YogaHome Review

FOR the average person, the ability to bend the body with all the ease of a drinking straw over the rim of a cocktail glass is something that must be worked for. It takes time, effort and, as I’ve recently found, yoga.

Like any new form of exercise, yoga shouldn’t be taken lightly though. A session of Ashtanga (fast-paced, intense yoga) a few years back for example could easily have put me off for life. I sweated and suffered my way through the session with limited help, relying solely on trying to copy the person next to me as though in a high school exam sitting.

Karen was able to teach a class of 15 or more, all of varying levels, with the grace of a swan and the eye of an eagle. Karen singlehandedly managed to open my hips and mind in one fell swoop.

The next day my bowels felt as though they’d been through a washing machine spin cycle, as oppose to an hour and a half of spiritual discipline. The blame? Entirely me. ‘Yoga’ was the buzz word back then and I dived in head first, following Madonna, Gwyneth and the rest of the yogarati.

 Fast forward to 2011, and a trip to see my yoga-lovin’ friend in London. To her, a salute to the sun is as commonplace as saying hello to the postman each morning. Her perky posture and heightened spirit enthralled me to give it another go. Properly this time.

YogaHome in Stoke Newington was where my yoga fate would be sealed. From the moment we entered the basement venue on the quietly residential Allen Road, I knew it would be different. This place is actually a would-be home converted into a tidy little yoga studio and it’s because of this you immediately feel welcome. No echoing school halls, chlorine-infused leisure centres or overpriced gyms. At £9.50 for an hour and a half class, you get to embrace an absolute yoga haven where, as well as their no outdoor shoes inside policy, there is also an unspoken no outside stresses rule too. Everyone in there is relaxed and ready to embrace mind, body and spirit.

The class we went to was Iyengar yoga taught by the very elegant and eloquent Karen Long – an Iyengar teacher of nine years. For yoga novices such as me, all the different types of yoga available can become as entwined in your brain as the poses themselves. I’d suggest committing to and mastering one style you’re comfortable with. For me, that style is definitely Iyengar.

Paying special, aided attention on holding correct postures (otherwise known as Asanas) Iyengar serves to develop strength and flexibility, easing you in and out of every pose effortlessly eventually.

 Karen was able to teach a class of fifteen or more, all of varying levels, with the grace of a swan and the eye of an eagle. Her ability to demonstrate and talk clearly and constantly throughout the whole session meant that no one was scanning the room for help and instead concentrating on themselves, their inner stillness and space. This, in turn, translated into some very impressive poses.

The trikosana (or triangle pose) was one of the first we mastered and Karen managed to open my hips and mind in one fell swoop. Once positioned correctly and held, you get an amazing, freeing feeling down your spinal column. No wonder then, that one of the benefits of this particular pose is back pain relief.

 As well as Karen’s expertise, props also played an important part in the session – a use unique to Iyengar I’m told. As Iyengar isn’t so much about speed or ability, the technique using props allows anyone to at least get the positioning perfected with a view to then work on their flexibility slowly but surely. Some long standing members of the class worked without use of the belt (used to hook around the feet for certain poses) or the blocks (used to help extend certain poses), but we were all unified in the fact we had great alignment, poise and depth to each pose.

The hour and a half went at a steady pace, with Karen slowly increasing intensity levels and creating sequences using the variety of poses we’d learned. Every time we returned to a pose, it became that little bit easier with Karen ensuring us that we’d get to a point where we’d feel comfortable to stay there and really enjoy the stretch and position.

Of course, some of the poses such as bakasana (the crane pose) where you need mammoth strength and stability to lift your entire body onto your arms and elbows, can’t be achieved by most newbies in a day, but is something to aim for with regular practice. And that’s the beauty of learning Iyengar with Karen at YogaHome. No rush, no fuss and no pressure. You’ll feel right at home here and when you’re done, you’ll go home feeling ten feet tall as I did.

Karen Long is a regular Iyengar teacher at YogaHome in Stoke Newington. Visit www.yogahome.com for more information. YogaHome is accessible by bus and train. The nearest underground stations are a bus ride away at Highbury and Islington and Angel.

For more information on Iyengar yoga at other locations around the UK, Karen also recommends visiting www.iyengaryoga.org.uk