What is Yin Yoga?
Yin Yoga is a quiet, slow and meditative practice. Using props to hold postures for an extended period, Yin stimulates the body’s connective tissues and nourishes the joints, providing the perfect balance to more dynamic, ‘yang’ yoga styles.
Some Yin Yoga sessions may conclude with a seated meditation to leave you feeling grounded and restored. You may come across Yin-Yang sessions which typically open with the more typical flowing vinyasa style, warming the body up before making your way down to Yin.
About Yin Yoga
Sitting with discomfort and trusting in the reliability of slow and consistent progress is part and parcel of a Yin practice. Teachers will often guide you to find your edge and sit with it – not pushing or straining beyond it, but simply recognising your limits and leaning up against them. It is a process that requires a depth of personal honesty and compassion.
Yin does not promise quick fixes, or easy change but with consistent practice it offers all these things and more – an astounding level of calm, stillness and personal ease.
Yin is not only a perfect balance for the dynamic yoga or other sports practitioner, but a great practice for anyone who feels the need to counteract the fast-paced features of their daily life. In an ever-moving world, stillness can be a great luxury.
Meet your Yin yoga teachers!
At Yogarise, we are lucky to have some of the Best Yin Yoga Teachers in London. Read on to find out more about them!
Austin Ince
Austin Ince is an experienced yoga teacher, who came to yoga in an attempt to avoid surgery for a painful lower back condition. The outcome was transformational and he no longer required an operation. Impressed with the results of a daily yoga practice and the life-changing effect it had, Austin turned his back on the music business deciding to become a teacher to share the benefits of yoga with others.
Austin’s classes are energising, creative and flowing, balancing a strong physical workout with a calming restorative element. He keeps instructions clear, interesting and light-hearted, whilst never losing sight of the serious benefits to his students. He believes that to grow as a teacher it’s important to remain the eternal student. Austin teaches Dynamic Vinyasa Yoga, Power Yoga, Rocket Yoga, Alignment based Vinyasa Yoga and Yin Yoga.
He completed his 200hour teacher training in Ashtanga Yoga & Rocket Vinyasa Yoga with It’s Yoga – San Francisco, before continuing his Advanced Rocket Vinyasa Yoga training with The Yoga People. Austin then adding a further Anusara based 500-hour Advanced Teacher Training with Suzanne Slocum-Gori, Noah Mace, Nico Luce and Dr Genieve Burley. He has also studied with the Tapasya Hot Yoga teacher training at Triyoga with Kristin Campbell and has a certification in Yin Yoga from Bernie Clark. He has furthered his Yin trainings with Sebastian Pucelle, Murielle Burellier and with Norman Blair; in all completing over 200 hours training in yin and meditation.
As well as teaching classes and giving private one-to-one instruction, Austin has tutored on Yoga Alliance US certified teacher-training courses in London and Goa and is a 500hr yoga teacher.
Austin teaches in Peckham, Streatham, and Queens Park
Laura Kinnunen
Laura Kinnunen, originally from Finland, came to London in 2008 and was quickly sucked into the fast-paced life working in the City.
With a background in dance and physical activity, Laura found Ashtanga yoga and soon realised that regular practice brought with it a sense of calm, focus and stability in her otherwise hectic life. With encouragement from her teachers, Norman Blair & Melanie Cooper, Laura completed an Ashtanga Vinyasa & Yin Yoga 200hr training in 2015 at Zolder Studio.
Laura teaches in Peckham
Shamita Ray
Shamita Ray started life as a dancer and choreographer, specialising in contemporary dance and bharatanatyam (Indian classical dance). She started practising Iyengar yoga to increase flexibility and complement dance training. A chance wandering into an Ashtanga class one day turned what was, until then, a mere hobby, into a lifelong passion, rivalling her love for dance.
