Teachings & Philosophy

My Yoga practise began at the London Buddhist Centre, with Iyengar Yoga in 2000. After meeting Liz Warrington in 2003, I became enthralled by her intuitive playful Vanda Scaravelli inspired Yoga teachings and started to train with Liz,  Gary Carter, Diane Long. and other Scaravelli students and followers. 

 I Graduated in 2017 as a Scaravelli-inspired yoga teacher with Dot Bowen’s Integrity School of Yoga (School registered with the Independent Yoga Network).

My classes are based on the healing principles of legendary Vanda Scaravelli (1908-1999), and the transforming, heart opening teachings of Dot Bowen, Diane Long and John Stirk. I regularly train with a group of Scravelli students and teachers.

Intuition and concentration

The intuitive, inward focus during class opens up a deeper connection with our breath. We become still and let go, we move gradually to feel more softness and potential for movement. Old tensions are gently released and we perceive a deeper connection with ourselves and others. Through movement we experience liberating moments of joy.

Vanda Scaravelli was born in Florence in 1908. In her mid-40s, she met the philosopher J.Krishnamurti and the highly regarded yoga teacher B.K.S. Iyengar at the invitation of the violinist Yehudi Menuhin. She was taught by Iyengar over many summers in Gstaad, Switzerland, T.K.V. Desikachar joined them later. This laid the foundation for Vanda's own path to unite the body through gravity and breath in yoga and thus free the spine.

Yama

  • AHIMSA

    • Nonviolence in our actions, feelings, thoughts or words • Compassion towards self and others • Kindness and caring • Instead of pushing the body to a place of pain or discomfort, cultivate awareness • Care for self through exercise, healthy nourishment, stress management • Avoiding negative self-talk • Listening

  • SATYA

    • Speak your truth - including fears and obstacles faced • Speak, think and focus on the positive to manifest a positive experience • This is a lifelong practice of pausing to see if choices align us to our truth or put us off balance • Our words have a profound effect on our consciousness • Note the difference between perceptions/beliefs/judgments and the truth • Avoid over-committing, false friendships and saying things that you don't really mean • When we speak from satya - we bring out the best in others

  • ASTEYA

    • Avoid over-committing, false friendships and saying things that you don't really mean • When we speak from satya - we bring out the best in others

  • BRAHMACHARYA

    • Essence is honouring yourself and others in intimate relationships • Focus towards the balance of actions, thoughts, feelings to align with a spiritual path • Everything in moderation • Acceptance of what is - letting go of attachment to certain outcomes • Being in the present moment

  • APARIGRAHA

    • Letting go of ego • Very natural to feel protective, but we can also move into a primal fight or flight response • Being prepared and at the same time being able to release “the plan”

Niyama

  • SAUCA

    • In thoughts, feelings, respect for the body, mind and spirit • Treat your body like a temple • Regular yoga practice, bathing, eating fresh, whole foods • Cleansing the mind as well - meditation, affirmations, visualization, mantras

  • SANTOSA

    • Accept changes to the body, emotions and relationships as they occur • Study and gain knowledge - to gain awareness • When we have choices we can easily release fear • Regular yoga practice helps to increase awareness and acceptance • Accept what is happening and flow with it • Cultivate confidence to carry you through challenges faced • Life offers an ongoing process for learning, growing and evolving - realizing this bring us towards self-acceptance

  • TAPAS

    • Sustained practice • Translates to discipline - can relate to a regular yoga practice

  • SVADHYAYA

    • Focus inward on fears, changes, challenges, emotions • Connect with inner strength and knowledge - you can discover even more than you believed to exist • Notice how you deal with health challenges - to learn more about yourself and to strengthen your coping mechanisms • Notice without judgment

  • ISVARAPRANIDHANA

    • Divine empowerment, beyond the individual self • Connect to something that suits your beliefs (divine, God, mothers of all time, mother earth, spirit, universe, etc.) • Pass anything over to this divine empowerment that you feel is beyond what you can handle • Surrender and have faith, trust that this divine energy will support and guide you

Asana

Postures practiced in yoga, the body is a temple, preparation for meditation.

  • Cultivation of physical and psychological steadiness.

  • Ease of breath, mind and body.

  • Awareness of body.

Pranayama

Breath control, connecting breath-mind-emotions.

  • Breath brings forward so many things – both calming and energizing.

  • Our mind follows the breath - therefore we can control the mind when we control the breath.

  • Stilling the mind via the breath.

Pratyahara

Withdraw from the external stimuli and look at our internal self.

  • Finding an inward focus (very beneficial during challenges).

  • Observing habits in that may be not serving us.

  • Not allowing external distractions to become who we are.

Dharana

Concentration on a single point, before meditation, object or mantra.

  • Mindful Connection to each sensation in the body.

  • Not allowing the mind to run away.

  • Being present in breath, movement and intention.

Dhyana

Meditation, state of awareness without focus.

  • Meditation concentrating not only on one thing, but all encompassing.

  • Concentration deepens to point where subject and object dissolve.

  • Embracing a calm state without needing it to be stillness.

Samadhi

State of ecstasy, connection to divine and all living things.

  • Powerful feeling of connection to others and to self.

  • Connection to divine energy.

  • Trusting the self.

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Vanda Scaravelli

“Yoga must not be Practised to control the body: it is the opposite, it must bring freedom to the body, all the freedom it needs.” - Vanda Scaravelli

Vanda Scaravelli inspired Yoga – liberating the body and mind, to restore health and release the pressures of modern life. To find more freedom, intelligence and grace in our movements.  Working with the ground and breath to free the spine, to gently awaken and move it, to experience more lightness and effortless movement within the body.

Further Reading & Inspiration

 

Awakening The Spine

“The definitive edition of one of yoga’s all-time classics”

In 2012 the revised edition of Vanda’s book was published with help of her daughter Paola who implemented an extensive amount of notes her mother had left behind.

The Original Body

A guide from someone who has been involved in teaching the practice of yoga for over forty years and feels almost commanded to ensure that the real essence of yoga, the ‘necessity’ to turn within, is not lost in the West.

Deeper Still

A groundbreaking body of work. Uniquely John yet his ideas are substantiated by modern philosophical and psychological thought. This work lies on the frontier of the evolution of yoga practice and teaching.