Description

Join us to celebrate 60 years of BWY

In 1965, Wilfred Clark united people with a love of yoga in Britain. 60 years on, come together as we approach the Summer Solstice for a festival of yoga to ignite passion and curiosity for your yoga practice.

Four inspiring sessions will take you through a day of pranayama, meditation, asana, movement, Qi Gong and shiatsu. This event is ideal for anyone with a love of yoga, whether you are just starting to explore a personal practice or have been training the next generation of yoga teachers for many years. You are very welcome to join us if you are not a BWY member - come and share in this celebration of yoga.

There are regular breaks throughout the day so you can move away from the screen, process and reflect on your experience and find sustenance.

You can attend as many of the sessions live as you wish and you will have access to recordings for all the sessions within 48 hours of the event finishing (found in the Resources tab of the event, accessed via your dashboard calendar).

NB If you would like to purchase a non-member ticket, please register for a free account here first: https://portal.bwy.org.uk/register and login. Then the non-member ticket will appear at the bottom of the event screen.

Additional Information

Timetable

Session 1: 09:00 - 10:15

Vinayachandra Banavathy

Returning from his hugely popular session at BWY Sangha in 2022, we are delighted that Vinayachandra will be opening our festival by leading this session dedicated to pranayama and meditation. With insightful stories and discussion interspersed with practice, we will start the day opening our minds and hearts to yoga. 

Vinaya will guide us through cyclic meditation (mandala dhyana), a beautiful practice inspired by the ancient Mandukya Upanishad. It weaves together gentle yoga postures with deep relaxation in a rhythmic flow to leave you with a deep sense of calm that stays with you long after the practice ends. I want to share something you can return to whenever life feels overwhelming – a quiet, steady space within that’s always there.

About Vinayachandra

Dr Vinayachandra Banavathy is Director of the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems at Chanakya University and co-founder of Indica Yoga. A scholar, teacher and yoga practitioner, Dr Banavathy has spent decades sharing the authentic roots of yoga and Indic knowledge systems through his teaching and travels worldwide.

Fortunate to study in the traditional Veda Vijnana Gurukula system, which focuses on Vedanta and yoga, Vinaya spent six years immersed in ancient texts, guided by inspiring teachers who truly embodied what they taught.

Later, he pursued a Master’s degree in Yoga Studies at S-VYASA University in Bengaluru, one of India’s first yoga universities. Also completing degrees in Sanskrit and Applied Psychology, which helped him appreciate yoga’s profound depth and inspired him to pursue a life guided by self-inquiry and conscious living.

Follow Vinayachandra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aurovinaya/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vinayachandra

Website: https://www.indicayoga.com/

Session 2: 10:45 - 12:00

Annie Cryar: Breath, Ground, Release – Elements of Yoga, Shiatsu, Qigong

Joining us from Teach Yoga Naturally, one of BWY's Accredited Training Organisations, Annie will be exploring the common principles of body/breath integration that run through the arts of yoga, shiatsu and qigong. We will go through a very simple qigong form, Scaravelli-inspired asana and self shiatsu to experience the simplicity and joy of ‘standing between earth and sky’.

No previous experience of shiatsu or qigong is necessary.

This session will be approximately 5% talk/discussion and 95% practice.

About Annie:

Annie has been practising and studying Yoga for 49 years. Her interest in the movement of energy flow in the body took her from her original career as a trained teacher to learn and teach Shiatsu, Qigong and Yoga.  She is Co -Director of the Shiatsu College Qigong teacher training programme, creator of the college’s accredited Anatomy Physiology and Pathology course and Principal of Shiatsu College, Hastings. She is a certified teacher of the  ‘Yoga for Back Pain‘ programme, evidence based Yoga therapy from a successful large clinical research trial. Inspired by many teachers; Zowie Martin, Rosabella Jordan, Marilyn Freedman, Trish Peake, Helen Noakes, Sandra Sabatini, Elizabeth Paunce, she values the discoveries of self practice above all.

