Yoga Mala : garland of yoga

Yoga Mala was founded by Ranju and Lindy Roy in 2004. Mala means "garland", so Yoga Mala means "garland of yoga" - emphasising the many different facets of the practice and teaching of this ancient art. The practice of yoga can include posture work (asana), breathing exercises (pranayama), meditative practises (dhyanam), study, chanting, and reflection. It is a truly vast subject - different for each one of us.

"Water is for fish
And air for men.
Natures differ, and needs with them.

Hence the wise men of old
Did not lay down
One measure for all"

Thomas Merton - The Way of Chuang Tzu.

Ranju and Lindy trained with Paul Harvey (yogastudies.org), following the approach to yoga developed by T Krishnamacharya and his son TKV Desikachar of Chennai, India. Ranju graduated in 1995 and Lindy in 1999. They are qualified yoga teachers with the Association for Yoga Studies (aYs) (formerly known as Viniyoga Britain) and also Accredited British Wheel of Yoga (BWY) teachers.

In 2004 Ranju met Peter Hersnack, who like Paul was a direct student of TKV Desikachar. Ranju was inspired by Peter's iconoclastic approach - rooted in the traditional teachings but very much adapted to a modern Western sensibility. This has greatly influenced Ranju's approach to practice and teaching of yoga.

Lindy spent some years after graduating teaching yoga in pregnancy, but currently she is not teaching as she is working as an art therapist in the NHS. However, she still practices regularly and intends to come back to teaching when the time is right.

Our aim is to help in the process of developing an authentic western yoga that respects both the traditional aspects of yoga and its contemporary application in the West. The focus of Yoga Mala is Ranju's group class teaching around Taunton, individual work and workshops specifically with Ranju.

In 2005, Ranju began to work with Dave Charlton under the name Sadhana Mala. Details of these programmes - including Introductory Workshops, Foundation Courses, Teacher Training Programmes, and Further Study Retreats can all be found on www.sadhanamala.com

In 2010 Ranju and Dave began to write support material for yoga teachers and practitioners under the name of Funky Guru. These short monographs distil the essence of different aspects of yoga and can be purchased directly from us (see www.thefunkyguru.co.uk)

Thus far we have written: