My name's Oliver.  Having graduated with a first class degree in Neuroscience with Psychology in 2011, I began practising Ashtanga yoga in 2014, Mysore style, under the watchful eye of my teacher Sarah Durney. I still carry the rigour and dedication of Ashtanga yoga to this day, but now follow a less dogmatic approach, blending it with alternative forms including classical Hatha sequencing. In 2017 I achieved my RYT 500+ hrs with Indea Yoga under the direct tutelage of Bharath Shetty with repeated visits to India across the next 7 years.

Currently I teach online and in real life around Aberdeen city and shire, Monday through to Sunday. My teaching style has a deep focus on conscious breathing and how it affects one physically and emotionally. I also enjoy explaining the many intersections between Western Science and Eastern philosophy, connecting back to my neuroscientfic roots.

Why Charcoal Yoga?

Charcoal Yoga is not a style of yoga. I chose this name as future-proof  in case one day I end up working alongside other teachers or owning a studio. For me, Charcoal Yoga also acts as a metaphor for the way I approach my yogic practice...

Art, medicine, industrial energy, horticulture… charcoal permeates every area of life as we know it. Take some vegetation, burn it with a low oxygen supply over an extended period of time, and there you have it: solid black charcoal, which itself burns cleanly, without much smoke. So it is with the body, finely tuned through asana. Fire yourself daily on the mat, control your breath, have patience in the process and you will yield the results.