot longer than 15 years), yet Brigitte’s teaching just resonated with me like nothing had before and that one class, even though I didn’t realise at the time, began my journey towards qualifying as a teacher. Brigitte trained initially with Anusara Yoga, a style renowned for its focus on good alignment and spiritual expression and she was until 2012, an Anusara Inspired teacher. She has so much knowledge and has studied with the most amazing teachers like Tias Little and Rod Stryker and is qualified to teach therapeutic, somatic and yin yoga, most of all she teaches from her heart! I have been so honoured for her to be part of my journey, I have studied with her both before and after I qualified and we have been students together, including many mad road trips to workshops and trainings with other teachers.

When it came to adding more workshops for teachers to our offer at CAMYOGA it was a no brainer for me, Brigitte had to teach them. I have attended all of the workshops that she will be teaching for us (to which she’s added even more detail since I did them) and can guarantee that you will leave each workshop with so much knowledge and so many techniques to use in your classes, I can honestly say that I use something that I have learned with Brigitte in pretty much every class I teach and have shared just a tiny bit of what I have learnt with the students I have taught on our 200 hour teacher training. The great thing about all the workshops that Brigitte is delivering is that they are totally experiential so you get to feel and understand why the techniques you’ll develop will help your students get the best out of your classes and keep them coming back to you for more.

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 Here’s what you can expect from each workshop:

USING PROPS IS USING YOUR INTELLIGENCE
May 11 - 12, 2019

You’ll use every prop imageable and probably a few you’ve never considered. Working in a multitude of asana you’ll discover how to use props in every situation to enhance your students practice. You’ll get to experience what if feels like to use props in so many different ways so that you can get it right with your students. A whole lesson on my beginners course was based on what I learnt in this workshop! Genuinely what you learn will change the way you think about using props in your classes. Book now.

HANDS-ON ADJUSTMENTS AND TRANSLATING ENERGY THROUGH TOUCH
July 13 - 14, 2019

Whilst my 200 hr course included some hands on adjustment techniques this workshop changed how I thought about adjusting students, with their permission, in my classes. It helped me understand not only when students will benefit from adjustment, but also which type of assist will work best on any given occasion. Book now.

A PATENT TO CHOREOGRAPHING CLASSES AND SEQUENCING TOWARDS AN APEX POSE
September 14 - 15

I have used what I learnt in this workshop so much – this really is a common sense approach to building vinyasa classes to a peak/apex pose. You’ll concentrate on an anatomical and energetic approach to fitting postures seamlessly together and your students will love it! I use this approach in all my classes and it never ever fails! Book now.

All of Brigitte’s trainings that I have attended have been so rewarding, she has a wonderful way of making you work really hard without you realising it. You’ll learn and laugh I promise!

How Yoga Can Help You To Thrive Through University

by James Downs

Moving to a new town to start university can be both an exciting and daunting experience. Presented with new opportunities to learn, grow and meet people from a diverse range of backgrounds, expectations can be high that our university years will be the time of our lives. But navigating the opportunities and demands of university can be a tricky business.

Whilst many appear to be living their “best lives” here in Cambridge, it doesn’t take much digging to uncover that student life isn’t always that rosey. The stresses of deadlines and exams can take their toll. It can become all too easy to sacrifice sleep, self-care and even our mental and emotional wellbeing for the sake of good grades. Finding a sustainable balance between the work you need to do, and the rest, relaxation and enjoyment that your body and mind need in order to function well, is key.

This is where yoga comes in. In my experience, yoga can be a great teacher - and not just of postures with strange Sanskrit names. Coming to Cambridge to study psychology and education, I found it almost impossible to juggle all my coursework alongside the many university societies I had joined through a tendency to say “yes” to everything. In the end, this lead to a relapse in problems with eating that I had experienced since my teens. Without looking after my health, it didn’t matter how high my marks were - it wasn’t going to be sustainable. 

I’d always wanted to try yoga, and had heard of CAMYOGA. I’d planned to give it a try, but that plan sat with me for around 6 months - there was always something more important to do than take time out for myself. But eventually, I made it to an open day. Setting foot through the door and stepping onto the mat marked the start of one of the most valuable learning processes I have ever undertaken. Whilst I was studying the mind and behaviour in the classroom, I was learning all kinds of new lessons about myself in the yoga studio. These have helped me to find balance, feel more comfortable in my own body and move with more ease in my day to day life - not just physically, but mentally and emotionally too.

