Your Practice, Your Story: Meet London Yoga Teacher Puravi Joshi

Throughout this month we're shining a spotlight on some incredible yoga teachers as part of our Your Practice, Your Story series.

We're taking the time to dive deep into a variety of yoga journeys and find out more about what yoga means to some of our community.

Each of us arrives on to the mat with a unique body and lived experience, making our practice personal. That's why there's no room for comparison or judgment in yoga, because all that matters is that is you show up as you are, for yourself. To honour and create your own story - your practice, your story (see what we did there!) the reminder is on your mat.

We spoke to London-based yoga teacher Puravi Joshi about how she got into yoga and how her practice has changed.

With 500 hours of teacher training, Puravi specialises in vinyasa and yin. Puravi’s  mission is to make the tools of yoga and mindfulness accessible to children and young people in schools in the UK and internationally. Puravi provides high quality practices on yoga with developmental movement, storytelling and meditation to help combat stress and anxiety. Her approach to regular self-care embodies a playfulness, wisdom and humour that encourages all personalities to the mat.

With eight years in the city working in finance, Puravi understands how powerful yoga is in bringing not only the physical but also the emotional and mental balance to life both on and off the mat. She tailors classes for city workers to help alleviate stress she knows only too well.

Tell us about your journey into yoga – how and why did you get started and what keeps you returning to the practice?

I’m actually a trained Indian Classical Dancer (Bharatnatyam) a lot of this type of dance incorporates yoga poses and there’s such a synergy between the two that it’s been a part of my life since I was about 4 years old. I then got back into a consistent yoga practice in my twenties to help balance out my stressful job in finance

What benefits has yoga given you beyond getting flexible and stronger? 

Yoga has really helped me with managing my migraines, and it’s also been massively beneficial to me mentally, it’s something that I really turn to when I’m feeling stressed and anxious.

Has your yoga practice helped you cope with life in lockdown? If so how?

I have to be honest my yoga practice in terms of a strong asana practice went out of the window when we entered the first lockdown, and when I managed to get on to the mat I was definitely all about the yin!

How has your practice changed or evolved since you began your yoga journey?

I think something I’ve been saying a lot recently is, the strong asana practice that I had in my twenties of ashtanga and more rocket has turned into a much more slower practice, a lot more slow flow, restorative and yin.

Do you have any other wellness rituals or routines that help you?

Meditation whether it’s on the mat, or even in bed has become a daily routine, it has really helped ground me amongst all the chaos around me. I like to make my space cosy for yoga, lighting palo santo or a candle to really set the mood and clear the energy around me. My other ritual is definitely dancing it out, just like Meredith and Christina from Grey’s Anatomy, every day I’ll put on a song and just dance it out, it really makes me feel better about life! 

Try out this 30 minute yin class with Puravi from our IGTV..To learn more about Puravi head over to her instagram or website.