JLP Vitality Yoga

29/07/2026

Like the full moon that shines without asking for recognition, a true teacher quietly illuminates the path for others. This Guru Purnima, we pause in gratitude for Guruji B.K.S. Iyengar as we celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Light on Yoga we give thanks to the lineage of teachers whose wisdom continues to guide our practice.

The picture is the front cover of 2017 Volume 24, No 3 Yoga Rahasya magazine.
With thanks to the artist: Veun Chin Malaysia

25/07/2026

NEW PODCAST | Coming Monday

For over 60 years, Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar has inspired generations of practitioners and teachers around the world.
To celebrate this remarkable anniversary, we’re delighted to launch Living the Practice - Light on Yoga - a new podcast series from Iyengar Yoga (UK).
Across the series, we’ll be sitting down with some of the UK’s most experienced Iyengar yoga teachers to explore the book that has shaped their practice, teaching and lives. Through personal stories, memories and reflections, we’ll celebrate the enduring legacy of Light on Yoga and discover why it remains as relevant today as ever.

🎧 Our first episode launches next week, featuring John Ferrabee – A collector of rare yoga books and an Iyengar yoga teacher.

John shares how he first discovered Light on Yoga, the story behind the original first edition and why this extraordinary book continues to inspire practitioners around the world.

We can’t wait to share it with you.

Join us Monday for Episode One.

20/06/2026

The wall is not there to make Sirsasana easier.
It is there to make the direction clear.

In Level 1 Iyengar Yoga practice, Salamba Sirsasana — supported headstand — is practised at the wall.

Not as a shortcut, but as a reference.

Before the body can balance independently, it must first understand where vertical is. The wall helps the student feel that relationship while reducing the fear of falling.

With that support, attention can go where it needs to go:
to the foundation of the arms,
the placement of the head,
the lift of the shoulders,
and the steadiness of the breath.

The crown of the head rests on the floor. The interlaced hands cup the back of the skull. The weight is distributed approximately one-third on the head and two-thirds through the forearms.

The forearms press down so the shoulders can lift away from the ears.

Sirsasana is not learned by forcing the body upside down. It is learned by building the foundation carefully.

Preparation begins before the full pose.

Dolphin preparation teaches the arm foundation.
Prasarita Padottanasana gives the sensation of inversion without the full demand of headstand.
Supported Setu Bandha gives the body a quiet experience of inverted support, with the spine lengthened and the neck free.

These are not lesser poses.
They are stages of understanding.

Safety: Sirsasana should be learned under the guidance of a qualified Iyengar Yoga teacher. Students with neck conditions, high blood pressure, eye pressure concerns, or other medical concerns should consult their teacher and healthcare professional before practising inversions. Never turn the head while in the pose. Exit with control and rest in Adho Mukha Virasana until the breath and circulation settle.

💬 If Sirsasana has been part of your practice, what did you notice the first time you came down?

21/05/2026

In a world full of noise, manipulation, endless opinions, distractions, and emotional chaos, the ability to think clearly has become one of the rarest forms of power.

Many people are rich in possessions but poor in peace. They have information but no wisdom. Constant stimulation but no inner stillness.

Mental clarity is different.

It is the ability to pause before reacting. To question what everyone blindly accepts. To separate truth from emotional noise. To think independently in a world constantly trying to influence how you feel, what you fear, what you desire, and what you should believe.

A clear mind protects you from impulsive decisions, toxic people, unnecessary drama, and self-destruction.

Because confusion is expensive.

It costs people relationships, peace, time, opportunities, and sometimes even their identity. A distracted mind is easy to control. But a calm and aware mind sees through illusions quickly.

That is why protecting your mental clarity matters more than endlessly chasing status or money.

Sleep matters. Silence matters. Solitude matters. Healthy boundaries matter. The content you consume matters. The people around you matter.

Everything you repeatedly allow into your mind eventually shapes the quality of your thoughts.

And the quality of your thoughts shapes the quality of your life.

True wealth is being able to sit quietly with yourself and still feel clear, grounded, and at peace while the world around you remains noisy.

Mental clarity is not just peace. It is freedom.

03/05/2026

03/05/2026

Stirling Club Chief Instructor Mike Bissett 7th Dan (1st on left) pictured with other NKI senior instructors at a recent seminar in Aberdeen