Yoga with Emma

Yoga with Emma Yoga with Emma Emma is committed to providing the highest standard of yoga instruction, with classes to suit everyone at affordable prices.

Classes are on the Isle of Wight, workshops are throughout the UK and yoga holidays are worldwide. Yoga strengthens and open’s the physical body, using the breath to deepen the stretches and relax the mind. The practice of yoga becomes a precious time to rejuvenate and a powerful tool towards a healthier lifestyle. The class you choose depends on experience, preference, your physical requirements

and the body’s limitations. Classes range from those suitable for the complete beginner, to the dynamic aerobic practice of the ashtanga sequence. There are sessions to fire the imagination of your children, or there’s the calming and nurturing practice designed for pre/post pregnancy. Whether you choose to come to a general class, arrange a one to one session, enjoy a weekend workshop or deepen your practice on a yoga holiday, this vibrant yogini will help you create a strong flexible and relaxed body and mind….. Please email Emma if there is anything you would like to discuss with her.

‘If you work on your creativity, you deepen your spirituality. And if you work on your spirituality, you deepen your cre...
05/08/2026

‘If you work on your creativity, you deepen your spirituality. And if you work on your spirituality, you deepen your creativity.’ ~ Julia Cameron

Time in Skyros is more than just a yoga retreat. It’s an immersive experience in community & creativity.

Dancing, arts & crafts, writing, t’ai chi and yoga are lovingly woven into a schedule that opens the spiritual doors through creativity and presence.

Join me for a week, two or three this August. I’ll be the one bobbing about on a SUP board & treading on Steve’s feet in the salsa class.

Thoughts on the Ātma Vichāra (Self-Inquiry) - one of the most direct non-dual practices in Eastern philosophy. WHO AM I?...
03/08/2026

Thoughts on the Ātma Vichāra (Self-Inquiry) - one of the most direct non-dual practices in Eastern philosophy. WHO AM I? A meditation to systematically strip away identification with transient phenomena - the physical body, sensations, emotions, and thoughts - to reveal the immutable underlying consciousness (Ātman).

Me? I’m still working hard at being laid bare, naked of all the filters, baggage, hang ups and stories I’ve been wed to for 55yrs. Truth is, I’m probably the one with spinach in her teeth, breakfast down her clean t-shirt or her skirts tucked up in her knickers.

In a world obsessed with polished narratives and curated highlights, it is remarkably easy to mistake the presentation for the person. We spend so much energy editing how we show up—filtering our experiences, optimizing our routines, and managing the roles we play for everyone around us. But behind every carefully crafted image, every story, and every identity we wear, a quiet question remains: who are you when the performance stops?

This is where the ancient practice of Ātma Vichāra (Self-Inquiry) cuts straight through the noise. Rather than trying to construct a “better” version of yourself or add another layer of spiritual polish, the simple inquiry “Who am I?” works in reverse. It systematically strips away the conditioning, the temporary emotions, and the mental noise. Instead of refining the filter, it turns your attention entirely backward to reveal the untouched, raw observer underneath.

Your true nature does not need an upgrade, an edit, or an explanation. It isn’t something you have to manufacture or strive to become; it is the steady, unshakeable awareness that remains when all the temporary roles fall away. Real peace begins the moment you stop trying to perfect the story of who you are, step past the filtered surface, and simply rest in the truth of what has been there all along.

31/07/2026

Practicing yoga in an immersive environment is a uniquely precious way to invest in your overall sense of wellbeing. I describe it as plugging into the source, recharging yourself, ready to face the months ahead, more alive, more healthy & more awake. A little wiser on how you wish to author the future.

A specialist curated environment that supports a programme of meditation, pranayama and asana begins to weave its magic on your whole system from the moment you arrive. It’s also rare.

Everything, from the sympathetic way the retreat centre is woven into the natural landscape to the delicious clean food and the inspirational yoga programme, everything, reassures your body, your mind and your soul that you are safe and lovingly cared for.

This is how you can lean back with trust into the simplicity of just being.

I have a few spare cabins available for my retreat at next month. Flights are reasonable. Transfers are included. Please reach out for further information. Huzur Vadisi Yoga Retreats

30/07/2026

What are ‘bandhas’? 15th-century yogis knew them as energy alchemy. ✨

1. Mula Bandha (The Root Lock)
“Pressing the perineum with the heel and contracting the re**um so that Apana Vayu is drawn upward is called Mula Bandha.”  Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
The Classical Concept: The text explains that Apana (the body’s downward-flowing energy) naturally moves downward and exits. By contracting the pelvic floor, you force Apana to reverse direction and rise toward the navel, uniting it with Prana and inner fire (Agni) to awaken Kundalini energy. 

2. Uddiyana Bandha (The Abdominal Lock)
“Because through this bandha the great bird Prana flies incessantly up through the Sushumna, it is called Uddiyana (‘flying up’).”  Hatha Yoga Pradipika
The Classical Concept:Performed by pulling the abdomen back toward the spine and lifting the navel upward after an exhalation. Swatmarama dramatically calls it “the lion that conquers the elephant of death,” writing that regular practice restores youth and strongly stimulates the digestive fire.

3. Jalandhara Bandha (The Throat/Chin Lock)
“Contracting the throat and resting the chin firmly against the chest is called Jalandhara Bandha. It prevents the nectar from falling into the fire.”  Hatha Yoga Pradipika
The Classical Concept: The text uses poetic imagery describing a divine nectar (Amrita) that constantly drips down from the head center. Without this chin lock, that vital essence falls into the belly fire and is burned away. Locking the throat traps the energy in the upper trunk and locks the side channels (Ida and Pingala).

