When Laura heard a friend talking about Bikram Yoga in December 2005 she thought it sounded like a good way to come in from the cold and resolved to try it the next day.
Little did she know what a great impact it would have on her life. She immediately loved the class and quickly became a regular and eager practitioner. It wasn’t until much later that she started to see the possibility that she could become a Bikram Yoga teacher and took the training in Spring 2009 in Palm Springs California.
Since then she has been teaching regularly at Bikram Yoga Chiswick, and also teaches at Bikram Yoga Bristol opened by former Chiswick teacher Georgina Gray in August 2009. Laura loves the strong global community of Bikram Yoga and was delighted to have the opportunity to teach in Melbourne, Australia while visiting her sister.
Laura finds teaching extremely rewarding, and is constantly inspired by watching students develop their practice. Maintaining her own practice is also very important to her and she hopes that she is able to inspire others too. She feels like the journey has only just started and there are so many opportunities to learn and grow.
In 2016 Laura travelled to Vancouver, Canada to train with Yin Yoga teacher Bernie Clark and is finding that this slower paced, meditative form of yoga is an excellent compliment to the more ‘Yang’ style practice of Bikram Yoga.
How did you discover yoga?
How long have you been practising at BYC?
Can you believe that I am coming up to 20 years of practicing at BYC?! My first class was in December 2005.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given in yoga or life?
My perspective on yoga asana was turned upside down when I studied Yin Yoga with Bernie Clark and he taught me that every body is different and the prescriptive alignment rules that are often taught cannot possibly work for everybody. It taught me to really listen to how the posture feels rather than how it looks.
If you could only choose one word to describe your teaching style, what would it be?
Supportive
If you could give one piece of advice to a fellow yogi just starting out on their yoga journey what would it be?
Start where you are, do what you can – don’t compare yourself to anyone else.
Favourite Album/Albums (who can have just one)?
I am going to choose Stevie Wonder’s Original Musiquarium – because stylistically it has a bit of everything.
Do you have a favourite BYC memory and if so what is it?
Helen Currie’s spot on portrayal of Eddie from Absolutely Fabulous in a hot yoga class setting was definitely a highlight.
Q&A 2017
As a Child what did you want to be when you grew up?
Ambitions of becoming a ballerina were thwarted early at Miss Law’s school of Dance, when I was made to do the teddy bear’s picnic dance for 2 years running because I was small for my age. I have always loved performing and feel quite comfortable on the podium because of that.
Whats your favourite/ least favourite Bikram Posture?
My favourite is definitely Standing Head to Knee. This posture to me represents mental determination, willpower and strength, plus I can hold it while singing the national anthem. I know this because fellow teacher Fran once asked me to do it!
The least favourite changes all the time. I try not to dislike any too much, because I know that it is going to change.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Loyal, determined, loving.
Favourite Food?
My mum’s nut roast and Yorkshire puddings.
Best Bikram moment to date -personal or professional
At teacher training everybody has to stand up on stage in front of Bikram and deliver the dialogue for Half Moon. I got a huge buzz out of delivering my dialogue to cheers from my fellow trainees and Bikram’s comment “that’s yoga power”.
Professionally there are wonderful moments all the time, and that is what makes this job so fantastic, like the person who wants to get up and leave the room, but you convince them to stay and they end up having a second wind and enjoying the class or the person who has been struggling for ages with a posture and all of a sudden they have a breakthrough. These magic moments are happening all the time.
