Category Archives: Bristol

Weather Impact on Classes (March 2nd & 3rd)

Posted on March 1, 2018

The heating is on 24/7 and classes are running!

This page last updated at 5.30pm on March 2nd 2018

STOP PRESS: all weekend classes running as per online timetable.

Yogawest is currently fully open, with all classes running as per the online timetable, which is where we will post any updates: check the comments box next to your class for latest info, or call us to check on 0117 924 3330.

The heating is on permanently and so far the studios are coping well with the cold snap, but you may want to wear an extra layer and a pair of grippy socks in class!

And because Denmark Place is unlikely to be gritted, please be careful on your way in.

Teacher Training this weekend

The training weekend (March 2–4) is going ahead. Some participants have already travelled from afar, and many others are local (snow boots on!), so we are not cancelling it at this stage.

However, we would advise you to make your own decision as to whether it is sensible and safe to travel to us, and completely understand if you cannot make it.

We will email all trainees as soon as (and if) the situation changes.

 

Posted in Bristol, Classes, getting to Yogawest, newcomers, news, studio, teacher training, Teachers, timetable, weather update, Yoga

Christmas Timetable 2017

Posted on December 1, 2017

Opening Times over the Festive Season

Cxmastreepose-150x150lasses are running every day throughout the holiday period at Yogawest, except on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Download the Christmas 2017 reduced timetable here

The Full Yogawest timetable resumes on Tuesday 2nd January 2017.
Termtime classes start up again on 3rd January – check your start dates here.
Course start dates are listed on their webpage:
gentle; pregnancy; postnatal; foundation; early morning; children; teenagers; young adults

Which classes are running?

Many of our usual classes are still running over the festive period, but as teachers are fewer on the ground, some classes are not on. To make things simpler, and to include everyone in our plans, some classes are billed as general level – this means that ALL are welcome, whatever your experience or ability and the teacher will adapt the class accordingly.

Lizzie’s popular 2-hour class on Thursday morning is open to all levels of students and although it’s usually a ladies class, men are welcome and encouraged during the reduced timetable period. It is taught at intermediate level, but beginners are very welcome to come and see what an intermediate class involves – Lizzie/Diana will look after you!

Who is teaching?

Some of our usual teachers are taking a well-earned break over Christmas, and recharging their batteries for the New Year. Most classes are being taught by Yogawest teachers, and they are joined by Melroy Mukwaya who covers classes for us when she can.

Timetable for your fridge

Download the 2017 Christmas timetable here or pick up a copy at reception.

Posted in Advanced, Beginners, Bristol, Christmas, Classes, Community, experienced, General, holiday, holiday opening times, news, Yoga

Open Day October 14th

Posted on September 12, 2017

Free Classes, Tea & Cakes and Meet the Teachers

BYT17 logo+date

 

 

 

 

As part of the Bristol Yoga Trail 2017, Yogawest are opening our doors and offering free classes all day long. We invite you to come along, take a tour of our beautiful building, chat to some teachers and try a taster class or two.

Come at least 10 minutes before the start time so you can register with us and secure your place. Some classes may be busy, and some may fill up before the start time, so do arrive in good time!

Donations to OTR

OTRlogoAlthough all Open Day classes are free, we are collecting donations for OTR – Off The Record, a marvellous Bristol Charity offering mental health support to young people.
Read more about OTR here.

 

BYT17 5th year banner

Timetable of Free classes
at Yogawest

9.30–10.45 Beginners
11–12.30 General
12.45–1.30 Family (all ages welcome)
2–2.45 Introduction to Yoga: talk and demo
3–4 Newcomers: a class for complete newbies
4–5.15 Restorative class: restful poses focusing on good breathing
5.30–6 Pranayama: an introduction to yogic breathing

 

yogawest-BYT-169_LR

 

 

 

 


We look forward to seeing you then!

Posted in back pain, Beginners, BKS Iyengar, Bristol, Bristol Yoga Trail, Classes, Community, Family, foundation, lower back, New to yoga, newcomers, news, studio, Yoga

Congratulations to our new teachers

Posted on July 13, 2017

We are celebrating…

A brilliant set of exam successes this Summer!

congratsscrollMany congratulations to six newly qualified Yogawest teachers for passing their Introductory Iyengar exams this summer. This qualifies them to teach at Yogawest (and wherever else they like!).

