“When Sun rises up, and you get another beautiful day! Make sure you live it in a beautiful way” – Vivek Kalura

Surya Namaskar

Post-Easter, as the weather warms, I’m considering working with Surya Namaskar, aka The Sun Salutation, and its constituent parts. Symbolically we love Salutations - in the mornings, they welcome a new day - delivering a greeting to the dawn as the body awakes in rhythmical movement, a kind of solo meditative prayer with breath (and hopefully, joy).

This warming, repetitive cycle becomes familiar and comforting; it often forms the bedrock of a home practice when you’re unsure what or how to practice outside a class setting.

Flowing in a sun salutation can be an antidote to rigidity.

Don’t worry; I haven’t suddenly turned into a Vinyasa Flow teacher (though I could learn some of the pace, grace and dynamism of this style of yoga and its teaching). However, I’d like to think that what we learn in a slower alignment-based Hatha class will serve you excellently to take into any Vinyasa or faster-flowing practice confidently.

With this in mind, let’s move quickly and slowly as we open the body to the beauty of the Salutation cycle. We’ll work on specific Asana - I know there’s already been one request to look at Chaturanga (the yoga plank with the elbows back - you know you want to). But we’ll also dive into the transitions between the poses and harness the breath that carries us through it all.

With this, let’s hold the intention to find form, fluidity and freedom in our Spring practice.

Speaking of SUN - INDIA RETREAT Feb 2024

In exciting news, I am developing a retreat program alongside yoga teacher and clinical psychologist Gregory Fitzgibbon. Before this Easter bunny gets too carried away, this week-long retreat is scheduled for next year - the end of February 2024. We plan to accommodate a small group of around 12 for this offering so we can give you our full attention and the best possible experience.

The venue is Goa, India (on beautiful Mandrem beach), hosted by the stunning Nalanda Retreat Centre, right by the sea. I’ve returned to Goa many times; it is a unique and peaceful place - no wonder people flock there for yoga and self-renewal. Here’s more about the venue: NALANDA RETREAT

If you’re interested, feel free to get in touch to be added to a retreat mailing list for updates, including the schedule/prices/rooms etc.