Teacher Profile – Zoe Stewart
I have been teaching yoga for two years now since training with The Power Yoga Company. I teach at The Power Yoga Company, The Harbour Club and private classes all over central London. Alongside teaching yoga I run a small company selling beautiful jackets, waistcoats, jewellery, scarves and gifts that I get made in India (www.saraandzoe.com). I live near Worlds End, Chelsea with a flatmate and feel very lucky to live in such a wonderful vibrant city (although I definitely like to escape to the countryside from time to time).
Why did you start yoga?
I started practicing yoga when I was in India working just because I was curious of the hype surrounding it; I immediately loved the sense of peace it gave me. I began to learn about the history of yoga and its philosophies and realised what a vast and inspiring subject it was. I wanted to know more. Once back in London I continued to practice with the Power Yoga Company and enjoyed the more modern take where you got a really good work out as well as calming the mind and learning tools to help you both on and off the mat.[Soft Break]Alongside the training with the Power Yoga Company and the hands-on experience from now teaching yoga full time I am constantly learning about yoga, people, anatomy, the philosophies, the breathing and sequences. It is an unending and wonderful journey of exploration.
Why do you love yoga?
Yoga connects me to my most authentic self. I leave a yoga class feeling like I am more in touch with my body and mind; stronger both physically and mentally; harmonised, balanced and stress-free.
What is your favourite pose and why?
This definitely depends on my mood and what I need at that time.
If I feel tired and lacking energy then I love forward bends and inversions getting my head below my heart and feeling the energy come back to my senses.
If I feel run down I love doing lots of twists to cleanse the internal organs and kick start my liver and kidney as well as toning the core.
If I am feeling the need to calm myself I love a slow practice concentrating on really deep meditative breath and probably hip openers to de-stress.
If I need energy then a fun fast sequence with some challenging poses such as forearm stand gives me this.
This is what I love about yoga – that our bodies need different things each day and yoga offers us this.
What do you think makes a good yoga teacher?
There are so many wonderful yoga teachers around. I think that what makes a good yoga teacher is someone who continues to learn themselves. You have never ‘finished’ learning about yoga, there are always new poses, sequences, body areas or challenges to learn and then to teach. I also think no one should take it too seriously. It is meant to be enjoyed first and foremost and then however much people want to get from their practice is up to them. As long as they have fun then hopefully students will come back.
Hobbies/interests?
I love travelling and learning about other countries and cultures, I tend to travel to India as I design clothes out there but am longing to go further east to the plains of Mongolia next. I love exploring our own country whether it is exploring hidden corners of London or the beautiful countryside with long walks and fresh air. A new world right on our doorstep. I love food – eating it, finding it, buying it or making it.. all equally fun and delicious. Music keeps me ticking and we are so lucky to be surrounded by amazing live music, gigs and festivals that I adore making use of. This summer I went to Glastonbury, Burning Man in the USA, Secret Garden Festival and endless gigs and DJ sets. I also love creating new playlists for my yoga classes and think that some good flowing music can really help you switch off and get into your practice. I confess that I definitely get it wrong sometimes though!
Recent experience?
This summer I went to The Nevada Desert to go to an amazing festival called Burning Man. It is not like your average festival – it is more like a social experiment. The people who go to the festival create it themselves. You take all your own food, drink and supplies as you cannot buy ANYTHING once there in the desert. Even the huge music stages and bars are given by other festival goers. The whole idea is to give and share.
We flew into San Francisco and packed up our rented RV with endless food, fancy dress, tables, chairs and bicycles for the week. We eventually arrived to an 8 hour snaking queue at the entrance to the festival with RVs as far as the eye could see, swirling in dust, with people dancing on the roofs of their vans.
Once inside the week was spent exploring this vast desert area with music, art installations and people from all walks of life. You would go from a huge Trojan Horse which you can climb into with a free bar to a mutant fire breathing vehicle which you dance on as it travels around the Playa to jumping on your bicycle in crazy fancy dress both day and night to explore the desert, the parties, the music, dancers, exhibits scattered across the desert. It was mind-boggling – the most incredible, inexplicable experience. I will definitely go again.
