Arriving at Yourself
Mindfulness yoga in North East London with Laura Jacobs
About
Welcome!
I’m Laura. I practice and teach yoga that is grounded in the Buddhist philosophy of mindfulness (or satipaṭṭhāna, in Pāli).
Bringing together body and breathwork, attention to our sensory experiences, and how they may relate to our thoughts and mood can help create deeper self-awareness and transform states of mind.
I’m also an occupational therapist and work with people who have experienced life-changing brain injuries, as well as people who are living with a disability or with mental health issues. This means that my practice is also grounded in research, and I aim for my teaching to be accessible and inclusive.
I completed 300hr Mindfulness yoga and meditation teacher training with Bodhiyoga International.
One-to-One
Bespoke classes in your own home, across North East London
I am based in Leytonstone in East London and offer sessions in your home.
Our sessions will involve grounding exercises, movement for release, flexibility and strength, and deep relaxation and restoration practices.
Over the weeks working together, you will practice increasing awareness of your physical experiences, sensations, and mood. So you can pause, see what’s going on for you, and use that space to make a choice about how you move and respond to the world around you.
We will explore poses, breathwork, self-compassion and practices that you can incorporate into your daily life, in a way that works for you.
This transformation takes time and is something we are always working towards (we never stop practicing!).
Our work together is supplementary to other practices and therapeutic or medical interventions you may be undergoing.
The Philosophy
Arriving at yourself?
The idea of the self has been the subject of endless discussion in philosophy. In Buddhism, the teaching of anattā, or no-self, is central to the understanding of suffering and liberation.
So… why arrive at yourself, if the self is not fixed or permanent?
Much of our suffering can arise from the way we cling to an idea of ourselves as static, separate and independent from the world around us. We may become attached to who we think we are, how we think things should be, or to specific outcomes we want to achieve.
By paying attention to our physical experiences, and by developing sensitivity to our sensations, thoughts and emotions, we create space to observe these experiences without judgement, and without immediately identifying with them. We can pause, recognise what’s going on in our body and mind, and choose our response, rather than simply reacting.
In this way, we use our sense of self to become less attached to the self: arriving at ourselves, in order to let go of ourselves.
Contact
Get in touch
I’m based in Leytonstone E11 and teach one-to-one sessions in people’s homes across North East London. If you’d like to find out pricing and more, or arrange a free 15 minutes introduction call send me a message, I’d love to hear from you