om body
Mandy Jhamat, co-founder of Yogasphere, famed for its luxe retreats and uber cool
London skyline classes at The Shard, is a yoga teacher to the stars. Here, she tells OM that
it’s all about keeping things simple and just following the bliss
How did you first get into yoga
My first experience of yoga was during my A-Levels at school via a yoga
DVD, I fell in love with the flow practice and remember really connecting
with the blissful relaxation in Savasana. That DVD kept my yoga
appetite fed until my early 20s when I explored classes in gyms and
yoga centres, but the seed was sown with simply practicing in my home
alone. I took that self-practice feeling into classes, being absorbed in
my practice even though I would be in a big class.
What inspired you in those early days
I was drawn to the practice for both its physical effect, as I was never
the most flexible (and, in fact, avoided gym class at school!) but also
the wonderful calm that washed over me by the end of each practice.
I did not over-think it and just kept practicing as I always left feeling so
much better.
Any favourite teachers or locations
My teachers and guides are not only from yoga but also meditation as
I came to have a dedicated meditation practice first. My life has been
heavily influenced by Osho and his active meditations. I also love practicing
abroad and have been blessed to have practiced all over the world. But
my favourites have included the simplicity of a Goa beach followed by a
watermelon juice...and then the complete other scale of a luxury resort in
the Maldives in a beautiful yoga shala facing the Indian Ocean.
Any transformational yoga moments
There have been so many. But my top three would be: 1. Respect and
honouring my body; not always easy as a female with all the pressures
to fit a mould of how we should look. Yoga is an embodied practice
so you honour its limitations and learn to respect it as the vessel for
your soul. 2. That ‘A-ha’ moment, when I felt and experienced (through
meditation) an interconnectivity between little me and the world around
me. One of my favourite quotes puts it beautifully: “You are not a drop
in the ocean but the entire ocean in a drop. “This changed my whole
perspective. 3. Compassion, love and understanding as core principles
to live my life by.How would you describe your teaching style
It really takes a while to develop your personal style as it’s unfolding
on its own. Teaching for me is a sharing that creates a communion
between teacher, and the teachings that have moved and impacted
me, and the sensitive communication of those to my students. I am
not the expert in the room to be blindly followed but simply a guide to
allow people to be led by their own voice and light. My style is therefore
a reflection on my primary interest in meditation; the practice provides
a moving meditation taught mainly in a slow Vinyasa and sometimes
Yin-style poses to deepen into. I teach to move students away from the
awareness simply in their physical body, but energetically instead and
then away from the labelling mind into a place of observation.