Mark Stevens
Then in the 1990s I attended Siivananda Retreats and the Yoga Vedanta Centre in Putney, where Swami Krishnadevananda and Swami Atmaran inspired me take my first teacher training... Yoga and painting gradually merged into one creative endeavour. Early 90’s - Iyengar Yoga (Barbara Harding, Cambridge University Yoga Club) Late 90’s - Iyengar Yoga (Sasha Perriman, Cambridge Iyengar Institute) 1996/8 MA Fine Art (Norwich School of Art, UK) 2003- Sivananda Teacher Training (Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari Ashram, Kerala India) Here I met my teacher Swami Govindananda Saraswati. This was a life changing experience that gradually redirected my energies from painting to the full time practice, study and teaching of yoga. 2003 - Yoga Studio Ely established. 2003/4 - Sivananda Intensives (Swami Kailasananda, Sivananda Ashram, France) 2005 - Yogic Meditation Teacher Training (Swami Saradananda, London) 2006/7 - Sivananda Asana (Janeshwari UK) 2007 - Advanced Sivananda Teacher Training (Swami Govindananda, Uttarkashi India) 2008 - 2011 - Ashram Retreats, Vedanta, Homa (Swami Govindananda & Swami Nivedananda, Yoga Studio Ely) 2008-9 Jivamukti (Sandra Heider, Equlibrium Yoga, UK) 2009 - Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training (David Life and Sharon Gannon, New York) 2009/15 Jivamukti (Ruth Lauer Manenti & Yogeshwari, USA, Switzerland, UK) 2014/15 - Vinyasa Krama Teacher Training & Workshops (Srivatsa Ramaswami, London) 2016 - Jivamukti Intensive (David Life & Sharon Gannon, Woodstock USA) 2016 - Svastha Yoga, Krishnamacharya Lineage (A.G & Indra Mohan, Birmingham UK & Online) 2017 - Nadis and Nervous System (Robert Moses, Yoga Sudio Ely) 2017 - Sivananda, Bhagavad Gita Ashram Retreat (Swami Tatwarupananda, Yoga Studio Ely) 2018-20 Pranayama and Kundalini Yogic Meditation (Gregor Maehle, London, Yoga Studio Ely, Italy, Glastonbury) 2020 Ongoing - Emergence of Yoga, Asana & Pranayama (TK Sribashyam - Krishnamacharya’s son) (Stephen Brandon, Wells UK) 2021 Ongoing - Vinyasa Krama Asana (Jennifer Campbell, Online) 2023 - Yoga Yajnavalkya Study (Dr. Lubomír Ondračka, Yogic Studies) 2024 - Hatha, Kundalini Yoga (Reinhard Gammenthaler, UK) Jivamukti slowly transitioned to Vinyasa Krama as I explored the origins of Vinyasa Yoga, inspiring a deep dive into the lineage and teachings of the Father of Modern yoga Sri T Krishnamcharya, my teacher Srivatsa Ramaswami’s Guru for 35 years. I took a vow of stability in 2015 to focus on building community, teaching yoga and growing food. I relaxed this vow in 2025 to travel to India again. 2025 - Vinyasa Krama Intensive & Yoga Rahasya Study (Mysuru India with a now 88 year old S. Ramaswami) ****** I have never really been that interested in Styles or Traditions of Yoga, but rather in dedicated and inspiring practitioners who passionately share this beautiful and transformative art form. I offer my deepest gratitude and respect to all the teachers who have enriched and changed the course of my life, and to my partner Marion without whom none of this would have happened… In the end, there is only one Guru and only one Yoga. Keep the faith, enjoy your practice, be happy… and let’s work together to make the world a better and kinder place. OM Nama Shivaya Mark
Born in 1957.
I started a regular yoga practice while studying BA Fine Art In the mid 1980s.
I was attempting to repair my body after sustaining some serious injuries while road
racing motorbikes in my twenties, and It really worked!
I started with “The Sivananda Book of Yoga.” Practicing on my own in my painting studio
for two years.
The Studio
Over the years, we have lovingly created this space as our home and a sanctuary for yoga. It is a place of peace and inspiration, designed to support and deepen your practice in a welcoming environment. Here, you are encouraged to move, breathe, and grow at your own pace, surrounded by a community of like-minded yogis. We want you to feel safe, happy, and at ease, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in your practice, find balance, and connect with others on this shared journey.
We cultivate our garden organically, growing much of our own fruit and vegetables in harmony with the seasons. Our orchard and pond areas are carefully maintained as a haven for wildlife and native plants, fostering a natural balance that supports biodiversity.
Respect for the environment is important to Yogis. The principle of Ahimsa (causing the least amount of harm in thought, word and deed) is the first Yama (Yogic moral principles), guiding us to tread lightly on the earth. Through mindful living and sustainable practices, we honor this commitment, creating a space where nature and yoga come together in harmony.
The Practice
Vinyasa Krama is not a new type of Yoga, but a Householder practice passed down from the grandfather on modern yoga T. Krishnamacharya and taught to me by his student Srivatsa Ramaswami.
Classes consist of a unique and beautifully structured system of classical yoga.
Class Talks - To deepen your knowledge of yoga.
Asana/Vinyasa - Slow conscious breath orientated movement and postures which are calming, energizing and grounding in equal measure.
Sun Salutations - To honor the giver of life.
Pranayama and Kriya - For Purification, and connection to the life force.
Meditation - Cultivating an insightful and calm mind.
Savasana - Integration through deep relaxation.
Classes always open and close in a similar way, but the filling rotates between standing, forward bending, back bending and twisting sequences closing with Pranayama and Meditation or Chanting.
This allows a very wide range of postures to be covered as the sessions integrate into one practice over several days or sessions. This allows you to go slower and deeper, no rushing, no pressure.
Vinyasa Krama is not a style or a school of yoga, it is an art form which we learn, and then adapt to suit our own needs.
It takes a while to learn and remember the Foundation Sequences, but it is really enjoyable process... and so empowering when you have a practice which continually evolves according to aptitude, health and stage of life.
Vinyasa Krama Practice Sheets and Class Recordings are available to help you learn the sequences.
SOUL SPACE
Pranayama & Yogic Meditation
PRANAYAMA
These sessions are not about advanced or complicated Pranayama and Meditation Techniques, but road tested methods that develop your practice, reduce stress and improve the quality of your life.
In yoga the greatest benefit comes from simple practices done well, with understanding and consistently.
Each Session starts with a short talk on Pranayama/Meditation.
Then a simple Hasta Vinyasa or Supine Asana Sequences designed to prepare the breathing apparatus for pranayama and the body for sitting.
(It’s ok to use a chair if you are uncomfortable sitting on the floor)
We will explore pranayama techniques which manage stress, regulate the nervous system, promote lung, heart, organ and brain health while preparing the mind for meditation.
YOGIC MEDITATION
We are not attempting to empty the mind or achieve some transcendental state of consciousness, but rather protect and support the mind by connecting to the Divine, in whatever form that manifests for us.
We use traditional Mantra and Mala (meditation beads) techniques to cultivate a peaceful devotional mental space, where we stop for a while, look inside and connect to our True Nature… beyond the relentless chatter of the mind.
Meditation is possibly the greatest gift you can give yourself in this life.
We also explore supporting techniques such as - Group Mantra Chanting - So-Ham (spinal breathing) - Tratak (candle gazing) - Litik Japa (mantra writing)