In modern movement, bandhas are simplified as pelvic floor squeezes or abdominal bracing. But in the original Hatha Yoga Pradipika, these locks were designed to seal, & channel subtle life force (prana) up the central nerve pathway (sushumna nadi).

The physical side effect of that upward energetic suction? It recruits your deepest core infrastructure —keeping the back safe & giving you that gravity-defying lightness.

Together, all three locks together were called Maha Bandha (The Great Lock)—a complete seal of vital energy that IMPORTANTLY stills the mind.

Just me. Under a lime tree. At 1470m over looking the valley. Doing my thing. That thing that’s kept me sane for so many...
13/07/2026

Just me. Under a lime tree. At 1470m over looking the valley. Doing my thing.

That thing that’s kept me sane for so many years. Made me bearable. And reminds me that I’m not a complete & utter bitch! For me & those of us who recognise our practice as yoga and not just stretching, the physical benefits are secondary to the mental.

If you’ve been avoiding it for whatever reason, go on, unroll your mat & remember that post yoga glow. Let me know how it goes. Xx

1. A drop-in hotel class is inherently unpredictable. The room is filled with random guests of completely different leve...
11/07/2026

1. A drop-in hotel class is inherently unpredictable. The room is filled with random guests of completely different levels, the teacher must teach a generic, low-stakes class to keep everyone safe. On a retreat, your teacher has designed a progressive, week-long arc. The practice builds intentionally day by day, taking your physical, mental, and intellectual body on a real journey.

2. Resorts are built for leisure and distraction. A true retreat venue is an ecosystem entirely aligned with inner work. Every detail—from the nourishing food & quiet meditation spaces to collective boundaries around technology—is synchronised to support you fully unplug and turn inward.

3. A Container for Real Emotional Safety. Intensive practice naturally acts as a catalyst, bringing old stories, mental tension, and emotions to the surface. A hotel gym or multi-use studio isn’t built to handle that. A retreat is explicitly designed as a brave, confidential space where you are fully supported to process whatever bubbles up, without feeling exposed.

4. In a resort, you are a room number taking a wellness amenity. On retreat, you are a valued individual. You are placing your trust in a teacher who either knows your practice intimately or a specialised venue that strictly vets their guides for exceptional experience.

5. Intentional Spaces vs. Repurposed Rooms. A true retreat features a dedicated, sacred space equipped with high-quality, pristine props that are treated with respect. You aren’t using worn-out mats in a room that was used for a corporate conference the night before; you are stepping into a space maintained with absolute care & energetic intention.

6. Leading a retreat requires a level of experience and commitment that commercial hotels rarely replicate. While resorts often tick a “wellness” box with newly qualified volunteers or overextended instructors who leave the moment class ends, a retreat leader is there for the long haul. When intensive practice causes deep emotions to surface, you don’t need a corporate amenity—you need an experienced guide with the presence, time, & wisdom to hold that space with you.

Join me at Huzur Vadisi this September. 🧡

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” Join me on retreat this Autumn &...
08/07/2026

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

Join me on retreat this Autumn & switch off.

Turkey - September
Spain - October

05/07/2026

When the most perfect yoga practice is to simply be present.

Ever come back from holiday feeling more tired than when you left? Standard vacations offer distraction. A true retreat offers restoration through practice and nature.

Studies show that spending dedicated time in beautiful, natural settings changes your body at a cellular level—improving immune function and lowering inflammation markers within 6 days. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that a single week at a structured retreat leaves a biological “afterglow” that sustains mental clarity and lowers blood pressure.

Join me this September or October and let nature & practice bring you back to balance. Nothing optimised, just you without the stress.

Drop a 🍃in the comments for details of my retreats this Autumn.

📹- this past week with my lovely family in Portugal.

If you’ve watched the recent Apple TV documentary Twisted Yoga, you’ll know exactly why this conversation is so urgent r...
01/07/2026

If you’ve watched the recent Apple TV documentary Twisted Yoga, you’ll know exactly why this conversation is so urgent right now.

In the yoga and wellness space, charisma is a double-edged sword. It takes a certain kind of magnetic energy to fill a studio, hold a room, and inspire a community. But what happens when that charisma outpaces a teacher’s emotional maturity?

We see it time and time again: vulnerable students arrive on their mats looking for healing, direction, or a sense of belonging. They project their needs onto the teacher at the front of the room. And if that teacher hasn’t done their own deep inner work, they absorb that projection. They step up onto the pedestal. They rebrand as a “guru.”

As teachers, our charisma is not a free pass; it is a profound responsibility.

True leadership in the yoga room isn’t about gathering devoted followers who hang on your every word. It’s about mentoring your students to rediscover their own inner authority. A safe, ethical teacher actively dismantles the pedestal. They remind you that the real wisdom isn’t at the front of the room—it’s on your own mat.
Charisma might get people through the door, but it is integrity, boundaries, and profound responsibility that keep them safe once they are inside.

Have you watched Twisted Yoga yet? I’d love to hear your thoughts on how we can continue to build supportive yoga communities without falling into the “guru” trap. Let’s talk about it in the comments. 👇

29/06/2026

This was no accident. This was curated by my menopausal self who was quite simply done with accommodating outdated roles and responsibilities. It is said that oestrogen is the accommodating hormone and as it took its leave of my body, I could suddenly see beyond all the reasons, the people, work, the normal common sense considerations that might have made it seem impossible.

Of course a lifetime of yoga had been preparing me for life from a campervan. A way of being without attachment to everything from before.

Intentional living needs times of intentional space to ask the difficult questions and to develop the practice of listening, at the deepest soul level, to the answers.

A yoga retreat is the perfect environment to practice living with intention. Perhaps you can join me this autumn, either in Turkey or in Spain. Comment with your favourite beverage emoji and I’ll send you the details. 🍵 ☕️ 💧.

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Seaview
PO345EB

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