What is Babacool Yoga and other FAQ:

Babacool Yoga is less concerned with posture and more concerned with generating & organising your energy, balancing your body for optimal health, and delivering you into states of deep meditation & awareness. It is a powerful (and very relaxing) practice – if you’re looking to make changes in your life, understand yourself better, to relax or to heal then this would be a great choice of yoga for you.

It contains elements of Kundalini, Hatha, Yin, and Tantric yoga as well as other forms. Some of the other types of Yoga focus on only a few aspects of yoga such as posture and perhaps breathing, but this approach contains many aspects of the practice (movement & posture, breathing, lifestyle & meditation). It also draws on current research into areas such as the nervous, glandular and immune systems, longevity, sound therapy, mental health, gut health, inflammation, breath patterns, trauma release, emotional freedom, mind sets, flow states, sleep patterns, extreme temperature training and more.

As well as moving, stretching, breathing, relaxing and meditating and occasionally chant, you’ll often also work through emotional states such as fear or depression, and develop energetic outcomes like resilience or vitality.

If possible bring a yoga mat – there will be a small number available at the class. Please bring a blanket to cover yourself during the relaxation. There will be blocks at the class if you have difficulty sitting cross legged on the floor – you can bring a cushion along for additional comfort. Please bring a sweatshirt, cardigan or shawl to wear during the meditation so that you stay warm. Water is recommended to keep you hydrated.

Yes. Babacool Yoga is great for all levels of experience and in many ways it is more accessible than other types of yoga. What most people struggle with when they first come to class is sitting cross-legged during meditation – but even this can be modified (you can sit with legs straight out and rest against the wall) so don’t be put off. Yoga is a personal experience and is not a competitive activity. Part of the experience is learning to listen to your own body and working to the best of your ability. Most of the practice is done with the eyes closed so nobody will be judging you!

Babacool Yoga is suitable for everyone. However, if you are suffering from any medical problem or are recovering for an illness or operation it is advisable to consult a doctor before taking up yoga. Please also talk to me before the class or email / phone and let me know the situation – that way I can keep you safe throughout the class.

The classes are drop-in so yes, you can just turn up, there is no need to book. If it is your first class please come along 5-10 minutes early so that I can meet you and learn a little more about you. If you have an injury or illness that I need to be aware of, please let me know before the class – you can always email or call before the class so we can discuss it privately.

Chanting can be strange for newcomers to yoga. We don’t do so much of it in class but we do use it occasionally to try to change consciousness, vibration and brain chemistry. The mantras we chant have a meaning; however, the effect of the mantra often comes more from the sound and vibration rather than from its meaning. For example each sound causes the tongue to stimulate specific points in the mouth. These points trigger a response in the brain.

Chanting can be a fun and uplifting experience, especially in a group. However students who are uncomfortable with it do not have to chant and will benefit from just listening. Often beginners feel odd chanting and this can cause them to laugh! This is quite alright and is part of the process. Rest assured I do not use religious mantras in class.

We often start and end each class with a chant – at first this seems a little odd! But it helps you to leave the outside world for the 90 minutes of the class and over time if becomes a comforting practice that you associate with having quiet time to yourself to work it all out.

For maximum benefit a yoga practice is best done daily. However, anything is better than nothing. Once or twice a week will provide noticeable results.

No. Yoga grew out of ascetics searching for answers about life – they didn’t follow rules, rather they sat in meditation and pieced together their understanding from experience not scriptures. Some yoga can be taught in a religious way but this depends on the teacher. I do not teach in this way. For me Yoga consists of powerful practices that allow you to heal, relax, understand yourself and the world, change your energy, release trauma and ultimately transform your life. How you interpret life is up to you and part of your journey. My classes are open to people of all beliefs – I hope that as a teacher I facilitate a space to explore what life means to you, with factually based explanations of what we’re practicing and occasional ideas that may challenge conventional beliefs but which are always open to discussion!

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