Supercharge your 2012 body with Yoga
Never is a ‘New You’ more topical than at the beginning of a New Year. It is almost impossible to escape the countless tips, tricks and wonder-workouts on how to get your body into optimum shape. If however, you are serious about a stronger, leaner and healthier you, skip the quick-fixes and up your yoga classes to achieve the physique and wellbeing you desire, not just for the months ahead, but for life.
Every time you hit the mat, yoga not only improves your strength, flexibility and stamina, but just as importantly increases your awareness and focus. This heightened focus and awareness helps you define your goals. And as we all know SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-framed) goals are the most effective.
Another key element is the ability of yoga to improve your self-confidence and nurture positive thinking. Making changes in our lives, big or small, can require tremendous courage and tenacity. Yoga helps remove the self-doubt and gives you the energy and inspiration to keep pursing your goals.
Our own personal practice and teaching experience has taught us that regular yoga sessions play a significant role in achieving your goals. The synergy between the body, mind and soul that is achieved through yoga, but extends well beyond the mat, still amazes and inspires us!
So this New Year don’t be afraid to dream and set goals. Step onto to your mat with confidence, knowing that you will achieve.
When you focus on inner health, outer beauty will follow.
Amelie & Marie-Laure,
Founders of The Power Yoga Company
Teacher Profile: Kim Peacock
I started my exploration into the art of yoga in 2001. I discovered the immense physical, mental and energetic benefits of yoga and was inspired to train to become a teacher at The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta, Bahamas in 2004. I then went on to study (The Mini Teacher Training) with The Power Yoga company and continue my path as a student with various teachers from an array of traditions. I currently teach throughout London and Surrey, fusing Hatha postures with Vinyasa flow, dynamic and Power Yoga styles, always synchronising the breath with movement. I believe yoga is accessible to everyone and I teach with the understanding that every student is unique in their practice and try to ensure that every student connects with their own innate potential. My approach is fun, interactive, challenging and calming.
Why did you start yoga?
I was a Fitness Instructor for several years and hence studied anatomy, physiology and the intelligence of movement. I started to look for something deeper – a way to transcend physical intelligence to a deeper level of intelligence. I found ‘The New Book of Yoga’ – The Sivananda Yoga Centre, in my local library and first became intrigued by the philosophy of yoga. I then stumbled upon a quote by Swami Sivananda ‘An ounce of practice is better than tons of theory’ so, I attended a few classes and the effects were immense – physically, energetically and mentally. I felt liberated.
Yoga connects me to my most authentic self. I leave a yoga class feeling like I am more in touch with my body and mind; stronger both physically and mentally; harmonised, balanced and stress-free.
What’s your tip of the moment?
A good teacher knows that every student is unique and does not prescribe one method for all. A good teacher is in tune with all of his/her students’ needs, is flexible, compassionate and above all realises he/she too is a student.
"I feel so liberated in this pose. Wheel opens me up to the future and new possibilities, but above all it is incredibly energising and feels wonderful.
What’s your favourite pose and why?
My current favourite pose is Wheel; I feel so liberated in this pose. Wheel opens me up to the future and new possibilities, but above all it is incredibly energising and feels wonderful.
What do you think makes a good yoga teacher?
Be true to yourself and your practice, to your physical and energetic needs. The body and mind change day by day. Don’t get stuck; be flexible and open about your practice and simply enjoy how
What other passions do you have?
I love all forms of dance, from belly dance to ballet, as well as music, poetry, film and food! Anything that reminds me of my true nature.
Month of Wellbeing: Therapeutic Massage
Our interviewee today is Claire Durand, a professional therapeutic and pregnancy massage specialist and a facialist. She talks about therapeutic massage, its benefits and gives her own views about yoga and wellbeing
What is a therapeutic massage?
Therapeutic massage is beneficial for all sorts of health conditions
Therapeutic massage is more intense than a relaxation massage, so if there is a lot of tension to be worked out then it will be. However, unlike a sports massage, you will not leap off the couch in agony but the muscles are nonetheless being worked. Therapeutic massage is beneficial for all sorts of health conditions: it aids digestion; helps lymphatic drainage and releases stress, headaches, migraines and muscles aches. It complements exercise recovery programs for strained muscles. It also promotes deep relaxation, improves circulation. It also gives you the healing power of touch.
