ABOUT MY TEACHING
I am not fully known to myself, because part of what I am is the enigmatic traces of others.
Judith Butler
We are all in this together. And, we all experience many different realities.
My first yoga class was in 2008 with my now long-term teacher and mentor Mick Barnes at the Yoga Factory in Sydney, Australia. The strong physical Jivamukti and Ashtanga based practice was empowering because it was framed by relevant, practical philosophical teachings. Being aware of ourselves in order to be there for ourselves. The yamas and the niyamas. The value of remembering our personal ethics, ability to accept our own shadows, contributing to social justice, the importance of activism, and the observance of honouring our bodies; recognising these principles within our being - not just as things we do.
Working in human rights throughout my life, I have developed the view that true community vibrancy emerges from the ability of us all to
embrace our diversity
to empower ourselves through truthful and compassionate self reflection
to witness and support the empowerment of others
and to remember that we are all interdependent.
I share yoga asana and meditation practices with others because I know that they have helped me consistently through the years to self-soothe, recognise my own habits and patterns, and to find the still point between them. I share it because of the community we create and the insight and healing which arises from community space. In supporting that space, I work to acknowledge and honour the heritage of teachings I have learned as well as the diverse students who may come to form this community.
Since moving to London in 2014, I trained to teach yoga asana, meditation and pranayama with Rahoul Masrani at Yoga London.
My current practice and my community teaching is an ongoing exploration of these practices across yoga lineages, but also of intersectional feminist, social activist, postcolonial, Indigenous spiritual and environmental philosophies, and mindfulness philosophies.
In my private classes I tailor mindfulness, asana/posture, and pranayama/breathing practices and work to create a compassionate space in your day for exploring presence.
I teach to those first starting yoga asana and to those with many years of practice. I offer chair-based and gentle yoga, slow and alignment-focused mat yoga, and stronger Ashtanga-based mat yoga.
I have trained in trauma-informed yoga and worked with Ourmala, a London-based charity supporting refugee communities with free yoga classes, and trained with the Prison Yoga Project. I am a graduate of the Mindfulness Meditation Certification Program under Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield and Konda Mason (January 2023)
My training is not in a specific lineage but emerges from the teachers I work with long term, and the dedicated students with whom I am lucky to practice regularly.
See you soon?
Erin
The more I see, the less I know, the more I like to let it go.
Red Hot Chilli Peppers