Description

In celebration of International Women’s Day I will present a short history of the influential and international women who have shaped what modern yoga has become. I will weave their stories into the wider story of why it is that women are the majority demographic of practitioners today. This session will shine a light on famous, infamous, and lesser-known women in yoga.

Who was Madame Blavatsky, what was her issue with hatha yoga, and should we credit her for bringing yoga to the west in the 19th century? Or should that credit go to Indra Devi? Who was Devi and how did she become the first foreign woman to be taught yoga by T. Krishnamacharya?

What role did Mollie Bagot Stack play in integrating yoga to the world of health and fitness in the early 20th century? How does the influence of these women continue shape yoga practice and the industry?

This session will be approximately 90% lecture and discussion and 10% practice.

About Amelia

I started yoga as an anxious and uncoordinated teenager at age 19. Yoga classes provided a non-judgemental space to move in a way that was non-competitive and, as a bonus, we were allowed to relax at the end. It was available for a very low cost at my university. It made me feel good and wasn’t like anything I’d done before.

After a few months I decided I wanted to be a yoga teacher. It took a few years and a lot more yoga experience before I was able to see this idea through but eventually I did. Having a regular yoga practice improved my ability to focus, to concentrate, and to move through the world more easily, on a physical and mental level. 

I have an MA in the Traditions of Yoga and Meditation (2015) and am a PhD candidate at SOAS, University of London. My research areas are the history of women in pre-modern and modern yoga, power, trauma and spiritual abuse in modern transnational yoga contexts.

 

Connect with Amelia

Instagram: @amelia_wood_yoga

Facebook: Amelia Wood Yoga

Website: amelialwood.com 

Please note that these are external channels and are not maintained by the BWY.

 

Tickets

BWY Members: you can attend this session live, free of charge as part of your membership - but you will need to register for a ticket below. You only need to book a ticket if you wish to attend the live session - all Members Sessions are available as recordings for no cost to BWY Members; please see the Recordings section below.

We welcome people from outside of the BWY and have made tickets available at a cost of £25 per session to cover administrative costs. If you would like to attend more than one session per year, it would be worthwhile considering joining the BWY for this benefit alone.

Tickets will be available to purchase until noon two working days prior to the event to allow time for administration or if the event reaches capacity.

 

Zoom link

Once you have booked your ticket for the event, you will be able to access the Zoom link from the Meeting Information tab in the event.

 

Recordings

Once the session has taken place, we aim to have the recording available within 48 hours, although it is often sooner than this. Everyone who registered for the live session will be able to access the recording via the Meeting Information tab or via My Resources/video library, which is where BWY Members can access recordings of all previous Member Sessions (ensure you are logged in).

 
Health Questionnaires

You do not need to submit a health questionnaire, however if there is something that you wish to bring to the attention of the event organisers or the tutor, please email events@bwy.org.uk at your earliest convenience. All information will be handled in line with the BWY Privacy Policy.

 

Additional Information

Access needs: please email events@bwy.org.uk by 1 March with any specific access needs. Live captioning is enabled and you can activate this on your screen by clicking on the CC button and there is also an option to view the whole transcript by clicking on the upward arrow on the CC button. The recording will feature the closed captions automatically.

What to Bring

Space to move, pen and paper, an open mind.