Define your style of teaching in 3 words.
Fun. Energetic. Flowing.
How did Good Yoga Life begin?
It evolved. I was still working in full time marketing (after 15 years in the industry) when I did my training and a few months after qualifying, I set up Yoga Supper Club, a monthly event that was recently named “best healthy alternative night out” by Grazia Magazine. Ideas just flowed from this concept and I decided to freelance to give me the time and freedom to set up my yoga business. That was November 2015 and so much has happened since then!
What have been the highlights of your teaching career so far?
Wow, it’s been an incredible year for me! I held my first (of many!) Good Yoga Life retreats in Ibiza for 20 guests, which was a massive success. I’m heading back out there in May 2017 for three weeks to host three short retreats which have almost sold out!
In June, I headed underground and brought yoga to Old Street Station for a full week of classes and events, which was pretty epic! The summer saw Good Yoga Life on board the Benefit Cosmetics boat on the Thames and a closing party at Soul Circus where I brought the disco yoga vibes to the festival.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing brands, teaching big groups of yogis for Lululemon and corporate classes with Yogamatters.
But most of all, the response to the Good Yoga Life events has been phenomenal. I’ve seen a little community build up who are coming back to classes and events over and over and enjoying what we have to offer. I’m really trying to inject some fun into yoga and people are loving it!
What’s your favourite place to practise and why?
I love to practise with other people. You can’t beat the collective energy from those around you and also the insight and correction from your teacher. After all, we’re always learning, always the student and I’ll always continue to seek out new places and teachers to practise with.
What are your favourite sounds to practise to?
My playlists are quite diverse, but it’s never really too mellow or yogic. I love house beats, chilled electronic music and soul. Currently in the Good Yoga Life Spotify you’ll find Atjazz, Maribou State, Nude, Jose Gonzalez, Nightmares on Wax, Roy Ayres, Lapsley, Mr Scruff, Quantic and gems from Inner City and Lucy Pearl!
What are the common misconceptions about men and yoga and how can we encourage more men onto the mat?
I have a few guys who are regulars at my classes and many of them are quite sporty or gym goers who come to get a good muscle release.
I think many guys think yoga is just for girls or it’s not real exercise, but the classic is that they’re just not flexible enough. I hear that last one all the time from my guy friends and my reply to them is that flexibility is the output, you have to start somewhere and you don’t need to be able to touch your toes to get started. And for those who say it’s not real exercise, ask the sweaty yogis who leave my vinyasa flow classes what they think!
The New Year is a great time to get your guy friends to come along to a class and buddying up is definitely a great way to try and make that happen. I’m running two Yoga Basics Workshops in January, which are also a good starting point for guys to try yoga for the first time.
Living and working in London can be full on – how do you stay grounded?
Balance really. I try to live my life to the fullest. I work hard but I also know how to play, spend time with friends, enjoy a glass or two of vino, get plenty of exercise and eat well. I don’t deprive myself of a slice of cake but I know what I need to eat to feel good. I spent many years putting a lot of pressure on myself, in work and in every area of my life really and so this is something I have to work on, to allow myself space for taking time out and to relax. These are things I struggled with a lot and sometimes still do, but I know that it’s really important for staying grounded.
Being a busy yoga teacher, how do you make time for your own yoga practice?
I take a few classes a week at a studio close to home and these are scheduled in at the start of the week so that I can fit anything else that comes up around them. I’ll also practise before my classes as this is an easy way to get some in and to warm up! More than anything, I love to practise outside in the park, even in winter. I run up the canal close to home and always finish in the park, so I’ll do some pull ups, squats, lunges, practise my handstands and finish with a 20 minutes or so practice.
This year, I’ve also started a regular meditation practice, even if it’s just 5-10 mins to focus on my breath.
The important thing, and this what I tell my students, is that it doesn’t have to be an hour, it doesn’t even have to be half an hour. If you can find 10 minutes to go through five sun salutations in the morning, you’re already rocking it!
Recommend us a book on yoga that you love, and tell us why you like it.
I’ve just finished reading Celest Pereira’s book ‘The Yoga Mentor’. Celest is a well-known teacher in London and she shares everything she wished she knew when she first started teaching. It gives lots of really useful insights and snippets for new teachers and sets the landscape for teaching in the city. Celest is such a babe and if you haven’t been to her class, you’re missing out!
What do you love doing when you’re not teaching or practising?
Hanging out with friends, going for brunch, eating out, spending the afternoon in the pub, getting out of London and into the countryside, planning holidays especially surf trips, seeing my family and my nieces and just generally organising and planning fun things to do!
What does 2017 bring for you and Good Yoga Life?
2017 feels like a good year with so many exciting things in the pipeline. More retreats for sure. I’ve been totally blown away by the response to the May Ibiza retreat and I’m hoping to get to France to run a yoga surf retreat in June, so watch this space!
We’ll be running monthly event series – Yoga Rehab and Yoga Hygge in January, Yin & Gin in February – as well as regular workshops and yoga brunches and suppers.
I’m always looking out for new spaces and teachers so we can bring our classes, events and fun vibes to more of London. The ideas are limitless and I’m also working on a new project to help yoga teachers with their marketing and online presence, so this will be a big focus for 2017.
