Rory and I really met whilst he was training to become a teacher. Prior to that, I in fact remembered seeing Rory in a few of my classes at Yogarise. Why did I remember him so clearly? Well, firstly, he was late to class (ha!), but secondly, having not had a chance to chat to him beforehand I had no idea how much yoga Rory had experienced, and I therefore very presumptuously wondered whether he had got lost on the way to the gym! I then watched him move with such grace and be totally committed to the practice, and it was so refreshing to see someone come to yoga with such openness and focus when they don’t ‘look’ like your typical green-juicing, crop-topping, Tibetan-bowl-banging Western yogi. The purpose of this series is to show that everyone can and should practice yoga in some form, and to show the breadth of people who practice. Rory describes not going to yoga because he couldn’t identify with anyone who was queuing up for class. How many other people feel like that?! We should be celebrating our diversity and making yoga accessible to everyone. Having got to know Rory better on his yoga teacher training, I think he embodies just that, and I hope you enjoy his story!
Who are you? Where are you in the world? What do you do?
Hey people I’m Rory, I’m based in Battersea, South London where I work as a youth worker and a yoga teacher.
Tell us more about where you work, and how you are supporting your community during this time.
I commit my time to working for two special charities. The first is Carney’s Community, that works with disadvantaged and vulnerable young people, with a focus on those involved or at risk of being involved in crime. I’m the Lead Youth Worker at Carney’s and it is my role to manage a programme of support and opportunities to our young people and their families; this involves providing mentoring and intensive keywork support, youth club, boxing and yoga sessions, running a bike workshop social enterprise, music studio sessions, educational workshops, trips and a food project called Fit and Fed.
The second organisation is Live Karma Yoga (LKY), which provides yoga classes that are truly accessible and affordable to all. Every class is a community class! Through their encouragement and long term approach, these guys have created one of the most diverse yoga communities out there, bringing a huge range of humans together to breathe and move. I teach Vinyasa Flow and Restorative yoga classes for LKY each week and contribute to their work with inmates and prison staff at HMP Wandsworth. My main class currently takes place on a Sunday at 6pm on ZOOM, come join :)
During the lockdown, our community centre is closed, but Carney’s and LKY are still providing support to young people and families through online yoga, boxing and cooking sessions, food parcel deliveries, as well as bespoke ongoing 1-1 support for those with mental health issues, learning difficulties and other support needs.
How did you get into yoga in the first place?
Yoga is for women isn’t it? The ones with bodies that behave like strawberry laces? I can’t touch my toes and I’m cool with that, so no thanks Adriene, I’d rather watch boxing highlights videos… This was my mindset three years ago. I didn’t know many people who did yoga and I couldn’t relate to anyone I saw standing in the queue for yoga class at the gym. I thought maybe it could be something I might discover when I was older or if I ever went to India again and didn’t get distracted by tasty curry..
Then, one Thursday evening, after starting work at Carney’s in January 2018, I attended the community yoga class, which takes place just outside my office door, so I had no excuse not to try it. About 20 minutes into the class, I was just saying to myself “damn, this yoga thing ain’t easy!”. By the end of the class, without wanting to sound dramatic, I had tears running down my face. It had given me an hour to be with myself and created a level of introspection that I don’t often get the chance to experience. I get something different from all the classes I’ve been to since, a good class really takes me on a journey, emotionally and physically, steadying my normally exhaustingly busy mind. I could go on here, but yeah.. just know I’m sure glad yoga presented itself to me when it did and I’ve been practicing it everyday since that first class.
And what made you decide to teach?
I was encouraged to do it by my friends and yoga mentors Zara and Eva (LKY), who presented me with a scholarship opportunity to train with Hotpod Yoga that I couldn’t turn down. I wasn’t sure what to say at first, I’m quite shy by nature and I don’t appear to fit the typical yoga teacher mould so I found it hard to imagine at first.. but I love to try new things, so in the words (and accent) of Kevin Hart, I thought to myself, WHY NOT?!
Turns out I love teaching and being able to guide people through the experience of a yoga class, so yeah… try things you are scared to do and accept the support of others who see potential in you!
What has been your most rewarding project so far?
Oh man, I’ve been lucky enough to be part of too many to pick one..
Are you a planner or a follow your gut kinda guy?
I think we all know what the right thing to do is in each moment, so I do my best to go after that choice, whether I feel like it or not. I do plan a little, but I don't get too attached to the plan.. life's a bit too unpredictable in my experience..
Who or what keeps inspiring you?
The ongoing work I’ve been doing with young people and families for the past eight years inspires and rewards me everyday. Seeing their ability to overcome adversity and flourish fills me with energy and hope. It’s a privilege.
Do you have a personal or professional mission? A message you are intent on sharing?
I think to create real change you have to be willing to give a part of yourself up to something greater than yourself. So whatever that thing is you believe in changing, be willing to sacrifice something to make it happen. Oh and always have hope, even if there is little evidence for the world you are trying to create.
Within yoga, I love it’s emphasis on looking inwards and developing yourself, so that you can go out into the world and give more to others - to become a better friend, mother, grandson, whatever it is. Here lies the power in yoga for me.
Any future projects you want to tell us about?
I’ll be continuing to progress myself and the community I am a part of through youth work and yoga as best I can. Check out @roryouthyoga @carneyscommunity @livekarmyoga on IG to see what’s happening.
Who do you love to practice with?
Live Karma Yoga - please check them out and discover what an accessible yoga community can do for people.
Hotpod Yoga - SO many great teachers and humans here -too many to mention, but these guys are all wicked.
Anastasis Tzanis - If you want to really progress your physical practice and understand your body and breathe to a greater level - he’s the man!
During lockdown, what is the best thing to:
- read - I haven’t read a book all of lockdown, how bad is that?! Podcasts have taken over that space in my life recently..
- watch - If you want to feel uplifted and inspired, I recently watched the docuseries, CHEER - There’s a character in it called Jerry who will give you life!
- listen to - all the tunes! Burna Boy is my current most played artist.
- do or make - I’ve been walking a lot more - so simple, so great for the body and mind.