Some News...

Ladies and Gentlemen // Boys and Girls // Feminists, Macho Men and Mum:

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**** AU REVOIR ****
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Yep, the rumors are true. I am devastated to inform you that my much beloved teaching practice, this tiny epic of mixed up movement, will soon be no more...for the time being anyway...as I am of to new worlds to seek some slowness, some new ways of moving, some adventures, to gather some stories and to get married.
First stop The United States of ALL-You-Can-Eat. Oh yes. Tips about your State-side trips most welcome!

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to YOU dearest reader, for showing up in your hordes for the last 7 years of toe-tapping yoga musings. Together we’ve crammed the archaic doorways of church halls, stinky basements, grand houses, swanky custom built centers, parks, beaches, living rooms and tea-stained cafeterias in celebration of this ancient art and in search of what it is to simply be. Thank you for listening, thank you for questioning, thank you for putting up with my inability to tell left from right, but most of all THANK YOU for allowing me to guide you.

Without you, nothing. With you, EVERYTHING.

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**** Details ****
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My final class will be Thursday 9th July so, from now until then and in celebration of this momentous scarpering, I shall host a glorious last few sessions, far removed from the ridiculous rain and unseasonal no sun show of daily downtown London. I invite you to step inside my soon to be no-longer homes at Triyoga and SFC where i shall serenade you with my West Midland flat vowels, various movement puzzles, giggles, and some farewell chocolate brownies. It will be somewhat reminiscent of a pub evening during Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee in 1977. I imagine that was a BLAST.

Information about the glorious souls that will be taking my place to follow, I promise, I am just finalising the details for a perfectly smooth transition. You’ll not even notice I’ve gone…

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**** PEN-PALS ****
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However, this is not the end; I will be teaching again, you still MOVE ME and my online presence will be alive and kicking. I shall continue to post scribblings and asides on my blogs here and here, upload movement musings on my facehooked page and twitter feed here and here and the curation of wwww.what-moves-me.com is a forever thing. I’ve been completely overwhelmed with responses to this project so far, MERCI MERCI, but if you haven’t yet had a nosy then please take a look.

Do keep in-touch, I’d love to hear about all your adventures, and if I do return y’all will be the first to know about my new happenings.

Finally, before I schlep these legs across the pond, my eyes wet with salty tears and my ears ringing with the sound of Jacques Brel, I want to say the most heartfelt thank you to all the many staff members, volunteers, part-timers, full-timers, co-workers and by-standers who have dripped sweat into the shores of this infamous lagoon. You’ve been dreamy to work with.

And with that, farewell.
(until the next time I fill your inbox with nonsense)

Rachel x

  

MOVE ME

Dear Good Looker,

Gosh. So much to tell, so little time. Let's cut to the chase....

I need your help, dearest reader, with a project I have been busy putting together. I cordially invite you, and your loved ones, to celebrate the space of otherness, difference and delight that your body occupies through THIS SURVEY all about movement.

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**** ABOUT MOVE ME ****
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Move Me is an ever evolving survey designed to prompt people to think more deeply about their bodies in terms of movement choices, habits and patterns. The project is about commonality: The one thing we all have in common is that we have to move to live.

Researching the whys and ways of movement is a part of my job as a yoga teacher. I know there is a vast amount of information and advice about the way we 'should' move out there,  but often lacking from this are the personal stories, from a variety of different backgrounds and experiences,  that shape each of us in discrete and individual ways. Through eight years of teaching it is these stories that have come to help finesse what I do beyond the more 'evidence based' scientific discourse. This thread is a vital part of the map to understanding what it is we need to feel well.

Human beings are not built to float you see. They need an earthly anchor of meaning and care so they don't get left in confusion. This survey, with your help, is my contribution that anchor of meaning. The information gathered is being used on an ongoing blog and as research for an art project, both aim to express a riot of opinion and give a snapshot of the complexity of modern movement decisions with cultural influences; a portrait of the human body today revealing impulses that influence our daily ritual of being.

 
Anyone who has a body is invited to take part! I am also open to submissions about movement, like this wonderful story, from everyone and anyone.

Join me for this major shift in cultural thinking and be the laxative which lubricates the constipation of the way we contemplate movement (I'm so sorry about that sentence).

 CONVINCED? THEN MOVE TO THE SURVEY
(please note, you can answer anonymously and you DO NOT have to answer everything, just whatever takes your fancy.)

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**** FORWARD THIS POST ****
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The revolution is now. Yay! However, I know finding people willing to give up precious time to fill out a long winded survey is hard (I have no idea why). So, I urge you to forward this blog post to ALL PEOPLE WITH BODIES that might be interested in taking part. Come to me with evidence of your benevolence, and I will send you something magic in the post.

You can be social and share in numerous ways, for example via twitter HERE, through facehooked HERE and via telepathy HERE.

