News & information

Congratulations ...

to Jane Roberson for becoming a new Foundation Course Tutor

to the following new teachers -

  • Daphne Bath (Felicity Leigh)
  • Louise Hallam (Felicity Leigh)
  • Gillian Orson (Felicity Leigh)
  • Dererca Sprake (Felicity Leigh)
  • Michelle Sutton (Felicity Leigh)
  • Aileen Boyd (Maarten Vermaase)
  • Elenor Dries-Jenkins (Maarten Vermaase)
  • Martyn Luker (Maarten Vermaase)
  • Mary Mallia (Maarten Vermaase)
  • Belinda McLean (Maarten Vermaase)
  • Victoria O'Connor (Maarten Vermaase)
  • Diana Reynolds (Maarten Vermaase)
  • Carolyn Rowell(Maarten Vermaase)
  • Simon Stalley (Maarten Vermaase)
  • Elaine Ulett(Maarten Vermaase)
  • Jean Wadge (Maarten Vermaase)

and to the following for completing the Ayurveda Module with Cathy-Mae Karelse -

  • Catherine Collins
  • Michaela Welz

Southern Region Congress and AGM - 2nd October 2011

Highcrest Academy - entrance

As summer took her final curtain-call to rapturous applause, the Southern Region Congress and AGM 2011 convened for the second time at the Highcrest Academy in High Wycombe.
Read the full article

Having set up the refreshments in the dance studio (realising no one had switched on the water boilers prior to our arrival!), erected the information boards and frantically stuck arrows on the route from the car parks to the hall, the yoga mat carrying attendees started to arrive.

Interesting notices

After registration (this is a school after all) there was time for tea or coffee and to meet with friends and make new ones.

It had been an excellent net­working opportunity, catching up with old friends, making new friends, and putting faces to the names in Yoga South.
Bridget Appleby

Arrival

After Howard Napper's arrival everyone moved into the hall and, following a few words from Tim Lewis, the day began.

Howard Napper is very down to earth for a 'celebrity' yoga teacher, and clearly very ex­perienced and knowledge­able. His discussion around stress was fascinating—this is an area we can always learn more about and relates (in one way or another) to everyone who attends a yoga class.
Jennifer Hunt

Yoga with Napper

Lunch out in the sun was a treat. Outside the hall was a courtyard suntrap with plenty of seating and peace and quiet. Then it was time for the AGM back in the dance studio. It was very gratifying to see that nearly everyone forsook the glorious weather to experience the meeting, many taking an active part raising questions and making interesting suggestions (the minutes will be uploaded onto the website in due course).

This was my first AGM and I enjoyed it immensely. Lots of lovely people meeting together with a common interest. It was good to meet neighbour­ing County Reps and hear their news. Altogether, with the fantastic weather, it was a memorable day.
Dorothy Owen

AGM

The afternoon session with Howard flashed past and soon it was time for the goodbyes.

An enjoyable day. I was very impressed with the directions on arrival clearly showing the way to the main building.
The organisation and layout of refreshments and AGM facil­ities were well thought out cre­ating a friendly atmos­phere. The AGM itself was conducted smoothly and professionally by all involved. Thank you all for your efforts to provide a day well worth coming to.
Sylvia Smith

Yoga with Napper

Each Congress and AGM is a 'work in progress' and lessons are always learnt. We rely heavily on the feedback given and strive to improve year on year. Our thanks go to Howard Napper, the staff of Highcrest Academy and to all who attended and made this such an enjoyable day. Watch for details of the Southern Region's Congress and AGM 2012!

