Having practised dynamic (yang) forms of Yoga for nearly 20 years and been teaching them for nearly five years, I had struggled with the slower, less dynamic (Yin/Restorative) forms of Yoga until a couple of years ago, when I began to incorporate slower Yin and Restorative poses little by little into my practice. I trained last year to teach Yin and have gradually become increasingly taken with its gently revealing practices. Read More

A regular student rushed in to the studio, obviously feeling very disturbed and upset. “I haven’t booked, but please can I do class if there is room?” The class was full and I said so. “Please, I’m begging you, I’ve had the day from hell and I just want to do Yoga. Can I do it in the hall way?” Read More

I’m so excited, it’s nearly time for the Hot Power Flow Teacher Training again! I think of teacher training as professional development. It’s an investment in my future and I have clear goals for what I want to achieve with each training. Some of the key strengths of this training are described below. Read More

"My new favourite word is 'namaste' which is Indian for 'the Yoga is finished now'" -Sara Pascoe, Jun 2014. Not quite. We hear namaste at the end of class and it does, in some way, signify that our time together in class has almost come to an end. Derived from Sanskrit, it is used across India, Nepal and other parts of Asia in varying ways, ostensibly a respectful greeting but its meaning is a little different in the context of Yoga. Read More

After attending my classes, yogis occasionally comment that my explanations are “very detailed”. I didn’t think much about this until the 2018 Spiralling Crow teacher training graduates recently asked me why I give such detailed instructions in a dynamic vinyasa class, where a consistent pace or flow are key. Read More

Trikonasana or Triangle Pose is one of the asanas we frequently include in the standing series of many Yoga classes. Trikonasana when translated from the sanskrit means 3 angle pose: Tri meaning three, Kona meaning angle and asana meaning pose. Read More

This month, YogaVenue has its birthday. The time has flown by and we can’t quite believe that it has been 7 years since we opened the studio doors. In this time the studio has been the home away from home for us but also for many yogis and teachers, along with the occasional cat and dog! Read More

We are set to have a week of glorious weather! The hot weather is a perfect time to practise Yoga. Your body responds quickly and you have the chance to make real changes in your practice and how your body feels. You naturally feel more open and this is perfect for working into areas of tightness. Practising in the warmer weather will leave you feeling more energised. Don't be scared about sweating, it is good for you! It means you are sweating out toxins, and it's great for the skin; it also means you are keeping your body cool, meaning your body is functioning exactly as it should be. Read More

When teaching Yoga lately, I have noticed that I often invite students to compare their experience in a given pose, or the class as a whole, with their past experiences. This pose, that you may have done 1000 times before, might feel totally different when compared to last week, 5 minutes ago, or when done on the other side. The idea being that by coming more into contact with the actual felt experience of the practice, as opposed to any expectations we might have, we are able to be more mindful, practice more self-care and generally have a nicer time. Read More

Yoga may have been famously described as 99% practice, 1% theory, but I definitely spend more time reading about Yoga than practising āsana. After all there’s only so many caturaṅgas I can manage, whereas I can sit totally comfortably for hours with a good book! And perhaps I have a reputation for being nerdy, because I keep getting asked about what’s good to read on this or that aspect of Yoga. So I’m sharing with you a few books I’ve enjoyed, either my old favourites or new finds.  Read More