Events
There are many different styles of Yoga and the monthly Yoga events arranged by SYA provide opportunities for experiencing these different Yoga styles. The tutors for these SYA events are carefully chosen so that members can enjoy as great a variety as possible.
Diary of Events for 2020
Link to Workshop descriptions through the event date.
Some workshops may be cancelled due to COVID-19. Please monitor the website for further announcements.
| Date | Theme | Tutor |
| 2020 | ||
| 18th January | Ayurveda | Julia Chilcott-Coombes |
| 8th February | Ashtanga | Michelle Higgins |
| 7th March | Iyengar | Rachel Lovegrove |
| 4th April CANCELLED | Qi Gong, 5 Rhythms | Martin Julich |
| 16th May CANCELLED | Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs | Tamsin Kelly |
| 20th June Celebration Day |
Vinyasa | Jean Hall |
| 18th July | Art of Living | Akash Gupta |
| 12th September | Stress Management & Relief | Kate Dickens & Sharon McKinnon |
| 10th October | Kundalini | Amanjot Kaur |
| 7th November | Chanting and Sound in Yoga | Sarah Waterfield |
| 5th December | Nurturing | Jocelyn Jones |
The Southampton Yoga Association Diary of Events for 2020 can now be downloaded.
Adobe Acrobat document [191.2 KB]
icon at each event below. A place will be reserved for you, if available. You
will need a debit or credit card to pay online in order to complete the booking.
Prices for 2020:
| Workshops | ||
| Half day pre-booked £ | Full day pre-booked £ | |
| Member | 12 | 24 |
| Non-Member* | 24 | 36 |
| Celebration Day: Saturday June 20th - includes lunch | ||
| Early Bird** pre-booked £ | Non-Early Bird pre-booked £ | |
| Member | 30 | 50 |
| Non-Member* | 62 | |
*Non-members can join SYA at no extra charge - just complete a membership form
**'Early Bird' - book before 31st January 2020 for Members who have renewed/joined for 2020
Venue:
Events are normally held at Durley Memorial Hall, Durley Street, Durley, Southampton, SO32 2AR.
Props:
Tutors may require participants to bring their own props. Where this is the case these requirements are listed in the event description.
Please note that you can substitute a towel for a blanket, or substitute a rolled up blanket or towel for a bolster.
Please endeavour to borrow flat blocks, bricks and belts from a fellow yogi when you don’t have your own. If this really is not possible, please email the Events Secretary at least 2 weeks prior to the event and the committee will arrange to borrow props from local teachers.
Yoga with Julia Chilcott-Coombes
Saturday 18 January 2020
Morning Workshop: 10am – 12noon
Afternoon Session: 1 - 3pm
Both Sessions: 10am - 3pm
(Please bring your own lunch if staying all day)
Session 1: 10-12noon Agni-The Fire in Our Belly
According to Ayurveda the key to good health is properly functioning agni, which in the form of digestive fire helps us assimilate nutrients and get rid of waste, or ama (toxin). Efficient digestion nourishes and sustains every tissue layer and organ in our body. When Agni is balanced and strong, we’re full of vitality. This workshop will focus on specific asana practice designed to strengthen Agni.
Throughout the morning session we will explore dosha presence with an aim to bring related sub-doshas into harmony. We will also cover:
- What triggers vata and pitta-type imbalances at the level of the digestive system; how to recognise the symptoms for each
- How to access manipura and swadisthana chakras effectively
- How to work, effectually with the lower two bandhas (Mullah and Uddiyanda)
- Asanas and pranayama for vatta/air-type imbalances
- Asanas and pranayama for pitta/fire-type imbalance
- Meditation practice of yoga nidra based on the five main bodies (koshas)
Designed for all levels and experience.
Julia invites any participant to contact her directly prior to the workshop should you wish to discuss any health or mobility concerns. www.yogavedaukhub.com
Session 2: 1- 3pm Dhatus , Ojas and Vitality!
The session will focus on how we can manage health and well-being through further understanding our tissue layers and nervous system.
Through discussion and presentation, we will build upon the morning session and explore further how Agni, along with its antithesis Ama – are essential constructs in the maintenance of health.
Ayurveda describes seven Dhatus or tissue layers that are built sequentially over a 30-day period, which culminates in the production of Ojas (elixir of life) when functioning properly.
We will cover:
- The relationships of the Dhatus in the body, and understand that they are sites that doshas enter
- The important relationship that Ojas has with the Dhatus
- The impact on our bodies when Ojas is depleted and when digestion is faulty, as well as living a life that is filled with excess stress and activity.
