Sense of place

Years ago I interviewed a prominent chef who told me the importance of 'sense of place' and I think about what he had to say often. He told me how restaurant dining rooms had a sincere and important job to do that was vital to the success of a restaurant, just as much as the quality and excitement of the food. Fergus Henderson, the chef's chef and cultural icon of the food world, explained how the restaurant had to make you feel when you were in it, and how everything from the lighting and tableware, to the service all played a part in that 'sense of place'. Up until that point, I was very much focussed on just the food, and actually favoured cheap little roadside places more than the fancy-ass restaurants. But the same idea of sense of place was true there too, albeit in a different vein.

During the lockdowns, most yoga classes moved to Zoom, which was a great way to still connect with your teacher and have some semblance of routine. It was a sensible move under the conditions we all faced. It opened up access to teachers all over the world, and made yoga incredibly convenient and arguably more accessible. However, while the ability to roll out your mat anywhere and commit to your practice is empowering - and one of the reasons I love ashtanga so much, that sense of place has been lost.

There's a reason I choose to teach in the studio at the Bad Hand Coffee Warehouse. It's an intimate, peaceful space that feels protected and hidden. It's been a place of solace for me for a long time. It's super cozy in the dark winter nights and brisk early mornings, and it's within a space surrounded with positivity. The community at the warehouse is important to me, and the positive energy hangs in the air contributing to that 'sense of place' I keep banging on about. So far, so hippy right?

Where you do yoga can have a big impact on your practice. From church halls, to spare rooms, to decks overlooking the sea, there's immense freedom in where you roll your mat out from one day to the next. But returning to a space with some sense of reverence, where people come to move together, can make a big difference. That check-in where distractions are fewer, and focus is more. Where you meet a collective enthusiasm to move, and have the space and permission to take a proper savasana - because we all want that little nap.