Hello once again

This year has gone by so quickly and we are now in the summer break. I don’t teach during August as it is a time for me to recharge my own practice, make changes to the studio (normally cleaning all of the props), take time to help with family matters and plan for the new autumn classes. This year also includes making all the necessary plans to renew the lease which runs out in August. The Yoga Shala has already been open for six years at Imperial House and I hope to be able to continue to offer classes there for some time to come.

The new schedule for Autumn 2021 is now available to see on my website. Go to Weekday Classes, then Timetable and Fees to view the schedule and see how to book. You should check carefully before signing up as there are some changes to the timing and prices of the classes, and you should know which ones are in the studio and which online. For the monthly Syllabus Workshops go to the drop down menu for the ones that are appropriate to you. Some of these will be back in the studio and some will remain online for now.

Whilst we have made some changes to get back to the studio, for now we will continue to use the current booking and payment systems for both online and studio lessons, but as the social distancing restrictions are no longer in place you won’t be sent a confirmation of your booking for the studio lessons. If you have booked and paid then come along to the lesson.
The online booking system will continue as before.
Please note: During the Covid restrictions we were very happy to give refunds or move funds to another lesson if for any reason you were unable to attend, and even without prior notice. Going forward we are reverting to requiring 24 notice hours of a cancellation if your fee is to be carried over to another lesson or workshop.

Yes, I have had to consider how we will be operating in the autumn of 2021 and whether to include both studio and online lessons. We have become so used to the online lessons but unless you have stepped back into the studio you may have forgotten how lovely it is to practice together in a dedicated space and with other people. The studio lessons that have run this year have been much appreciated by myself and those who have attended. Numbers have had to be limited because of social distancing but it has worked. Marked areas on the floor for individuals to practice in have kept us sufficiently apart. We opened the windows and often also had the fire door open to help with airflow. For more details of how we will be operating at the studio see the updated During Covid page on my website.

Over the past year, in addition to the weekly lessons, I have taught online workshops for the different Syllabus Levels of the Iyengar yoga system. These have all been very popular often with between 20 and 40 participants, many from across the UK and from the EU countries too. It has been great to welcome so many people from far and wide as well as those close by and I plan to continue with these workshops, some now back in the studio. You don’t have to be a teacher or trainee to attend but choosing the right level of workshop is important so that you do not find you are out of your depth.

The Remedial Classes at the Yoga Shala will be restarting from October 2021. If you have previously been a student in this class I shall write to you with details. If you think this is something you might be in need of, first check the Class Descriptions on my website (under Weekday Classes) to see if this is an appropriate lesson for you, then contact me to see about signing up. You cannot just turn up to the remedial class, it has to be agreed with me first before you attend.

The autumn schedule at the Yoga Shala will include a few new lessons. Sara Luff and Michelle Blyth will both be offering some classes. See the schedule for links on how to book and access those classes.
I am also planning a monthly Pranayama class. This has been missing during the last two years of restricted classes but I feel we need it back on the regular timetable. It will normally run monthly on the second Monday evening in each month, from 8pm to 9:15pm.

During the past 18 months I have been involved with some Therapy projects; being chair person of the Therapy Committee of the Iyengar Yoga association [IY(UK)] comes with those responsibilities. We have made a video and eBook about how to practice with Covid symptoms (both are available to all, for free, on the IY(UK) website) and I am now working with a group of teachers to put together a programme for Long Covid sufferers. We plan to launch this as a pilot study in the autumn and it will involve lots of UK teachers working online to help those who are struggling with the often debilitating effects of Long Covid. We will soon be looking for yoga practitioners who now have Long Covid and who will be prepared to take part in a 10 week study (between October and December 2021). I will tell you more when I have the details but IY(UK) hope to be signing up volunteers from September.

Finally for those of you who might be interested in studying yoga philosophy we have a new Sutras course starting in November. This will be a 5 module online course taught by myself and Gitte Bechsgaard. We have already run several of these courses at the Yoga Shala and they have been very well received. To find out more about the course go to my website; on the menu select Philosophy and then Sutras. You will find course descriptions, dates, prices and how to register.

I look forward to meeting up with you again soon
with my best wishes
Sheila