When organising my first Yogipod shoot with models other than me I knew that I had to shoot strong, inspiring women. Luckily that is exactly what I managed to do and on a chilly December Friday, along with the talented photographer Elle Narbrook, they helped create magic. In the perfect setting of Every Body Studio in Oxford we spent a day laying on bolsters and playing with eye pillows, it’s a hard job but someone has to do it right?
So why did I choose these women to shoot with? Well they’ve all been supportive of Yogipod and me and to be honest are just really great people. So much so I can’t keep them to myself so have a read and meet the models of our latest campaign
Katie McNeil
Yoga Teacher, Studio Manager & Admin Queen
What drew you to becoming a yoga teacher?
I think like so many of us my yoga practice had supported me though some really hard times in my life. This and a personal journey of reconnecting to my body, finding my feet, and my voice through yoga really gave me so much over the years. I found a home in a local studio that also ran a 200h training and I became curious about taking the training. I wanted to offer the kind of spaces for yoga practice that had helped me over the years. I guess I wanted to provide those yoga spaces for other people.
What brings you back to your practice?
I am often drawn back to my practice in different ways, sometimes the desire to move energetically or with others, or the flow of a practice. At the moment the stillness and quietness is calling me to my mat. Within my self practice I often arrive on my mat ready to move and instead I sit and listen to the stillness around me. Or I am drawn to a dynamic practice but not necessarily for the movement, but for the part at the end. The pool of silence where I feel connected to myself and everything around. In those moments I find freedom in my mind.
If you had to pick one, which is your favourite yoga prop?
Oh, why just one! Probably a heavy block. Versatile, so useful in finding an extension in a pose. I also really enjoy them for finding sensation in some yin practices, under the armpit, middle of the shoulders, that kind of thing. I’m giving myself permission to pick a second too! Secondly a buckwheat bolster. If not all then so many of the restorative poses can be propped with a bolster. A perfectly moulded sea of softness to sink into. Dreamy.
What advice would you give to someone keen to start a yoga practice but unsure where to start?
So many ways in. Perhaps to Google some local teachers and studios see if any are representing what you are looking for in practice. Check out their classes, if one matches your time, email them and let them know it’s your first time. There are some teachers that offer specific beginner classes and if you are nervous about going into a new space you could try online first. One silver lining of the pandemic is that so many teachers and studios have kept their online classes going so you can join from anywhere.
And finally which five people, dead or alive would you invite to your fantasy dinner party?
Controversial answer. I know I could pick some famous amazing women from history. I am going to pick my sister, and a handful of close friends. I am lucky to have an amazing bunch of friends and I know I would laugh, probably sing something, get into some deep conversations and share a great evening.
Ennette Lainchbury
Yoga Teacher
What drew you to becoming a yoga teacher?
Sounds cheesy but really truly I wanted to share this incredible thing that I had found with my friends. I genuinely believe yoga is for everyone! Yet in the social circles I’m a part of, not many of my friends, would think to give yoga a try and I thought well, if I’m teaching them and they know and trust me, maybe it will encourage them to be more open minded because honestly doing yoga is life changing and I always say it’s 100% one of the two best things you could ever do for yourself!!
What brings you back to your practice?
At the start of a free YouTube 30day yoga journey, the instructor said: how you show up for yourself, is how you show up for others. It hit deep and struck a nerve. I wanted to be reliable and present for my nearest and dearest but ultimately I wasn’t… because at the end of the day I didn’t show up for myself and I was trying to pour from an empty cup.
I want to have something in the tank to give those around me who deserve it the most. But often at the end of a work day it’s my colleagues and clients, people I don’t really know, who have had the most and best of me, while my loved ones get the bottom of the barrel scraps. I so desperately wanted to reverse that. Coming home and doing just 15/20/30mins of movement was exactly what made the difference. Exactly what allowed me to fill back up. To have something in the tank to give; a generosity that was out of a place of overflow and abundance rather than a begrudging giving from an empty exhausted emotional place.
This truth is what brings me back time and time again. Figure out why practicing yoga matters to you. Find your why and it will always bring you back your mat.
If you had to pick one, which is your favourite yoga prop?
For the longest time I have been the biggest advocate of Yogipod’s meditation cushion I am quite frankly obsessed!! And tbh I still am!! Recently though I have been feeling a lot of love for the humble yoga block. I like how in its simplicity it communicates something quite profound: the fact that, it’s ok to seek out and use the help available to me. It encourages humility in me, my hand doesn’t always have to reach the floor every time I do side angle pose. In its own unassuming way, my yoga block gently supports and props me up. And I think in life, we all need something a little firm and a little bit more sure and stable to hold onto and lift us up when it’s all beginning to feel wobbly or strained… on the mat and off it.
What advice would you give to someone keen to start a yoga practice but unsure where to start?