Central to this session will be a development of a deeper understanding on the importance that a balanced nutritional Dosha specific diet along with the use of pranayama & meditation has to aid vitality, good health and wellbeing for all!
Julia Chillcott-Coombes
BA (Hons), Phys Ed Cert, PGCE, E-RYT-500, CYQ-YMCA Dip, MCMA Julia is a fully qualified and experienced Ayurveda Practitioner, Yoga Teacher, and Registered Therapist. Combined with her background as a secondary school teacher, Julia is perfectly placed to share her passion and enthusiasm for improving well-being, through clear and informative practices. Julia combines her traditional Indian yoga training in Ashtanga and Sivananda with a fusion of western Yoga teacher training to include aspects of Hatha, Yin and Restorative yoga to meet the needs of her clients. Julia has developed her own thriving Ayurveda and Yoga practice, Yoga Veda UK based in Southampton (UK).
Yoga Morning with Michelle Higgins
Saturday 8 February 2020 10am – 12noon
An Insight Into The Ashtanga Vinyasa Primary Series
Ashtanga Vinyasa is a dynamic flowing practice moving through a set series of postures linking movement with breath. It is a beautiful combination of strength, flexibility, stamina and grace. Each posture builds on the preceding ones and prepares the body and mind for those to come It can be practised by any one and any body.
This workshop will look at the history of Ashtanga Vinyasa before taking you through the primary series in a relaxed and chatty way.
Students are asked to bring their own props as follows:-
1x brick
1x strap
Michelle Higgins
Michelle is a former solicitor and has been a full time yoga teacher since 2017. She has practised yoga for over 10 years and is a dedicated student in the Ashtanga tradition having completed her teacher training with Ashtanga Yoga Glastonbury. She continues to study and has a particular interest in yoga philosophy.
www.michellehigginsyoga.co.uk/
Full Day with Rachel Lovegrove
Saturday 7 March 2020 10am – 4pm
(Please bring your own lunch)
Morning Session: 10am - 12:30pm; Afternoon Session: 2 - 4pm
The workshop will be aimed at all abilities and is open to all. The morning session will focus on a more dynamic practice, the afternoon recuperative poses will be introduced for a fully rounded day. However, precise details of the workshop will come to light on the day as Rachel is a highly intuitive teacher, preferring to create a session based on the needs of the people in front of her, not to adhere to a set programme that is prescribed in advance. Bring your questions, concerns and issues, this will be a highly creative workshop!
Students are asked to bring their own props as follows:-
4x flat blocks
2x bricks
2x belts (Rachel will supply one each)
1x blanket
1x bolster
Rachel Lovegrove
Rachel is a senior Iyengar Yoga teacher from Winchester. She trained in the UK, USA and India with the Iyengar family and has been teaching Iyengar yoga since 1998.
Over the years she has developed a down to earth and humorous style to her teaching whilst at the same time paying close attention to the detail and precision of an Iyengar yoga practice. She encourages students to explore their boundaries in both a playfully curious and safe way according to their individual abilities and to make yoga part of their daily life.
She recently completed further studies in the therapeutic application of Iyengar yoga for those with medical issues and has just finished her 17th year of hosting her very popular international retreats.
She teaches in Southampton and Winchester but was based in Portugal for 12 years and now travels internationally to teach wherever she is invited. Rachel is also a mentor, training the next generation of Iyengar yoga teachers.
Yoga Morning with Martin Julich - CANCELLED
Saturday 4 April 2020 10am – 12noon
The workshop will start with some Pranayama and Meditation to explore getting settled and grounded, followed by a mixture of Yin and Dynamic Style influenced Yoga. If there are any ailments or needs in the room, do voice them, as the form of the session will change according to who’s actually there.
The slowness of Yin lends itself to listen within and allows explorations of adjustments guided from the inner feeling. In Yin we tend to explore postures for 1-5 minutes, whilst the Dynamic Yoga influence focuses of Grounding, Broadening and Lengthening and activating your Bandha from the Hand and Foot Spirals.
Students are asked to bring their own props as follows:-
3x flat blocks
1x blanket
Martin Julich
Martin has been practising Yoga, Qi Gong and Conscious Dance (5 Rhythms) since the the mid to late 80’s and loves an approach of ‘Being Inclusive’ in his teaching, aspiring to listen to and follow the inner voice to work with what presents in the room. His trainings in 5 Rhythms and Gestalt Therapy have a big influence in this. He runs Love Yoga Studio and with his partner Laura Davison at the Rosemount Centre for Complementary Therapies. He is also a Shiatsu Practitioner and Chinese Herbalist.
