Have you ever wondered where yoga came from and how it’s evolved to what we practice today?

I’ll take you on a short but exciting journey through the main stages of yoga’s history and together we’ll unpack what the practice is really all about.

• What is yoga? We’ll look at various definitions, plus your personal approach and what yoga means to you.

• What is spirituality? At it’s core, yoga is a spiritual practice, but what does this really mean in our modern day world?

• The origins of yoga and how it’s evolved over time - it wasn’t all “love and light”.

The yoga postures themselves are part of a much bigger practice. Together we’ll explore some other paths and approaches to compliment your asana classes.

• The 8 limbs of yoga - the path to inner peace.

• The yamas and niyamas - how to tell if yoga is “working”.

• Applying these aspects of yoga both on and off the mat.

What’s the point in memorising philosophical facts if you can’t use them to enhance your practice? Information is only useful if you can use it.

I don’t teach an esoteric approach to philosophy - I’m much more focused on making philosophy accessible and relatable, so you can apply this ancient wisdom to your modern day lifestyle.

• Yoga and the mind - the theory behind your thoughts and feelings.

• Chita vritti - your constant mind-chatter and how to turn the volume down.

• The kleshas - understanding the causes of suffering.

• Samskaras and habits - bringing awareness to patterns and cycles and knowing when it’s time to make changes.

Here we can overlap yogic philosophy with modern psychology to get an insight into our behaviour and beliefs.

I’ll share snippets of yoga philosophy that are relevant to real life, such as making decisions, managing your emotions, and understanding the inner workings of your mind.

• Suffering and contentment - long story short, our mind causes the majority of our suffering and contentment comes from within. Any self-help book will back me up on this, but isn’t it awesome that the yogis had this figured out thousands of years ago!?

• Attachment, expectations and desire - the art of letting go.

• Yogic decision making - how to make the “right” choice.

We’ll get our geek on and look at how amazing the brain is. In the philosophy sessions we learn about mental habits and patterns, but this also applies to our movement habits and patterns.

• Things the brain loves - how its desire for energy saving, safety and predictability make it so hard to change a habit.

• Neuroplasticity - how we can literally re-wire our brain. Super cool stuff!

• Habitual movements - we’ll bring awareness to all the unconscious patterns you may have created.

• Brain based movements - how to give your brain a beneficial workout.

• Variety and repetition - finding the balance between “knew” and “new”.

We’ll explore the ripple effect that is present between our breath, thoughts and physical movements. It’s the key to having a truly holistic approach to yoga and is a fascinating way to see how science and spirituality are linked.

• Intro to the mindbody connection.

• The pancha kosha system - the yogic framework for understanding how everything is interlinked.

• The parasympathetic and sympathetic parts of the nervous systems.

Zoning out or zooming in? A deep-dive into meditation, the common misconceptions, and what’s really going on in your mind.

• Meditation and mindfulness - same same, but different.

• Science of meditation - some awesome studies that have been done to prove how great it is and what happens in your brain.

• Types of meditation - if you don’t like sitting still and being silent that’s okay - there are options.

You’ve been breathing since birth, but it’s likely you’re still a beginner. Bear with me while I teach you the true power of taking a deep breath. There’s more to it than just staying alive.

• Introduction to the respiratory system - a quick recap on high school physiology.

• The lungs and diaphragm - why “belly breathing” is misleading and what you should do instead.

• Breathing techniques and pranayama.

Energy can be a mystical and abstract concept to understand. In this session we’ll start to make sense of energy, and learn how we can manipulate it and make it more tangible.

• Energy, emotions and embodiment - emotions are energy in motion. They exist in your body, not just your brain.

• The prana vayus - my favourite thing to teach and the biggest “aha!” moment in my personal practice.

• Applying the prana vayus in your asana practice - how to use these new energetic powers on your yoga mat.

Did you know that no matter how hard you try, some yoga postures will be physically impossible for you?

Yoga is for everybody and every body, but asana is not a one-size-fits-all practice. Your unique shape, size and skeleton are going to have a big impact on how you move, and what your physical yoga practice looks and feels like.

Rather than aiming for the Instagram aesthetics of an asana or forcing yourself into certain shapes, you’ll learn how to adapt asanas to suit you so you can properly personalise your practice.

• Introduction to individual anatomy - honoring your individual shape, size and skeleton.

• Body proportions and their impact on asanas - it’s a bit like finding the perfect pair of jeans. This is all about how asanas “fit” you.

• Common alignment cues - what do they actually mean, and which ones should you ignore? I have a non-binary approach to alignment - there is no inherently “right” or “best” way to do something - it’s much more personal!

• Engagement and energetics over aesthetics - focusing on how something feels rather than how it looks.

Instead of treating these topics as separate subjects, we’ll weave them together and build upon each one as we move through the course. Why? Because yoga is a vast and multi-dimensional practice, and connecting the dots helps you see the bigger picture and enjoy more benefits.