- The “more than one” rule : if you’re trying to form a habit it’s ok to take a day off but if you take two you’re far less likely to get back into it so set an an achievable goal (eg do yoga twice a week or get on my mat and move once a day; whatever it is, let it be realistic and not daunting) stick to it! Never miss more than 1
- Whatever you do, don’t compare yourself to others!! Don’t compare their ability and their body type to yours… you just do you, at your own pace.
- Get all the props in the world! They will help you get better. They’ll hold you and allow you to nourish your body with movement.
- Figure out why practicing yoga matters to you. Find your why and it will always bring you back your mat.
- Find yoga teachers you love, online or in person on Instagram, on YouTube wherever. Make sure they are people who inspire you, people whose posts and content will encourage you to step back onto your mat and not make you feel rubbish.
And finally which five people, dead or alive would you invite to your fantasy dinner party?
Henri Nouwen, Abraham Heschel, Rainer M. Rilke, John O’Donoghue, Jesus…. and well because as we all know when you invite people there’s always the last minute drop outs (am I right??), I’d also invite Rumi, Richard Rohr and Maya Angelou (hehehe it’s definitely a cheeky little loophole in order to invite far more people than the question allowed but, this question always kills me. I just can never pick between them all!!)
Ellie Foden
Ashtanga & Mindfulness Teacher & Coach
What drew you to becoming a yoga teacher?
Being a yoga teacher was never really part of the plan to be totally honest.
I started practicing yoga at home when I was 17, on my brother’s Nintendo Wii fit if you’d believe it (those of a certain age will remember those!), after a few years of home practice and squeezing in moments on the mat between college and university, I had a bit of an intuitive pull to do my yoga teacher training while I was in the final year of my Fashion Design degree.
By the time I arrived in India to do the course my intention was really just to deepen my understanding of yoga as a whole and to learn for the sake of learning…but I left with a burning desire to share absolutely everything I’d learned with anyone who would listen.
I worked in fashion for a short time after that but it became increasingly evident that my home was in the yoga studio, and gradually shifted into full-time yoga teaching from there.
What brings you back to your practice?
I just love it. Like anyone else, I do struggle to muster the motivation to practice sometimes, but once I unroll my mat and make it through the first couple of surya namaskar, there’s an inner sense of joy and freedom that fills my body, and I don’t get that feeling from anything else. That’s the spark that keeps me coming back.
If you had to pick one, which is your favourite yoga prop?
It would have to be a good bolster.
As an Ashtanga yogi I don’t use many props in my personal practice but I love nothing more than draping myself over a bolster at the end of the day or indulging in a nice supported yin practice from time to time.
What advice would you give to someone keen to start a yoga practice but unsure where to start?
It doesn’t matter how flexible you are, how experienced you are, or balanced you are; it just matters that you start somewhere.
Try a few different methods of yoga, with a few different teachers, to find which really resonates with you and then make that your main practice for as long as you can.
The real magic of yoga happens when you follow a style/method you love, guided by a teacher that you really trust.
And finally which five people, dead or alive would you invite to your fantasy dinner party?
Ohh tough one… Probably Alexander McQueen, Iris Apfel, Michael Stone, Dave Grohl and Shirley Manson – an eclectic bunch, for sure!
Harriet McAtee
Yoga Teacher, Teacher Trainer & Baker
What drew you to becoming a yoga teacher?
For me, I think it was about sharing the impact and possibilities yoga has to offer – I’d experienced them in my life and wanted to share that with other people.
What brings you back to your practice?
My body usually sends me a few reminders (!), as does my mind or my breath. But I guess it’s the sense that I’ve built a home in my practice, a space to come back to. To ground, to rest, to move, etc
If you had to pick one, which is your favourite yoga prop?
A bolster!
What advice would you give to someone keen to start a yoga practice but unsure where to start?
If practicing with a teacher is what you’re interested in, ask around – do any of your friends do yoga and can recommend a local teacher? Word of mouth recommendations are by far the best and most effective route for finding a teacher that suits your needs. If practicing on your own at home is what you’re interested in, I’d still try to find first a local teacher or studio teaching online classes live or via recording that you can support. Nourish’s Community Library is a great example of an affordable option if you’re looking for pre-recorded classes you can do in your own time.
But in general, I always encourage people to go gently, slowly and mindfully. Not every yoga practice needs to be 60 minutes. What’s realistic for your life and intentions? 5 minutes of yoga, 5 days a week is far better, in my opinion, than one 60 minute class that is continuously pushed back and procrastinated on. Today I came home and put my legs up the wall while journaling on my phone and that was absolutely my yoga practice for today.
And finally which five people, dead or alive would you invite to your fantasy dinner party?
Oh! A great question and difficult to answer. I live on the other side of the world from my parents and best friend, so having them over for dinner for an evening would be pretty magical. To round it off I’d invite my boyfriend, and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.