In this episode of The Chai Sessions I'm talking with Osteopath Gareth McGee. Some of you might know Gareth already from his anatomy and physiology sessions on our yoga teacher training programme here at MCY.

In this conversation, he talks about the work he does as an osteopath, allowing each individual body to find connection again and create place and space for self-healing.

We discuss how people's view of the body is narrowing despite the volume of information out there and how that might be affecting how they think about their own bodies. We touch on pain and chronic pain cycles, and Gareth talks about the powerful concept of framing pain as protection.

And we talk about yoga - his take on yoga and what it's doing for us, how and why yoga is such an inclusive practice and why it's important for yoga teachers to have an understanding of the workings of the body. He says, “It's a moving miracle and we're living and breathing and feeling the anatomy”.

When we finish this conversation, we're definitely just hitting the pause button!

I hope you enjoy listening in.

Our next 200 hour yoga teacher training programme is live and in person here at Merchant City Yoga. The course starts this September and runs for one weekend a month for 12 months. If you're interested in finding out more, the syllabus and course dates are here on the website and I'm inviting potential applicants to come along to one of our teacher training weekends to meet up for an informal chat.

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This is Ema's third time on The Chai Sessions! I think that makes her a regular guest now. I'm thrilled she was able to join me again for a chat and a cuppa on the sofa.

Ema offers courses rooted in the classical texts associated with the yoga tradition. Her courses are designed to help us understand these texts a little better and challenge us to put some of what we learn into practice.

In this episode we discuss the Bhagavad Gita ahead of Ema's upcoming course in May 2024. I ask Ema...

What is the Bhagavad Gita?

Why is it relevant today in the modern world?

How can we approach the text and work with it?

Where has studying the Gita been helpful for you?

Ema explains we find the verses of the Gita in the middle of an epic story, a drama full of characters and circumstances. In the telling of the story, what it means to be human, what it means to be in this world is revealed. Like any good story we can recognise some of ourselves and our relationships in it. This can help us make sense of things.

Also in our conversation Ema talks about how much she loves the lively discussion that happens in a space where people are talking and sharing about their lives. This is reflected in her approach to teaching the Bhagavad Gita. She says, “It all comes down to life, we’re humans living.”

I hope you enjoy listening in.

Ema's course, The Bhagavad Gita: Living in the World will be live and in-person here at Merchant City Yoga. The course starts Sunday 5th May 2024 and runs for four weeks. Even if you can't commit to all four weeks, you can join each session individually. If you're interested in finding out more or joining her, all the details and booking are HERE

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When James joined me on The Chai Sessions (episode #28) to discuss the 8 limbs of yoga ahead of his weekend immersion here at MCY in March, we dived into a few conversations that didn't make it into the final episode. They were so good I just had to hit record and share them with you.

This second bonus bit explores yoga and religion...

Enjoy!

James will be here at Merchant City Yoga Friday 22 to Sunday 24 March. Join us for more exploration, unification, for more bringing it all together, more conversation and for loads of questions.

There'll be five sessions across the weekend. Find all the details and book your place HERE.

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