How do I feel about yoga?

On the one hand, inexplicable attraction.

On the other hand- gratitude for my softened body and soothed soul after practice.

This prompted me to attend at first one practice a week, then two, then to practice almost every day.

Deepening my interest led me to certified teacher trainings at Triyoga London- Hatha, Anusara, Kundalini.

My next step was to go to an ashram in India and study Jivamukti yoga. And there I found the method that I still practice today. What I resonate with- the mixture of Iyengar precision, Ashtanga strong physical practice, Vinyasa connectedness, Kundalini spirituality. Jivamukti yoga class has a clear structure- standing poses (which ground and energize), inverted poses(which show us the world from a different perspective), backbends(which open the heart), forward bends(which humble). There are key poses we do every class- Sun Salutation in different variations, Dove, Bridge, Candle. My favorite poses are the hand and headstands. I believe that with the help of the individual chairs ” Feet Up”, I can teach everyone to do headstand.

Joy Yoga is my shared love not only for yoga but also for psychotherapy. I trained and certified in this field as well until I found the method I still practice today- IFS (Internal Family Systems). What I resonate with- the idea that anxiety, addiction, the inner critic, shame… are parts of us. But in addition to them we have Self (inner wisdom, divine spark). And Self can help the parts, be with them, understand and validate them. That is, each person has the potential to help and heal themselves. Of course we do this repeatedly together in session. But the idea is that the client learns a powerful tool to regulate their nervous system. Just like after a yoga practice, I come out of an IFS session with a client inspired and connected to my client and the universe.

Joy Yoga manifests another shared love of mine- food as a sacred act. Our long table nourishes our community.