Yoga in Hyde Park

On Sunday, June 28, 2015, I participated in a free yoga session at Hyde Park for about 1-1/2 hours. Having read about the session through Time Out Magazine and through group encouragement, I decided to join a group of some of my fellow London for Engineers girls for this event. Since it was the first weekend after our arrival in London, we were all relieved to spend some time relaxing and stretching amidst the breezy landscapes Hyde Park offered. I was also motivated to do yoga because I remembered how it impacted me when I used to do it prior to swim meets back in high school. Yoga allowed me to focus thoughts, relieve stress, and stretch muscles. I have never done yoga outside in a park before and could not be more thrilled to do it in one of London’s most famous parks.

Our instructor’s name was Ivan Molochko, and we did hatha yoga during this Sunday session. I particularly liked that he emphasized that we did not need any experience prior to joining and even showed examples on how to “fake” poses while still getting some stretching. He mixed breathing and posture exercises, giving us tips on how to make improvements. Towards the end, it started to sprinkle, but it just reminded us that we were in London. -Anjali

Our group doing a yoga pose with Ivan:

Saturday morning, July 5,  I attended a yoga class in Hyde Park put on by the Russian in UK organization to meet locals from a different ethnic group and to take part in a group activity in the park.
Before the class started, I was able to speak with three of the women there for the class. All three were Russian but had lived in London for many years. I enjoyed hearing their stories and picking up on a different culture in London.I quickly realized that I might be the only member of the yoga class who did not speak Russian.
When the class started, the instructor Ivan greeted the group in Russian but then conducted the class in English. Classified as hatha yoga, the practice differed a bit from my usual yoga practice but I was able to follow along. We started with pranayamas, or breathing exercises, to center ourselves and prepare for the class. The initial meditations made the practice feel more authentic than the yoga classes offered at NC State and turned the practice into a mental exercise as well as a physical exercise. The class as a whole was a success with great weather and a very helpful teacher.

For those interested in attending, the class is held at 11:00am Saturday and Sunday in Hyde Park. Note that the Saturday class is for more advanced practice and Sunday is for beginners. I would recommend the Sunday class to someone who wants to try something different in Hyde Park but do not practice yoga regularly. The class is free, although donations are greatly appreciated. -Juliet