Professional
‘Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge.’
―‘
Having completed the Primary, Intermediate and Advanced A sequences I am unravelling Advanced B. I received level II authorisation to teach the Ashtanga Yoga method by Sharath Jois in Mysore India. I am dedicated to sharing the Ashtanga Yoga practice in the tradition of the Jois family, however first and foremost, my approach is inclusive and evolutionary; the individual comes before ‘the method’. I love movement and optimal living, I am intrigued by the connections between the physical, psychological and emotional body and how to affect our organism as a whole. My personal study revolves around psychotherapy, ancient yogic texts, race, identity and diversity, and different movement systems. Whilst I prioritise safe, functional movement in asana, my experience is that if a yoga practice is to be illuminating and transformative, it requires discipline and a container. As we knock up against the container we see our habitual psycho-emotional responses and with daily practise we start to know ourselves, our thought patterns and common reactions become available for us to work through and change. As a facilitator of this practice I walk the line between maintaining the container whilst being mindful to adapt or modify when necessary. Accessibility and healthy movement patterns are important if one is to enjoy longevity in the practice. Ashtanga Yoga is a self-practise system, taught one on one in a group setting, it is taught in a quiet space allowing for personal connection and reverence to the sacred and the divine. I am grateful to all the teachers who lit the path for me and to my South Asian brothers and sisters for the richness of their wisdom traditions. I am forever a student and it is an honour for me to share this deeply transformative practice with you.
Qualifications: Masters degree in the Traditions of Yoga and Meditation (SOAS, London): Post Grad. Cert. Foundation in Psychotherapy and Counselling (Regents University, London): Mobility Specialist (FRC). Currently studying Existential Psychotherapy (D.Prof at NSPC)
Personal
‘If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.’
― Audre Lorde
I was conceived through the turbulent union between a Trinidadian black man and an English white woman. To be Trinidadian is to be a mix of a vibrant diaspora of cultures – African, Indian, Spanish, Chinese, Syrian. My lineage (as I know it) is African via Barbados and Trinidad. To be English…. well, it was cream teas or chip butties. After a brief stint of playing unhappy families in Trinidad my parents went their separate ways. My mother promptly remarried and whisked me out of the country – Iran, Abu-Dhabi, Bahrain. I was a black child in a growing white family, we lived in international expat communities in countries belonging to people of colour. These countries shipped in other people of colour to labour under poor conditions, for low pay, whilst their imported ‘experts’ were highly paid. Even as a child I knew something was wrong. In one family, summers were spent travelling: Asia, Africa, America, Australasia – I’d been through three passports by the time I was 12. In my other family, summers were spent in South London; sat in front of the telly cos it was too cold to go out, or playing cricket in the alley with my brothers and the local kids. As a young adult I lived in Barbados for a few years before settling down in London. I had 2 boys in my early 20’s, both were born at home, raised on vegetarian food, love, and yoga. Yoga unravelled my life. It tore me away from the influence of societies ‘normative’ expectations, and guided me inward toward my ‘self’ in its many facets. This liberation continues as I endeavour to understand and dismantle conditioned power structures that oppress us, one way or another. Sharing yoga with you is sharing an ancient wisdom practice that has the power to orient you towards your true self, into deeper connection with others and the world. I walk the line between belonging and being ‘othered’, I am at my most comfortable amidst diversity. I enjoy meeting and connecting with people from all walks of life, cultures, religions and backgrounds. I look forward to working with you! x