I guess a good place to start is at the beginning. Which is tricky, because I believe a new beginning can be at any moment, at any time. It's just up to us and mastering our minds.
But, for the case of a first blog entry, I think I'll start at my 'yoga beginning.'
My brother, Sam Gandy, and best friend, had always told me that when I found yoga I'd fly. And I have come to see that yoga finds you, at exactly the right time. So when I needed it most, that's exactly what happened. In my early 20's, my life took some catastrophic turns. I was a specialised teacher for SEN children, I had my beautiful little dog Kaiser, I got an amazing job in Geneva; life was good. But over the course of a few short and excruciating months, all of that changed. All of it. The Universe took a hold of my life and shook it free of everything I thought to be mine: I lost my job, my apartment, my car, all communication with my Dad, and to top it all off, my baby boy and World, Kaiser (Beau's dad and Tilly's husband, both of who you'll meet at the studio if you haven't already), was diagnosed with kidney failure and died in my arms at Christmas.
So, I hit rock bottom and dug a little deeper. More than anything, losing Kaiser sent me into a state of despair, I had never known grief like it and I hope I never do again.
But. So goes one of the most prominent rules of the Universe: balance. And I really believe that the darker you go, the darker you survive; the more light you'll live to see and the more light you'll be. So these darkest times led me to the lightest.
After a few gruelling months of not knowing if I could carry on, my friend dragged me to a yoga class. I actually didn't like it mid-class (it was bikram, and I've never returned!) - but AFTERWARDS. I felt myself. I felt light. I felt good. I felt carefree for the first time in a long time.
So that was it. I was hooked. I started going every single day. It started reigniting me on every level. My body was changing, getting stronger and more open. My mind was changing, starting to wake up out of this long, dark sleep I'd been locked in. My soul was starting to shine again, but brighter than it ever had before.
Then the magic started unravelling. I had friends and old colleagues coming to me and asking for help. What could I give them? Something I whole heartedly believed would help? Yoga.
I went travelling to Peru, and lived on an Ayahuasca retreat for 4 months - a story for a different day. But here my yoga teaching continued to unravel.
I then went travelling to India. I had actually booked this flight when Kaiser had passed away. And then changed the ticket 3 times! So when it finally came to go - I was ready. I had done a lot of inner work, self healing, life living, real experiencing. Had I gone earlier, this voyage to India would have been very much about my healing journey. Now I had spiralled upwards and was arriving to India with bright, new, eager eyes.
India gave me the gifts of Ayurvedic Massage and Hatha & Ashtanga Yoga education and teaching. I somehow landed a Yoga teaching job in the beautiful cliff town of Varkala, Kerala. And I was lucky enough to attract incredible experiences such as teaching mediation and yoga at places such as Rishikesh Orphanage and on a mountain top at sunrise to a group of 30 special souls in the scenic area of Nasik.
On arriving home to the UK, my beautiful mum and step-grandad had transformed mum's old art studio in her house to my Yoga studio: the gift of a life time.
Samyama was born.
And it's been such a magical, organic journey since that day. At the beginning, the magic of word of mouth drew people in, and it has slowly just expanded and grown ever since. Drawing in some of the most beautiful people of Market Harborough and Leicestershire, and the Samyama family is growing all the time.
Yoga offers a guide to this life journey. Yoga brings you back to yourself, your true self. The practice of movement, breath, meditation, reminds you who you are. These practices make it almost impossible to live in life's petty dramas, and instead arise you higher into a state of positivity, clarity, calm, unconditional love, health, peace. And who knows what else it will bring you?
'Samyama' is the discipline of Union. This is in fact what 'yoga' directly translates to. Union to self, others, the Earth and all it's living creations, divine consciousness (or whatever you call that or however you see it: oneness, love, divinity, God, consciousness...) and the magic of the Universe. So, step by step, practice by practice, y-o-g-a guides you through this journey. Human consciousness is so much more worthy and divine than to just live a life of 9-5, paying bills and taxes, talking drama and gossip. We are divine, magical beings, and Universal magic is extremely real: fate, perfection, divine timing, destiny. The more you trust this magic, the more you welcome it into your existence and life path.
So let yoga be your guide to waking up your soul. I am a firm believer that we are our own teachers and healers. WE are EVERYTHING that WE need. No external sources are necessary. Yoga wakes you up to that realisation, switching back on all your inner switches that may have been turned off along the way, while also switching on switches that may never have been switched before!
Yoga is a magic on Earth accessible to each and every one of us. It is my most trustworthy guide, doctor, teacher, healer. Because it reminds me that I am all those things and more, and simply shows me the way.
And I'm on this life journey with you, I won't stop learning and growing until the day I die.
Thank you so much for reading a little of my story, beautiful yoga family.
See you in the studio.
All my love,
Lulu. <3