The Shala London
Yoga Postures

About our Yoga Classes

Find out more about the styles of yoga classes that we offer at the Shala

Our Yoga Classes

The Shala has an exceptionally experienced teaching team. Some of our teachers have been teaching for over 25 years and the majority of our teachers have at least 10+ years experience. Our schedule has been developed to:

  • allow students to feel the benefits of yoga from the first class 
  • make yoga accessible to all individuals irrespective of age, fitness level, flexibility or condition 
  • encourage students to learn a safe foundation for the practice, before moving on to more challenging forms 
  • offer a well-rounded programme ranging from classes for Beginners (Beginners Flow) to gentle classes (Yin) to energising Flow classes (Ashtanga, Creative Flow) and Aerial.
  • provide a progressive structure through Level 1, Level 2 as well as self-practice style classes 
  • empower you to take control of your own practice and develop an individual practice of your own which you can do anytime and anywhere
 

Most of our classes are typically taught in a warm (but not excessively hot) environment at around 22ºC, which is ideal for safely encouraging flexibility and allowing a gentle detoxification to take place. If you are new to the Shala, please see our New Student page for all you need to know about visiting the centre.

 

Yoga-Teacher-Team

Styles of Yoga

Our diverse team of teachers offer a range of classes and workshops, some dynamic, others restorative, some focused on meditation, breathwork, philosophy or the spiritual aspects of yoga. We are non-dogmatic in our approach and we honour all of these traditions. The emphasis of our schedule is on flowing, dynamic, energising yoga classes. A number of these are rooted in the Ashtanga Vinyasa (FLOW) style of yoga though they regularly deviate from the set ashtanga sequence. Some classes included influences from Vinyasa or Dynamic Flow depending on the teacher. To compliment the more energising classes we have more gentle Yin classes (YIN and Yin & Nidra) and workshops focusing on aspects of breath work, meditation, nidra, yin yoga, Aerial Yoga among others.

Although tradition and lineage are highly valued, choose not to always highlight styles of yoga on our schedule. Yoga has evolved so much in recent years with so many (often interchangeable) styles, it can be difficult and restrictive to put teachers in a box as well as being overwhelming for newcomers to yoga. Those who have some experience of yoga also sometimes come with their own preconceptions about a style of yoga, and individual styles can vary so greatly from one teacher to another. So we encourage you to come with an open mind and try the variety of classes we offer using our Introductory Yoga Pass. Each teacher is unique and brings their own individual style so if you would like to know more about the style of a specific class, please look at the teacher’s individual biography.

 

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Yoga Ethics: Yamas & Niyamas

Our team, work to uphold the ethics of yoga (yamas & niyamas) as defined by Patanjali  The first limb of Patanjali’s eight-fold path, yama, provides us with five ethical disciplines or virtues – non-harming, truthfulness, non-stealing, chastity and greedlessness – which serve as a guide to living by acceptable moral standards. Yoga offers us an integrated way of living, which is defined by these virtues, and their observance reflects favourably on the individual and on the lineage he or she represents. We endeavour to run the Shala in accordance with these disciplines and encourage our students to also explore these as a framework for living yoga in the fuller sense.

 

The five yamas and five niyamas set out a basic ethical code expected of yoga practitioners

Yamas (restraints)

  • non-violence – ahimsa
  • truthfulness – satya
  • non-stealing – asteya
  • non-excess/sexual restraint – brahmacharya
  • non-greed – aparigraha
Candle

Niyamas (observances)

  • purity – saucha
  • contentment – santosha
  • self-disciplined – tapas
  • self-study – svadhyaya
  • surrender/devotion to the supreme being – isvara pranidhana

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