Yoga teacher, acupuncturist and retreat owner,
OM catches up with the multi-tasking Vonetta Winter
Vonetta Winter
OM meets...
How would you describe your own teaching style
My teaching style is a playful interpretation of the ashtanga vinyasa
series. Joyful steadiness, moving towards comfort and stability, while
challenging ourselves.Yoga career highs so far
Yoga is such a lovely way to spend time with myself and with other
people. I’m always excited to discover new posture alignments for
my students and seeing their joy at feeling it happen for themselves.
The look of surprise and gratitude on their faces is always priceless.
Development is such a buzz!How did you first get into yoga
I went to my first class as a whim while at university at 19. I entered
the class, and everyone was sitting on cotton rugs dressed in brown
and embroidered bits of beads! I didn’t appreciate at the time what
the teacher was up to, but I recall the feeling of being released and
centred at the end. My next experience of yoga posture practice
was just after our son was born, on my own, on the bathroom floor,
the only clean space we had while fixing up our house. I carefully
followed the images from a little book on yoga I’d borrowed from the
library. And that was it! I fell in love with the simplicity of child’s pose
and took savasana in the bath afterwards! I was a new mum and
there wasn’t a whole heap of time spare in my day.
Who inspired you in those early days
My son Joshua. He was a baby. I’d put him on the mat in front of me
and we’d play at making shapes. His flexibility was amazing. I’d try
and reach his face while in wide leg forward folds. We had such a
precious quiet time together on that mat. A little later a gardening
friend of ours with the most amazing shoulders told me it was
vinyasas that made her shoulders that way - not the digging! I joined
her in an ashtanga class which was really overwhelming as everyone
else seemed to know what to do and how to do it. The hunt began
for teachers, classes in studios and church halls in London. It was
really Godfrey Devereaux on my first retreat in Italy who inspired me
the most and truly helped me understand why my body and mind
appreciated yoga posture practice so much.
What does yoga give you personally
I do find mornings so very anxiety provoking! Deep conditioning
that I must make the very most of every day. Yoga provides a ritual
of reconnecting with myself first before the many tasks of the day
begin. In yoga, I open to receive the day rather than launch myself
at an infinite number of things to do. I often just feel more bouncy,
happy and at ease when my day starts with yoga. It has become a
little like brushing my teeth - who likes being around someone who
hasn’t done that?
Any favourite teachers or studios
I have a few much-loved teachers and places to practice. Apart from
our own wooden and glass shala floating above the herb gardens
at Vale de Moses, my favourite studio in Lisbon is Casa Vinyasa;
abroad, in Mysore, with Vijay Kumar and his brother Vinay; online,
the impressive practices of Kino McGregor, Mark Roberts among
others; and in print, Gregor Maehle. I’m also continually inspired
by the teachers and body work therapists who work with us - it’s
wonderful to live in a community where we share insights together in
our practice of life.
om body
“Yoga provides a ritual of reconnecting
with myself first before the many tasks
of the day begin.”