Derek Ireland
Derek was larger than life. He was the sort of person who walked into a crowded room and everyone there would turn to notice and gravitate towards him. Of course he understood this. He held court like any royalty or rockstar. Unabashed and loving the attention like a child. He would have everyone joining him, […]
More than one type of warrior
by Gingi Lee There is a photograph of a Karate Master prominently hanging in the reception area of the Shala Yoga Centre in London. He is garbed in traditional Karate clothing (Gi). He is in a fighting stance wielding an Okinawan martial art weapon that is shaped like an old fashioned fishing oar. He looks […]
2014 the dream team
The Shala has always endeavoured to offer the highest quality of teaching and has hand picked an experienced and talented team who each bring a different quality and approach to the centre. Some of our team up against the brick wall at the new Shala.
2014 in memory of derek
The new Shala is dedicated to Gingi’s extraordinary yoga teacher, Derek Ireland (1949–1998). He started out as a semi-professional football player, moved on to become a punk rock promoter and then found his true calling as a yoga teacher. He was an inspiring and charismatic man who could have you laughing until tears rolled down your […]
2013 all systems go
It is all systems go from the moment we take ownership. Builders who have been on standby for over half a year, steam in and start tearing the place apart. It is an amazing sight to see all 250 square meters as one complete void. And a terrifying one to see the vast pile of […]
Bureaucratic boredom
We never imagined the amount of bureaucracy and red tape involved in taking on a project like this. Here, some of our teacher team (Cheney, Paola, Inna, Kath, Elinore, Gingi) are subjected to an enthralling afternoon of fire regulation training.
2014 stretching into west norwood
On the 1st February 2014, with toilet doors hung just a few hours earlier and builders hot-footing out the door in the early hours, we start laying down yoga mats for a full-house opening weekend. It is wonderful seeing so many old-timers who make the trek from all over London, and to meet the many […]
2014 in need of tlc
537 Norwood Road had a faded grandeur but was in dire need of some TLC with peeling paint and crumbling plaster. It was bringing West Norwood high street down and we are grateful to Lambeth for the grant they awarded us to restore the façade. We like to think it is now the prettiest girl […]
2013 derelict dreams
A vast 250 square meter cavity of a space – is ours. For a year the dream of the West Norwood Shala is continuously under threat. There are so many obstacles and so many hoops to jump through but finally we secure funding, planning and the purchase of the lease. At the end of October […]
2013 under-floor heating, insulation and jaccuzzis
It is with great relief that we escape lawyers and bank managers and estate agents and the stresses of setting up the new centre, to head to the Scottish lochs at Eco Yoga. Blissfully removed from internet (mostly) and mobiles (completely) we spend days walking and yogaing and bathing on our third retreat here. One evening […]
2012 the dream space
After yet another rent increase and more issues with our Clapham premises, we put it out to the universe to find a new space. That very same evening by the wonder of Google, we discover a vast warehouse for sale, 10 minutes from our house. We are blown away by the size of it. It […]
2010 off the rails
The search for another permanent home was a long one. With sky high London rents and very few large commercial spaces we despaired at ever finding somewhere. And so it was that we eventually made this railroad unit in Clapham our home for a few years. The “Shack” as Gingi calls it had it’s intimate […]
Care to dance
It’s not often we get to teach in a ballroom. We love this space in Streatham for it’s lofty, ornate ceilings, parquet floor and infinite grandeur.
2008 flirtation with chelsea
The Shala is invited to run yoga classes from a somewhat exclusive riverside holistic health centre. It is the closest the Shala ever ventures to leaving South London. Here Bella Galt and Gingi Lee are running a workshop at the newly built Riverside Très.
2008 the search continues
The Shala branches out to Streatham (whilst still running in Balham and Chelsea) and starts running classes in this gorgeous Georgian Stately home. We would have loved to make this magical spot our permanent abode but it wasn’t to be.
2008 institutionalised
Bursting at the seams in our tiny mews house in Balham, the Shala overflows into the the Balham library hall on the weekends where we are able to host larger classes. The space had Edwardian grandeur but it takes much energy to infuse it with yogic prana and rid it of its institutional feel. Needless […]
A tight squeeze
In homage to Sri K Pattabhi Jois’s original Lakshmipuram yoga centre, which had space for just 12 mats, the Balham mews house is a similarly tight squeeze with a maximum of 14 students. The energy is always great but we needed to grow and soon it is time to move on again.
2006 meeting of the rivers
Between 1997 and 2006 the Sangam (meaning Meeting of the Rivers) is the epicentre of the South London yoga scene. A strong and lasting community evolves in this bohemian warehouse space just off Battersea Rise. During 2006, it is with great sadness that the centre has to move on to new premises. It is the end […]
1997 sangam yoga centre opens
In 1997 Gingi Lee sets up his first yoga centre in a warehouse in Battersea, South London. Named the Sangam, the centre is one of the first yoga studios in London and the only dedicated ashtanga centre. Yoga at this time in London is still pretty underground and word starts to spread about the ashtanga […]