Pema Lhamo
Founder · Vinyasa and Yin
Still · 60 minutes · 5 a week
Restorative
Held up entirely by props.
Four or five fully supported shapes, each one built so that no muscle has to hold you in it. You will be propped, covered and left alone for ten minutes at a time.
This is the class we point people towards after a hard week, an illness, a night without sleep, or a diagnosis. Falling asleep is not a failure of attention. It is often the point.
- Suits
- Anyone, at any stage, including pregnancy and recovery — tell the teacher first.
- Bring
- Yourself. We will find you three blankets.
- Sanskrit
- विश्राम
What actually happens
An hour of restorative, in order.
-
Before you start
The teacher builds each shape around you rather than the other way round — bolsters under knees, a blanket over the eyes if you want one.
-
Each shape
Eight to ten minutes, fully supported, no muscular effort at all.
-
Between shapes
Slow, guided transitions. There is no rush and no sequence to keep up with.
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The end
Twenty minutes of the class is lying still. That is not padding; that is the class.
When this is the wrong class. There is almost nobody this is wrong for. If you are managing something specific — pregnancy, recent surgery, active treatment — write to us first so Sarita can plan rather than improvise.
Who teaches it
Sarita Manandhar
Restorative and Chair
When it runs
Room
The Garden Room — Ten mats, plants on every sill, warmer than the rest of the floor.
Before you come
Come in your work clothes if you like. Nobody minds.
Practice
Restorative, 60 minutes. Yourself. We will find you three blankets.
Taught by
Sarita Manandhar — Restorative and Chair
Room
The Garden Room — Ten mats, plants on every sill, warmer than the rest of the floor.
Before you come
Chair options offered throughout. Say if you want one.
Practice
Restorative, 60 minutes. Yourself. We will find you three blankets.
Taught by
Sarita Manandhar — Restorative and Chair
Room
The Garden Room — Ten mats, plants on every sill, warmer than the rest of the floor.
Before you come
Full. Ask the desk about the waiting list.
Practice
Restorative, 60 minutes. Yourself. We will find you three blankets.
Taught by
Sarita Manandhar — Restorative and Chair
Room
The Long Room — The main room, sixteen mats, windows along the east wall.
Before you come
The one we send people to after a hard week.
Practice
Restorative, 60 minutes. Yourself. We will find you three blankets.
Taught by
Sarita Manandhar — Restorative and Chair
Room
The Long Room — The main room, sixteen mats, windows along the east wall.
Before you come
The only class on Sundays. Doors at eight.
Practice
Restorative, 60 minutes. Yourself. We will find you three blankets.
Taught by
Pema Lhamo — Founder · Vinyasa and Yin
Questions about restorative
Largely, yes, and it is more useful than it sounds. The nervous system does things at rest that it cannot do while you are holding yourself up.
Good. You clearly needed to. It is the only class here where sleeping is a reasonable outcome.
This is the easiest place to start. Many people begin here and move to a slower vinyasa months later, or never.
The other three
Vinyasa
विन्यासMovement joined to breath.
Yin
यिनFew shapes, held a long time.
Breathwork
प्राणायामSitting still and learning to breathe.
Start here
Your first class costs nothing.
Pick an hour, tell us it is your first, and someone will meet you at the top of the stairs.