As most of us know, it is no mean feat studying for and passing this exam. For the record, we’d just like to say that it’s no failure not to pass first time: it just means that some roads are a little longer than others. Those who were accepted onto the course in the first place, and entered into the exam were seen to have the potential to be teachers, and we look forward to supporting all our future teachers towards next year’s exam.

SONY DSCWe can’t thank the wonderful Sheila Haswell enough for her incredible hard work and dedication in training this first Yogawest teacher training gang. Sheila has rushed up and down the M4 for many a long hard weekend at the yoga grindstone. Sheila should be very proud indeed of her outstanding pass rate this year; we are all in for a treat to have so many Sheila-trained teachers in the building.

A big thanks also to Lydia Holmes and Edgar Stringer who have loyally supported Sheila throughout the last 2 years, and continue to do so for the current teacher training group.

And a heartfelt thanks to the marvellous Yogawest students who indulged the trainees along their way with supportive comments in class.

Our new teachers

Joining the Yogawest team fresh from our first teacher training course this September are:
Andrew Lux, Lucy Payne, George Healy, Naomi Maggs and Joanna Lambe. Emma Pugh would have loved to take on a class, but lives too far away, so we hope she will cover classes here (or move to Bristol!). We are also pleased to welcome Harriet St Leger onto our team.

Look out for the new Autumn timetable to be published in August, with some newly created classes for our new teachers.

SONY DSC

Posted in Bristol, Classes, Naomi Maggs, Sheila Haswell, teacher training, Teachers, timetable, Yoga

Easter Weekend Workshop at Yogawest

Posted on March 14, 2017

Easter Weekend at Yogawest, April 14–16th

edgarlydia_3925We are delighted to announce that Edgar Stringer and Lydia Holmes are teaching on all 3 days of the Easter Weekend: Edgar on Friday (10am and 12.15 classes plus the afternoon workshop), Lydia on Saturday (9.15am and 11am classes) and Sunday (10am and 11.45 classes). We expect some students will come to all six classes plus the Afternoon workshop and Edgar and Lydia will plan their classes accordingly – it’ll be like a mini yoga holiday with plenty of time to enjoy the joys of the Gloucester Road along the way!
The classes are drop-in and cost the usual class fee, appropriate Yogacards are valid. The afternoon workshop costs £30 and is bookable here.

 

About Edgar and Lydia

SONY DSCLydia and Edgar have both been learning Iyengar Yoga since 1991 and are Intermediate Senior Level 3 Teachers. Both have been frequent visitors to the Iyengar’s Institute in Pune. They are Assessors for the IY UK and are currently ‘shadowing’ Sheila Haswell on her teacher training programme at Yogawest.

Coming to Bristol

YOGAWEST_059Many people travel from far and wide to come to to workshops at Yogawest, and it’s remarkably easy to get here from:

Wales just across the bridge!
Somerset, Devon and Cornwall just up the road
London 90 mins from Paddington
Scotland, Newcastle, Amsterdam, Malaga, Rome, Marseilles, France, Spain, Italy and rest of Europe (Easyjet and Ryanair to Bristol Airport)

Accommodation
There are some brilliant and low cost AirBnbs really close to us.
Find out more about getting to Yogawest here

Posted in Bristol, Classes, Edgar Stringer, General, Intermediate, Lydia Holmes, news, teacher training, Workshop, Yoga

Teacher Training Course 2017–19 Intake Selection Day

Posted on January 31, 2017

Iyengar Teacher Training Course at Yogawest

Course Intake July 2017 – June 2019

This two-year course is designed to prepare you for the assessment to become an Iyengar yoga teacher. To qualify for this course you must have a minimum of 3 years regular Iyengar practice.

Applications to be made in March 2017 with a Selection Day on March 25th. If you can’t make this day it may be possible to make alternative arrangements.

The course starts in July 2017.

