I hope you enjoy this new retrospective page looking back at retreats and Intensive workshops run by Yoga With Gipe.

This page will be a revisit the themes that were learnt at each gathering. It will give those who came to the session, a reminder of what they accomplished and how to practice. After each immersion day Gipe will use some of her classes to embed what was learnt as part of your long-term achievement goals.

For others, I hope you will see something to wet, your appetite and broaden your perspective of not only Iyengar in action - but the possibility of human movement as a form of growth, self-fulfillment and attainment in action.

Oct 24

Yoga Oneness

Guest Teacher Shaili Octorber 20th Intensive Workshop

Shaili is a Level 3 Iyengar Yoga teacher and mentor. She came to teach a full day workshop to help us discover the power of collective practice. Through props, and partner work, we explored alignment, balance, and flexibility, unlocking new potential together and deepening our connection to body and mind.

Thank you very much Shaili.

Gipe

Shaili’s 5 a day

Here are five poses we learned during the workshop. Shaili recommends practicing theses asanas daily to help improve range of movements in the joints. Doing these five a day asanas strengthen posture and agility in walking and everyday movement. Not to forget they will help advance your yoga poses :

1

Vajrasana a & b

Healthy and flexible feet are important for our wellbeing, stability and our posture. Vajrasana and virasana variations are excellent for this. 

2

Parsva hastasana

Parsva hastasana variations are an important group to strengthen rotator cuff muscles and reeducate the shoulders. For more details please see the neck and shoulder book by Lois Steinberg.

3

a & b Showing Chest opening and shoulder mobility on the chair

A form of chest opening should be on our daily list to improve our posture. A bad posture can be the root cause of so many ailments and all our activities bring our head and arms forwards. So we need to counter that every day upper back slump.

This wonderful usage of the belt is how Shalii was able to correct her shoulder girdle to open and lift her chest. The trapezium is pulled back to its correct position, the neck lifts and the chest gets a chance to coil upwards.

4

Shoulder jacket (the harness version)

Ekapada malasana on the chair 

5

We did this variant as an effective way to extend the lumbar arch. Working on the opening of the chest for those who are not accustomed to it can be a challenge and cause their lumbar to compensate. Rather than going for a forward bend and undoing the lift of the chest, we can choose this asana to relieve the lower back.

Once again, bad posture can contribute to neck problems and headaches, shoulder pain, weakness in the arms, back pain and even low mood or depression, stomach and acid reflux problems, breathlessness and more...

It is important to note that option 3 & 4 are passive ways to adjust the posture and their effects will not last without engaging and strengthening the muscles.

Read what the students are saying.

  • "I really enjoyed the workshop at the weekend and feel a lot of what Shaili said has made sense, is definitely relevant to me and my physical life choices and if I can put her “five” a day into practice then I will feel better mentally and hopefully it will show physically too."

    - Katie

  • "Firstly I loved it all! It is great to have another brilliant practitioner, to bring a different perspective and approach, which is very enriching. I especially liked some of the techniques she showed us to practice, such as the shoulder jacket and other things with the belt that are useful for self practice. I really liked the idea of those essential things, 5 a day."

    - Kitty

  • The day as a whole was really great and left me feeling very calm, relaxed and positive. Shali had a wonderful soft, calm and quiet way about her which permeated the whole class. Her instructions were very clear and concise and her experience was evident in everything she did. I particularly enjoyed the partner work and the 5 a day exercises (although I think there were more than 5, but I understood the idea of trying to include them in our daily lives). Some of the poses were familiar but others were new or a variation of what we had already done with Gipe. Overall the experience was very enjoyable and I would definitely attend another workshop with her. Clare

    - Clare

  • "Shaili is very knowledgeable and explained clearly each part of a pose, showing us what to do and feel so that we built up to the final pose in clear stages. She adapted the poses and props for individuals so that everyone made progress. She is a kind, engaging and lovely teacher and I would love to work with her again."

    - Mary

  • "I learnt a huge amount at the workshop with Shaili and have been putting into practice the daily exercises she recommended. I would thoroughly recommend her classes and hope she returns to run more workshops with Gipe."

    Sarah

Shaili’s - Retreat outline

Yoga Oneness

In this immersive workshop, Shaili introduced a new perspective that emerged when participants came together to support each other's practice.

Working in partners and using props, we delved deep into the principles of Iyengar yoga. The workshop was not just about individual growth but also about the potential that unfolded when we helped each other reach beyond what we could achieve on our own.

With Sahili’s guidance, we explored the intricacies of alignment, balance, and flexibility, nurturing a deeper connection with our bodies and minds. Through partner work and shared insights, we harnessed our collective energy, creating an empowering atmosphere that inspired growth and informed our future practice.