When should somebody choose to have a therapeutic massage?
It could be purely that you are exhausted or that you just want to be touched. So many people live on their own nowadays, especially in the city, yet we still all need physical contact. It is also useful if you are suffering from insomnia; have sore muscles or do a lot of running. It complements yoga and many forms of physical exercise.
How do you think yoga aids wellbeing?
It relieves stress and tension, tore muscles, it aids with the digestion, eliminate toxics, it relaxes you and the muscles, it improves circulation. And also it gives you that healing power of touch.
Month of wellbeing: Physiotherapy and it’s benefits
Our interviewee today is Andy Van Blommestein; a professional physiotherapist who specialises in musculoskeletal physiotherapy. He talks to us about the benefits of physiotherapy, shares a few tips on how to treat neck pain and tell us how he got on at his first class at the Power Yoga Company.
What is physiotherapy exactly and how can it improve wellbeing?
Physiotherapy is a profession that helps individuals restore movement and function to as near normal as possible, especially when that person is affected by injury, illness or by other disabilities. Our role also includes education on coping strategies and how to allow optimal healing. We can enhance wellbeing by reducing pain, regaining movement and increasing fitness and strength.
Can you offer us any tips on how to prevent common injuries?
"In the event of injury remember that the body is very good at repairing itself but if the pain has not started to improve after 2 weeks then it’s probably time to seek professional advice"
Neck pain at work is one of the more common injuries that we see at Six Physio. 3 good tips to help prevent this from occurring are:
- Make sure your desk at work is appropriately set up – i.e. that computer screen is eye level, chair is at a suitable height and that the keyboard and mouse sit in front of the screen
- Check your sitting posture and make sure you are not slumping over your desk
- Take regular breaks from your sitting position at work and try to stand up and move around at least every 45min.
In the event of injury remember that the body is very good at repairing itself but if the pain has not started to improve after 2 weeks then it’s probably time to seek professional advice. Please do visit us at Six Physio on the corner of PG Lane and Fulham Rd.
You’ve just completed your first Foundation yoga class. How did you get on?
My one concern before I tried yoga was my lack of flexibility. Perhaps I had also underestimated the power (excuse the pun) of yoga because I found the class a tough workout, requiring a lot more physical strength than I initially expected. But when we finished I felt great and also very relaxed. It surpassed all my expectations and was very impressed by the professionalism and expertise of the instructor, Michael. I will definitely be visiting again!
Month of Wellbeing: Naturopathic Nutritional Therapy
Our interviewee today is Erin McCann a professional Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist and Reiki practitioner. She gives an overview on naturopathy, its benefits, tips for general wellness and she gives her own views on power yoga and wellbeing.
Naturopathy is a natural approach to health care; it is the belief that a state of health in the body is a state of balance or homeostasis.
Naturopathy is a natural approach to health care
In health, a disease is a moment of imbalance in the body. Naturopathy is the application of the principles of treating each person as a unique individual by looking at diet, lifestyle, emotional states, relationship environment as well as medical history. It is treating the root cause of a disease as well as alleviating symptoms and also, educating clients to take ownership of their own health. All these principles are applied into the nutritional therapy I provide.
How do people benefit by undergoing naturopathic therapy?
Naturopath not only looks at what symptoms are presenting, it looks at what the root causes of the condition may be. It does look at short term: helping the person to feel better and also looks at long term: really addressing what their causes and how people can make sustainable changes into their life to maintain long-term wellness. Also, it focuses on prevention and not just curing disease. It is really a long term sustainable health care program.
Would you like to share a few tips for general wellness?
1. Broad spectrum of fruits and vegetables, 2. Healthy and good quality fats 3.Lifestyle: yoga, meditation, time with family, taking a bath
- Having a broad spectrum of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet, fruits and vegetables of all different colours, greenvegetables especially. They provide you with fibre, essential minerals and vitamins and also antioxidants which are reallyimportant, especially when living in the city.
- Incorporating healthy and good quality fats and oils helps to maintain cell health, hormone production, and metabolism and also reduce inflammation in the body. These includes: avocados, nuts, seeds, good quality olive oils. Make sure you have an adequate amount of these throughout the day in your food preparation and with snacks and meals.
