Private Tuition
Yoga is hard enough to do in the right circumstances, forget the extra hassle of transportation, arranging your schedule to that of a yoga studio, and over-crowded yoga classes with little, if any, quality instruction – all which diminish the pleasure of the yoga experience. Why not simplify things and do yoga in the privacy of your own home at a time that suits you? And have quality yoga experience that could change your life.
I teach Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and choreograph Vinyasa Flow sequences suited to individual client needs. I've taught yoga privately since 2002 and some of my students have been studying with me, once or twice a week, for the past 7 years. A private yoga class allows you to progress at your own pace while being guided on your yoga path with great precision. It gives you confidence to attend a yoga class, should you want to. Or, even better, develop the discipline, commitment and understanding to do your own practice. I teach one-to-one, couples, friends, or any group up to 4 people.
Private class are 90-minutes and cost approximately £100.
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is taught in the Mysore style of the late guru, Sri K Pattabhi Jois. You will learn the traditional sequence of poses in the Primary Series, the use of breath/bandhas (internal locks)/ drishti (gazing points) as well as the proper breath count in the series. Beginning with Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) your practice will gradually develop as the body develops strength and flexibility, the mind becomes focused and more stable, and the breath remains synchronised to the vinyasa throughout the practice. As you progress through the series, difficult asanas are encountered bringing you directly in contact with your physical/mental limitations. Different methodologies and techniques are taught to transform the body/mind until, suddenly; the pose becomes your friend and is attainable. Yoga is about the journey and not the goal.
I've studied in depth the Ashtanga Primary and Intermediate Series adjustments. All students benefit from my 'adjustments' that help bring the body into alignment, shift the mind out of fear, release hardness and soften the body, and gently take you deeper into the posture. The transformative nature of the practice helps you move out of pain, or discomfort, and find stability and ease in each pose - and consequently in your life. Basic pranayama and mediation techniques are also taught to more serious students, or those suffering from anxiety and stress.
A word of caution: In the words of Sri K Patabbhi Jois, "Ashtanga is 1% theory and 99% practice." The more you practice the faster your body will change and the easier it will become. The less you practice the longer it will take.
Workshops
If you'd like me to teach a workshop at your yoga studio, please email me: Heather Elton
Below is a list of current workshops that I've been teaching.
Prana Flow: Energetic Vinyasa
2 hour class. All levels welcome
Vinyasa Yoga styles - Surya Namaskars, Chandra Namaskars, Vinyasa Krama, Jivamukti, Tripsichore – are merged with music in a unique flowing sequence that leaves you energised and calm. Learn to use Mula and Uddiyana bandhas, control the Pranic/Apanic forces in the subtle body to feel grounded and at ease – Sthira Sukha Asanam - not only in the postures, but also in the transitions between them. Yoga philosophy is integrated with breath and asana to reveal the spiritual technologies that stabilise the mind and provide a glimpse into our true nature.
Vinyasa Flow: Beyond the Asana
3 hour class. Intermediate practitioners
Yoga is an ancient science that uses the body and breath to understand the mechanisms of the mind and liberate us from suffering. With this in mind, asana is the starting place for meditation. This workshop will investigate the subtle, internal techniques of Vinyasa flow. Focus on breath and bandhas to bring about continuous 'flow' in different forms of Sun Salutations and choreographed sequences with challenging asanas. Refine your Dristi to heighten awareness and concentration skills. Shift your awareness from the surface to the core. Learn to unify and ride on the pulsing energies of the breath to find stability not only in the posture, but also in the transition between postures. Yoga philosophy is integrated with breath and asana to reveal the spiritual path underlying the practice, and the technology to stabilise the mind and realise our true nature.
Change your Perspective: Inversions and Arm Balances
3 hour class. Intermediate practitioners
Learn how to change a Crow into a Headstand, float from Down Dog to Scorpion and breathe into a Handstand. Discover how to safely and confidently execute inverted postures. It isn't just about how flexible or strong you are, but what you do when you get there. We begin with Sun Salutations to develop the inner breath and bandhas, as well as strength, to flow more easily into Bakasana variations, Pincha Mayurasana, Handstand, Sarvangasana and Sirsasana variations.
Shiva and Shakti: Backbends
3 hour class. Intermediate practitioners
This workshop a 'classical' Indian yoga sequence to prepare the body for backbends. Hatha-variations on crescent moons, pigeons and asanas from the Ashtanga Intermediate Series (Salambhasana, Bhekasana, Dhanurasana, Ustrasana, Laghu Vajrasana, Kapotasana) will be explored to approach standing backbends. Use the breath to slowly find steadiness and ease in the poses. Learn to tune your awareness to the subtle energy body and harness the apanic/pranic flow.
