Meet the Teachers: Lumi Loves Erin Dewar
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You may be forgiven for thinking this curly-haired lass is usually seen poking out from behind the reception desk at Lumi, offering up coconut water and towels like they’re going out of fashion. And you’d be right! But Erin Dewar has abandoned her post and is now teaching everything from Little Lumis to early morning Power Hot classes, adopting a multi-tasking role of a very different nature…
What does yoga mean to you, Erin?
Oh boy, how much time have we got?!
I played a number of sports growing up and have been a runner for many years. There’s nothing quite like physical activity, whether playing in a team, or setting out a long, meditative run on my own. But yoga is more than just a physical practice. Yoga is like an old friend – we know each other intimately and yet there’s often times of disconnect.
It often feels like I am swimming through a vast, deep ocean, one that has the ability to change direction or intensity without a moments notice. And I – my body and my mind – have no other choice other than to submit to it and dance with the shifting tides.
Sometimes it’s like wading through thick, muddy terrain where I am sure to be dragged under any second and then I am darting and flying, full of light and energy, an excitement burning out of my chest.
But wherever I am, whatever is going on, it’s an ongoing practice of coming home – each time arriving at my front door and waiting to see who will open up today.
Crow Pose or Revolving Triangle?
Crow Pose, anytime of day. Open my hips, get them out of the way and suddenly I can fly forward, shoot back, stand on my head – you name it, I’m a superhero. Hips on the straight and narrow and then a little twist…you’ve gotta be joking?! There’s something very freeing about getting out of your own way and exploring all the different options, but perhaps there’s even more to be said about sticking to the path and seeing what angles grow out from there, no matter how challenging or unrelenting it may seem.
When it comes down to it, it’s all about balance.
What’s your guiltiest pleasure?
A spoon (when celery is too hard to reach for, and often it is), crunchy peanut butter, Himalayan salt. In that order.
And finishing other peoples leftovers. I grew up with brothers – no one leaves even a pea alone on an open battlefield.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A teacher, a marine biologist, a flamenco dancer, a midwife, a famous film and TV star, a travelling musician, an acclaimed novelist, a mother, a wife, a friend…
As a child, I wanted to be seen. To be extra-ordinary.
As a fully qualified adult, however, I am a yoga teacher, an actor of stage and screen, a school teacher, an arts administrator, a singer (when no-one’s listening), a writer (of sorts), an intolerant foodie, a godmother, a friend, the Sugarplum Fairy, a Captain Starlight, I can carry three plates and make a ripper coffee but shouldn’t we go back to the beginning and ask the really important question? No – really, tell me, ‘Do you want fries with that?’
As a thirty-something adult, I’ve realised the journey is the extraordinary part. Not necessarily the destination. But I’m sure the next decade will teach me something entirely different again.
What was the first album you owned?
Prelude to the first album: The cassette singles of Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince’s Boom Shake the Room purchased alongside Ace of Base’s All That She Wants
First album: Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill or was it Aussie girl band, Girlfriend’s, Make It Come True ?
Either way, there’s a song for just about every one of life’s moments.
Check the schedule for Erin’s regular classes at Lumi: http://bit.ly/1BMdzsD
You can also read more on her blog, An Immovable Feast