- Lifestyle : Incorporate some type of down time and personal time. You can be doing Yoga, meditation, walking through nature, spending time with family, reading, taking a bath. All of these can be restorative on a daily basis. These activities allow you to recover and then fully engage with loved ones and work more efficiently and energetically.
How does yoga compliment your general wellbeing
I have been practising yoga consistently over the past 3 years. I find that it is beneficial at a number of levels. It helps to build physical strength and flexibility. Also it is a good opportunity to really get out of your head and get more into your body. Also I look at it as an analogy of how I move through life. When I come into a pose that I find really challenging, I try to acknowledge if I’m being judgemental or being gentle with myself. I try to adjust physically and mentally so that I recognise areas in which I need to work in order to progress. I find that learning these different skills, how to take on challenges on the mat and develop my practice, help me translate that into taking challenges in my life. It also helps me to be more grounded and more centred in that space on the mat but also take that out in everyday life. For me it does transcend my yoga practice into my everyday life.
Do you believe that Naturopathy compliments yoga practice?
I definitely do. Your diet, the way you eat, can determine whether you have energy through your practice or the mood and mental state that goes into your practice. It can also assist with recovery. Power yoga can be very physical sometimes.; your muscles might be sore and your diet can really help your muscles with that recovery process. Herbs are also great; they can affect your mental clarity as well as facilitate a meditation state. Herbs also can be used to help with physical stamina but also balance that out with relaxation. They are very nice tools to facilitate and support the practice. Bach flowers are useful as well. They clear emotional and energetically blockages. For example, if you are a person who gets discouraged very easily or you shy away of different poses because of lack of confidence in yourself or in your practice; these can help to support you to kind of get over that hump and be more present and then maybe tackle these with a new emotional perspective on it.
Yoga helps with body’s detoxification so if you are using food and herbs along with yoga, it can really help to support your natural detoxification pathways. Any kind of natural therapeutic body work can help you in your yoga practice. If you are suffering from a physical injury, body work can really support you in recovery and in reaching a healthy state.
Gastronomy and Wellbeing
September: Official Month of Wellbeing
Chryso Savva is our Digital Marketing Manager.
September, at the Power Yoga Company, is the official month of Well-being. A term that brings over 40,700,000 results on Google is indeed an interesting area to ponder and research.Our own definition is that wellbeing can be summarised as “yoga”; because for one to achieve a sense of wellbeing it is ideal to encompass the physical, mental and spiritual state with balance.
Wellbeing: a term that brings 40,700,000 results on Google is indeed an interesting area to ponder and research
During this month we will be interviewing professionals of the well-being industry, a chance to hear about their profession, share a few tips on their expertise and learn about their views on power yoga and how does it compliment well-being.
If you are a well-being specialist or a person that you feel that embracing a wellbeing lifestyle is essential to either your work or your general being then feel free to get in contact (marketing@thepoweryogaco.com) and also share or comment on content you find interesting.
Thanks for reading and watch this space,
Chryso Savva
The “WHY” in doing a power yoga teacher training
Our interviewee today is Pete Cherry, an accredited power yoga teacher, father of one and a musician . He talks about what let him into yoga and becoming a power yoga teacher, the benefits of yoga and gives out tips for people that have an interest of becoming yoga teachers.
What let you into yoga?
I started practicing in 2003, I did a lot of touring as a musician and I found that sitting in the back of the van for long periods and weeks, I was peaking up back and neck injuries. It was a bit of unhealthy lifestyle: you don’t eat right, you are drinking a lot, you work late night. I wasn’t feeling particularly happy as I wasn’t physically well. My dad had a few back injuries and he told me about yoga and gave me a book and that’s when I started to being interested about yoga.
What made you want to become a yoga teacher?
I think there is a human curiosity about why we behave the way we do and what is going on at a deeper level. We all do the same thinks, we get up in the morning, we have fun; and I started to fear that they weren’t answering many of the questions I had about life in general. The more I started to practice yoga and started to practice meditation the more I began to feel that I was asking the right questions. I was becoming more interested in the spiritual side of things.
The more I practice the more it began to feel right to me and I started to appreciate that maybe there is a bit more to life that what is expected. Regular practice keeps that interest and the feeling that you are being connected to things.
