Ashtangaom: Nic & Gemma Co Directors

Nic Freeman

Nic has trained for 3 consecutive years with Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore earning the Great Masters´ Blessing to teach. He has also completed a 3 month Teacher Training Course with Richard Freeman in Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. He is inspired by Danny Paradise`s non-hierarchical approach and believes like him that there are no authorities in yoga and that your best teacher is you.

He has been a professional Ashtanga Yoga teacher for 10 years. After spending many years teaching at Brockwell Park Lido, Brixton, London, he then taught ongoing classes and retreats in Ibiza, Bristol, Sri Lanka and Andalucia.

He believes strongly that Ashtanga with the right approach is accessible to everyone.

Gemma Mallol

For Gemmas Biography please go to the Teachers and Retreats Page

Nics Ashtanga Style

Uses mindful ujayi breathing as the principle focus of the practice coupled with deep attention to the bandhas layered upon a close examination of the whole of the primary series asanas and also many of the secondary series asanas.

We believe the vinyasa aspect ie the moving breathing aspect of Ashtanga to be of primary importance to truly enter the meditation, with the perfection of the asanas an added bonus that comes over many years of practice. From complete beginners onwards our primary objective is to get people to breathe and move as it is this dynamic flow of energy that will give the body its ability to be soft, relaxed and flexible thus leading to a technically advanced asana practice. We aim to encourage students to have a soft, light practice that is easy and enjoyable.

Technique is of course given importance and the necessity to practice in alignment to avoid injury, however always letting the breath and the bandhas be the principal force guiding the practice.

Retreats with Nic and Gemma
Ashtanga Yoga

The yoga will start with an hour session dedicated to discussion and questions concerning the practice, in depth warm up techniques to prevent strain and injury, and discussion of the practice focus for the day. After a short break we aim to have a flowing 2 hour practice incorporating adaptations and modifications to tailor the practice to the appropriate individuals level.

Nic favours the talk through style as a means to communicate as much information as possible to all participants.

Nic welcomes students of all levels, however he would like participants to have practiced yoga for at least 6 months regularly and to have an understanding of what Ashtanga Yoga is.

Meditation with Gemma

Gemma offers an introduction to insight meditation as an option in the afternoons. She offers a combination of sitting practice, walking meditation and discussion tailored to the needs of the group. The Meditation techniques she teaches are inspired by the Vipassana discipline and teachers such as Steven Smith founder of Vipassana Hawaii and guiding teacher from the Insight Med. Soc., Massachusetts, and the Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

The teaching is designed through close observation of the breath and meditating on the four establishments of mindfulness, we start to penetrate the flux of impermanent phenomena that compose the small "self" and start to reveal that which is unchangeable and everlasting.