Here are some of the things that practicing yoga has taught me:

• Letting go of an “all-or-nothing” mindset is key to finding balance.

  The yoga sutras talk about a balance between “effort and ease” when practicing yoga postures. But this is an invaluable lesson for life too. Trying hard and doing your best can be hugely rewarding, but it is never an all-or-nothing game. If we don’t take rest, we can get exhausted and burn out. If we think that anything less than perfection is a failure, we can get paralysed, judge ourselves harshly when we don’t meet expectations, and even stop trying. Yoga teaches acceptance, and working with where you are without the need to be perfect. This can be a great antidote to a perfectionist culture where our performance matters. In yoga, there is no performance, nor any competition - even with yourself.

• Self-care has to come first.  Self-conduct has a prominent position in the philosophical roots of yoga. The founders of yoga saw our personal code of conduct as intimately related to how we treat others, with principles such as non-harming applying equally to ourselves and those we encounter. The physical practice of yoga is never about getting into a posture whatever the costs - risking injury and exhaustion just to get the perfect handstand or split. The same applies to university life - getting good grades should never come at the cost of your health. Carving out a space where you can step out of the demands of study won’t cost you marks - it will give the body and mind a chance to rest, improving your focus when you need it. Self-care isn’t just an act of generosity to yourself, either. Looking after yourself gives you more resources to contribute to your friendships and share in the enjoyable parts of being at university too.

• Mindfulness matters. Being as attentive as possible to the present moment, without judgement or wishing things were different, is central to yoga. When on the mat, we try to notice when our minds rehash the day we had before coming to the studio - or when thoughts rush onto whatever we have to do after class finishes. When the mind is so active, sticking with our movement and breath can be so difficult. The same is true in other areas of life. For example, when working on an essay or project for university, it helps to be able to focus on the here and now, rather than mentally rushing ahead to all the other things we need to do. Letting go of the things you can’t control - whether that’s the way your hips are shaped or the grades you were unhappy with - helps. Many of us only go to uni for a limited amount of time. Learning to appreciate the present moment can help us to fully notice that experience whilst it is here. 

Whether you are new to yoga, returning to practice, or an experienced yogi moving to Cambridge,  coming to classes at Camyoga might just help you as much as it helped me. Finding balance might start with wobbling your way through tree pose. But over time, yoga can also help you find a way to balance university life - with all its challenges and rewards.

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Like many Yogis, my Yoga journey began as a physical practice. After watching a documentary called “Happy” I decided that I needed Yoga in my life and I took part in the ‘Bad Yogi 30 Day Yoga challenge’. From there I was hooked! I joined a local gym that offered Yoga classes and started doing some ‘Yoga Challenges’ on Instagram to learn new poses!

Fast forward a few years and I decided I really wanted to deepen my Yoga practice and use my teaching skills (I am a Secondary School Music teacher) to perhaps teach some Yoga classes!

I found out about CAMYOGA at the OM Yoga show in London - they seemed so relaxed and friendly and they offered a 2 week intensive course in  August, which fit my school holidays perfectly! I spoke to some of my Yoga teachers at the gym and they all spoke so highly about CAMYOGA’s reputation and high standard of training, so I knew I’d picked the right course.

The 2 weeks intensive training honestly changed my life. My understanding and love of Yoga grew so much and my mind was opened up to the philosophical and spiritual aspects of Yoga that made me realise Yoga is so much more than what happens on the mat. It opened me up to a daily meditation practice that I honestly feel has had a huge impact on my day to day life. I loved exploring my own physical practice and realising that there was so much ego involved that I needed to remove to really deepen and develop. But most of all, I was grateful for the opportunity to work with the wonderful people I got to know during those 2 weeks - I loved eating breakfast with them in the sun, hearing all about their personal Yoga journeys and teaching and studying with them. They were a truly wonderful group of people and I have loved following their Yoga journey since we graduated in November. I must add that I absolutely loved the assessment days! I enjoyed getting to be apart of everyone's assessment lessons,having the opportunity to talk about how our 6 week courses had been and to share our lesson plans / course outlines etc. I actually posted a vlog about my teacher training journey, which can be found here.

Straight after graduating in November, I had the wonderful opportunity to cover a few classes for CamYoga at the their Buckden site (now closed). The support and encouragement from some of the wonderful Jivamukti teachers I met there (Hakan and Andy!) really helped me to kick start my own Yoga teaching business. 

