Layna Winckworth | London Yoga Photographer

I first met Layna about a month ago when she kindly agreed to let me observe one of her classes that she teaches in Horsham. Part of my 200hr teacher training course is observing different yoga teacher’s classes to see how they teach, what they do, and how they interact with their students. I really enjoyed watching Layna’s class and wished I was practicing alongside everyone else!

She really focuses on the breath and guides the practice with it. Something she said in the class really stood out to me: “We hold the poses, not the breath–breathe.” I love that because sometimes the poses can be quite challenging and the breath slips to the back of our minds as we concentrate on getting perfect alignment or holding the pose for x amount of time. But the breath is the most important part of the practice even though we sometimes forget it. Layna’s reminders and cues in the class always returned to the breath.

Just before I moved away from Horsham, Layna and I got together to take some photos in the park. Despite the chilly conditions and the bit of rain towards the end, Layna flowed through a short self practice with grace. The energy she generated made me feel warm, calm, and happy. She has a beautiful smile and I loved photographing her practice. We even had a special guest toward the end—!

Enjoy the photos xx

You can find out more about Layna and when her classes are on her website.