Tim took his first Bikram Yoga class in the summer of 2009 after suffering a whiplash injury in a car accident. A couple of months of physiotherapy did little to ease the ongoing pain, so out of desperation he decided to give yoga a go. Within two weeks of starting at BYC the effects of the whiplash were almost gone, and Tim decided that once his introductory offer ran out he’d do one more month of Bikram just to be sure all traces of the injury were gone, then he’d give it up. But when that second month was up he found himself returning to the studio again and again. A year later he did his first 30 Day Challenge, and not long after that began thinking that he might like to take his Bikram obsession to the next level by going to Teacher Training.
After being made redundant from his job as a magazine editor in the summer of 2011, Tim decided to head off to training in Los Angeles in the spring of 2012 for what would be nine of the most remarkable weeks of his life. He taught his first class in June 2012, and has subsequently taught at various studios in London, as well as in Norwich and later in Cardiff, where he opened and ran his own hot yoga studio for a couple of years. Since returning to London in 2024, Tim has been back at the studio where it all started for him, teaching exclusively at BYC.
What did you do before you became a Bikram Yoga teacher?
I’d been working in publishing ever since I left school, and was managing editor at small publishing company in Hammersmith. Then in the summer of 2011 I was made redundant. I’d been thinking about going on the Bikram Teacher Training for a while, so in the spring of 2012 while at a bit of a crossroads in my life I just decided to go for it.
Best Bikram moment to date – personal or professional?
I’m going to be cheeky here and list two. Probably my most memorable was during the first week of Teacher Training when I got up in front of Bikram to present the Half Moon dialogue. It was nerve-wracking, because not only was I standing up in front of the guy that created the sequence, but also the 400 or so other people who were with me on the training. So I got up on the stage, grabbed the microphone and, pretty certain that I was going to forget *something* important, rattled through Half Moon. When I was done I turned to face Bikram, who was sitting there stony faced glaring at me while I turned increasingly deeper shades of red. Then he opened his mouth and said: “Excellent. Faultless. No correction. Thank you Boss. NEXT!”
But there’s always some new best moment when teaching – literally every time someone tells me they’ve enjoyed my class, or had a breakthrough in a posture, or learned something new from something I’ve said, that’s special. After so many years, it remains a special privilege to walk into the hot room and be a part of those 90 minutes for everyone who’s made the (not always easy) decision to be there.
How did you discover yoga?
I had a car accident in April 2009 where I was sitting stationary at the end of a queue of traffic and was hit from behind by another car. I ended up with quite a severe whiplash injury that resulted in the muscles in my back and neck going into spasm, leaving me with constant headaches, backache and an inability to turn my head. Months of physio did nothing, so I decided I’d try some yoga. I was working in Hammersmith at the time, and vary randomly saw a poster for BYC while passing through Chiswick one morning.
I took my first class on a Saturday morning in June 2009 (it was with the lovely Fran Rytlewski) and I was blown away. I felt incredible afterwards – like I’d had a really good workout that left me energised rather than worn out. I made as much use of my introduction offer as I could, and within two weeks virtually all signs of the whiplash were gone. I decided I would do one more month of Bikram, but then it turned into an addiction … and I’m still doing it all these years later!
How long have you been teaching at BYC/What year did you start teaching at BYC?
I started teaching in summer 2012, within about a week of coming back from Teacher Training. And I remember my first class was on a Wednesday afternoon!
How long have you been practising at BYC?
I started practicing in June 2009. Bought the intro offer and absolutely hammered it! And I’ve been coming back ever since. I also remember the very first words Helen Currie ever said to me, but I won’t share them here!!
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given in yoga or life?
Lock the knee.
If we’re talking general life advice, it has to be ‘everything will be ok in the end; if it’s not ok, it’s not the end’.
If you could only choose one word to describe your teaching style, what would it be?
Exuberant.
If you could give one piece of advice to a fellow yogi just starting out on their yoga journey what would it be?
If you have a great class, celebrate it; if you have a bad class, learn from it. There’s always something you can take away from your time in the hot room, even if you have the worst class.
Favourite Album/Albums (who can have just one)?
The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers Live at the Fonda Theatre 2015: I love the Stones, and I’ve always thought they’re better live than on studio albums. This album – basically a live recording of one of their old records – was recorded in LA when all the band members were in their seventies, still absolutely smashing it at the top or their game. It’s an electrifying listen.
David Bowie – 1.Outside: One of Bowie’s crazy 90s experimental albums. It’s all dark and grungy and has some sort of bizarre plot-line running through it, but there are some brilliant songs on it. Bowie made arguably better albums in his career, but I love this weird little one most of all for reasons I can’t quite explain.
Favourite ‘Dad/mum/bad’ joke?
I went to the zoo the other day but they only had one dog. It was a shih tzu.
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of you life what would it be?
My Mum’s chips.
Do you have a favourite BYC memory and if so what is it?
Too many to mention, but the first time I taught a capacity class, running up and down the rows thinking ‘this is the closest I’ll come to knowing what it must be like to play Glastonbury’ comes to mind.
Who would you choose if you could pick one person, living or dead, to have dinner with?
William Shatner, David Bowie or Mick Jagger. I can’t decide.