In January, I set up two local Yoga flow classes in my local area, using my 6 weeks beginners course I had planned as part of the YTT. After completing the course they wanted to continue their Yoga journey, so the classes have continued to grow ever since! I also took on a weekly ‘Sweat Yoga’ class at a local gym, and from there my name was passed around to most of the gyms in Northamptonshire area, which means I each week I cover a wide range of classes (including pilates inspired Yoga and Yoga with weights!) and to work with a wide variety of people with differing experiences and expectations of Yoga. In my school holidays (especially this summer) I have been covering 2-3 classes a day! 

I have also started to bring Yoga into my full time teaching job, from holding Yoga sessions for staff and students who are preparing for their exams, to doing assemblies on mindfulness and meditation. Leading 600 Year 9 and 10 students through a short morning meditation was a wonderful experience!

My favourite thing so far has been holding Yoga Brunch events. Myself and 16 Yogis spend the morning together moving the body through a themed asana practice, meditating together and finally digging into a tasty Vegan brunch! I’ve been lucky enough to find a wonderful, local, vegan catering company, Bharita, who have provided the most delicious post-yoga dishes, from pancakes to tofu scrambled ‘eggs’. It is a truly moving experience to see people coming together and sharing their practice with each other - there are always so many smiles and giggles! I am hoping to hold these events every 2 months and am currently looking into organising a mini Yoga retreat with a local glamping company. I am also looking forward to working teaching with the new HotPodYoga franchise that is opening in Northampton in September!

From a personal perspective, Yoga teaching and developing my asana / meditation practice has really helped improve my mental wellbeing. My job as a secondary school teacher and Head of Year was becoming very overwhelming for me and I would often end up crying in the toilets as soon as I arrived to work in the morning. Nothing had changed at work - my job has always been demanding, but I was just not coping with the demands any more. I was working a full school day and then coming home and working until 11-12 pm every night. I just felt so physically and mentally exhausted. After my YTT, I developed a consistent morning Yoga and meditation practice that helped me start my day in a calm way. My readings of spiritual and philosophical texts helped me realise that there is nothing more important that the present moment and it helped me accept and surrender to the fact that I may never reach the bottom of my to-do list at work...and that is ok! Spending some of my evenings teaching Yoga made me realise there is so much more to life than my job. I am actually busier than I ever have been before, with teaching full time and teaching at least 4 Yoga classes a week on top of this, but I possibly the happiest I have ever been! People I work with often say “How do you stay so calm?”!

I am so grateful for having taken the plunge into YTT and for the positive impact it has had on my life as a whole. I have had so many wonderful experiences in the short time I have been teaching and I am so looking forward to seeing where this journey may take me in the future.

by Marie Newton
Website
Instagram

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Compared to most I am fairly new to yoga. It is something that I have dipped in and out of over the years, but it wasn’t until recovering from a cycling accident in 2015 that I really found that a regular practice helped me to regain my strength, both mentally and physically.

My first experience of yoga was mainly through home practice, helped by online classes, books and the odd workshop. I fell in love with the practice and in 2017 I went to Greece on a magical yoga holiday, where after many conversations with the teachers, was inspired to look at teacher training myself.

The choice of courses was quite overwhelming, but as a CAMYOGA member it seemed an obvious choice to enrol with them and, being impatient, I liked the fact the intensive course could be completed within six months and was fairly local to my home in Cambridgeshire.

I’m not your average new teacher. For a start, my teacher training course was a 50th birthday present to myself.

I am also no gymnast and know too well the wear and tear that years of cycling and running can cause on the body as I am tight, lopsided and click a lot, so when looking for a training course I was very conscious of all of this and extremely nervous about what I was entering into! I shouldn’t have been, the other students were all lovely, I wasn’t the oldest (not that it would have mattered if I was!) and on the first day, everyone was apprehensive about what was to come.

This year has been truly amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the training and am still in touch with all the other students. It was a tough, emotional and inspirational 6 months that I will never forget and it was well worth it. Since qualifying, I have reduced my hours as a management consultant to part-time and have started my own yoga and wellbeing business. Along with offering private nutritional advice I now also teach 5 yoga classes a week in Buckden and Stonely, Kimbolton in Cambridgeshire to a wide range of students and absolutely love what I do.

