Renee walked in to an Astanga class for the first time in 1998 and fell utterly in love. She has been practicing religiously since and started teaching in the spring of 2004 after having trained with David Swenson, David Williams, Prem & Heather, Michael Gannon and Brian Cooper, the latter was a year of ongoing studies travelling up to Edinburgh monthly.

During 2006 she participated in two 5 day workshops with Venkatesha and Hema and found all the back bending life changing, Renee also spent a week practicing with Guruji in London. In December 2006 she did 2nd series teacher training with David Swenson at Union Yoga, Edinburgh next to doing a workshop with her beloved teacher Brian Cooper where they did intensive work on the Bandhas. She is a member of the Yoga Alliance.

Since the summer of 2006 after having been inspired by Norman Blair the wonderful Yin Yoga teacher at her yearly visit to the Buddhafield festival, Renee decided to develop as a Yin Yoga teacher herself. She has since started studying under and is in humble gratitude and adoration to the divine Sarah Powers, Renee feels its going to be a life long journey and loves practicing and guiding her students through the challenging but ultimately wonderfully rewarding practice that is Yin Yoga.

Marrying together these 2 forms of Yoga develop strength in body and calmness of mind. Renee loves Astanga and Yin.

 

Yin yoga enables us to explore and heal to the innermost aspects of who we are by stimulating the 12 main meridians in our bodies through a series of postures held for between 3-5 minutes, most of the postures focuses on the iliopsoas region (where the lower spine, hips and thighs connect), the intensity of staying longer and surrendering into sensation and breath is what makes this particular form of yoga so effective in bringing our attention into the moment, a bit of space to just be.

The primary series of Astanga Yoga purifies and strengthens the body. Connecting with the breath and moving with breath awareness stills the mind. The dynamic flow creates lots of heat in the body, together with Ujjaya breathing and working with the Bandhas (locks) the body cleanses from within and becomes strong and flexible.

.

Sitting still in a comfortable upright position with an inner attitude of non-judgementalness and inquisitiveness to what is going on in the moment.

There is layer upon layer of sounds from innermost to the furthest away and the breath body is a constant to focus on when the mind is busy chattering, cultivating this "listener" together with patience and kindness to self we can slowly become more able to stay awake and be free.