One of the “early responders” to my blog launch email was Vivianne from Yoga Culture. She invited me to come spontaneously for a class and I was grateful I could (indeed spontaneously) take her up on that last Wednesday evening.

Yoga Culture is based in a very modern building, yet I couldn’t feel any of the distance and sterility of modern buildings in the studio itself. Instead, I enjoyed the pure benefits of new infrastructure: yay to underfloor heating ♥ 🙂

Fitted with beautiful hardwood floors and dark painted walls, this place is indeed a gem.

Our vinyasa flow class was not your usual “meditation – asanas – meditation” sequence. Add live concert to the mix, please 🙂 At the beginning and end of the class, we experienced Vivianne’s chanting accompanied by powerful harmonium sounds.

I have to admit, I’m not a big fan of chanting – singing in languages I don’t understand frustrates me 🙂 But this session was so strong and still calming, that you don’t really need to understand the lyrics, just take them in.

Yoga practice with Vivianne was dynamic and powerful. We flew through vinyasa sequences and did some simple-looking yet deep stretches.

I could tell she connects with her students beyond the practice, when I saw many staying after class for a chat with her. So did I. We talked about how she learned to play the harmonium via YouTube, and chatted about my project and the yoga community. It felt like we’d known each other for much longer.

No doubt I am going to come back, not just for practice and good vibes – I need to experience the chanting again! Maybe I’ll even hum along … 🙂