And the best bit?  All the doubts that I had about being too old, not ‘gymnastic’ enough and quite new to yoga have proved to be positives as they mean that I bring honesty, understanding and real-life experience to my teaching.

You’re never too old to follow your dreams.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judesyogawellbeing/

Website: https://www.judesyogawellbeing.com .

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What does Yin mean?

Taiji Symbol

Yin and Yang came from the Taoism philosophy. Taoism believes living in harmony with the universe and working with the universe’s natural flow (e.g. rather than trying to be the best, try and be simple).Yin and yang are the polarities of a whole, the complementary opposites of dark and light, cold and hot, soft and hard, female and male that allow all things to come into being. They are the two sides of a coin. One cannot exist without the other. Yin and yang are the vibration of the universe, the energy that informs all life. Together they form Taiji (a.k.a. Samadhi in the eight-fold path of yoga): a state of bliss through infinite potential and oneness. See picture to the left for the Taiji symbol.

As you can see from the picture, Yin (Black) and Yang (White) are not opposites, they are relative to one and other. Where you find Yin, Yang will be there and vice versa. 

Yin yoga postures, as created by founder Paulie Zink, are used to actualize the energetic and mystical attributes of various creatures and to stimulate the transformational properties of the five alchemical elements, thus enlivening and harmonizing these qualities within the body and animating the primal spirit that resides within us all. Integrating the power and healing aspects of these energies will help to balance emotions and put one into accord with the true nature of our being.

Traditional Yin Yoga founded by Paulie Zink stems from Hatha Yoga, Taoism philosophy, martial art, Qi Gong and observation of the natural environment. He underwent years of demanding training and esoteric disciplines which he mastered. He has taught thousands of classes since the 1970s, claimed three martial arts grand champions, choreographed routines for music videos and movies and featured in many magazines, articles and documentary programmes (e.g. BBC series “Jerry Hall’s Gurus”).

Elemental Flow and Yin Yoga are both sequences inspired by Paulie’s playful style of teaching that aim to rejuvenate students. Paulie taught me Yin Yoga as he intended it to be, finding Yang within Yin and Yin within Yang balancing the five natural elements. Incorporating continuous, smooth and circular motions that promotes ease, fluidity and grace in the body. Working with both static stretching and dynamic stretching, students are given the option to flow and pause depending on their energy level. 

In both Elemental Flow and Yin we will move in a circle and enhance our linear forward and backwards one direction movement in traditional Yoga. We will face all directions that represent the five natural elements and honour each every time we find our circular transition: east wood, south fire, west gold, north water, mother earth and father sky in the centre. 

Each week, we will focus on connecting and balancing the five natural elements in both Elemental Flow and Yin Yoga. These five natural elements correspond with the five elements that reside within our own body, fire, earth, metal, water and wood; heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys and liver. The two yoga classes are designed to follow the five element meridian pathway and complement each other. Elemental Flow balance wakens the awareness of all five elements and Yin focusing in depth on one particular element and the corresponding meridian pathway. For example, you might find water warrior challenging; in Yin, we would switch the focus to channelling the water element in our body which we are in excess of or craving for.  

What is the idea behind Elemental Flow?

Elemental Flow is designed with an emphasis on nature.

Students are invited to develop a connection to the five elements found within the environment and within the body. Finding harmony between humanity and nature so that we can both thrive. Allowing nature to connect us to a larger system where we can come to terms with what we cannot control and simply follow the order of nature. 

By following the order of nature, we are giving up our false sense of control that social media and consumer advertisement is constantly bombarding us with. Giving up the false sense of control over the weather, time, environment, sound, smell, other people, other vehicles, etc. When we give up these false senses of control, we give up our expectation and starting to look inwards with clarity over our behaviour, mindset, body and breath. 

Jacky teaches Elemental Flow & Yin on Wednesday evenings at Mitcham's Corner. Click here to get yourself booked in and see her other classes.

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About the Author

Jacky Kuo

Like most of the people who come to a CAMYOGA class, Jacky started practicing yoga because something wasn’t feeling right (namely poor posture and stress). Despite her career in Psychology research there simply aren’t enough accessible solutions for better wellbeing other than a weekly evening Ashtanga Classes.

As a student and a yoga teacher, Jacky is passionate about dynamic and energetic practise that allow you to ‘empty’ your mind and focus on alignment that continue off the mat. Jacky received her BWY yoga foundation certificate in October 2013 with Cam Yoga and completed her Ashtanga Vinsayas Flow Teacher Training RYS 200hrs in February 2017 in India.

