Her spiritual focus and attention to detail are something that one can’t usually find at gyms, however Equinox shines with her on staff. If you survey students who are members of Equinox, many will tell you, “It’s because of Allison English that I’m here.”
I got to ask Allison a few questions about yoga and her style of teaching.
Allison, if someone has never tried yoga, what advice do you offer?
If you have never tried yoga before, pick a beginner or intro to yoga class. Many yoga studios offer free community classes or series of classes designed specifically for beginners. It is much less intimidating and much more educational to start out where you are: a beginner. These classes are designed to give you the confidence and information to integrate into regular classes with ease.
Forrest Yoga is a form of Hatha, or physical yoga. Vinyasa yoga is also Hatha yoga, but nowadays the term Hatha has come to mean very static practices of physical yoga based around the poses. Vinyasa Yoga is often very fast-paced movements guided by breath and can be a more choreographed style of practicing yoga postures.
The abdominal work that Forrest Yoga integrates near the beginning of every practice helps to develop a strong centeredness and focus in every practitioner. It also brings blood flow through the core of the body (base of the pelvis to the top of the head) and warms up everything to prepare for wherever the sequence is going.
I am always a bit sad when students leave before or during savasana because it is the sweetest part of the practice. You do all this awareness building and mindfulness during the class, and savasana is the most important time because it lets you soak up all the benefits of what you worked at.