Leftfield Yoga Studio (LYS) was founded in 2022 by Geography Workshop’s founder and director, Dr Joanne (Jo) Norcup.
What is LYS?
- Leftfield Yoga Studio (LYS) practices Hatha yoga through breathwork (pranayama), postures and body shaping (asanas), relaxation (savasana, yoga nidra) to enable strength and flexibility.
- LYS offers different types of beginners hatha yoga classes and courses in a safe, encouraging, nurturing and accessible style. Focused on supporting the needs of practitioners, LYS invites and welcomes all, showing ways to adapt postures to support all bodies and all people across all life stages and circumstances in order to access the benefits yoga can bring to the inner and outer worlds of body, mind and spirit.
Why Leftfield?
A comment made when I mentioned I was going to begin training as a yoga teacher was “That’s a bit leftfield isn’t it, even for you?” Of course, it told me more about the person uttering the words than it did my own wishes. When I enquired why it was such a leftfield proposition, I was told that I didn’t “look like someone who would want or be interested in yoga”.
That lit the spark. There are so many people I know who think that yoga isn’t for them. The over-abundance of images on social media would suggest that yoga is only accessible if you have a certain kind of body or that you have a grounding in gymnastics, but this is so far from what yoga can do for every person’s body across all life stages and circumstances, I wanted to set up a virtual yoga studio that could travel across places and locations and have a presence online for those who cannot travel where all would feel welcomed and safe. Where everyone could give it a go. Where designer yoga gear was not required. Where practitioners weren’t worried, I’d be taking photos of them all the time to up my online content. For LYS, yoga is about connection: of oneself to one’s mind and body, hopes and aspirations. As a community service, a practice making and creating spaces that enable, uplift and support. A space to share connection through love, appreciation and valuing the unique bodies, minds, and souls that we all are and how we have capacity to change, grow and learn as we all journey through life on this planet. Spaces of safe, secular inclusivity where people can just be. These spaces are so urgently needed at a time of dislocation and disconnect. LYS wants to connect, encourage and support individuals inner and outer worlds, and connecting people with one another in making meaningful, sustainable, courteous and capacious communities for hopeful futures.
Who teaches at LYS?
- Dr Joanne (Jo) Norcup has over 20 years of teaching, education and research experience working across all sectors of the UK education industry and as founder of Geography Workshop is a producer, academic researcher, writer and creative.
- Jo is completing a 200 hr Yoga Alliance Professional Hatha Yoga teacher qualification and has had a personal interest in yoga and martial arts as ways of helping body, mind and spiritual connection. Seeking ways to recuperate after a cycle accident, Jo returned to yoga, a practise she had followed since her late teenage years after learning about it from school friends and community members growing up in NW London. Interests over the years has built to include the martial arts of Wing Chun Kung Fu, Capoeira and Taekwondo. Jo’s interest in yoga is to centre the voices and communities of yoga practitioners from India, Africa and the Caribbean where ancient histories and global historical geographies have served to circulate and spread yoga as a practice for all to enrich the lives of all.
What courses and classes do you run?
Courses in January and February 2023 – coming soon.
- 3-day online course: Yoga for Scholars
- This online-only course run in collaboration with our sister organisation, Geography Workshop Productions, builds on our 6 previous years of running non-directed writing retreats for humanities scholars at whatever stage of their academic, research or writing careers they are at.
- This will be held Monday January 9, Tuesday January 10, and Wednesday January 11th between 10am and 4pm GMT.
- Each morning and afternoon session will begin with half an hour of optional yoga class and the last half hour of the day will have an optional closing yoga class to relax and restore for the following day.
- How you use your writing time – as much or as little as you need – is up to you. Creating time in your schedule at the beginning of the new year to attend to your writing goals while also supporting and sustaining your body and mind through optional (screens-off for delegate privacy) hatha yoga. Throughout each three-day retreat you will build your basic hatha yoga knowledge and practise which will provide a toolkit of breathwork, movement and meditation techniques to support your writing life.
- The event is online and will be hosted via Zoom. Early-bird tickets available from October 31st and between December and January, follow us on Instagram for a limited 50% off promo-code available only in the first week of January. Book early to avoid disappointment!
- Eventbrite link Yoga for Scholars Tickets, Mon 9 Jan 2023 at 10:00 | Eventbrite
Courses in November / December 2022.
- 6-week introduction to yoga class – Middle Street Resource Centre, 74 Middle Street, Beeston NG9 2AR.
- Tuesdays 1 – 2pm (UK time) Starts Tuesday 1st November until Tuesday 13th December (excluding Tuesday 15th November).
- This 6-week course can be drop-in or followed. Each class will lead through breathwork into postures and poses (asanas) that help you connect with a different energy centre in your body (chakras).
- In-Person class
- Pay What You Can / suggested donation between £3 – £5 (10% of all donations will be given to Middle Street Resource Centre to support its community work.
- This session can be booked in advance, or you can pay on the day.
How to join in
If you are interested in finding out more, or wish to follow our practice and classes, please follow on Instagram @LeftfieldYogaStudio.
Throughout the month of November, Jo will be practising daily yoga in order to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Charity’s November yoga challenge. If you would like to sponsor her / donate to the charity or send encouragement, please follow Instagram for daily updates from November 1st!
If you would like to find out about our availability or book on one of our 1-2-1 yoga sessions (online or in-person) email leftfieldyogastudio@gmail.com or book via Leftfield Yoga Studio | Scheduling and Booking Website (simplybook.it)