The Divine Eye: The Inner Limbs of Ashtanga
3 hour class. Intermediate practitioners
A Vinyasa Flow workshop that integrates Patanjali's 8 limbs of yoga into the practice. Vinyasa means 'to place in a special way'. Do your practice with purpose by placing the mind, body, gaze, breath and energy with intention. Shift your awareness from the surface to the core. Be present. See the world clearly with yogic vision. Hone awareness to a single point – ekagrata- and seek inner reality. Become the pose and let it be an expression of your highest purpose. Cut through Maya, the illusion (ego) of separateness. Get connected. Every breath you take will help you to break down any sense of isolation and disconnection. Stabilise the mind and control your reactions. Change yourself and make the world a better place.
The Dance of Yoga: Choreographing Vinyasa Flow
3-4 hour class. Teachers' workshop. Serious intermediate practitioners are welcome.
This workshop explores the art of sequencing Vinyasa Flow. Learn how to teach a mixed-level Vinyasa Flow class and choreograph sequences suited to your individual client needs. This workshop draws its inspiration from various Vinyasa Yoga styles - Surya Namaskar, Chandra Namaskar, Vinyasa Krama, Jivamukti, Tripsichore and classical India yoga - and explores how to modify and evolve postures to create fluid, yet changeable, Hatha Vinyasa-variations suitable for all levels of practitioner. You will have enough material to confidently improvise as a teacher or in your own practice. We will build sequences that include yoga warm-ups (shoulders/elbows/wrists), forward bends, standing poses, arm balances, hip openers, backbends, inversions and savasana. All movement will be synchronised to the breath, and use bandhas and dristi, to transform the body and stabilise the mind. Basic yoga philosophy will be integrated into the sequences to illustrate how the spiritual practice can be taken off the mat and be relevant to life.
The Art of Touch: Adjustment Clinic for the Ashtanga Primary Series
Learn the traditional adjustments for Ashtanga Primary Series, as well as various ways to adjust each pose, taking into account common injuries and alignment problems. It's your responsibility as a teacher not to injure your students. This workshop will investigate the principles of hand-on adjusting, the biomechanics of each asana, and working therapeutically to safely touch the student based on what is going on in their body. Learn to sense energy and identify 'stuck' energy in the body that keeps your student in discomfort or repeating habitual patterns (mental/physical/emotional). Learn to touch your student in an intuitive healing manner, so they trust you (and themselves) and can shift blocked energy and move out of pain. Learn to guide the practitioner deeper into the posture with gentle touch and proper use of breath to surrender to the process. Participants will get to adjust others and receive adjustments in each pose. You will learn valuable skills that you can use in your classes and your own practice.
Heather Elton has studied Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in Mysore with Sri K Pattabhi Jois, completed her YTT with Richard Freeman, and has taken four of Nancy Gilgoff's 'Adjustment Clinics' to learn how to safely adjust people in the Primary and Intermediate Series. She has taught Mysore Self-Practice and assisted people in their yoga practice for over a decade.
- Workshop 1: Standing Pose and Sitting Poses thru to half Primary, and
- Workshop 2: Bhujapidasana thru to the Finishing Series.
- Each workshop is 4 hours.
- Prerequisite: 2 years daily Ashtanga practice and/or teaching
Meditation, Yoga Nidra and Savasana
2-3 hour class. Intermediate practitioners
A workshop that introduces basic meditation techniques to develop focus and concentration skills, diminish anxiety and stress, and help you identify and change thought patterns in the mind that perpetuate suffering. The Tibetan Loving Kindness prayer and Theravadan Walking Meditation will be taught, as well as basic sitting meditation, Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation and chakra mediations) and a blissful Savasana.
Seal of Power: Bandhas, Mudras & Pranayama
2 hour class. Intermediate practitioners
Bandha means 'lock' and mudra means 'seal'. The human system has many apertures or outlets. By locking and sealing these, awareness and concentration is deepened, fluctuations of the mind, intellect and ego are suspended, so that attention is drawn in towards the Self. The ultimate purpose is to awaken the divine Kundalini energy so it can find union with Purusha in the Sahasrara chakra. This workshop will explore the inner limbs of yoga – Pratyahara, Dharana and Dhyana – and use dristi and kumbaka retentions to focus the mind inwards on the Self. Hatha Yoga Pradipika describes mudras like this: "Happiness should emerge from your heart like hair sprouts from your head."