Simon Kirkness

Ashtanga Basics + cycling

[simonkirkness]

Love a wee dip at #feshiebridge #Repost @karenkirkness (@get_repost) ・・・ Jump! @kirknys #babymoon #underwearisthere (at Feshiebridge, Highland, United Kingdom)

[simonkirkness]

New class at Meadowlark yoga.

Well that’s me getting my first couple of yoga classes at Meadowlark yoga. I’m really excited and can’t wait to get stuck in. Classes are as follows:

➖ Mon 2-3 Yoga for Athletes ➖ Tue 2-3 Ashtanga Yoga Basics

Both classes will be suitable for all levels. 1st class starts on Monday the 31st of July. I will be adding evening classes in due course, watch this space.

Anyone that wants to book in send me a PM and I will give you a special discount code.

Hope to see a few of you on the mat.

[simonkirkness]

Great to work with @some_scott this morning to help him prepare for his Highland trail 550. Check out the event at www.highlandtrail.net Best of luck Scott hope to see you again soon. #massageforendurance #yogaforatheletes #yogaforcyclists #edinburghbodywork #enduranceracing #endurancecyclist (at Meadowlark Yoga)

[simonkirkness]

Last Dig in at the dock yesterday it's been great racing over the last 5 years. This year was rapid shame I wasn't. #nothinginthelegs #nogas #diatd 📸 @dempo73 (at Bo'ness)

[simonkirkness]

Back from Boston and I have a couple of appointments available for massage this Monday. Please get in contact with me for bookings. #yogamassage #ayurvedic #yogamassage (at Meadowlark Yoga)

[simonkirkness]

New treatment available at @meadowlarkyoga Ayurvedic yoga massage from Simon kirkness. Simon is just not long back from Mysore India where he and Karen practiced at Kpayj. Simon studied for three months under the eye of Saraswati Jois. Along with his asana practice Simon studied Ayurvedic yoga massage at the ARYM institute and learnt some other treatments including Ayurvedic Abhyanga massage. From the 20th of February Simon will be offering Ayurvedic yoga massage tailored to each individual client @meadowlarkyoga You don’t have to be a yoga practitioner to benefit from AYM, and the techniques are great for all levels. Especially good for athletes looking for some relief from all the training efforts. Benefits of AYM are: Enhances breathing capacity Promotes circulation of all body fluids Improves coordination Releases muscle tension Time slots on Mondays are 11:30-12:45 13:00-14:15 14:30-15:30 and priced at £45 for 75 minutes Bookable through reception and payable at time of booking as usual. #strenghandconditioning #yogaforcyclists #yogaforatheletes #tryyoga #yogaformen #yogamassage #yogaeverydamnday (at Meadowlark Yoga)

[simonkirkness]

I am really excited to say I will be offering a beginners yoga class here at Whats your Meta Edinburgh. Never tried yoga before? but keep saying “I really should have a go” well this is your opportunity. I'm currently a trainee teacher gaining experience. I will be completing my teacher training this summer at Meadowlark Yoga. Spaces are limited so please contact me to book your place on a mat. [email protected] @jimmy_mach10 #yogaforcyclists #yogaforatheletes #yogaformen #tryyoga

(at Metafit)

[simonkirkness]

All set up and ready for this weeks Ayurvedic yoga massage.

[simonkirkness]

Dipping my toe in:

Well that proves You can’t just pitch up and race cyclocross. After a fantastic 3 months in India with no bike riding I decided to enter and ride in the Rouken Glen cyclocross race. The race in Glasgow is round 1 of the Super Quaich series. The Super Quaich series runs after the Scottishcyclocross. This makes riding very tough as the majority of riders are still carrying form from the Scottish series races.

Traditionally the course is frozen over with a good covering of snow. Not this year though. Milder conditions made the course completely different from previous years. Rideable sections through the woods were a run, ride ups were run ups and generally tough going with nowhere really to get your breath back. My plan was simple, get a good start don’t go too deep and keep it consistent. It soon became apparent that not riding the bike isn’t a great idea however as long as I didn’t go too deep I would be fine. It was a case of taking it pretty easy on the hard deep muddy sections and putting a bit of an effort in where the course flowed a little more. I loved the flowing sections of the course where the surface was firmer. It allowed us to test our skills on the slippy of camber descents and corners.

I was pretty happy finishing in the top 50 riders in the conditions and my lack of bike riding.

Looking forward to Foxlake at the start of February better get on the rollers.

Well done to Jim Cameron and all involved.

Anyone interested in booking a massage after the races on a Monday please get in contact. Although the treatment is called yoga massage it’s ideal for cyclists.

