Yoga in Brighton & Hove
The shape of things to come. Fiona Johnson investigates Brighton's yoga phenomenon

Brighton is probably one of the only cities in the UK where yoga has shifted from being an "alternative" health activity, to truly becoming part of the mainstream. Not only are there a number of yoga-specific clinics around town, but the Unemployed Centre offers reduced rate yoga classes alongside its IT facilities, and, more recently, certain Brighton nurseries and community centres have started to provide yoga lessons for children.

Brighton is probably one of the only cities in the UK where yoga has shifted from being an "alternative" health activity, to truly becoming part of the mainstream. Not only are there a number of yoga-specific clinics around town, but the Unemployed Centre offers reduced rate yoga classes alongside its IT facilities, and, more recently, certain Brighton nurseries and community centres have started to provide yoga lessons for children. However, you are allowed to be a yogic dunce. Just because in many Brighton circles yoga is as obligatory a component of life as orange juice, does not mean that intrinsic yogic wisdom is a service provided by B&H council. The sheer variety of yoga available in Brighton is confusing, and difficult to navigate for many of us.

So to start with: just what exactly is this yoga thing? Derived from the Sanskrit word meaning to bind, join or union, yoga is actually a far broader discipline than we in the West usually practise. In fact, the physical formations we recognise as yoga are actually only a sub-division of yoga known as Hatha. Based on the combination of physical postures, (called asanas), with deep breathing exercises, (called pranayama), Hatha Yoga helps to stretch and tone the muscles and joints, while calming the mind and redistributing the stress habitually stored in the spine. With regular practice, this holistic approach

to your body should help you sleep better, calm down and increase your flexibility, strength and awareness. Simply put: you feel lovely.

Within Hatha Yoga, a number of different yoga schools have inevitably developed, each with different emphases and methods, though largely all with the same aims. Most notably in Brighton, you'll find Iyengar, Astanga and, somewhat confusingly, Hatha. Also growing in popularity is a highly energetic form known as Kundalini yoga, whose traditions are based on something slightly different from Hatha, and whose focus lies wholly in the intense release of energy at the base of the spine. Although yoga is part of Buddhist spiritual practice - and indeed is often taught by Buddhists - most Western practitioners treat it as a secular activity.

While most drop-in yoga classes in Brighton charge between £5 and £7, the cheapest place to go for yoga is the Evolution Arts Centre (£4.50) who specialise particularly in Astanga and Iyengar, but also provide several Hatha (the school, not the blanket discipline) classes. It is worth shopping around, as different kinds of yoga produce slightly different effects, and so appeal to and suit different people. With the brief descriptions below, you should be able to get an idea of which is best for you.

astanga
A fairly aerobic system of yoga, which takes the original asana poses and organises them into flowing sequences. Speeding up the postures, and co-ordinating them with deep breathing patterns means that Ashtanga (or Astanga) really gets the blood moving around the body, and is very useful for flushing out toxins and toning up muscles. While tricky to master at first (novices really are advised to hunt down specially-designed beginners classes), once the body has learnt and understood the sequences, the mind can benefit hugely from their rhythmical performance.

Classes:
Evolution Arts Centre, 2 Sillwood Terrace, 01273 204204.
Peter Roussel, Brighthelm Centre, North Rd. and Montague Place (Brighton College).
Brighton Buddhist Centre, 17 Tichborne St, 772090. All levels Drop-in Classes, 12.45-2pm Mon & Thurs
Brighton Natural Health Centre, 27 Regent St, 01273 600 010.

hatha
Rather than being a posture-lead practice, this is a soflty, softly, think yourself into shape kind of yoga, with the emphasis more on where your mind is during the experience, than on where your limbs are. Here the catalogue of asana poses - plank, dog, corpse et al - are simply a tool for exploring the breath. In searching for internal awareness, you'll find yourself being asked to deeply concentrate on the sensations in your body, such as the weight of your shoulders or the pressure felt in the contact of your feet with the floor. Being mentally focussed in your asana pose is all that is required, making Hatha a very gentle and relaxing experience. Vanda Scaravelli and Vajrasati are both forms of this type of yoga.

Classes:
Natural Bodies, 28/29 Bond St., Evolution Arts Centre, and Holistic Health Clinic, 53 Beaconsfield Rd.

iyengar
Derived from the teachings of BKS Iyengar, Iyengar is the practice most usually credited with popularisation of yoga in the West. It makes use of the asana poses very specifically, by focusing a lot of attention into the moulding of the body into the correct posture, with the help of blocks and belts. The posture is then often held for some time while the breath and mind is worked on. Like Astanga, Iyengar is based on sequences of postures. Unlike Astanga, Iyengar moves quite slowly.

