"There is a voice that doesn't use words... Listen." Rumi
Where my yoga journey began… It’s a little tricky to pinpoint when and where as Yoga initially was a random encounter that kept coming back into my life, and each time with me listening more intently. But i recall my first Yoga class was an Ashtanga class in 2008 at a local sports hall in London. The teacher there was running a small mysore programme and it was a friend who suggested it to me to try out. Not too long after this I took my first trip to India and found a teacher in Goa who was teaching Ashtanga yoga. At that point in my life I was on a different journey and it didn’t take hold, but the seed was planted….
Some time later and during many years of daily Martial Arts and specifically a committed Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practice at Carlson Gracie London I was again looking for another practice in my life. I have always loved using my body and exploring different types of movement and again found myself drawn back to yoga, but specifically in search of some stillness, healing and calm in my life. There was definitely an internal pull and searching that was coming up for me.
Initially I began a seated home meditation practice i’d learnt from studying Buddhism and Zen books and texts and found teachers in and around London to deepen this, including classes at the West London Buddhist Centre.
This study of eastern philosophy has been an ongoing exploration in my life ever since.
Around this time i’d picked up Iyengars ‘Light on Yoga’ book and a friend gave me a John Scott Primary Series DVD as thier partner was an Ashtanga practitioner and I slowly began integrating a home Ashtanga practice into my life.
As I was so committed to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the time my Ashtanga practice was secondary and I would fit it in where I could. I also began experimenting with other forms of yoga taking introductory courses at Iyengar Maida Vale in London, a local Vinyasa class and other forms of Hatha yoga. But after some consideration on which path to take I was always drawn back to the Ashtanga system and my meditation practice I had developed. These two practices I felt went hand in hand and I loved the connection and flow of Ashtanga, how it had been systematised in such an intelligent way, and the breath.
Since 2014 I have had a daily Ashtanga practice and regular meditation practice.
Developing my home practice at the time I felt was coming to it’s natural expression and in 2016 after deciding to leave Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, move from London and really focus solely on Ashtanga Yoga, I went in search of my first Ashtanga teacher and eventually found Iain Grysak in Bali. I spent my winters in Bali practicing with Iain, also taking his Ashtanga Immersion and Pranayama course, after which I moved and settled in Oslo Norway where I have been living and practicing since 2019. I have always valued tradition and lineage and the connection between teacher and student, especially as this develops over time with consisten practice.
Aside from my Yoga and meditation practices I have had a personal study of anatomy, trigger point therapy, and massage for over a decade and a passion for studying and observing body movement and body mechanics from a variety of styles including gymnastics, martial arts and rock climbing to name but a few. Martial arts, and in particular Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has taught me so much about other people's bodies, weight distribution and the subtlety of joint articulation and range of movement which aids me so much in my teaching.
Also having worked as an engineer for nearly 20 years, i feel this has given me a very good understanding of problem solving, which translates into breakng down movment and skills into accessible progressions with a focus on detail.
Other influences to note:
Simon Borg-Olivier, David Swenson, John Scott, Ty Landrum.
Partner and teacher with onyoga.no
