Despite all my best intentions to start off slow going to restorative classes, Margherita’s class at the Life Centre Notting Hill was full this morning, so I opted to return later in the day to Simon Turner’s class at 3pm.
I know Simon as we work together at both the Life Centre and Indaba Yoga Studio, and we sometimes practice together with Alaric Newcombe. Having been to his classes before, I felt safe telling him about my recent hospital visit, and he seemed very understanding and concerned. I promised to listen to my body and take it slow.
The class was busy, twenty or more students of varying levels, some who had never been to an Iyengar class before. At the beginning of the class he announced it was the first Saturday of the month so we would be focusing on standing postures. Simon seemed to know almost everyone’s name, even the students he had just met for the first time. On top of that, he was encouraging and coaxed students along when improvements to postural alignment were made. This is something not to take for granted in an Iyengar class, and in my current state of healing his encouragement meant that I felt more energized and stronger throughout the class (also due to the standing sequence of repetitive trikonasana and parsvakonasana into ardha chandrasana), and as a result found myself in handstands and headstand, something I certainly didn’t foresee doing three days out of hospital.
Simon has a quirky, dry sense of humor and adapts his classes to the energy and aptitude of the class. He adjusts and explains more than many of the more senior Iyengar teachers I practice with, and is clearly passionate about yoga and the Iyengar Method.
Simon teaches at the Life Centre in Notting Hill an Indaba Yoga Studio in Marylebone. He holds his Junior Intermediate Level 3 Iyengar Certification.
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