Things I've learnt at community classes with Chai Collective ...

This month saw the last of Chai Collective community yoga at Pamban Coffee & Chai House in Camden Market. The cafe has sadly closed its doors this week - you can still order their delicious chai for home here or you’ll spot their bags lining the shelves of cafes across London through their wholesale business.

This started as my very first regular class after finishing my 200 hour training back in the summer of 2021 (... big thanks to Miro who reached out to my instagram post searching for a space to teach!) It’s been the most gorgeous space to host classes and I have loved having the freedom to develop my practice here - exploring new styles, testing the waters and building confidence with each week. I can’t thank the Pamban team enough for opening the doors to me as a brand new teacher.

After 6 months running the regular Friday morning class solo, I decided to open up the space as a collaborative teaching project - the Chai Collective. Forming a community of other new teachers, we taught on rotation, sharing the opportunity to gain experience teaching a real room of students. Classes were always beginners friendly, with accessibility and approachability at the forefront. Attending each other's classes as much as possible, we had the chance to share and receive feedback, something that is invaluable as a new teacher and often hard to find. I loved attending classes with all my fellow teachers - sometimes supporting their very first class post-training. It’s been so inspiring to see friends take on the massive achievement of standing up in front of a room of students for the first time and so useful as a teacher to bounce ideas off each other.

Reflecting back, here’s a few things I’ve learnt from the year at Pamban …


1. There is a space for yoga in a community setting. 

Turns out a cafe like Pamban is the perfect space for a yoga class. Lots of students coming for the first time had spotted our flyers in the cafe and were already familiar with the space. This created a real sense of inclusivity in the room. There is no membership, the space is open and welcoming with the big wooden doors thrown open through the summer months. It felt like the barrier of walking into a brand new studio setting was broken down by making the whole thing being a bit more casual.

I found that students really wanted to connect, meet and chat when coming to class. Starting back in 2021 there was still that very felt desire to be physically in a room with other people. It was super powerful to feel that connection as students came in for their first in-person practice after covid. Moving together, breathing together and uniting through the collective experience of an in-person class.

2. The friendliness of strangers.

I can’t believe how lovely every student was that came to class. Advertising through Classpass and Eventbrite I really had no idea who was going to walk through the doors. Luckily everyone has been a real joy to teach. It’s an amazing feeling seeing the same students coming back each week and I have so much thanks for the regulars that supported us all. So many of the students have been incredibly supportive of myself and the other teachers as we taught our first classes. This warmth and friendliness helped diffuse the nerves and make classes enjoyable to teach.

I’ve also got to comment on the real number of people I’ve met since starting to teach - it’s really life affirming to see that positive nature shine through in so many people through yoga.

3. The challenges of teaching truly open level classes

Teaching a community focussed class with an accessible pricing structure was always really important to the project. That meant classes had to be open level, with the room sometimes being 50% yoga teachers and 50 % beginners. It became so important to make sure everyone felt empowered in the practice - knowing that all options were equally valid and without hierarchy. I know I didn’t always hit the mark here and there were definitely a few sequences, cues and options that just didn’t work. Each class was a chance to observe, evaluate and improve my teaching style for the following week.

4. Importance of mentoring and community for teachers (especially new ones!)

This is definitely the most valuable take home from the Chai Collective. The inevitable Whatsapp began with a handful of friends from my training and day-job at triyoga. It then expanded to include friends of friends, a network formed from other trainings in London and those who reached out online. We’ve now got a group of 21 teachers in the same boat to get in touch with for advice, guidance and all-important cover.

I’ve loved the conversations we’ve had (best held outside the cafe in the summer sunshine!) after classes… Realising that often we’re all feeling the same thoughts, fears and doubts and having the chance to rationalise these out-loud!

During the project I also took a mentoring programme with Paula Andreewitch (which I honestly can’t recommend enough!!!) where the importance of mentoring and support in teaching really hit home. Teaching in London can definitely feel lonely, despite the huge number of students you meet, and overwhelming at times. Sometimes honest feedback is hard to come by and the negative spiral around expectations as a teacher can escalate. The reassurance and support from the teaching group has been so important in my practice.

Just a few of the things I’ve learnt along the way, and I’m sure just scratching the surface of all the things to come. We are currently on the look out for a new space to host community classes as a collective. If you know of a cafe, restaurant, community centre, church or just about anywhere with enough space to lay down 10 yoga mats do get in touch.