Meet the Teachers: Lumi Loves Pippa Berger
- -Pippa is a stormtrooper and, quite simply, an inspiration. Since finishing her teacher training at Lumi, power yoga has been popping up all over her home town of Kent. Today’s Lumi Love class is a very rare and very special opportunity to catch this warrior of light back in the space where her transformational journey began. She spared a few moments with us to share a few of her insights about what inspires her to keep this journey moving forwards and upwards…
What first brought you to the mat?
I was doing a pregnancy yoga teacher training as an ‘add on’ to my existing antenatal teaching and as part of the course we were asked to find a local yoga class for ourselves. I knew very little about yoga, so didn’t really know what to look for or what to expect but I found a local Kundalini teacher and decided to give her classes a go. I wasn’t sure at first – the chanting, singing and meditation took a little getting used to but gradually I grew to love the classes. Not just the challenge of the physical practice but the feeling it gave me for days after – balance and serenity.
I went on to try Bikram, Iyengar and eventually found Lumi Power Yoga and haven’t looked back.
Most embarrassing/awkward moment in a class?
My most embarrassing moment was probably when I arrived for a very busy pregnancy yoga class to find I’d left the key to the venue at home (8 miles away!). It was the beginning of a new term and I had 19 very heavily pregnant women eagerly awaiting their first class. Thankfully it was a lovely summer evening and the venue had a small garden, so we set up on the grass. It was a bit tight for space and being on a slight slope didn’t help but we managed. It was a very unifying experience. I now keep my key firmly attached to my bag of yoga mats!
Triangle or Dancer’s Pose?
It has to be Dancer’s Pose. I always feel a wonderful sense of opening and expansion in this pose. I may not look particularly ‘dancer like’ but that doesn’t matter because I can feel it. Triangle is very grounding, which is perhaps why I don’t like it so much!
Who or what has been your greatest influence and why?
Lumi and in particular Ari and Elina. Doing my teacher training was a truly life changing experience for me. I’d wanted to further my yoga training and become a full yoga teacher for about 2 years, during which time I’d looked into numerous teacher trainings and different schools of yoga. I met Ari and Elina at the Om Yoga Show in 2012. It was the end of the day and I was exhausted but as soon as I spoke to them, I knew Lumi was for me. I knew very little about Power Yoga, I’d never been to their classes (the studio was still in the making) but something told me it was right. When I started my training, I was a complete beginner, I didn’t know the sequence, I’d only been to a handful of classes and it was a steep learning curve. But aside from the practice, I gained so much more from the training. I learnt about myself, I gained some wonderful friends and for the first time in my life, I felt able to make some really big decisions about where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do.
I’ve resigned from my work and am now a yoga teacher. I couldn’t be happier and have already begun to set up my own classes closer to home (Kent) and hope to eventually become a regular at Lumi.
Ari and Elina are truly inspirational teachers and I know I wouldn’t be the teacher I am now without them.
What’s the one piece of advice you would want the world to know?
Live the life YOU want to lead. You are stronger than you think. Believe in yourself and amazing things will happen.
Don’t miss it! Grab your mat, a £5 note and get yourself down to Lumi at 2:30pm!