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Hi Wicksie, thanks for the tip! Ideally I'm looking for something London Bridge or Elephant and Castle way as both are really convenient to get to for both SE residents and myself. Will inquire!

Keith's work sounds interesting and yes can understand the reluctance to slot into the acro-yoga bracket, I think Edward (Tripsichore) feels understandably the same!

Cycling in Arran must've been beautiful! Am really looking forward to going, I think I get the first ferry from Ardrossan, a bus over to the other side of Arran and then a second, very wee ferry to the wee Holy Isle (less than 2 x 2 miles in length and width!). Quite the journey, looking forward to it!

*m.f - new dance centre in Bournemouth - brilliant! And a great programme of events so far. What will Keith be doing?

BTW, have just realised there are two Holy Isle/ Island's! I'm going to the other one - off the Arran coast in Scotland...

Greetings all,

Wicksie and econodog, I hear ye on the budget front. I think I've mentioned this before, but would like to re-iterate that I am more than happy to teach a class in SE London on a donation/ cheaper basis if someone knows of a suitable space. I know that most studios do not offer cheap classes and I can't bear the thought of people not trying out yoga because of money! So do let me know if you see or hear of anywhere...

nice 'tard starfish and coffee! hehe...

good on ye *m.f - enjoy the teaching! Riders on a three day trip will no doubt appreciate it!

starfish and coffee, I noticed this and did feel for you, ow... glad you mentioned it, hopefully will remind any lfgss newcomers to wear something more comfortable. As for the majority of yoga clothing being for ladies, that is predictably due to the fact that yoga is still practiced by a significant majority of women (althought this is changing - hurrah!). Unless you particularly want to, there is no need to buy new yoga gear - a pair of tracksuit bottoms will do fine as well as any lycra bike shorts/ 3/4 length types. However, if you do fancy getting some yoga specific gear, go to www.yogamatters.com and check out prana men! ;-)

me again and not such a short one, sorry!

This Saturday I will be teaching a yoga for cyclists workshop at bodywise from 2.30 to 5.30pm. The idea of a three hour workshop being that we can look into more detail about how exactly a yoga practice complements a cycling lifestyle. Also, the idea is to zone in on a rather more specific theme than we have time to in class. I have not yet decided what that theme will be and I'm hoping that those of you who may interested in attending will help me to decide.

Ideas I have had so far include:

· Developing a daily sequence - putting together a practice that can be done solo at home.
· Easing common cycle related complaints - identifying postures that will alleviate common cycle related pain both short and long term.
· Flexibility work - identifying all the muscles that shorten as a result of cycling and exploring postures that will lengthen them.
· **Core strengthening - **Simultaneously lengthening and strengthening the muscles which are underused (postural back and abdominal muscles), therefore alleviating overused muscle groups and stressed joints.
· Spine work - Finding full mobility in this long sequence of joints that often ends up suffering from reduced mobility, lengthening the spine as well as exploring counteracting postures such as twists, lateral bends and back bends.
· Waist-down work - focussing specifically on the biggest muscle groups as well as the overused groups (glutes, quadriceps, hip flexors, hamstrings, IT band, calves etc).
· **Backbends - **exploring the group of postures that perhaps most significantly address cyclists tendencies/ complaints (including upper back/ postural tendencies) by reversing the cyclists postures.
· Inversions and arm balances - Exploring fun postures that give the legs a well-deserved rest whilst exploring concentration, use of breath and upper body strength.
· ** Balances **- Again, these are fun postures that are actually demanding in terms of concentration, correct posture, strong leg/arm work but also ease tension in oft tense cyclists' muscle groups. Useful too for identifying where asymmetry may lie in the body.

The idea is to run workshops more regularly, so these suggested themes and more can all eventually be covered. Also, we can possibly look at a couple of themes in one workshop. Alternatively, if you have any other ideas or anything specific that you'd like to explore, do let me know.

For those of you who are interested in participating, 'twould be great if you could get back to me by Thursday night and I can put together something that addresses most people's interests and let you know by Friday what the workshop will consist of.

The workshop is open to all levels, so please do forward on to anyone you think may be interested. It will be £24 full/ £18 conc. and will take place at bodywise - 119 Roman rd E2 0QN. Do email me if you're intersted and book via bodywise - 0208 981 6938 info@bodywisehealth.org
www.bodywisehealth.org

Apologies for lengthy email and look forward to hearing from you!

namaste,

Rebecca
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Greetings,

Hi Econodog, I have no doubt there are plenty of good classes in SE London. Only thing is I don't really know about them as it's been many, many years since I lived round there. However, I do volunteer at fareshares on Crampton St, will ask fellow shifties! There are yoga websites that list all the nearest yoga classes to your postcode in order of proximity by the mile. I'm pretty sure the Britsh Wheel of Yoga website www.bwy.org.uk does this, try it out.

