ROSE EAGLE–HULL

Rose practicing in Kia´s Mountain Shala in Spain 2016 - her first ever yoga retreat!

“Allowing time for a daily practice has transformed my perception of myself, of what my values are, and of how I act in society; it has taught me to be less judgemental of both myself and of others.”

Rose captured at Kia´s In Depth Training in Paris 2020

Name: Rose Eagle-Hull

Age: 30

Nationality: British

Occupation: I work for a model agency - coordinating model movement and scouting for the men’s board

When and how did you start practicing yoga? I took my first ever yoga class at University, looking for something to fill a gap left by a decade of dance lessons. It quickly became a tool I used to push my physical body to new limits - the effect it had on my mental health was a positive consequence, but my primary reason for practising was to feel fit and see how I could use my body in a new way.  The stillness I felt during the classes was wonderful, but my lifestyle and attitude at the time didn’t leave much room for a deeper, regular practice… It eventually dawned on me in 2016 that in order to allow this stillness to take more of a hold beyond the yoga studio, I had to delve deeper, and slowly began moving my priorities around to find more space and time to take regular yoga classes.

How did you first meet Kia and Mysore Yoga Paris? I met Kia on my first ever yoga retreat in Spain, August 2016. I had never practised with her before, nor practised anywhere near 6 days in a row!  Tempted by a peaceful week in the countryside, away from the hustle of busy Paris and surrounded by strangers, I did some research and the photos I found of beautiful Las Chimeneas, plus reviews of the retreat, were enough to convince me.  A few weeks before, I went to my first “Mysore style” class in Paris to make sure that I could remember the sequence, and was struck by the feeling of euphoria that came afterwards. This feeling of euphoria was repeated every day during the week with Kia, and helped shape my changing attitude towards how I wanted to live my life. I wasn’t able to continue practising with Kia once back in Paris due to work constraints, but she and her assistant had helped sew the seeds for me to develop a dedicated, regular Mysore practice. Now that her shala has moved and I have also changed jobs, I have been practising at MYP since January 2020.

“This feeling of euphoria was repeated every day during the week with Kia, and helped shape my changing attitude towards how I wanted to live my life. ”

Has a committed Mysore practice influenced you, how? Yes, and in so many ways!  In a very obvious way, my lifestyle has slowly and drastically changed over the past 4 years in relation to the time I dedicate to a Mysore yoga practice. (Instead of going to bed at 6am, I am infinitely grateful to wake up at this time and am a much healthier person, both mentally and physically, because of such changes.) My attitude towards yoga has evolved - after an injury a few years ago, my ego had a wake-up call and, with the help of my teachers, I developed a committed Mysore practice inspired by compassion rather than by gymnastic challenges... My whole outlook changed and I began to appreciate the spiritual dimension of yoga, which I now realise is intrinsically linked to the physical aspect. The regularity and repetition of a committed Mysore practice brings with it a precious stillness and the opportunity for self-reflection as we notice subtle changes in our being, as well as a moment of respite from what can be an otherwise chaotic, stressful day. Allowing time for a daily practice has transformed my perception of myself, of what my values are, and of how I act in society; it has taught me to be less judgemental of both myself and of others.

What is the significance of working so consistently with a teacher and method as we do in the shala? It is a real privilege to have a teacher in the city I live in, who can follow not only my physical asana practice, but also guide me through pranayama and give talks on the philosophical dimensions of yoga. Working consistently with a teacher in the shala means I feel guided, supported and challenged, and the method means that I too learn to guide, support and challenge myself. During Mysore practice, I feel wholly safe - this is important as the nature of the Mysore method means the teacher will physically adjust each student which relies on a great deal of reciprocal trust. The teacher guides and nourishes our practice with no judgement, which itself is a lesson to learn from.

“During Mysore practice, I feel wholly safe - this is important as the nature of the Mysore method means the teacher will physically adjust each student which relies on a great deal of reciprocal trust. ”

Describe what the Shala and its community is to you? It’s a place for refuge, without judgement, and for learning.  Supportive, compassionate, sacred.  

In this time of quarantine, how do you support your practice? During the first week of quarantine, I felt grounded knowing that whatever happened I would still get up and do my asana practice before starting the day. After 10 days, I started feeling ill and realised that I couldn’t carry on with an intense physical practice. In order to maintain a daily practice I decided (albeit a little against my will) to focus on pranayama and sitting, and had to accept that needing to physically rest is actually OK. I’m enjoying listening to podcasts and reading articles on the sutras, and seeing this as another dimension of a daily practice. I’m very lucky to have a teacher who even took the time to call me when I was unwell to check up on me... So despite being away from the shala, I feel very much supported by the community. I’m starting to feel better and am looking forward to finding the rhythm of a physical asana practice in a few days but it has taught me (again) that yoga is not only about about sweating on my mat :)

“Now that the MYP Online Shala has started, the sense of community is even stronger; hearing Kia’s voice in my own room as we go through meditation, pranayama and asana as a group but across time zones is quite magical. ”

How can we practice sangha (community) while being apart? Within the yoga community, I feel the nature of the Mysore method of yoga means that even in the shala, we are all practising together and individually at the same time, which seems to make it easier to subconsciously imagine everyone else practising simultaneously when actually I am alone in my room. Also, the support tools set up by MYP are amazing - the carefully crafted podcast made by Yotam and Kia which mixes sounds from the shala, Kia’s words of wisdom, laughter, and music, is a wonderful way of feeling a strong sense of community whilst practising alone. Now that the MYP Online Shala has started, the sense of community is even stronger; hearing Kia's voice in my own room as we go through meditation, pranayama and asana as a group but across time zones is quite magical. For my friends and family, technology has become a real blessing - talking online, video calls, sharing recipes and quizzes…. realising the importance of talking daily to loved ones creates a strong sense of community even when living miles away from each other.

When and where do you experience Nowness..? When I am on my mat halfway through my asana practice, or when I chant and listen to the opening mantra at the shala.

Describe your practice in 3 words: Calming, stillness, acceptance.

Where do you go to find peace in Paris? This sounds cheesy but my instinctive answer would be “on my mat”... Beyond my mat, I would say the terrace of any classic café with a book or a notebook….or, at the moment, my balcony.