Our Patch march 2017
Entering the light and welcoming studio, a sense of calm is immediately apparent. As I take off my shoes and am handed a warming cup of herbal tea, it’ s easy to see how the Flying Yogi can engender a more relaxed frame of mind. Kasia – who lives a few moments away off Askew Road – spent four hectic months project managing the creation of the new yoga studio to ensure every detail met her exacting standards.
The separate men’ s and women’ s changing rooms feel more like a luxury spa hotel, and the spacious yoga practice room is light and airy, with room for 20 mats.“ It was the toughest period of my life,” admits Kasia.“ But it has been worth it.”
It may seem like a huge jump to go from working in architecture and
Kasia Poremna believes that yoga can help you mentally as well as physically
SPOT FLIES IN
interior design to becoming a yoga teacher, but Kasia reveals she‘ never felt so relaxed’ as when she attended her first ever yoga class 12 years ago.
“ I decided there and then to become a yoga teacher,” she explains. Three years ago, Kasia began searching for suitable premises, and eventually found the ideal spot in Goldhawk Road.“ It was fairly run down, but we knocked down walls and completely gutted the place,” she says.
Having decided to offer‘ warm’ yoga classes, the practice room is fitted with 12 infrared panels in the ceiling, which radiate a gentle heat. Classes take place under the warming panels, which heat the room from 25C to 30C – a much lower temperature than the controversial hot Bikram yoga, which can be performed in rooms heated to 40C.“ I didn’ t want the room to be too hot,” explains Kasia, who is originally from Poland but moved to the UK 18 years ago.“ I wanted something gentle so the heat is nice and welcoming, not off-putting.”
As Kasia demonstrates poses including the camel back bend, downward facing dog, triangle and forward bend, the warmth is a definite boon to flexibility.
But bendiness is not a prerequisite: the Flying Yogi’ s six teachers offer classes to suit all abilities, from a basic yoga class, to more dynamic vinyasa
Yoga helps to redress the balance, and once you have that power over your mind, you realise you also have more control over your time
flow sessions, and even a 45-minute lunchtime fix for those who fancy limbering up during their lunch break.
Men, women, old, young, all are welcome at the studio, emphasises Kasia, adding‘ we want to create a real sense of community here’.
Mum and baby yoga is on Sundays at 2pm, while pregnancy yoga is now offered on Saturdays.
“ We want to provide options for people,” she says.“ Lots of people like traditional styles, something gentle and relaxing, while others want something more challenging. Our approach is to get to know people and what poses will be right for them, so the sequence may be slightly different each time.”
The relaxing and rejuvenating aspects of yoga are high on the agenda at the Flying Yogi, with candlelit evening sessions a regular Friday night fixture to end a busy working week.
Meanwhile, more unusual workshops include the intriguingly named gong bath – which is a musical experience said to bathe the body in well-being and inspire inner peace.
Ultimately, Kasia’ s goal is to reduce stress, in the same way that she feels yoga has helped her.“ It’ s kind of saved my life,” she reveals.“ Once you are in a cycle of stress it can be hard to step back. Yoga helps to redress the balance, and once you have that power over your mind, you realise you also have more control over your time.” theflyingyogi. co. uk