Journey to Pincha Mayurasana

Disclaimer - remember to practice at your own pace and listen to your body. If anything hurts or pinches, come out of the pose safely and rest in balasana (child's pose).

Pincha Mayurasana
pinca = feather
mayura = peacock

Pincha Mayurasana or forearm balance proves for many, to be a fairly elusive asana. It requires strength, core and shoulder stability alongside good balance and courage. But with a strong foundation and (of course) practice it may prove easier than you might think.

We asked CAMYOGA teacher, James Downs to show us how he gets into Pincha.
 

Pincha Mayurasana Step-by-Step

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1. Set yourself up by coming into Dolphin with a brick or block between the palms. (Dolphin is similar to Downward Facing Dog, but with forearms flat on the floor and parallel to the long sides of the mat).

Squeeze the brick with your palms concentrating on broadening and stabilising the shoulders. Push the forearms firmly into the mat which will enable you to lift the crown of the head away from the floor.

Build strength by taking 5-10 breaths in this posture and then coming back down into child's pose and repeat 2-3 times.

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2. Flash Prep! Remove the block and then from Dolphin lift the left leg high - keep the shoulders strong and your core engaged.

If you'd like to go further, start walking the opposite hand towards the grounded foot and maybe grab hold of the heel. Breathe deeply for 5-10 breaths. Repeat on the other side.

Try a balance: Right forearm presses firmly into the mat, left arm at a right angle palm pressing down (think chaturanga alignment). See if you can lift the right leg and use the left tricep (upper arm) as a ledge to rest your left knee on - right leg lifting high.

Try a balance!

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3. Once you've done your conditioning (previous steps). It's time to try the full posture!

Start with your solid dolphin pose, bend one knee and keeping the other leg straight do a couple of bunny hops to get the feeling of going upside down. This may be where you stay, but eventually, you'll feel more comfortable and maybe even get both legs straight!

If you're worried about falling, you can always try this against a wall (palms facing the wall) but be mindful that you're not overarching or banana-ing your back.

Another way to try this against the wall is with dolphin against the wall. Come into dolphin with heels touching the wall. When you feel stable here, place the sole of the left foot onto the wall - your body and leg at a right angle, then bring the right foot up to meet it. Try lifting each leg up and maybe both at the same time!

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James teaches regularly at CAMYOGA Central and Mitcham's - check out the schedule here.

Follow James
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Name:  Ali Cellini

Hometown:  this should be a short answer question but it never is for me! I grew up in Kenya – a small town called Malindi, though now my family is all in Nairobi. That is home, but England has also always felt like home as I grew up partially (on and off) here!

Training background:  I trained at a school called Purusha Yoga in San Francisco, where we studied in the Raja Yoga tradition – focused on Hatha, stemming into versions like Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative. Studying at Purusha was amazing as Joy Ravelli, the head instructor and owner of the studio, has been training teachers for more than 20 years, and the breadth of her experience, and that of the other teachers there, gave us a really in-depth well-rounded view on teaching, anatomy and the history and philosophy of yoga – enough to know that we were only scratching the surface and there is always so much more to learn!

What is your favourite yoga pose and why:  Downward dog. Well there are a few... but I'm going to stick with downward dog. I love it. It is essential. It is place where you don't have a reason to forget any part of the body – in it I can be aware of all things, and the connection between all things, and simultaneously it is a place of great surrender. I can feel the ground. I can feel my spine's length. It is hard work and then also shifts into almost feeling restorative at times. In those moments it feels like home. The place to return to and feel like everything is right in the world. 

What is your least favourite yoga pose and why:  Hmmm, well I'd say that I actually kind of love my least favourite poses! For example, gomukhasana – cow face pose – is so very uncomfortable in my body, but it offers me the special practice of finding ease in a place of difficulty... and afterwards I always feel better for it. It's also part of becoming more self-aware, and noticing the things you really need (sometimes not what you're naturally drawn to). It's not about feeling good right now, but about the health and benefits (and perhaps good feelings in those) that come over time.

What is one of your mantras?  Something like "Let what comes, come." I think often , in some form, about releasing the hold on things and the idea of control. And letting what is going to be, be. We do what we can, but we cannot control everything. It's about being decisive and also flexible – committed, but fluid. Being here with what is right now.

