GRIT&Grace Alignment Flow Yoga

GRIT&Grace Alignment Flow brings together all the different aspects of yoga in one spacious practice: philosophical inquiry, physical postures, breathwork, deep relaxation and meditation.

Inspired by the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a foundational text of yoga, the practice draws on two complementary principles: abhyasa — steady, committed practice — and vairagyam — letting go of attachment to outcomes.

Together, these qualities become GRIT & Grace.

GRIT is the tenacity to show up, practise consistently and embrace challenge; Grace is the spirit of meeting ourselves as we are, letting go of dogma, expectations, and some ideal form of perfection.

Each GRIT&Grace class explores a philosophical theme, looking not only at how that theme applies to our physical experience, but also at how exploring the theme through our own body can inform the way we meet ourselves, our lives and the world around us.

Balancing GRIT & Grace means showing up steadfastly while remaining willing to pay attention to the reality of your body and practise according to what is actually appropriate in the moment. You might feel strong and ready to challenge yourself, or you might recognise that your energy is low and choose to slow down, rest or take restorative poses.

This quality of discernment is a crucial yoga skill. It allows us to respond to what is actually happening rather than forcing ourselves to follow a predetermined idea of how we should feel or perform—and this is a skill we can carry into our lives off the mat.

Meeting yourself where you are is not slacking off. It is the essence of the practice.

In exploring the yoga postures, or asana, we take time to understand their physical and energetic dimensions before applying the movement to the breath so that we have a sense of what we're doing and why. We move with a slow flow that  invites strength, steadiness and conscious awareness.

GRIT&Grace offers two levels, but both share the same guiding mantra from my teacher, Judith Hanson Lasater:

“Embrace challenge. Drop struggle.”

TWO LEVELS

LEVEL 1 — EASY TO MODERATE

A practice offering an easeful to moderate physical challenge. The difficulty can be dialled up or down according to individual student choices of the variations offered. This is suitable for all (including beginners) who want to develop foundational yoga skills, build strength and flexibility, and explore the practice at a comfortable pace.

LEVEL 2 — VIGOROUS & CHALLENGING

A practice for more dedicated practitioners who are established in foundational yoga skills and postures and feel ready for a more expansive and physically challenging practice. Expect a more vigorous flow and opportunities to explore breathwork, meditation and philosophical inquiry with more depth and subtlety

TYPICAL CLASS STRUCTURE

20 mins — Arrive, warm up & connect with body and breath
10 mins — Philosophical theme & setting intention
60 mins — GRIT&Grace Dynamic Flow Asana Practice
20 mins — Deep Relaxation
10 mins — Closing Meditation

A SPACIOUS PRACTICE

The two-hour format gives us something increasingly rare: time.

Time to arrive, warm up, connect with the body and breath, explore the theme of the day and move without rushing.

There is space to respond to questions and discoveries that arise during the practice, rather than simply following a predetermined sequence.

We finish with 20 minutes of deep relaxation and a 10-minute closing meditation, giving the heart, mind and body time to settle and integrate the physical practice.

Enrolment in this class includes Access To Online Resources To Support Home Practice: Access Begins After first class of series