Sweat, Breathe and Laugh

Morning all,
We hope you are well! Today we have guest writers in the form of your SMASH London Yoga instructors Sandi and John.

You can join their classes every Tuesday at 6.45pm (see below for regular links). If you have any questions for them (or us) feel free to ask.

Enjoy your week and stay safe!



Sam and Ash
Ps You may find it handy to invest in a couple of blocks, a yoga strap and if you don't already have one, a mat. In the meantime a couple of chunky books and a belt are a great substitute.

The Class

An energetic and uplifting vinyasa flow. These classes are for anyone and everyone seeking a dynamic, challenging and fun yoga practice.
Focused on coordinating movement with the breath, these fast-paced classes are physically challenging but also spiritually invigorating. Expect to sweat, breathe and laugh!
Intro

We are delighted to take part in the mind and body ethos of SMASH London and can’t wait to get to know all the other SMASH members!
We are a yoga crazy couple and have loved being able to practice yoga together every day during lockdown (one of the few silver linings of the current pandemic!)
Below is a bit more info about our individual yoga journeys.
Sandi’s Bio

I started Yoga in my early 20’s when I accidentally stumbled in a Hot Yoga class back home in Dublin, Ireland, within an ex-office building, with corporate lighting, carpet flooring and super bendy people who “obviously had been doing this for a long time”. I felt intimidated, to say the least, but like all things, I persisted to give it a go. The more I practiced, the more I began to connect to myself, physically and emotionally. Nowadays, I still have the same curiosity for the practice, it continues to surprise me, to challenge me and to offer a space where I can continue growing, discovering and expressing myself.

I pursued my first teacher training with Yoga London in 2017 where I trained in Ashtanga Vinyasa. Since then, I have been expanding my learnings with The Yoga People, training in Mandala Vinyasa Yoga, Rocket Yoga and Yin across London and Thailand.

My classes are strong, focusing on building strength as well as improving the range of motion in the body. I am passionate about Movement and my inspiration comes from yogic practices but also from primal movement, sports, dance and nature. I like to be playful in my sequences, and I invite you to come and embrace the child in you also. I love anatomy and I am utterly fascinated by the uniqueness of our bodies, so I try to teach in a way that invites you to learn and embrace this also.
John’s Bio

Growing up, I was always sports-mad and played every sport imaginable. Eventually, I settled on track and field athletics and competed at a national and international level as a 100m sprinter. During my years as an athlete, I had an on/off relationship with yoga but primarily as part of regular rehab training for the numerous injuries that I picked up over the years. Unlike my wife (Sandi), I did not “connect” instantly with the regular practice of yoga, probably because my focus was always on training, training, training!

However, eventually, the injuries began to take their toll and during a particularly long stretch of injury, my mental health really began to suffer. Every aspect of my life was affected - from my relationships to my work-life to my physical health.

Through gentle encouragement from my wife, I began to practice yoga every day. I started to really connect to the spiritual aspects of the practice. Yoga helped me work through both my physical injuries and the mental turmoil that I was experiencing. It was a transformative experience and I have practiced and studied yoga every day since.

As a teacher, I seek to draw on the philosophical teachings of this ancient tradition, focusing on all aspects of yoga - from the physical to the mental to the spiritual. My classes are challenging, energetic and focused on the magic power of moving in coordination with your breath!
As a student, teacher and yoga practitioner, I am forever indebted to my wife Sandi and also to my teacher Stewart Gilchrist who always pushes me to take my practice further.
SMASH YOGA RULES:

1. Whenever you need to…take a Child’s Pose!
2. Listen to your body and use your props
3. If you lose your way, come back to your breath.