About the Teacher
I'm Celeste, a teacher of yoga and chant and a therapist practising in the tradition of T Krishnamacharya.
I am registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council in yoga therapy. I hold a British Wheel of Yoga Teachers' Diploma, training at Healing Yoga UK with Marc Beuvain. I am also certified as a Vedic Chant teacher taught by Radha Sundarajan with Sannidhi of Krishnamacharya Yoga UK.
After several years' teaching, I undertook further post graduate studies in yoga therapy with Dr N C Chandrasekaran at Chennai, India.
I am keen student of Sanskrit, with a particular interest in its Vedic form. I offer online lectures including Yoga Philosophy focusing on the Sūtras of Patañjali.
I believe that yoga is the most effective way to affect change in our lives and that it is open to everyone.
"Teach what is inside you. Not as it applies to you, to yourself, but as it applies to the other." T Krishnamacharya
"My yoga lessons are my special 'me' time. We are lucky to have such a gifted yoga teacher. Celeste's passion for yoga and meditation is conveyed to her students in a relaxed and enjoyable environment. I have been attending these classes for over ten years: each one is different and I always leave with a sense of inner calm. The lessons are personal, unique and fun. Thank you Celeste for this weekly treat!" Phillipa L.
The Tradition and Teaching
T Krishnamacharya 1886 - 1989
T Krishnamacharya whose distinctive form of Hatha Yoga, known as viñyāsa krama yoga grew from his own long practice in yoga and knowledge as a scholar of Sanskrit, Vedic Philosophy and Ritual and the Ayurvedic system of medicine.
This tradition and teaching focuses on the central role of the teacher/student relationship. A relationship out of which an intelligent use of yoga's tools develops. There can never be a 'one size fits all' approach, instead yoga is adapted to meet each student's ability and needs.
Krishnamacharya's method and philosophy continues in its transmission through the students of his son T K V Desikachar of whom I have had the privilege of being taught by two, Radha Sundarajan for Vedic Chant and Dr N C Chandrasekaran in Yoga Therapy. His influence on teachers of modern yoga originated in his yoga school at Mysore where he taught the teenagers B K S Iyengar, K Pattibhi Jois and his first female student Indra Devi. These students all went on to create their own methods and these are predominantly what we recognise in the West.
"Celeste has made my return to yoga a real pleasure and I look forward to my Thursday morning practice. Her knowledge and understanding allows her to pitch each asana at the appropriate level. Any modifications are constructive and helpful, how a small change...can make a real difference. The āsanas have improved my flexibility and posture... the prāṇāyāma and meditation bring peacefulness to life for a working mother of two!" Zoe A.