I was self taught for a bit; my wife taught me as she is a yoga teacher as well, and she taught me into classes, and I wanted to try and take that development better. I practiced in Santa Barbara,America, with Eric Siphman. I found the whole thing quite fascinating, they way he projected that feeling in the studio. I learned the feeling that you should get into practice, I felt inlove with it and started to feel that that was something I wanted to do and later on in 2007 I did a power yoga teacher training at the power yoga company.
What do you find challenging as a power yoga teacher?
The challenge I find in being a power yoga teacher is getting across more than just the physical movements. Power yoga instructions are quite fast and the movements are quite fasts too. Left foot here and right foot there; the challenge is to try and get across to people some of the philosophical benefits . The balance of moving very quickly and communicating what you want to say at the same time. If I practice a class and the teacher says nothing then it doesn’t feel right to me. I like to have that element in it.
How do the inspirational stories that you communicate to your students in your classes come out so genuinely and easy? Do you build that from your own practice or is it something you get from the teacher training?
It is a combination of things. To teach properly you have to be practicing regularly, that is important. There is a lot of reading you can do that will supplement what you do on your mat. I would recommend books about the origins of yoga and about the history of yoga and classical yoga texts by the yoga sutras; every yoga teacher should read them because that enables you to have an idea of the culture in which you are teaching.
If you go to yoga in your local gym, somebody might teach you that has no idea of the history of yoga and what you loose in those classes is maybe the spiritual impact of the teacher. So as part of your training you should make your job to educate yourself in order to educate others.
Out of the three yoga benefits: physical, mental and spiritual, which one of them is the one that you find the best?
I like the way that my body feels when I practice, you feel strong and you feel light and I like that. I think they are equally important: your physical well-being leads you into the appreciation of the other two.
There have been times in my life that I have been unhealthy and as a result of that I was feeling unhappy. The more I practiced yoga the more happy I felt and I began to start become more interested in the mental and the philosophical sites of them.
The real skill of yoga is to try and treat the three of them as essentially the real thing, as you are able to train yourself and appreciate your physical body as part of something else.
Tips:
- “Don’t go into teaching yoga thinking that you are going to practice a lot of yoga” When you become a teacher you’ll find that the hours in the day that you can practice are less than they were.
- Try to be individual, make the class your own. There are a lot of yoga teachers and this is why you teache the kind of class that you would like to be taught.
Teacher Profile: Elina
When did you first start getting into yoga and why?
Many years ago I fractured my spine in a fall whilst figure skating. I thought I had made a full recovery but in 2008 the old injury gradually started to cause me pain again to the point of not being able to get out of bed in the morning.
During this time I was also struggling with uncertainties in my personal life; my relationship and my job both felt out of balance. I felt like I had a million questions with no answers, and realised I needed a massive shift to take place in my life but was not sure where to start.
Yoga was my solution and it worked! In my yoga practice I started to get to know myself, my likes dislikes aims and goals. Yoga keeps me focused and willing to face challenges whilst spending less time reacting emotionally and procrastinating.
What did you do before becoming a teacher?
I worked in Commercial Properties in Mayfair and at the same time training and working on the side as a Holistic Massage Therapist.
Where did you train?
I decided to change career when I realised that all I ever talked about was yoga. I have very patient friends but it became clear that I needed and wanted to share this passion with others on a bigger scale.
My first teacher training was with Frog Lotus Yoga in 2009. In the same year I also completed Baron Baptiste level one teacher training. I recently completed Yoga Life Coaching training with Midwest Power Yoga.
Are your classes different from those of other teacher?
My way of teaching is physically challenging but still a style that is accessible for all levels. I believe that change and transformation happens out of our comfort zone.
When I teach my intention is to share that we are all capable of so much more than we think we are and that by shifting our perceptions we can start achieving more than we ever imagined.
The challenge is not coming from “fixing” a person or changing who you are, but from a place of realising “true self”. I challenge people to achieve a particular pose but it isn`t really about the pose it is about achievement beyond expectations.
What is your ambition?
I will continue growing and learning by connecting back to my teachers for further training and also to keep connecting internationally teaching classes workshops and retreats. My next step is to be able to certify students for 200 YTT and my intention is to be ready to do that by September.
