What do you enjoy most about being a yoga teacher?

Without a doubt it would be having the opportunity to share the practice of yoga with people and watching it transform their lives for the better.

How would you describe your particular style of teaching? 

For me, teaching yoga is very much about reading the class and connecting to each student on an energetic level rather than than a mental level as you would say in a university lecture. Like any artist, dancer or actor will tell you, you will create your best work when you learn to let go of the mind and tap into your inner stream of consciousness or flow.

I see yoga as a moving meditation. I spent many years practicing Mysore style Ashtanga yoga which has had a great influence on me. In this sense I see the role of a teacher to be more like a guide where you help the student find their own internal rhythm. In order to immerse yourself into the depth of a pose, one needs to free one’s self from the confines of the mind. From judgement, from defining oneself by the actual physical body.

Speaking of Actors, is it true that you used to teach Nicole Kidman? 

I work with a lot of creatives and find yoga particularly valuable to people in these kinds of professions. I enjoyed working with Nicole Kidman, as I do with all actors. This was in a private tuition setting, so we were able to focus on specific requirements each session. Interestingly enough, the idea of actors practicing yoga to enhance their craft is not a new thing. It traces back to the Stanislavsky and the Russia theatre in the early 20th century. 

What is the difference between a yoga teacher and a yoga instructor?

While many don’t distinguish between the two these days, I see the role of the yoga instructor as someone who provides technical advice. The term is used more by the fitness industry. The role of the yoga teacher on the other hand should encompass the philosophy and lifestyle of yoga as a whole.

Do you need to change your diet in order to practice yoga?

Yogi’s are traditionally vegetarian and follow the principals of Ayurveda, where satvic foods (fresh foods that alkaline and increase the body’s energy levels) are selected to balance an individual’s constitution. As you get deeper into your yoga practice your body becomes like a finely tuned instrument. You develop a heightened sense of awareness and become conscious of the effect each type of food has on your body’s performance. It’s not that you need to change your diet over night however as your practice deepens you will naturally become drawn to these foods. 

Do you need to be flexible to take up yoga? 

Not at all. A popular misconception is that the aim of yoga is to achieve the perfect pose. Like life, nothing is ever perfect and everything is in a constant state of change. Our relationship to our body is no different. You need a certain amount of resistance within each pose to work against. In a way this resistance becomes your teacher.

Providing the mind and body are alined with the breath, a person who can not yet reach their toes can still achieve great depth in their practice.

What is the greatest benefit to be gained by practising yoga?

That’s going to be subjective for each person. I think a lot of people these days will initially take up the practice to tone their bodies or to de-stress. What ends up happening is that they discover a deeper underlying benefit. They discover a connection or a sense of unity between their mind and their body. As one goes even deeper into the practice this unity starts to extend beyond oneself and into the world around us.  

Do you ever get bored practicing the same yoga poses over and over? 

In short, no. The more you practice the more you discover how different your body is from one day to the next. In this sense, the pose becomes a gauge or a measure of where you’re at that day. 

Aside from the physical aspect of a pose, one of the key challenges of yoga is the practice of being present in each pose. You have to imagine you are entering that pose for the very first time. Cultivating this kind of awareness then becomes something we can take into our everyday life. In essence, each time we sip our morning coffee or each time we say good morning to our neighbour  is an opportunity to practice yoga. 

What is your favourite yoga pose? 

There is a saying ‘we always avoid the poses we need the most’. This also works in reverse, which is why I try avoid having a favourite. Hm, maybe upavistha konasana.