I have watched the video below no fewer than 10 times and it makes me laugh harder each time. It’s a meditation I created several weeks ago to go with a Weekly Intention about embracing the chaos in your life.
At the beginning of this week I started to edit it and heard a strange clicking sound. I turned up the sound and the clicking became clear…can you tell what it is? Can you believe it was picked up via Airpods??? I mean, go Apple with that mic sensitivity, I guess.
Anyhoo. Apologies that this did not end up being a new meditation for you. I have no voice this week due to a cold or I’d record a new one. In the meantime this is your message from the universe to…embrace the chaos.
I also thought I would share some behind-the-scenes from this week’s podcast, “Is stretching really good for you?” During the first part of episode, Jason and I taking a big picture look at stretching — what are the different types, why do we do it, and what are the science-backed protocols. We did this as a complement to the episode from a few weeks ago, “How much strength does yoga really build?”
In the second part of the interview, I talk to Genny Wilkinson, who is opening a huge yoga and movement space in London called, Mission.
Jason and I have known Genny for years and she is the real deal. She’s formerly the yoga director at triyoga London (meaning she managed 450 yoga teachers, can you even imagine?), she’s had a Mysore Ashtanga practice for decades and, most impressively, she is the mother of four boys. She does it all with cool aplomb.
She has a grand vision for Mission and I’m here for it.
Set in a four-story, 14,000 sq ft Victorian beer house and located in Shoreditch, Mission will be the largest and yoga and movement space in Europe with:
Five lofty studios with a wide range of class choices — from rocket to Iyengar yoga, vinyasa to Kundalini, meditation, capoeira, handstands, mobility and strength training, and more.
Three treatment rooms and a sauna
A rooftop terrace restaurant! Headed by an actual chef! (Nick Gilkinson of Townsend Restaurant at the Whitechapel Gallery, for those who are more in-the-know than I)
Plus, private yoga, PT sessions and specialist treatments such as a Sports Massage, Physiotherapy, Acupuncture and some beauty treatments
When I spoke to Genny before the interview, she emphasized that she truly wants it to be a welcoming, community space. It’s what inspired her to build and staff a full-service restaurant with a variety of offerings (including some chicken, fish, and wine). It’s also why she’s offering tiered pricing, so that those who find themselves financially in need will still have a movement home to call their own. She’s even working on ways to break down the outdated dynamic of elevating teachers above the students. Her teachers have a clear code of conduct and the classrooms are set up so that they don’t sit in the front of the class.
Jason will be leading his hybrid 300-hour training there this year and it starts this summer. Sofia and I will be there and I’m planning either a workshop or a live Yogaland podcast. (If you prefer a workshop or a podcast, feel free to chime in below!)
And yes yes yes, Sofia will want to do horsey things will we are in the UK — she rides hunt seat — so if you’ve got any suggestions, please share them!
Mission opens on March 20th! Let me know if you go! And enjoy these photos of the teachers and the space.
Share this post