She went on to undertake 200 & 500 hour teacher training, eventually developing her own style of Dynamic Yoga which combines the precision and alignment of Iyengar, with the breath and dynamism of Ashtanga. Ever curious to explore the many facets of yoga, she has also completed teacher trainings in Yin (with Norman Blair), Ashtanga (with David Swenson), Forrest Yoga (with Ana Forrest), meditation (with Sally Kempton), and gong meditation (with Aidan McIntyre).
Thirsty to explore yoga’s history, philosophy and Sanskrit language, she recently completed an MA in Traditions of Yoga and Meditation at SOAS.
Her classes are creative, flowing, peaceful, and deep. She loves challenging practitioners to discover what their bodies are truly capable of, while maintaining a sense of humour and playfulness.
Offering classes, workshops, and retreats worldwide, she uses her background as a dancer to choreograph imaginative sequences that move seamlessly from one posture to another, in a dance-like flow of breath and movement. The practice is safe, nurturing, and sustainable, designed to serve body and mind, regardless of ability level.
Committed to giving back, Shamita is dedicated to supporting charity projects around the world. Her first project was a collaboration with Earthwatch and saw the creation of a Tiny Forest in West London. In partnership with Calcutta Rescue, she has also supported the creation of a new school for disadvantaged children from the streets and slums of Calcutta.
For more information, go to www.shamitaray.com
Shamita teaches in Queens Park and Streatham
Amy Slevin
Amy Slevin is a yoga teacher with a wealth of experience in a variety of disciplines including parkour, gymnastics, dance, athletics and team sports. From her training as an osteopath she has extensive knowledge of bodies and how to get the best out of them from pain relief to fancy tricks. Her yin class takes you on a restorative journey with gentle flowing, rhythmic and repetitive movements to lull you into a supremely relaxed state, ready to send you off to bed and face the world anew the next day.
Amy teaches in Queens Park
Junior Valentine
Junior Valentine is a proud South London native – born and bred – with a background in performance. Since the age of six, he has developed a deep love for the arts and the discipline that it carries.
Junior’s classes are fun energetic with a dash of sass, combine creative sequencing and a spirit of playfulness with a dose of inspiration to help deepen your practice with a hint of spirituality. He doesn’t take yoga too seriously; he believes you take what you want and need from the practice.
Junior invites you to come and share in the joy, experience the authentic honesty with each other and like-minded energies. Junior teaches Ashtanga, Mandala & Shamanism Vinyasa, Rocket, & Forrest yoga.
Junior works deeply with energy through Reiki and QI-gong, his thirst for knowledge is forever expanding. In his spare time catch him singing a tune, throwing some shapes or splits on the dance floor.
Junior teaches in Peckham
Louise Brown
Louise Brown started her yoga journey in London spending years practicing Rocket, giving her the wings to fly and a passion for inversions, breath, bandhas and pranayama as well as a desire to delve deeper, before moving to Los Angeles in 2017. Her training at Liberation Yoga in LA filled her heart and practice with love, courage and deep spiritual roots. She loves to share this practice with others, putting together creative and inspiring sequences always coming from an inclusive place. Her classes include spirituality, meditation and pranayama, encouraging people to come back to themselves one breath at a time.
Since moving back to London she has continued her learning with trainings in Hatha, Vinyasa, Mandala, Rocket & Yin yoga. She loves to be a constant student, seeking wonder and knowledge through all of her teachings, finding inspiration from her students and teachers alike.
She teaches across London and loves to share this practice as part of a community. With a focus on creating joy in movement and cultivating space in body and mind. She gives thanks to her teachers past and present and is passionate about sharing this transformational practice.
Louise teaches in Peckham
Carrianne Hayden
Carrianne Hayden is a life enthusiast with a passion for movement, mental positivity and self love.
Her teaching style is motivational, inquisitive and inclusive. Carrianne believes every body is a body bursting with potential and possibilities and uses a non traditional approach to yoga to help her students tap into theirs.
With 500+ hours of training and 7 years of consistent teaching in varied environments under her belt, Carrianne aims to makes the student feel supported yet challenged, focussed without over thinking and above all else enough as they already are.