They say the sun shines on the righteous and the sun certainly shone at Southern Region’s annual congress on 2nd October 2011! The weather and the welcome were very warm but fortunately the hall was cool enough to allow discussion to flow freely and some asana to be practised. Lunch was a convivial affair and it was heartening to have so much interest in the AGM and for relevant questions and suggestions to be put forward. The committee is always looking for feedback from the members so to have people willing to raise their concerns and interests was very much appreciated.
Jane Roberson, Regional Treasurer

Additional images

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Prison Phoenix Trust Workshop

In England and Wales today there are 139 prisons holding 85,419 people (5% are women, 2.5% are children under 18 and 8% are young people between 18-20 years old). In Scotland 15 prisons hold 7,680 people, in Northern Ireland 3 prisons hold 1,526 people and in Eire 14 prisons hold 4,500 people.

Many prisoners have mental problems: an estimated 72% of male and 70% of female sentenced prisoners suffer from two or more mental health disorders. 15% of men and 23% of women were convicted of drug offences whilst 55% reported committing offences connected to their drug taking. 63% of men and 39% or women sentenced admit to hazardous drinking which carries the risk of physical or mental harm.
Read the full article

I attended a Prison Phoenix Trust Workshop Striking It Rich In Prison in April 2011 in Oxford; this was aimed at Yoga Teachers who were interested in teaching in Prisons. The Prison Phoenix Trust (The PPT) is a charity that encourages prisoners in their spiritual lives through a daily practice of yoga and meditation, working in silence and the breath and currently has 145 classes in 77 prisons. The day was run by Sam Settle, Director of The Prison Phoenix Trust, along with two of his colleagues (Luisa Golding and Elaine Ulett), and was divided into discussions on teaching in prisons and how The PPT supports you as a Teacher both in preparing you to work in prisons and also assisting and supporting you once you are teaching there. We also had a couple of yoga sessions, led silently by Luisa which were very effective, as well as a meditation session led by Sam.

What is surprising when reviewing the meditation techniques used is that they are remarkably simple. We were given very useful basic information to use when considering whether to teach in a prison:

  • Allow plenty of time to approach your class due to security checks
  • Room preparation
  • Make sure you visit the loo beforehand as otherwise you would need to be escorted by a prison officer using up their resources
  • Lessons tend to be longer than the stand 1½ hours, so plan your lesson well
  • Be adaptable with plenty of alternative material to teach
  • Dress code extremely important - be smart but discrete
  • Maintain professional boundaries, you are there to teach yoga and meditation only
  • Handouts that you would give out to students will need to be security checked beforehand
  • Touching students during class is generally not recommended, you may also be filmed whilst teaching
  • If you are given keys for the prison, keep them on your person at all times
  • Be generous with praise - some students may never have experienced this!
  • Yoga Nidra is acceptable, but only the physical relaxation, visualisation is to be avoided
  • Classes are paid for, but only if the Prison has enough resources
  • Continuity of lessons is particularly important; you may have other things to do next week, but the prisoner is there waiting for you
  • Stand In teachers greatly appreciated, to maintain this continuity

It is not compulsory for you to go through The PPT to register your interest in prison teaching as you are able to approach Prisons directly yourself, however, The PPT have such a vast range of experience and support that it would be churlish to turn down any opportunity of preparing yourself for what is quite a unique experience. In addition to this one day workshop, The PPT also does a five day residential course which runs in the summer every other year (the next one is due in 2012) and a number of comments were made of how valuable it was to have attended this course first prior to teaching in prisons. Something worth thinking about if you are serious and have the spare time to carry out this worthwhile challenge.

What I came away with from the day was what a diverse population you would be teaching, mainly those with many challenges in their lives. The books and CDs that The PPT sends to prisoners are free, make a huge difference to life in their cells, and you really begin to see the power of yoga and the difference you can make as a Teacher.


For further details on Teaching in Prisons, please feel free to contact them at:
    The Prison Phoenix Trust
    P.O. Box 328, OXFORD OX2 7HF
    Tel: 01865-512521 & 512522
    website: www.theppt.org.uk (opens new window)

They would certainly appreciate your contact, support and any donations.
Tim Lewis, Regional Officer

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Foundation Course

Would you like to expand your understanding of yoga?
The British Wheel of Yoga (BWY) Foundation course gives a much deeper insight to the whole picture of yoga. For those enjoying their weekly yoga class yet at a point where they would like to understand the background to yoga, the course offers an introduction to Pranayama, meditation and philosophy and more in-depth approach to asana. It offers the time and level of study for self-enquiry and self-development. Read the full article

For many participants the course can cement their own practice and be enough as a stand-alone course. Others are inspired to go into more depth of study and continue with the separate disciplines such as pranayama or meditation modules. For some it is a good testing ground, especially with essay writing and return to study to decide to go onto the Teacher Training Diploma.