#yogamassage #yogaforcyclists #scottishcyclocross #scx #albannach

[simonkirkness]

I am offering free taster sessions at @meadowlarkyoga for the month of January. Please get in contact with Meadowlark reception or myself to get booked up. #yogaformen #yogaforcyclists #massageforcyclists #ayurvedic #yogamassage (at Meadowlark Yoga)

[simonkirkness]

You don't have to do yoga to benefit from this type of body work. #massageforcyclists #ayurvedic #yogamassage #bodywork #edinburghbodywork (at Mysore, Karnataka)

[simonkirkness]

Great stretch for quads and hip flexors #edinburghmassage #edinburghbodywork #ayurvedic #bodywork #yogamassage (at Gokulam, Mysore)

[simonkirkness]

Last week I graduated as a Ayurvedic Yoga Massage therapist at the ARYM. Thanks to Ananta for the guidance and passing on his depth of knowledge.

[simonkirkness]

Last week I completed my first course in body work. The course was Ayurvedic Abhyanga body massage. My teacher Lijo from the Kerala Ayurvedic health care centre guided my through the process and explained the benefits. I am continuing my training at the Indian institute of Ayurvedic yoga massage this week with my teacher Ananta Sylvain Girard. I hope to offer treatments on my return to Edinburgh within the new year. Ayurvedic yoga massage combines traditional Indian deep tissue massage with assisted yoga based stretching techniques. Benefits of AYM are: Enhances breathing capacity Promotes circulation of all body fluids Improves coordination Releases muscle tension And lots more.

[simonkirkness]

Pretty happy with this picture. Borrowed my buddy in Mysore Jon Bednar's camera whilst he got his beard trimmed. #armpitshavesir

[simonkirkness]

"Catching" 👌🏼 Thanks to my teachers Saraswati and Dena Kingsberg for making asanas like Marichyasana C a lot more comfortable. #ashtanga #ashtangayoga #mysore #mensyoga #yogaforboys @meadowlarkyoga (at Mysore, Karnataka)

[simonkirkness]

Saraswati conference:

This week we asked Saraswati if she would be able to do a short conference after the two led classes on Sunday. She said yes so here’s a little bit about it. I haven’t been well the last 4 days a trip to the hospital confirmed it wasn’t anything serious just a fever or something. I was happy I felt well enough to practice this morning and be there for the conference.

Saraswathi was born in 1941 and practiced steadily under the guidance of her father Sri K. Pattabhi Jois from the age of 10-22. She was the first girl ever to be permitted admission to the Sanskrit College in Mysore where she studied the basic Sanskrit works and learnt yoga from her father. For many years she assisted her father and traveling with him after her mother passed away. Since 1975 she has been teaching her own classes. In 1986 she created a little Yoga revolution here in Mysore by being the first woman ever to teach men and women together. She wasn’t allowed to advertise so it was all word of mouth. Lots of times she would open the shala and no one would turn up.

At the age of twenty-six she got married and then moved to Jamshedpur, close to Calcutta to be with her husband. Her husband was busy working and traveling around India, but she looked after there family as well and gave birth to her daughter Sharmila in 1969 and Sharath in 1971.

Sharath was a real weakling in his early years, he did not like going to school and would be home for months or lying sick in bed. Saraswati recalls how he attracted every disease from rheumatic fever, bouts of diarrhea, inflammation of the lungs, loss of hemoglobin in his blood, to a serious hernia infection ending with an operation and months in hospital. But Saraswati was always there to support him and helped him get his strength back in his early teens by teaching him Yoga. At first he was very reluctant, but due to the strong influence of his mother, he took up a consistent practice, was even urged to help his grandfather and the rest is history.

After moving back to Mysore in 1971 she started teaching yoga on a regular basis. In 1975 she started teaching at the back portion of the Venkateshwara temple in Vantikopal. She was paid twenty fives rupees a month and a Yoga teacher in those days was treated no different than the cleaners and sweepers of the temple grounds. But Saraswathi persisted due to her love of Yoga and her experiences born out of the practice. For eleven years she would only teach ladies, but then in 1986 she allowed men and women to mix. Many people were criticizing her for making such a radical change to the common norm in India of always keeping the two genders separate. But Saraswathi did not care and decided to teach Yoga in the best way she found proper.

She talked about the sadness she still has from loosing he father and how she felt alone after the disconnection from her husband and her children growing up. She finished by saying now she is coping with it a lot better now and all of her students are her family.

It was really special to hear her talk today. I presented her with a small gift of a cotton towel. She goes on about it each morning “bring cotton towel” so I thought she would like her own.