Jappy Yoga

22/07/2022

💔 Sending so much love to all the students, teachers and other members of the community mourning the loss of beautiful this week. It has taken a few days to get my head (and heart) around the news 💔.

For four-and-a-half years, has provided a safe, welcoming, non-intimidating and truly inclusive space.

It has fostered a love of yoga and a sense of belonging in so many, creating a magical environment that will be so hugely missed.

As a stressed-out, lonely, anxious freelancer a few years ago, this place became a second home. It’s also where I discovered and fell in love with yoga (see nostalgic email captures from Jan 2018, where I mention being a ‘totaly beginner’, and ’s typically lovely reply 😂).

It’s where I met many of the yoga teachers I love and admire the most (literally too many to mention here). Without I might not have found yoga or decided to be a teacher. This makes it life-changing for me. Selfishly, I’m sad I’ll never get to teach here (it was on my dream list!), but massively grateful I got to experience its magic while it lasted.

Shout out to the hero, , for being such a crucial, wonderful, welcoming part of the family, and to all the behind-the-scenes superstars who worked in the studio. And, of course, for the delicious drinks and edibles.

Yoga is precious - and so our studios. Let’s support them - and our amazing teachers - where we can.

29/06/2022

Not everyone finds “relaxing”…relaxing.

Q: have you ever been in a yoga class that has made you feel unrelaxed or anxious? I have.

This article is an interesting read for yoga teachers - perhaps particularly if you teach yin, restorative and meditation - but also just in general. Yoga teachers are not therapists (unless they are 😂, or have properly studied yoga therapy), but it is super useful to understand as much as possible about the nervous system. Especially if you’re an anxiety nerd, like me. 🤓🧠👊💗

I bloody love 💗. Link to full article in bio.

27/06/2022

NOTE TO SELF:

When I first started teaching yoga, I thought I needed to tone down or dilute parts of myself to fit some vanilla notion of ‘spiritual’. The parts of me that love nail art, shopping, fried chicken, cocktails, silliness, colourful yoga clothes etc.

But actually, what could be more spiritual than BEING YOURSELF?

People say “be yourself” like it’s the easiest thing - but actually, navigating our own tangled, outdated, nuanced, misguided, often-unhelpful, often-painful, often-shameful ideas of who we are is our life’s work.

The more we slow down and become still, the more we hear the frenetic clatter of our thoughts, and the more we come to realise the slipperiness of our sense of ‘self’. Who, or what, is it?

Luckily, yoga’s practical system (and loving emphasis on the balm of compassion, aka ahimsa) helps to clear these muddy waters, using timeless tools from the ancient yogis (thank you, India!!!), from meditation and pranayama to āsana and svadhyaya (self-study) and mantra, kriya and more.

If you want to know yourself and be yourself, do yoga.

Or get your nails done. 💅

10/06/2022

I know clowns get a bad rep but this guy is the cute exception. Shout out to my fellow over-sharers 💗 On the plus side, your heart chakra is probably nice and open 😂 💚

🎨: .are.us

01/06/2022

Where the clouds meet the sand ☁️

27/05/2022

'Two nervous lizard people just trying to get by. We’re all a mess.'

Just one of my favourite bits from a great article on anxiety by Rhik Samadder in the Guardian; Rhik's advice to 'set the bar ridiculously low' is also refreshing and helpful.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/may/24/set-the-bar-ridiculously-low-rhik-samadders-golden-rule-for-beating-anxiety

27/05/2022

Nothing the body does is wrong.

When we've experienced anxiety, stress, illness, injury or trauma, it's easy to see the body as an unsafe place. And perhaps to judge or resist physical sensations that feel unpleasant. We may fear our bodies in case they betray our troubled state of the mind by revealing the symptoms of that hidden-away anxiety, stress, illness or trauma.

But nothing the body does is wrong.

When we start to listen to the wisdom of the body, we can relearn not to fear it. We can begin to see scary sensations as a natural response to the state of hyper-arousal we may be living in; we can understand the way the body works and how it reflects what's going on in our minds. We can come to appreciate the intricacies of our nervous system and, through yoga, we can learn tools to self-soothe.

By repeatedly coming back to the body, grounding ourselves in the body, letting ourselves experience our bodies safely through both movement and stillness, and letting prana (energy) pass through us, even when that feels scary, we can begin to soften our habitual tight grip on our soft places.

We start to stop judging our bodies, we forgive them, honour them, and realise that nothing the body does is ever wrong.

21/05/2022

💗 Sunday reminder… 💗

YOUR WORK DOES NOT DEFINE YOUR WORTH!

So many times I have struggled with this as a freelancer. Letting my sense of self-worth be dictated by a client’s response: boosted ego if they loved something; crushing disappointment on the (rare 😇😝) occasions they didn’t. In fact, a difficult experience of the latter (and the resulting stress) was one of the things that drew me to yoga in the first place.

And it can happen as a yoga teacher too. Letting class numbers (or number of classes) shape how valuable or successful you feel as a teacher, or getting sucked into the ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ mind traps of social media - which I still believe can be a powerful force for good, despite its mega pitfalls.

So, whoever you are, whatever you ‘do’ remember: YOUR WORK DOES NOT DEFINE YOUR WORTH!

The more we look for reassurance and validation from external sources (guilty, guilty, guilty), the shakier the ground we stand on becomes.

13/05/2022

THANK F**K IT’S FRIDAY, PALS! This pose felt like an appropriate way to welcome in the weekend, I have no clue why. 😜

It’s a privilege and a pleasure to end the week by teaching LUSCIOUS, YUMMY YIN to such a beautiful bunch of London yogis.😍 Shout out to the early birds who joined me at 7am this morning too 🤪😵‍💫😂

10/05/2022

Spiritual growth vs new, jazzy yoga leggings… it’s a daily struggle/practice 😂

📸: 👏

06/05/2022

Dusting off my skandasana (side lunge/half squat pose) in honour of my recent Mandala training with magical muse: 🌟

To me, this is like a chocolate eclair-kinda pose for the hips: deeeeeliiiicious. Fiery too, mind! 🍫🌶❤️

Sometimes we can feel tight and creaky in the hips as we work to open up; there’s no rush, take your time and be kind… Look out for resistance. Are you gripping or holding anywhere in the body?

Can you let yourself open up to new sensations, a new breath or even new possibilities in this shape? 🍫🌶❤️

How do you feel about skandasana? Side lunges can be a great way to add movement to your flow; you can hang out on each side for a few mins at a time, yin-style, watching the breath… 🌬💨🎐👀

📸: ❤️

05/05/2022

A beautiful, inspiring article and a lovely yin practice for spring, courtesy of Yoga Journal and Tamika Caston-Miller. You could try this at home with a rolled-up towel or a bolster, a dressing-gown belt or strap, and some pillows or two. Instead of blocks, use baked bean cans! Enjoy...

A Yin Yoga sequence for spring helps create balance in the body and mind with stretches for the transition from winter to spring.