Sheila HaswellThis course is led by Sheila Haswell, a Senior teacher with many years of experience of training Iyengar teachers. Sheila kindly comes to us from her studio in High Wycombe to train teachers in Bristol. Sheila is supported by Lydia Holmes and Edgar Stringer who regularly teach at Yogawest and once they’ve finished their training will take over teaching this course at Yogawest.

Likely Training Dates

Training dates are listed here

Selection Day March 25th

Times 9am til 11.30am followed by a chance to join the current years students for an insight into how training works.

Cost £45

Find Out More

Read more details about training and find the application forms here.

Posted in Advanced, Bristol, experienced, Sheila Haswell, teacher training, Teachers

Gloucester Road Art Banners Competition

Posted on December 31, 2016

art_banners2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Would you like to see your artwork up on giant banners attached to lamp posts along Gloucester Road? Gloucester Road Traders invite you to submit your creative work, inspired by our wonderful High Street of Independent Shops & Businesses.

Yogawest_Logo_small for webWe’d love to have a Yoga banner up to signpost people towards Yogawest, and who better to ask than our students and friends – can you come up with something for consideration?

There will about 30 banners, approximately 2 metres tall, attached to lampposts, with 60 + artworks and words inspired by Gloucester Road and all it offers. Each banner is double sided so can have different images on either side and can be in place for up to 5 years. The banners will create a fantastic visual impact to the street scene – an open air Art Gallery up Gloucester Road. This community art project will be a collaborative effort of artists, businesses, organisations, individuals and Bristol Council to promote the arts, tourism, local shopping, sustainable transport and neighbourliness. Gloucester Road Art Banners could then inspire other areas to take part – creating a Bristol wide open air exhibition.

The words and images will inform passersby of all the fantastic shops and activities in the area on and around Gloucester Road. The hope is to encourage people to leave their cars behind in order to stroll up and down the high street, admiring the art and learning about the wide range of shops, galleries, health, beauty or spiritual centres, cafes, restaurants and bars. They will be a reminder that creativity happens all year round in our community.

Gloucester Road is already known as the longest street of Independent Shops in Europe and attracts tourists from all over the UK and beyond. It really has ‘Everything You Need On One Street‘. By putting up artistic banners along the whole road it will add to Bristol’s legacy as a highly creative city with a vibrant streets art scene.

Everyone is invited to submit artwork and there’s space for over 60 images. All you need to do is create a piece of art to reflect a word, idea or image inspired by Gloucester Road, shopping local or the joys of living in Bristol. Artwork can be as graphic or abstract as you like but it will need to work in a large format – around 2 metres high by 80cm wide. The banners will have the inspiring word (s) at the top with Gloucester Road written at the bottom e.g. ‘Shop……Gloucester Road‘ ‘Eat…..Gloucester Road’, ‘Love, Play, Bike, Friendly, Charity, Art etc.

See the Glos Rd Central website for further details and how to submit www.glosrdcentral.co.uk

Deadline February!

The deadline for submission of artwork is February. The finalists will be selected by a panel of judges including Mary Collett, Chair of North Bristol Artists, Steve Jacobsen, RWA Academician and selector for the Annual Autumn Exhibition and Councillor Asher Craig, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods. Gloucester Road Traders, local residents and schools will also have their say. After all, the Gloucester Road Art Banners will be up for everyone to see and enjoy. So make a trip to Gloucester Road and get your creative thinking hats on!

Posted in Bristol, Community, Competition, Yoga

Introduction to Iyengar Yoga Jan 14 FREE CLASS!

Posted on December 30, 2016

Free class for Newcomers to Yoga Jan 14

SATURDAY JANUARY 14TH WITH LIZZIE BIGGIN

Lizzie-yogaposeAre you interested in finding out more about yoga?

We invite you to come to this free 75 minute class at Yogawest, as part of the National Iyengar Yoga Day.

Lizzie Biggin will guide you through this introductory class. You will learn a few foundation yoga poses, and get a sense of what to expect in a yoga class. Lizzie will explain along the way how yoga can benefit you, and there will be a chance to ask questions at the end.

All equipment provided, wear clothing that you can move in, leggings and T-shirt ideal; yoga is a bare foot activity! 

