om beginnings
Any memorable yoga moments
Teaching Russell Brand for a week a few years
back was pretty funny. He’s got a half decent
primary series and was pretty serious about
his practice but there was always a joke or two
during class. Also, at my first ever yoga class,
76 people rocked up which was both amazing
and terrifying. I was (and still am) pretty good
at PR so I used my club PR knowledge to
promote my yoga classes. In fact, I am half
way through writing a book on how to set up
and promote a yoga class. It’s going to be
“As I’ve got older, life
has become a little less
intense so now I’ve
refocused my ambitions
in other areas.”essential reading for any yoga teacher fresh
out of a teacher training programme.How do you fit yoga and teaching
around your life
Well my daugher Agnes keeps me busy so
I don’t have as much time these days. I get
up at maybe 5.30-6am to do Zazen before
Agnes and Lina my wife wake up. Then I try
and fit a yoga practice in during the day if I get
some time (but don’t worry if I don’t). As David
Swenson says ‘Don’t let yoga ruin your life’.What are your ambitions
going forward
Well once upon a time all my ambitions were
asana based. I got into yoga as I was in a
pretty bad state 15 years ago, so I literally
threw myself in. I’m pretty strong and flexible
so managed to get through the first three
sequences of the Ashtanga system quite
quickly. This was not borne out of trying to
achieve but out of trying to release the stress.
As I’ve got older, life has become a little less
intense so now I’ve refocused my ambitions in
other areas. Last year I set up nee-ji - the knee
guru (nee-ji.com) – an amazing, innovative,
safe knee support for yoga and meditation
(shameless plug). Although I do say so myself
it’s a pretty cool addition for a yoga student’s
prop bag. And I’m also half way through my
‘set up and promote your yoga class’ book. I
think it will end up being an e-book, it makes
things easier. Finally, I am setting up a
200 hour teacher training programme
with Charlie Rugman-Taylor in September
(tsyogatraining.com). Students have been
asking me for years to do this and well
now seems about the right time. It’s a very
comprehensive programme covering all bases
on how to become a yoga teacher.What’s your personal motto
I like David Swenson’s ‘Don’t let yoga ruin
your life’, but if I had to have my own I guess it
would be something along the lines of ‘in yoga
(asana) there are just variations of postures:
there is no beginners, intermediate or
advanced, just variations’. The idea that being
really flexible makes you a better person or a
better yogi is so obviously ridiculous.Why do you think others should take
up yoga
It’s definitely worth going to a class if you’ve
never been before. It might just change your
life for the better. I’ve ran and played football
and a few other things but nothing has ever
had such a powerful transformative positive
impact on my life as a regular yoga practice.What else
Q.How flexible are you Matt?
A. Well I can’t do Tuesdays.For more information about Matt Ryan visit:
yoga-manchester.co.uk