Yoga Morning with Tamsin Kelly - CANCELLED
Saturday 16 May 2020 10am – 12noon
Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs
Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs is an evidence-based course offering a mind-body approach for treating chronic back pain. The 12 week programme teaches participants how to strengthen and care for their back with simple yoga sequences combined with breathing and relaxation techniques. The course was developed by Iyengar teacher, Alison Trewhela and shown to be effective in a randomised controlled trial. The workshop will include a taster class and is for anyone keen to know more about this gentle, methodical approach which can bring about transformative results.
Students are asked to bring their own props as follows:-
2x blocks
1x belt
1x blanket
1x pillow
Tamsin Kelly
Tamsin is a Yoga For Healthy Lower Backs and British Wheel of Yoga teacher and foundation course tutor. She's been practising yoga for more than 20 years and teaching since 2008. Tamsin runs Studio Yoga just outside Stockbridge, where she teaches Hatha and Restorative Yoga in addition to Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs.
YOGA CELEBRATION DAY with Jean Hall
Saturday 20 June 2020 10am – 4pm
(The event price includes a delicious lunch with a selection of dishes including vegan and gluten free options)
Differentiate, Activate, Integrate
Morning Session: 10am - 12:30pm; Afternoon Session: 2 - 4pm
Join Jean for a workshop to explore, feel and understand how bones, ligaments and joints have their own distinct functionality and role within the body. You’ll discover how they relate and work together to create wholeness of activation and full movement connectivity and integration. We’ll delve into the theory of our structure, but more importantly into creative movement explorations through experiential anatomy along with somatic yoga practices to cultivate and notice how subtle awareness and small changes within us have the most profound effect on how we feel, breathe and move our body in the circumstances of our lives.
Students are asked to bring their own props as follows:-
2x flat blocks
1x belt
1x blanket
1x bolster
Jean Hall
Having discovered yoga whilst training as a dancer it soon became an integral part of Jean's life, developing alongside her career as a performer and, perhaps more importantly, her own personal learning and exploration.
She teaches a somatic style of flow (vinyasa) yoga and movement that stems from a deep listening within, so that the body’s wisdom and knowing can be heard, felt and valued. Her approach is both traditional and innovative, inspired by creative and fun sequencing that unfolds into dynamic flows, to help draw students and teachers safely beyond perceived limitations and closer to true potential and confidence.
Yoga Morning with Akash Gupta
Saturday 18 July 2020 10am – 12noon
Indic Yoga
In this workshop, we will transcend all seven layers of the existence - 1. Sarir, 2. Swas, 3. Mann, 4. Buddhi, 5. Chitta, 6. Ahankar and 7. Chetana (Body, Breathe, Mind, Intellect, Memory, Ego and Self). We all have been practising yoga asana; we might be perfect in doing sophisticated asana however, we don’t experience the bliss, and we are perhaps stuck at some layer/s; inhibiting us to experience the self.
This workshop will include group activities and surrendering processes and powerful processes to experience freedom and joy and be in tune with the nature. We will also revive yoga philosophy more through the experience in the workshop rather than listening.
Throughout the workshop we will keep rejuvenating our energy with Pranayama (Prana: subtle life force, ayama: giving a proper direction/regulation) to bring in harmony between body, breath and mind. We will also practise normal yoga asanas of various sequences: Padmasadana and Suryanamskar and Asanas (Sri Sri Yoga Style). We will also experience the power of mudra pranayama. Ultimately we will complete the entire process by Panchakosha meditation.
Akash Gupta
Akash is a very authentic and profound yoga and meditation teacher. His wonderful uniqueness is not only in the authenticity of his yoga but also in the humour with which he delivers his classes.
An Art of Living teacher, trained by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravishankar, Akash spreads happiness and joy by teaching breathing technique called Sudarshan Kriya, harmonising various bio-rhythms in the body, breath and mind, guiding each student to blossom into a state of natural bliss offered in ‘Happiness Program’ by The Art of Living. In this workshop he will sharing a little bit of his yoga experience and learnings with all of you.
Yoga Morning with Kate Dickens & Sharon McKinnon
Saturday 12 September 2020 10am – 12:30pm
Yoga for Stress Management & Relief
Recent research in brain science shows how regular yoga practice can change your brain to help you manage your emotional response when faced with stressful situations.
