SIX Magazine SPRUNG Issue 4

BODY Glow Yoga sees the recent trend in hot classes coming down a few degrees – promising to warm the body and heart alike without leaving you in a sweat. Nahid de Belgeonne, founder of London-based Good Vibes and champion of the ‘softly softly’ approach to heating, explains that classes are held in an environment ‘warm enough to enhance your practice, not hinder it’.

Heated to a comfortable temperature, the body can safely open and relax, lessening the chance of strain and injury while increasing flexibility and improving metabolism.

Yoga, the Good Vibes ethos goes, should ‘nourish the mind, body and soul, rather than being an endurance test’.

Accordingly, studios are ‘gently warmed to feel like a sunny day’, using infrared heating panels to safely penetrate the skin, increasing blood circulation and loosening the muscles. This process achieves a myriad of wonders for your sun saluting self, lowering blood pressure, stimulating toxin release, boosting the immune system, improving skin tone and texture, and accelerating that all-important calorie burn-off – all without the overwhelming effect of high-octane heat.

Technical finesse is put to further use to ensure that the bespoke bamboo studio not only feels like a sunny day, but looks like one too; ambient SAD lighting casts a sunshine glow over the space, creating a much-needed light source in the heart of the city. And lest things get a little too balmy, a state-of-the-art exchange system keeps air fresh and energy high.

Things aren’t, however, all tech, no technique. Glow Yoga is based on sound anatomical principles, combining the smooth moves of Pilates with the traditional teachings of yoga in the Vinyasa flow form. The perfect antidote for office-bound bodies, British Wheel of Yoga trained teachers move fluidly between poses for dynamic classes which are fast-paced but precise, paying particular attention to the breath to connect with the present and with one’s own body. Expect a challenge, without intense strain or sweat, and a refreshing emphasis on good will to yourself and others; classes begin with a mind-focusing setting of personal intentions, and an introductory ‘namaste’ to fellow yogis.

You can also expect a session free from the perfunctory grimaces at your glowing, upturned face, as mirrors are banned from the studios in the belief that making the ‘right’ shape is meaningless for different bodies and abilities. This is a space, then, free from judgement. The message? ‘It’s not about temperature, it’s all about love’. Saying that, it feels a lot easier to be loving when the temperature’s right.

Good Vibes offer a range of classes and courses for various timetables and skill levels, including an invigorating morning class, bite-size lunch time sessions, and a restorative candlelit evening class. Six week beginner’s courses are also on offer to shed some light for newcomers. www.goodvibesfitness.co.uk