Balki, trust you got my PM? Other suggestions if those haven't worked out. One place you could go anytime is Holy Isle in Scotland www.holyisland.org. A friend of mine is there now having felt the need to step off the london wheel and it appears to be doing him a world of good. Can be a cheap (or even free accommodation) option too if you're willing to volunteer in their garden or kitchen. I'm going up in September to check it out.

peas,

Rebecca

August greetings all,

Back from the extraordinary country that is Colombia - brilliant country for cycling and yoga - very inspiring, anyone been?

And delighted to read all manner of interesting thread exchanges!

Thank you so much to those who have answered questions while I've been away - Oliver - good to see you last weekend and really glad to hear the elbow managed the DD. Look forward to seeing you again in class! miss_socks - good seeing you in class and congratulations on your news! and *m.f of the ever inspiring practice and reflection - still practicing on beaches and rooftops? Thought of you whilst practicing in the shade of a rock on the Tayrona coast!

Indeed the course started last week and what a great bunch of students! I enjoyed it thoroughly - for those lfgss'ers who attended, thank you for making my return to London feel entirely brilliant. Having returned the previous night, I was still a little jet-lagged, but felt quite renewed after class! Lots of you so not sure who I may have met yet! Sorry to hear about the puncture Zed, they certainly can be a zen testing moment! S1mon, I'm assuming I've met you now if you made it to class last Thursday? Maybe Tea_Bee too?

PiersW, Jed teaches an Astanga class at bodywise, she is currently away and is being replaced by Emma throughout August. The courses/ beginners classes are on the weekends and there are early morning classes too...

So, just to clarify all prices (as these will be the same for the rest of the year I think!). The courses are 5 weeks long - £44 full/£31 conc for the course or £10.50 full/ £7 conc to attend on a drop-in basis.

Just seen the time, gotta go teach, thoughts on the spiritual/ practical to come soon! Good food for thought.

namaste...

Greetings all,

Hope you're all enjoying cycling in the heat!

Indeed, as Oliver pointed out I'll be away for a month now, hopefully giving my cardio-vascular system a serious wake-up call cycling and yogaing in Colombia. So the next yoga for cyclists 5 week course starts Thursday 29th July. Meanwhile, there are some other great teachers at bodywise - Angelika, Jacqui, Sally-Anne and Marco. The latter is a traditional Iyengar teacher - the dude that *m.f posted. The other three have developed their own techniques - all very interesting, particularly Sally-Anne's who incorporates alot of spiral work.

I am trying to organise a workshop too which will take place on an August weekend sometime. 'Twill be three hours long and addressing participants issues. More on my return...

Have a great July, may the promise of a British Summer continue!

Ommmm...

very nice rooftop *m.f! perfect for an inspiring practice and i suspect glorious any time of day but dawn and dusk must be particularly extraordinary!

Good on ye dancing james for passing on some yoga postures to hippy and digger! As *m.f pointed out, teaching anyone a sun salutation is a brilliant thing - even if just surya namaskar is done every day, it makes a significant difference to body, mind and the rest of your day/ night. As for downward dog, Donna Farhi refers to it as the garlic of yoga, that pretty much says it all. And all variations on this are good as they address different parts of the body and deepen awareness on what the body starts to do as it and mind start to tire - which is as important to be aware of! Twists are great too of course for cyclists whose spines are often limited to a prawn status with only a little lateral movement as a result of pedalling. And camel comes highly recommended for cyclists as it is a very doable backbend and yet very powerful. I often get students to do this posture with the back of their heads up against the wall (rather than the traditional head back) so that the backs of their necks get a good stretch too. So a grand choice of postures all round I reckon!

Working around previous injuries can indeed be a challenge, but a really valuable learning curve. The great thing about yoga is that there is a variation for just about any complaint. Using props is immensely useful and they can consist of all manner of household objects - books, folded pillows, rolled up towels etc. www.yogajournal.com can be a good place to start on looking for variations on postures depending as a result of different complaints.

sem, glad to hear your back is feeling well stretched!

om...

thank you for sharing *m.f. Will give it a go tomorrow! Bet you've been enjoying beach parctice these days?!

greetings all,

Sending healing vibes your way Oliver, it seems bones just do seem to take a while longer as we get that wee bit older ;-), consume mammoth amounts of tahini maybe?!

miss s, great to see you again last week, we missed you! May the thursday shifts drift away from thee ;-). Indeed dickthehippy, as miss s pointed out, new 6 week course starts this thursday - course cost is £52.50 full/ £37 conc. Or you can drop in for £10.50 full/ £7 conc per class. If you've done some yoga before, latter option is fine, if not, I'd encourage you to enrol on a course first time round. Maybe meet you soon!

and yes, good ol' schiffmann, inspiring chap. Moving into stillness in itself a great movement meditation! His hair is longer than I remember it in that image - he has a rather sweet chewbacca aspect to him! ;-)

peas all...
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Oliver, sorry to hear about elbow still feeling irritated - certainly the first thing that will aggravate a recently broken bone is the cold. Having broken most of my bones in my lifetime, there are one or two that still make a fuss when they get cold. Thankfully, something that a bit of warming yoga sorts out pretty swiftly, but can appreciate that yoga on bike during CM could be tricky!

