Yoga with Qayyah

Qayyah's yoga classes are a smooth, continuous, playful flow of different yoga postures. The class is a 'dynamic vinyasa', which means linking movement to your breath.

In this class, you'll spend 60-75 minutes in a safe and supportive space, being guided through inhaling and exhaling to transition through one posture to the next – cultivating (a little!) heat in the body and stillness in the heart and mind.

This class isn't just about cultivating power, strength, discipline, or resilience; it aims to help you use your body to find harmony and balance, mentally, emotionally, and physically; to use the breath and the postures to find spaciousness, release, and softness... and perhaps a little playfulness, too! All postures are optional; the only compulsory element is that you breathe! Though ideal for those with some experience of yoga, this class is accessible to beginners looking to challenge themselves; all are very welcome.

Wherever you are in your practice and however you're feeling on the day, this class is a chance to step away from a busy mind and to press pause, to observe your breath and body, and to simply experience... and perhaps to unlock your own strength and flexibility – in body, mind, and heart.

About Qayyah:

Qayyah has been local to East London for six (and a bit!) years.

A yoga teacher, somatic coach, and personal trainer, Qayyah is deeply interested in communication; she originally studied translation and interpreting in Paris, later training as a journalist in Málaga, Spain.

A Muhajir from Uttar Pradesh, Qayyah’s maternal grandmother passed down knowledge of Urdu and Arabic, Sufism, mysticism, Ayurveda, and yoga; this would later inspire Qayyah to shift her focus from linguistics to a more internal form of communication – through movement and breath.

She is interested in how yoga can offer us opportunities for self-discovery and, ultimately, self-liberation.

As well as training as a yoga teacher, Qayyah has trained in other adjacent fields – from herbal nutrition for traumatic stress to somatic coaching and personal training.

When not guiding others in cultivating their own spiritual and energetic intelligence, Qayyah’s energy and time are spent on creative endeavours, from teaching aerial dance and hosting henna workshops with children and adults to writing, growing and cooking food, baking, and nature photography.

Venue: The Canvas, E2 9PJ

Time: 6-7pm

Dates: Wednesdays

Tickets
✴️ Pay Less (covers some of our costs) – I am a student, unemployed, on benefits or financially stressed - £4

✴️ Standard (covers most of our costs) – I am employed, have some expendable income, and manage to meet my basic needs - £8

✴️ Pay More (covers all of our costs and supports our work at SMH) – I am employed or have enough savings to comfortably meet my basic needs - £12

Access: If you have any access needs of which we should be aware, please let us know.
Entry to The Canvas is step-free but the toilet is not accessible. If you need access to an accessible toilet, please let us know so we can arrange that.

Testimonials : I've really enjoyed practising yoga with Qayyah and I think she's a really good teacher. First and foremost, it's always a friendly experience, which I appreciate a lot, with a focus on yoga as a mental and emotional practice rather than a purely physical one. I think Qayyah is very aware of how practising yoga can "land" differently depending on how you're feeling more generally and this really helps in building confidence and trust. The practice we've been doing can be challenging, but it always feels like I can make changes to fit in with how I'm feeling on that day. In fact this is very much encouraged! Likewise, there is also the opportunity stretch myself (if that's the right word!) if I'm feeling strong or want the challenge. Qayyah's adjustments are also really helpful and she's always available afterwards to answer questions about or demonstrate aspects of the practice or positions that have felt difficult. Overall, of course I would reocmmend her! – NC; I’ve had two yoga sessions with Qayyah as a complete beginner and I had a wonderful experience. Her teaching style is calm, clear and engaging. From the get go, she created a safe space for me by guiding my thoughts, making me focus on my breath and disconnecting from the heaviness the physical body. Throughout the class, she was conscious of my skills, asking if it was ok to be assisted, making me feel at ease and in control, despite me being a beginner. I left the class feeling a great stretch in my muscles and also being more conscious of my own self and abilities. I look forward to my next class! – CR; My session with Qayyah was great for my form. She gave super clear instructions and concrete tips for how to get deeper into the poses. We started the session with some breathing exercises, which I'd never done before and helped the flow of my breath through the session (which was pretty intensive!) She was also really accommodating when there were poses I couldn't quite achieve, quickly offering modifications. By the end of the session I felt much better than at the start. 10/10! –IAH; Yoga with Ruqayyah helped me a lot to reconnect with my body after a stressful week! I came to the session feeling tired, thinking I’d have to take it really slow, but found myself easily falling into the breathing exercises and movement. I felt settled and rejuvenated afterwards! I think my favourite part was that Ruqayyah was hands-on with adjustments (with my consent of course!), which helped me to breathe deeply into each pose. – ND