After having practiced yoga for a few years you might be looking at deepening your understanding and study of yoga, not just the physical practice but the philosophy that underpins this ancient tradition.

The foundation course typically lasts 7 days in total, starting with one Saturday and then further weekend days spread over 5-6 months, giving you the time to assimilate all that you’re learning! We study different aspects and concepts of applying ‘viniyoga’ to hatha yoga and yoga as a complete discipline. It really is a great way to immerse yourself into the tradition of yoga, its’ history and many different paths. In our regular yoga classes we focus mainly on the posture work whilst referencing aspects of philosophy and we also run the occasional workshop but this course goes beyond that and will enable you to deepen your understanding of yoga and ‘viniyoga’ as a specific approach to hatha yoga. The foundation course is appropriate for anyone who regularly attends group classes but it also prepares you for the yoga teacher training course should that be your next step!

For further information please contact Chantal or Gareth. Please register your interest for our next course due to start in September 2022. See our Workshops & courses page for dates.

Whilst the foundation courses are run by Gareth and Chantal in Cheltenham, the teacher training courses are run by our teachers Dave Charlton and Ranju Roy in Malvern, Worcestershire and Taunton, Somerset. They run highly inspiring, fun and interesting teacher training courses as well as residential weekends and shorter courses for more experienced students.  See our ‘Other events’ timetable.

Dave Charlton has been practicing yoga since the mid eighties, and was a student of Paul Harvey for many years. Dave has also studied with Frans Moors and more recently Peter Hersnack, two other direct students of T.K.V. Desikachar and has found a particular affinity with Peter Hersnack’s approach to yoga. He completed the 4 year Viniyoga Practitioner Programme in 1992 and the Post Graduate Programme in 1999. Dave has also been involved in training for both Viniyoga Britain and the British Wheel of Yoga and was a BWY Diploma Course Tutor for a number of years. Dave also has a particular interest in Sanskrit and Tibetan Buddhism.
Dave teaches from his own studio, Living Yoga, in Malvern near Worcester, where he lives with his wife Gail.

Ranju has been practicing yoga since the mid 1980s, first with an Iyengar teacher and then as a student of Paul Harvey. He completed the 4 year Viniyoga Britain Diploma with Paul in 1995 and then the Post Graduate Course in 1999. He has also studied with T.K.V. Desikachar in the UK and India on numerous occasions. More recently Ranju has worked closely with and been inspired by Peter Hersnack, another of Desikachar’s direct students. Ranju has taught many yoga classes, retreats and workshops around the country. Ranju lives in Taunton with his wife Lindy where they run Yoga Mala.

Please contact them via their website, Sadhana Mala, for more information.