I wonder where yer youtube vid was filmed - looks lovely! and sunny ; )

allo Oliver and *m.f!

Hope this finds you both well.

How's the elbow Oliver?

*m.f - just checked out Keith's site. Very interesting, very accomplished and can certainly relate to all the various disciplines coming together to inform practice. I wasn't aware of his dance experience. I come from a dance background and that's what brought me to Edward Clark many years ago (as well as discovering I lived round the corner from him!). Interesting that Keith performed in Tripsichore years ago! Just performed last weekend with Damo Suzuki and a couple of backing bands - render plant and Vultures and realised just how much yoga informs my movement improvisation!

Have a good weekend all!

peas...

allo all,

hope you've all had a good weekend, easterish or not!

So yes, as Oliver pointed out, I am mostly out and about either cycling or teaching so not often in front of the computer hence my delayed replies. Ta Oliver for providing info! Try some seated postures Oliver - no chance of falling over. If nothing else, sitting in sukhasana, siddhasana or virasana for as long as you can breathing ujjayi will help you enormously...

Yes shootthebreeze of shiny sword, the class is indeed still on. In fact the new course starts this Thursday, so a good time to come along, particularly if you've not yet tried any yoga.

mikec, so glad to hear you're returning for some more Iyengar yoga. I've no doubt it will at least ease your lower back and knee problems if not eliminate them altogether. And you will no doubt make a good case study/ guinea pig for your friend!

and the sun is at last here to salute - yeehaw!

Oliver, how's yer elbow?

mikec - guineapigging across the road is the way to go. Iyengar yoga is a brilliant technique especially for beginners and those who are very stiff as it is makes brilliant use of props...

greetings all,

all sorts of bendy banter going on whilst I've been away!

Indeed I too was mesmerised by the old footage. Ta for that *m.f! Extraordinary to think there was so much going in India (and all over the world) at the time and there's the dude ontop of a mountain, just getting on with some rather advanced practice!

Odd somehow to think that it was only in the 60's that yoga and eastern philosophy finally started to be considered in the West. Better late than never though I guess - a good thing people decided to have a revolution!

Yoga is indeed good!

Hey *m.f,

Indeed, certainly Ujjayi and dynamic posture work good in winter. As well as Astanga sequences, really interesting developing sequences that are instinctive to you personally which you are clearly experiementing with plenty - great!

And deeply respecting your early rising! What with teaching night classes, my eyes rarely open before 8!

Happy practice...

Hey James,

Yoga is certainly a pretty good place to start...

Hopefully see you later!

greetings all,

just a reminder that the new 6 week course starts tonight at 8.15pm at bodywise on roman rd, bethnal green (see first post for further info).

maybe see some of you then!

hey *m.f,

How's Kapotasana preparation coming along?

And yes, can see why Viparita Chakrasana feels a whole lot better on the beach!

Keep up the devoted practice...

Hi momentum,

Ta for your post and apologies for delayed reply.

Whilst some degree of asymmetricality is present in all bods, certainly some old cycling habits can exaggerate this and eventually cause discomfort/ pain etc and the knees are usually the first to pay the price as they are right in the middle of the principal cycling muscle groups. Sorry to hear, but certainly lots you can do to at least alleviate if not eventually eliminate altogether.

Firstly, 'tis a good idea for you to identify where exactly the imbalances lie. Balance postures are great for this as it is immediately obvious which side may be stronger/ weaker etc as well as where on the leg you feel the struggle or the pain. They're also quite fun and very satisfying when mastered! And lastly, they are great at addressing asymmetry. Try:

Vrksasana (tree pose)
Garudasana (eagle pose)
Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana (standing hand to foot pose) - use a belt around the foot if hamstrings are tight.
Ardha Chandrasana (half moon pose). Try this against a wall first...
Virabhadrasana III (warrior 3, hands on back of chair)

Other poses that deal specifically with leg asymmetry, hamstrings, groin muscles and knee joints include:

Janu Sirsasana (head to knee pose) - again, use a belt around the feet if hamstrings are feeling tight.
Virabhadrasana I (warrior 1)
Utthita Trikonasana (triangle pose)
Ustrasana (camel pose)

What also works particularly well with asymmetry issues is the ability to maintain seated postures for as long as you can. I recommend the following four:

Virasana (hero pose) - if your knees complain, sit up as high as you need to on books placed between the feet.
Sukhasana (easy pose)
Siddhasana (accomplished pose)
Padmasana (lotus) - try this on both sides. Again, if knees complain, try ardha padmasana and/ or place blankets under the knees if neither of them are reaching the floor.

That should keep you going for now! Let me know how you progress...

Yup, the Utthita Parsvasahita series I have so far only come across in Astanga. If following the primary series, it usually comes after Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana. All 4 done together regularly works miracles on both strengthening all the postural and leg muscles as well as increasing flexibility through the back surfaces of the body. Enjoy!