Time 2–3.15pm

Level Suitable for all newcomers

Cost Free

Book your place Call us on 0117 924 3330 or email to book your place. Extra places may be available on the day; pre-booking will secure your place!

 

 

Posted in Beginners, Bristol, Classes, Offers, Yoga

Yogawest 5 year anniversary

Posted on December 15, 2016

Anniversary Class and Party, December 2016

SONY DSC

What a Party!

Although Yogawest (aka The Bristol Iyengar Yoga Centre) has been giving yoga classes in this building for over 30 years, we felt that we’d like to celebrate our five years at the helm.

The Party

SONY DSCSo we offered a class taught by seven of our finest teachers (and were sorry that the full set couldn’t make it). Led by Lizzie Biggin, it was a marvellous 2-hours of fun, frivolity and exciting asanas and sequences. A huge thank you to Lizzie, Jacob, Annemarie, Jess, Claire, Frances, Zoë H and Zoë R: a truly magnificent afternoon.

SONY DSCA special thanks to Anna Argiros for her beautiful ‘cello playing as the class gathered. Anna is off to Sweden for 6 months, we wish her well and look forward to her return in the summer.

 

 

SONY DSC

The Party

SONY DSCStudio 2 was the perfect place for eating, drinking and making merry after the class. Many thanks to our resident DJ Annabel.

SONY DSC

Sirsasana demo

SONY DSCWe were treated to a demonstration of Sirsasana and variations in a beautifully choreographed session during the party.

 

 

Thanks to Ellen who showed the pregnancy variation: working in the corner with 2 walls as security and guidance!

SONY DSC

 

 

 

Julian Trust donations

A sincere thank you to all of you that donated to the Julian Trust on the day. We raised a very impressive £285 for this most worthy local homeless charity.

Yogawest Raffle

SONY DSCMadeleine and Morgan drew the 2016 Yogacard raffle at the party and allocated prices to over 10 lucky winners. The top prize was a monthly yoga card worth £100, and various other Yogawest prizes, including Yogacards gift vouchers were won.

To thank those that came to the anniversary class, and to make sure that everyone got a prize, we handed out free class passes for January 2017 to all-comers to the class.

Well done to all that won!

Photos

See more photos from the day here:

 

Posted in Beginners, Bristol, Community, General, Teachers, Workshop, Yoga

Christmas Timetable 2016

Posted on November 26, 2016

Opening Times over the Festive Season

Cxmastreepose-150x150lasses are running every day throughout the holiday period at Yogawest, except on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Download the Christmas reduced timetable here

The full Yogawest timetable resumes on Tuesday January 3rd 2017.

Which classes are running?

Many of our usual classes are still running over the festive period, but as teachers are fewer on the ground, some classes are not on. To make things simpler, and to include everyone in our plans, many of the class are billed as general level – this means that ALL are welcome, whatever your experience or ability and the teacher will adapt the class accordingly.

Lizzie’s popular 2-hour class on Thursday morning is open to all levels of students and although it’s usually a ladies class, men are welcome and encouraged (especially if they wear pink) during the reduced timetable period. It is taught at intermediate level, but beginners are very welcome to come and see what an intermediate class involves – Lizzie/Zoë will look after you!

The Friday morning experienced class on December 23rd is being taught by Bob and is open to intermediate level students: a good way to try this class out!

On December 30th Edgar and Lydia are teaching a special holiday ‘Back to the Mat’ Yoga Day – all welcome and encouraged to restore and revitalise your yoga practice after Christmas, and prepare for the New Year in yoga style. Full details here.

Who is teaching?

Some of our usual teachers are taking a well-earned break over Christmas, and recharging their batteries for the New Year. Most classes are being taught by Yogawest teachers, and they are joined by Melroy Mukwaya who covers classes for us when she can.

Timetable for your fridge

Download the 2016 Christmas timetable here or pick up a copy at reception.

Posted in Advanced, Beginners, Bristol, Christmas, Classes, experienced, General, holiday, holiday opening times, Intermediate, studio, Teachers, timetable, Workshop, Yoga