A Celebration Day full of Twists and Turns

What a wonderful Celebration Day we had (despite Southern Railway's best efforts to derail the start). Following an impromptu warm up from Treasurer Jo Welch, we were ready for the main event when our Chair lady safely delivered our guest tutor, Ankit Kumar.

Ankit gave us an in-depth workshop on alignment for twists and inversions. Ankit comes from an Iyengar lineage with a Scaravelli influence. That meant we worked slow, hard and in great detail (the instruction in Tadasana to “lift your big toe, extend it forward and land it like a feather” will stay with me!).

Ably supported with some hands on help from his trusty assistant Monica, Ankit encouraged us to stretch out our spines and turn this way and that (I swear I left a few centimetres taller than when I arrived). After working into our peak pose of Shoulder stand with blocks and a chair, we stopped for a well-deserved lunch.

Lovely Louise from Nourish and Thrive came up trumps again with a delicious and nutritious vegan spread. Locally sourced and organically grown where possible, we enjoyed such delights as spiced carrot salad, kimchi coleslaw, chickpea felafel and vegetable frittata, followed by mango and coconut set cream with fresh seasonal fruits and a sweet dukkha topping. Always a highlight of the day, this mouth watering spread gave us an opportunity to pause, nourish, catch up and connect with each other.

With full and satisfied bellies, we were invited to complete an Ayurvedic questionnaire to discover our ‘dominant dosha.’ Ankit talked to us about the three doshas explaining how being aware of our nature can help us better choose what we eat and how we exercise in order to improve our personal wellbeing.

Then it was time for some standing postures designed to stimulate and support our digestion and cultivate strength. The book Ankit referred to is ‘Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha’ by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.

 My own version is highlighted and annotated and was a constant companion throughout my yoga teacher training. A great addition to any yogi’s bookshelf.

The afternoon finished with a long, guided Yoga Nidra, taking us deep within to rest and restore thoroughly.

A wonderful mixture of deep work, rewarding results, stimulation and stillness, Ankit won us over with his blend of ancient wisdom, authenticity, warm humility and gentle humour. Now just hold that flying Warrior III posture a little longer and smile for a photograph…!