A YOGINI’S GUIDE TO LONDON

Like a trusted and impossibly cool girlfriend you rely on to inspire and surprise you, Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide to Paris, London, New York and Rome reveals the secrets of what women REALLY want to know about four of the world′s most fabulous cities: Paris, London, New York and Rome. For our London chapter, I caught up with award-winning opera singer, Kathryn McCusker for tips on the best places to hit the yoga mat in the city.

Kathryn lived and taught yoga, in London for more than 10 years and says when you live or visit a big, hectic city like London dropping into a yoga class in a beautiful light-filled studio brings a sense of calm and tranquility from the crazy world outside. The yoga scene in London is big and it’s easy to find a class to attend, but Kathryn recommends the following for the quality of the teachers and the spaces they occupy. They all have drop-in classes, a calendar of interesting workshops and courses with residential and visiting teachers as well as a host of healing modalities.

Triyoga has studios in Primose Hill, Soho and Covent Garden, with a range of different yoga styles including Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Kundalini and Iyengar, as well as Pilates with an array of teachers including renowned Ashtanga teacher, Ryan Spielman at the Primrose Hill studio. At Alchemy, located in a Heritage-listed building above the Camden markets, the focus is on Kundalini yoga and meditation. For something different, Simon Andriesz’s Meditation and Gong class is popular, and there’s a host of other activities including dance and music evenings, book launches and guest speakers. The Life Centre is a complementary health centre in a converted Church in Notting Hill (they also have another studio in Islington). There’s a packed timetable of different yoga styles and Pilates classes with respected teachers and more than 30 kinds of natural therapies on offer.

Kathryn’s favourite ‘sacred space’ is Primrose Hill Park. ‘It’s got a beautiful view over the city, a wonderful sense of history and especially during the summer months when there’s people out and about drumming and doing all sorts of rituals, there’s a real sense of community,’ she says.

For more yoga classes in London and the UK, visit www.localyogaclasses.co.uk

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This is an excerpt from The Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide to Paris, London, New York and Rome published by HarperCollins.