If you turn up to a yoga class once a week you are likely to experience a certain amount of stress relief simply through focusing on mindful movement to breath. But to actively manage stress, a simple understanding of neurobiology helps, as regular habits need to be cultivated so that you can consciously help yourself to manage your emotions, calm yourself and shift your stress.
In this session you will explore a holistic approach to doing this by working through the five Koshasusing - a blend of Asanas, Pranyama and meditation. You will take away practical techniques and tips, based on the latest research, that you can use to build into your everyday life to support self-care.
Kate Dickens
Kate is a yoga teacher, wellbeing specialist and life coach. Her passion is to help people flourish at work and her special interest is in using yoga and other evidence-based interventions to promote positive and respectful cultures in organisations and to help people to manage and relieve stress.
Sharon McKinnon
Sharon is a yoga teacher and clinical psychologist. As a psychologist, having worked in the NHS for over twenty years, and now working independently, she has developed a special interest in working with stress, trauma and anxiety, and how yoga can be helpful to reconnect with our bodies and regain composure and resilience.
Yoga Morning with Amanjot Kaur
Saturday 10 October 2020 10am – 12noon
Transitioning into the Age of Aquarius
Yogi Bhajan has openly shared the teachings of Kundalini Yoga in order to prepare humanity for the major changes that the planet is going through. The world we knew even ten years ago has totally changed geographically, socially, economically, morally. We have already crossed from the Piscean Age into the Age of Aquarius. As he has said, "What used to work, won't work anymore." It's a new Age already, and this ancient technology of Kundalini Yoga can give us the awareness and the strength to make our transition smoother.
Students are asked to bring their own props as follows:-
1x blanket
Amanjot Kaur
Amanjot has been teaching Kundalini Yoga for a decade to all kinds of people with all kinds of problems, ailments and personal challenges. Finding the pace and style of Kundalini Yoga extremely effective delivering recurring positive results is what caught Amanjot's attention in the first place and keeps her engaged and expanding within her own practice.
Full Day with Sarah Waterfield
Saturday 7 November 2020 10am – 4pm
(Please bring your own lunch)
Chanting and Sound in Yoga
Morning Session: 10am - 12:30pm; Afternoon Session: 2 - 4pm
We will learn various chants and mantras, their origins and meanings, and when to use them in our practice, life and teaching. We will also explore combining sound and chanting with movement, breathing and meditative practices.
Chanting in Sanskrit allows us to experience the meanings of the words on a deep level and the vibrations act in a positive way on the body, mind and spirit. It enhances concentration (dharana) and attention (dhyana) and gives a direct link to the origins of yoga.
The day is suitable for anyone with an interest in sound as part of a spiritual practice. No previous experience is necessary.
Sarah Waterfield
Sarah has been practising yoga for 30 years and teaching for over 20 years. She also teaches Vedic Chanting - this traditional practice has deepened her knowledge of Sanskrit and her understanding of the yoga texts.
She has great love, respect and enthusiasm for sound and chanting as an essential and original aspect of yoga - a practice that can transform, educate, nurture and heal us.
Yoga Morning with Jocelyn Jones
Saturday 5 December 2020 10am – 12:30pm
(The yoga session is followed by our traditional Christmas non-alcoholic punch. You are welcome to bring nibbles to share [please label with ingredients])
A Visual Inquiry & Yoga Workshop to Nurture, Balance & Restore
Whilst the festive season can bring much joy into our lives, it can also be draining. Expectations, either real or imagined, may be raised, and with less daylight to energise us as we approach the Winter Solstice. We will explore, using visual inquiry, a personal intention for the workshop. This will be accompanied by a gentle Hatha yoga practice to stretch and strengthen; a guided meditation to balance; and deep relaxation Yoga Nidrato restore. You will leave the workshop with a clearer sense of the positive changes you are making in yourself and your life.
Students are asked to bring their own props as follows:-
2x bricks
1x belt
1x blanket
Jocelyn Jones
Jocelyn initially qualified as a FRYOG yoga teacher in the 1980s, whilst also leading a social work training programme. Through her career in child protection, she has a longstanding interest in alleviating the embodied effects of trauma (PhD, University of Bath, 2008). Jocelyn completed her 500 hrs training with Real Yoga in 2017; and loves teaching students of all ages and experience. She has a particular interest in the therapeutic applications of yoga.
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