And now I shall set you free.

Be there or, as they say, be somewhere else.

Yours in everything fidgety,

Rachel x
www.what-moves-me.com

Hello Again

Greetings to you, oh cultured individual of great taste and elegance, 'tis me with details of my Autumn goings-on...

Goodness gracious me, I've been gone a long time, my holiday was bliss; time stood still, I made pots, spent time alone, got the wrong train back from the coast, visited inspiring places, went swimming everyday, forgot my passport in a hotel room, bought some fake gemstones from a dude who's sole job seemed to be to get tourists high (fun times) and now I'm heading back to London where I intend to put on the greatest yoga classes, retreats, workshops and courses ever staged since the last lot of greatest things I ever staged. Jokes.

 

So, without further ado, here is a list of things you might like to come and do...

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******* Workshop *******
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"It’s a basic act of humanity, of movement, of utility. To squat is to be."

The three most prevalent human positions:

1. Lying down (LOVE this one)
2. Standing
3. Squatting

Do you do the third one?

Well dammit friend, you should.

Squatting is a primal pattern. Basic and important and being able to practice it with ease will fill your body (and heart) with goodness.
And what do you know, I can help you! In just a few brief days - 13/09/2014 -  I'll be teaching a workshop at The Sunflower Centre about rehabing resting squat related functions.

We will:
• prepare and mobilise the spine, hips, ankles and knees and many different muscle groups along the way
• work on various limiting factors so that you leave the workshop with individual things to work on (and a challenge to keep squatting part of your day.)
• play with some of the asana that evolve beautifully from a resting squat

Where?
The Sunflower Centre
81 Tressillian Rd, London SE4 1XZ

When?
Saturday 13th September 2014, 14:30 - 16:30

Who?
EVERYONE is welcome and it will be an intimate affair, 8 spaces only!

What do you want from me?
£25, and picture of your favorite pet.

If I've caught your interest and you would like to join me to see what all the fuss is about click send me an email to book.

If you can't make it, but would still like to know what all the fuss is about then click HERE for an informative read.

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**** ReTREATS! ****
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"Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin, as self-neglecting."
--William Shakespeare, Henry V.

If you are in need of some TLC then I (and Willy S) highly recommend booking yourself onto a  WellbeingYogi weekend retreat with me and AdventureYogi.

I have two more for you to chose from this year...What you waiting for?!

WHEN and Where?
Friday 19th-22nd September in East Sussex.
Friday 7-9th November in Oxfordshire.

WHY?
detailed explanation:
www.rachel-and-yoga.com/news

 

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******* Of COURSE! *******
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“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few” ― Shunryu Suzuki

I am pleased to announce that I will be teaching another two small group beginners courses at Triyoga Chelsea. If you, or someone you know/like/love, is interested in inspiring your/their beginners mind with the beautiful basics of this stretchy art then purchase some lycra and click here.

The course is limited to 10 people, so one-to-one attention will be plentiful, and will cost 85 of your hard earned pound pieces. I can think of much worse ways to spend that money.  Oh and that price includes 50% off a 5 class pass, worth £32.50. It's a win win.

WHERE
Triyoga Chelsea
372 king’s road, London, SW3 5UZ
020 7483 3344

WHEN
Saturday 27th September - Saturday 18th October
14:45 to 15:45
or
Saturday 22nd November - Saturday 13th December
14:45 - 15:45

WHY
Because why not?!
Or, if you would prefer a more intelligent answer, then feel free to drop me an email.

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******* Recommendation *******
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If you find yourself North of the M25 this Autumn, specifically in Manchester or Bradford, then I highly recommend going to see No Guts, No Heart, No Glory by Bradford based Common Wealth Theatre. It is a site-specific performance event staged in a boxing gym, based on interviews with Muslim Female Boxers which explores being young, fearless and doing the unexpected. Common Wealth have been working closely with five 16-22 year old Muslim women and former National Champion Ambreen Sadiq to devise the show to make sure it represents a young Muslim female experience.

A story anchored in movement to help young people feel braver, to live how they want to live, so that they are free and confident to make their own choices tomorrow. A truly beautiful thing.

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Could there be more? Yes there bloody is, but I just ran out of juice and time. If you would like to find out more go to my website and click on the button which says <<please tell me more and put ten quid into my bank account, here are the details>>

Failing that read all about everything on my facebook events page. Also, I'm told,  that you may wish to click these ridiculous corporate buttons...

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You have an incredible attention span if you got this far, I lost focus after 'Squatting is a primal pattern',  so THANK YOU my friend and enjoy the rest of your day. I leave you with this; a picture of summer and a quote to help you on your way...

Love,
Rachel 

  

 "When you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You appreciate it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree. The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying ‘You’re too this, or I’m too this.’ That judging mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are."

-- Ram Dass