By Esin Huseyin
I was lucky enough to head to Walthamstow’s latest addition, the brand spanking new yoga studios, East of Eden. It was so new in fact, I had a little trouble finding the place as there was no signage, and the interior was a little unfinished – but I love that, no distraction from the studio itself. You’ll be glad to know it’s all complete now!
I threw myself a little into the deep end considering I haven’t practiced yoga seriously in a class prior to that day, so choosing Vinyasa flow as my first class was probably a little silly.
Vinyasa flow is a type of yoga where you move through a series of poses, linking your fluid movements to the inhalation and exhalation of your breath.
I was greeted by a friendly face, co-owner Naomi, who had taken a breather from setting up shop to guide the class on a 60 minute yogi journey. Naomi did reassure me that if I did find it hard to keep up, I could just relax in child’s pose until I felt ready to continue. As you entered the bright and airy studio, you were instantly relaxed as the room was filled with aromatherapy scents and soothing musical tones. So let my journey begin…
Personally, I didn’t find the poses challenging, merely the fast pace of it, which added an extra layer of physicality to it – a low impact workout. Towards the end of the session I learnt the name of the poses and was able to not only keep up – but I challenged myself.
I’ll talk about those straps in a minute…
It was nice to get a little gentle nudge and tweak from Naomi, who made sure I had the right posture – I genuinely stretched my back to within an inch of it’s life with the use of straps. Honestly, when Naomi placed a strap next to my mat I thought I was in a beginners S&M class, however it was just for assisting me in stretching my leg back – and I tell you what, I’m more flexible than I remembered.
The one part of my body that Naomi always focused on tweaking was my shoulders, and it was only when I came away that I realised how much tension I carried in them. I live a pretty hectic life and rarely have a moment to myself, let alone to switch off – so it’s no surprise really that I carry it on my shoulders, literally. I did walk around with some sore muscles for the following week, but it was a gentle reminder to just how much I stretched myself.
Having heard so much about yoga and the wonders it does for destressing, it was an activity I not only wanted to try, but to get behind fully. I found that the quick movement between the poses and concentration on regulating my breath, allowed me to clear my mind and I genuinely walked away with a smile on my face feeling refreshed and productive.
The yoga market is definitely a saturated one with everyone, their mum, and gran opening a new studio; but East of Eden is different, there are friendly faces behind the name who just want to share their love and passion for yoga. Their unique music classes add an edge, and their ‘pay as you can afford’ classes bridge the gap between community and studio. You can expect more from these guys with an extra studio coming soon for reformer pilates in September – watch this space.
To find out more, visit Eden East