One of our Members, Sophia Andeh, has written her experience of her Foundation Course:

I tried my first yoga class in Oxford with Hazel Faithfull nearly five years ago and although at the time I could not have known how it would develop, I knew I had found something that I would keep as a part of my life. After three years of attending class, I felt I wanted to explore yoga in greater depth and to learn more about it. Therefore, I decided to enroll on the BWY Foundation Course. I found a course in Poole, Dorset, run by Wendy Haring. On the first day I was very nervous and did not know what to expect. However, almost instantly, I felt at ease. The other students were very friendly and learning with Wendy has been a pleasure. Each week there is a different focus to the class and it has been wonderful to explore the different asanas in depth and to learn about the origins and philosophy of yoga. In some weeks we worked in groups with fellow students and designed our own homework practice sequence. This was interesting and fun and helped us put theory into practice. My experience of the foundation course has inspired me to enroll on the diploma course Wendy is running as I feel that I would like to share my love of yoga with others and to be able to teach safely.

Overall, I would thoroughly recommend the foundation course to any student wishing to explore yoga in further depth.

This 60 hour part-time course is designed for ease of study with a variety of sessions being spread over a minimum of six months. Prospective students should have attended a yoga class for a minimum of two years with a suitably qualified and experienced yoga teacher and will be required to take up Membership of the BWY.

I am aware the launch of the newly designed BWY Teaching Diploma course has created a delay in training Foundation Course Tutors for the proposed new Module, however, our existing Foundation Course is still current and we have Foundation Course Tutors in our Region who would be delighted to run a Course for you.

I would be grateful if you could let me know if you are interested in attending a Foundation Course and where in the Region you live. Once I receive sufficient interest, I can then coordinate one of our seven Foundation Course Tutors who live in our Region to see whether we can get a course up and running for you.

Please contact me at my usual email address: RO@bwysouth.org.uk

Tim Lewis
Regional Officer

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Teachers

You can now enhance your Yoga Class information by adding a brief biography. Access your class details and add your biography, you only need do it once no matter how many classes you advertise.

Contact Details

Please can you periodically check your contact details, especially your e-mail addresses? There are a few members and teachers whose e-mail addresses are incorrect either from mistyping or if you have changed your e-mail address or service provider. Visit the Member's Only section of this website, log in with your full membership number and click on Update your contact details. Any changes made will be forwarded to the BWY Central Office for inclusion in their database.

Buckinghamshire County Representative

Many thanks to Anna McEvoy for continuing as Representative since standing down last October, however, the time has come for her to concentrate on other things. This means that Buckinghamshire needs a County Representative to organise In Service Training Days and Member Days as well as maintaining contact with all members in the County. All you need is enthusiasm! You will be well supported by the Regional Officer and all Committee Members (who are a fine bunch of people). This is a voluntary role and all expenses are covered. If you are interested then please contact the Regional Officer for more information.

Guidelines for CPD

Teachers, please note that there are important changes in the way that CPD must be recorded.
Please read NISTO's revised Guidelines in the Teachers' section of the Members Only pages.

Members Only access to the website

Dear Members,
You will now notice a new tab on the top navigation bar called Members Only. Please contact the Website Administrator for details of how to use this system.

If you are a Teacher, you will also be able to update your Class Details, and add, update or remove your Locum/TPOT Registrations.

This Members Only area will continue to grow, so if you feel there is any additional information that would be of general use, please feel free to contact me.

Om Shanti,
Tim

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