Follow Annie:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachYogaNaturallyTeacherTraining

Websites: https://stleonards.studio/ and https://teachyoganaturally.org/

Session 3: 13:00 - 14:30

Gary Carter: Taking the Practice Deeper - Through the Teachings of Vanda Scaravelli

This session offers a deep dive into the interaction between the feet and the spine - how they respond to and work with gravity - framed through the subtle, body-aware lens of Vanda Scaravelli’s teachings.

We’ll explore how just one aspect of the complex, multi-directional nature of fascia can create a profound ripple effect throughout the body. By drawing attention to this single dynamic, we open the door to a broader understanding of how fascia informs movement, stability, and freedom.

This focused exploration offers a ‘tease’ into the deeper possibilities of the fascia–Scaravelli connection, potentially transforming the way you approach and experience your practice.

This session will be a 50:50 blend of movement and short talks to provide both experiential and conceptual insight.

About Gary:

Gary Carter is one of the UK’s most respected educators in anatomy, fascia, and functional movement, particularly as they relate to yoga and other movement disciplines. With over 35 years of experience - including teaching, manual therapy, dissection, and fascia research - he brings exceptional depth to his courses, workshops, and British Wheel of Yoga CPD days.

Gary was a lead dissector and co-designer of the world’s first fascia-focused anatomical specimen for the BodyWorlds exhibition in Germany, working alongside leading figures such as Dr. Robert Schleip, Thomas Myers, Professor Carla Stecco, and Dr. Gil Hedley.

His work has been shaped by a brief but formative study with Vanda Scaravelli herself and furthered through ongoing studies with her close students including Sophy Hoare, Mary Stewart, John Stirk, Elizabeth Pauncz and Peter Blackaby.

Through this work, Gary uncovered a subtle but compelling bridge between fascia research and the Scaravelli-inspired approach to movement. This has formed the basis of a 35-year exploration into how these dynamics can be integrated into life and practice—and shared meaningfully with others.

Follow Gary:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063467742856

Website: https://www.naturalbodies.co.uk/

Session 4: 15:00 - 16:15

Hana Saotome: Solstice Flow - A Yoga Journey of Abundance and Light

A 75-minute vibrant yoga practice celebrating the summer solstice's peak of light and abundance. Through flowing sequences and embodied movement, participants will explore the expansive energy of the season's brightest moment, gradually transitioning to a deeply restorative relaxation that mirrors the sun's gentle descent into evening.

About Hana:

With over 18 years as a full-time yoga teacher, Hana brings a unique perspective shaped by her background as a professional dancer, which influences her emphasis on somatic movement and flowing, mindful sequences.

Throughout her extensive career, she has immersed herself in numerous yoga traditions and styles, with comprehensive training in specialised areas including women's yoga therapy, pregnancy and postnatal yoga, yoga nidra, and kirtan (chanting).

As a British Wheel of Yoga Diploma Course Tutor, Hana runs foundation courses and teacher training programs. She merges her expertise in classical yoga practices and philosophy with women's therapy work, mindful movement and mindset training to create bespoke courses.

Her approach weaves together ancient wisdom with contemporary understanding of the body and mind, creating transformative experiences that honor yoga's roots while meeting the evolving needs of modern practitioners.

Follow Hana

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hanasaotome/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hana.saotome

Websites: https://hanasaotome.com/ and https://www.mindfulmovements.co.uk/

CPD points for BWY teachers

If you attend the full day live then you will automatically have 5 pts added to your profile. In order to do this, either your Zoom name needs to match the name on your BWY profile or you can contact one of the BWY team on the day to confirm attendance. If you attend online or a mixture of in-person and online then you will need to enter the event manually to your CPD record, allowing one point per hour attended/watched. 

What to Bring

Each session may require different items, so please do check the information below so that you have everything you need:

Session 1

• Please bring whatever you need to sit comfortably, such as a mat, meditation cushion, chair, bolsters, blankets.

Session 2

• Blocks, blankets, bolsters if you normally need them

Session 3

• Yoga mat, block, belt, blanket, cushion

Session 4

• Your usual props for a physical practice and plenty of props, such as bolsters, eye pillow and blankets for the restorative finale.