Diane’s relationship with Vanda Scaravelli was as her first long-term student, working with her intensely for 22 years in Italy. Inspired by the movement in Vanda’s body, Diane deepened her study, encouraged and challenged to carry it on by Vanda, with her words echoing always in her ears. As Diane says, "It was learning to observe her that gave the words richer meaning and that changed my way of seeing".

An American who has lived most of her life in Italy, Diane has since the age of 30 been an itinerant Yoga teacher, whose longest-term serious student is Sophy Hoare, with whom she now tries to teach with ever year.

Sophy returns to Lendick for her fifth year, supporting the path of dedicated teachers and students alike.. Sophy explains, ‘Both Diane and I teach directly from our own practice, body-to-body as it were, so what and how we teach at any moment depends largely on what we see in our students' practice. This means that we do not have a pre-arranged programme of asana sequences. The emphasis is not on achieving poses but on understanding a specific way of working that applies to all postures. The way in which the attention has to be trained and focused is intense and a form of meditation in itself; we do not teach meditation as a separate exercise. During the week we will help students to deepen their practice through a wide range of postures linked with pranayama, using 'hands-on' assistance and demonstration as well as words, and we encourage dialogue and feedback from the group.

This course is aimed primarily at people who already have an established daily practice or are trying to establish their own practice.

“Students also learn by watching others being helped. We appeal to the students' imagination to help them find a way of moving and a bodily intelligence that is beyond rational analysis. Students will come away from the course with a new and deeper awareness of their bodies and a clearer mental key to developing their own practice”. 

Though Diane and Sophy are engaged in the same process in their practice, their style of teaching is very different. Many students have reported that it is extremely helpful to see the same process being expressed in different ways. The group size will be limited to eighteen people to ensure an intimate setting to refine and blossom your practise. During this week it is imperative to structure time off the mats to allow full integration of this form of teaching. Optional Qigong classes will also be available to support the movement of energy on this week. Some of the evenings will include meetings on yoga and others are personal time. On one of the evenings you will be left spellbound following the experience of Claire Hewett, Celtic Harpist and story teller.

A week to deepen your love of yoga within the magical setting of Lendrick Lodge.

Course £400 (Reduced to £345 if £225 deposit paid before 31st January).  Accommodation and meals £250. Deposits are non- refundable or returnable.