Do you have a go-to practice to get you through busy or challenging times?  Music. In any form. I sing, so singing really helps me. But listening to music, being surrounded and engulfed by it, and singing – besides yoga, that has helped me through the most difficult moments and feelings. I could sit and do that for hours in times of sadness. I put the music on and am driven by it in times of busyness. With the right music on, I feel like I can do anything. And tea. And long showers. I find that anything that is a "pause," or that helps to slow down time, helps you in the long run because you realise that everything that needs to get done will, and everything else won't matter.

What can students expect from your yoga classes?  In yoga, I found the ability to clear the space, to not feel surrounded, to release – I strive to channel this experience to others. To me yoga is like a dance; it is an expressive bodily language, and in it we move and search for the "sweet spots". My practice and my classes exist around this opportunity for clarity and expression – they are focused, challenging but accessible to all, but above all they are fun and inclusive. You will hear a lot of music – mostly unexpected! – and you will be provided with a place where you can come as you are (intentional Nirvana reference...). I believe in hard work and creating heat (tapas) where it counts and has purpose, but balancing this with softness and ease.

Where did you last go on holiday? Did you take your mat? My last holiday was in December and was actually my honeymoon! It was in Malta, was barely planned and was a beautiful, unexpected surprise of a place. I admit I did not take my mat as I was specifically there to have a break from EVERYTHING – we walked, ate, explored, and slept 10 hours every night! My practice in that period was to fully restore, and I'd say it was a massive success!

Something we may not know about you…   Well, there are so many things... I am a big Trekkie. A Star Trek fan. Very big. I love stories in general, fantasy and science fiction above all. And I do not watch TV. But Star Trek is something I will always watch. Next Generation is my number 1. But is followed very closely by the Original Series and DS9. And yes, I have related many, many things from Star Trek to yoga ...and used them in classes.

Live long and prosper.

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Catch Ali teaching at CAMYOGA:

Monday nights 20.00 at Mitcham's Corner. Click here to book.

Find out more about Ali on her website here.

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You might have been wondering what a couple of our new classes are all about - Literary Vinyasa Flow and Literary Yin Restorative.... We are very excited to announce brand new classes with one of our most popular teachers, Jessica Lawrence, find out more below...

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NEW
Literary Yoga Classes

with JEssicA LAWRENCE

"Growing up I could never quite contain myself to single areas of learning; I was a certified bookworm with a love of foreign linguistics and a penchant for dissection and astronomy, with an intense sideline in ballet. I studied Classical Greek at university so that I could understand myths and verbal morphology better and then went to work in publishing so that I could read other people’s ideas on everything from Baedecker to bike couriering.

What I am trying to say is that I have always found the world to be too huge to avoid being multi disciplinary.

So I decided as soon as I knew that I wanted to be a yoga teacher that I would want some help along the way from voices far more eloquent than mine. Combining my lifelong love of literature with my classes made complete sense to me from the beginning; the basic principles of yoga and a yogic life are a blueprint for making the most of human nature - and human nature is what almost every piece of literature deals with. Bringing two of my disciplines together has expanded both for me and aids in communicating complex and subtle lessons to my students, with the help of the beautiful words of the world’s best and wisest authors and the greatest tool any of us has - our bodies. 

In my classes students can expect to explore elements of yoga philosophy, using novels or meditative non fiction as a thematic framework and the ancient wisdom of yoga and the physical manifestations of this in asana as a practical method of application.

The first of my Tuesday evening classes - Literary Vinyasa Flow is all of the above with dynamic, creative, dance-like flows and more than a bit of levity, because one thing I take from my multi-disciplinary approach to life is that nothing should be taken too seriously.

The second class - Literary Yin Restorative will use its slower pace and quieter mood to explore one short story or poem within each 75 minutes. Working somewhere between yin and restorative and building up to and down from one single vinyasa we’ll have the time and the space to follow and absorb a simple philosophy from a short piece of literature, using the words as a metronome for peaceful sequences of poses. 

My aim in life has always been to expand my understanding in every direction and I hope you’ll join me in my classes for the ride."

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Join Jessica for her NEW regular classes at Great Shelford

Literary Vinyasa Flow
Tuesdays 18:30
Book here

Literary Yin Restorative
Tuesdays 20:00
Book here

Can't make Tuesdays?
Jessica teaches a flow class every Sunday at Great Shelford. 18.30 Book here.

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