Classes:
Evolution Arts Centre, 2 Sillwood Terrace, 01273 204204.
Brighton Buddhist Centre, 17 Tichborne St, 772090. Brighton Natural Health Centre, 27 Regent St, 01273 600 010

kundalini
In classical literature, "kundalini" is described as a coiled serpent at the base of the spine, representing the untapped energy of the second chakra. The aim of Kundalini Yoga then is to awaken this, and hopefully endow the individual with awareness beyond ordinary perception along the way. The practice was developed over 50,000 years ago by Rishis in India and Tibet who, it is said, systematically tested and perfected the precise movements, postures, sounds and breathing that activate different parts of the body and brain to produce specific results. These teachings were brought to the West in 1969, and presented to the public for the first time by Yogi Bhajan. Although sharing the same goal as modern yoga, Kundalini does not rely on the same asana poses. By incorporating vigorous meditation, chanting and asana-related movements dispatched with athletic aplomb, Kundalini purports not only to give you focus and energy, but potentially also beauty, creativity and the power to change your negative habits.

Classes:
Cornerstone Community Centre, Hove, tel 01273 776657, and Bubble, Western Road.

scaravelli
The spine has three underused friends: gravity, breath, and wave. These three companions (fused in one) should be constantly with us - says Vanda Scaravelli, the BKS Iyengar pupil behind this variation on the Iyengar tradition. According to Scaravelli, gravity puts us in contact with the spine, which, in turn, is the key to the natural alignment of our bodies. When the body works with the pull of gravity and its contact with the ground, resistance ceases, order is regained, and natural rhythms are re-established. As with much yoga discipline, Scaravelli is preoccupied with the importance of focusing on the elongation of the spine and working with the body rather than against it, but also focuses on wider holistic approaches to life to aid the purpose of the practice. This is a gentle form of yoga that favours concentration over sleek-lined agility, but improves both.

Classes:
Natural Bodies, 28/29 Bond Street 01273 711414

satyananda
Satyananda Yoga is a system of yoga developed by Swami Satyananda Saraswati and his lineage, which incorporates practices derived from ancient and traditional sources. Satyananda Yoga uses the definitive Hatha asanas and pranayama to balance body, mind and energy, as well as meditation to calm and focus the mind. It also takes a broader outlook by teaching and encouraging yogic lifestyles beyond our Western idea of physical yoga. The Satyananda approach incorporates the whole person, and places an emphasis on awareness. It encourages students to think about change as a process that will take place naturally as a consequence of regular and fully aware yogic practice, rather than by contriving to force the mind and body beyond its immediate limits.

Classes:
The Gallery, The Old Market, Upper Market St Hove, 01273 711266 / 07900 203307

Alive Fitness and Natural Health Centre, Castle St.
Tel: 01273 739606. Kundalini and Dynamic yoga with Julie, also Hatha yoga with Lianne.

Brighthelm Centre, North Rd. Astanga classes with Peter Roussel, 07866 558613.

Brighton Buddhist Centre, 17 Tichborne St. Tel: 01273 772090. Astanga and Iyengar, all levels.

Brighton College, 1 Montague Pl, Kemptown. Astanga with Peter Roussel, 07866 558613.

Brighton Natural Health Centre, 27 Regent St. Tel: 01273 600010. Iyengar drop-ins and courses.

Bubble, above Madhatters Cafe, Western Rd. Kundalini Yoga with Julie, 07966 451 292, Morning yoga with Peter Roussel 07866 558613, and Hatha with Sarah Foster.

Cornerstone Community Centre, Church Rd, Hove. Yoga with Neville Cregan 01273 622950, and David Bamfield 01273 273734. Also Kundalini Yoga with Siri Datta, 01273 733689.

Evolution Arts Centre, 2 Sillwood Terrace. Tel: 01273 204204. Iyengar, Hatha, various teachers.

Holistic Health Clinic, 53 Beaconsfield Rd. Tel: 01273 696295. Hatha yoga

Kemptown Crypt, St George's Church, St George's Rd. Astanga with Christian, 07786 367218.

Natural Bodies, 28/29 Bond St. Tel: 01273 711414. Scaravelli, various teaches and classes including with Gary Carter and Jo Avison

Old Market, Upper Market St Hove. Satyananda yoga, 01273 711266 / 07900 203307

Roundhill Street, Unit 4, (just off Ditchling Rd). Hatha with Cara Bowen, 01273 326281.

Shape Gym, Fonthill Rd, Hove. Tel: 01273 232330. Kundalini yoga

St Michael's Church Hall, St Michael's Pl. (behind Waitrose). Hatha with Roger King, 01273 734011.

copyright The Insight 2002

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