My classes are yoga classes, not wellness classes. The wellness industry has created a bit of confusion regarding what yoga was and currently has the power to be in the right setting. If students understand a few key parts of the yoga class prior to attending they will be able to discern if this is the right class setting for themselves currently.
Time
The classes begin on time and end on time, students need to arrive well before the class start time- I recommend arriving no later than 5 minutes prior to class. Your nervous system is able to settle into a slower pace in those 5 minutes. You have time to turn your phone off, orientate yourself in the new settling, take your shoes and coat off, find your mat and have a few moments of quietness prior to the class commencing. Other people around you benefit from you being on time, being prepared for what you are about to do, being self contained and not bringing a chaotic energy is the kindest thing you can do for yourself and your fellow students.
The reasoning behind this way of being when you approach yoga is this; people often use a yoga class as a lifeline for stabilising, grounding, calming themselves; they may be going through all sorts of things, respect them, bring your self calmly to the room, don’t bring your chaos; leave it outside. If you cannot arrive on time for the session then unfortunately late arrivals cannot be admitted. Please do not ring the bell or attempt to get my attention, I will be teaching, the class began on time. The classical philosophy of this is here; Asteya – non Stealing, a key part of the limbs of yoga. Arriving late steals time from others, people pay for 60 minutes of a lesson, not 59, not 58. Arriving late for a coffee with a friend- when it is avoidable through consideration that moves beyond yourself is an act of stealing their time. The ethics and morals of yoga are vast and yet well known in most professional studios, and by most experienced practitioners, it used to be this way, and I do enforce these rules out of respect for the students as a collective and myself.
Phones & Smart watches
It goes without saying these are not only muted but not on a mode that vibrates. If you need to take a call during class please don’t come to class. If your watch can still get notifications during your yoga session I implore you to switch to prevent this. Not only does your watch going off pull you out of your practice and your rhythm, it pulls the entire class out of it and the teacher. Distractions that can be prevented should be prevented. Distractions that are out of our control- traffic, planes and loud voices outside are the ones we can practice observation of and letting go of them, but ones that are in the room with us and under our control are not distractions we should have to learn tolerance of, as they are simply avoidable, and class rules (written here) are informative enough.
The reasoning for this again is all to do with the nervous system, yours and everyone else’s. It is a good practice to mentally leave the outside world out of your yoga practice- one perfect symbolic and mental way to do this is to remove the phone from operation and sightline. Create the right setting for your self to practice with the most focus and concentration, not splitting the mind in several parts and holding several thoughts at once, be present, not elsewhere. Pratyahara, Dharana and Ahimsa, Sense withdrawal, concentration and no-harm, three limbs of yoga are here; removing other focuses, things that drag our senses into them- stimulation like the phone and the watch only distract us. Ahimsa means non-violence, by being aware the gadgets are a distraction and bringing them to class where they distract other people, you are making an active choice to ignore the effect you have on someone else, if that affect is negative, this is an act of harm, it creates negative karma. None of this is a strange request- please turn your gadgets off, if you choose to come to my classes, you choose to follow these rules.
Transference & relationships
You may identify with your yoga teacher but be aware of what you may be projecting onto them, there is sadly no offer of outside friendship, or relationship outside the teacher-student structure. This is 100% for the protection of both parties, I do not enter friendships with my students. I may be friendly with you around the start and end of class, but be very aware that this exists to put you at ease around your practice. Find friendships with people where there is mutuality and equality, there is none of this in the teacher-student dynamic. This doesnt mean I dont hold students in high regard, in fact it means the opposite; I don’t want anything from them, you can just come and practice yoga under guidance, thats where this interaction exists. There isn’t much regulation around this in the UK, but much like you don’t have relationships with therapists or school teachers the same guidance is there for this sphere, and thats what I adhere to here.
Clothing
Please be comfortable, I’m not sure some of the clingy clothing that we think of when we visualise modern yoga classes is the right attire; I wear leggings often so people can see the angle of my legs and knees and when muscles are active or passive, but for the most part at home I practice in soft clothing- loose and easy, a bit like pyjamas. Non clingy is nice- especially around the ribs and chest- we twist and breathe so differently in yoga that tight sports bras and man made fabrics can start to feel quite clingy and warming/steaming. I recommend since this is the UK and these are community spaces that you bring a sweater and wear it until it’s time to remove it and pop it back on for savasana. I recommend you wear clean clothing that doesn’t have an odour as peoples senses can be heightened in yoga thus strong smells can really affect your classmates when they are breathing deeply. I also recommend and would prefer it if you dont wear very strong perfume/lots of it, many students have asthma, and other lung issues and may also be hypersensitive to smells, this sensitivity is increased when we do eyes closed breathing practices. If someone can smell your perfume two metres away it is too strong for these yoga classes. If your perfume is contained within your close zone/your bubble- thats totally well and good, keep it light for a group yoga class.
Frankincense
In many of my classes I light a candle and use raw frankincense resin to make the room have a slight sweetened and grounded scent. The resin does not produce acrid or dusty sooty smells like incense sticks, however it smells familiar to those who may have had a Catholic background or was around this resin in the past. If this smell sets off something uncomfortable for you please let me know before coming to class and I will not use it. Indoors I no longer use incense sticks or cones, some of the blocks and straps are cleaned with lavender or vetiver oils, if you have sensitivities to scent please let me know in advance.
Moksha Yoga Classes 