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Welcome
Moving Prayer is the website of Jess Glenny, moving
body practitioner based in south-east London.
I offer astanga vinyasa, vinyasa flow and slow
yoga classes, courses and workshops; Phoenix Rising
yoga therapy sessions; and dance movement workshops
and events.
Moving body practices are ways of putting the
whole person into motion. Through moving the body
and witnessing what emerges, we give space for
subconscious material to surface into awareness.
This process fosters the growth of an evolving
body of wisdom, enabling us to live with increasing
fulness and meaning. This is a journey into the
deep spaces of ourselves, a practical tool for
living, a mystical path. Enjoy!
About
Jess
For
as long as I can remember, moving my body has
been an instinctive way for me to know myself
and discover what it means to be alive. My formal
involvement with movement techniques dates from
1981, when, at the age of 18, I did my first Iyengar
yoga class. At
about the same time I began to train in ballet
and contemporary dance techniques, and did class
daily for the next 18 years.
I
continued to do the odd yoga class, trying out
different styles. Then, in August 2001, I came
across astanga vinyasa and became a dedicated
practitioner, finding in this intensely physical,
moving form of yoga a deep sense of spirit immanent
in the body. The discipline of daily engagement
with my body has always been a backbone for me.
What happens on my mat now tends to be a response
to the in-the-moment needs of my body and may
not resemble asana (yoga postures) according to
any regular understanding; however, astanga vinyasa
remains a core practice. I’m currently exploring
the edges of third series.
I trained to teach astanga vinyasa initially in
2002 with Abby Daniel, and again in 2003 with
Tim
Miller. In 2003, I also qualified as a Phoenix
Rising yoga therapist, becoming one of a small
number of certified Phoenix Rising practitioners
in the UK. More recently, I have trained to teach
yin yoga with Paul
Grilley.
In the summer of 2001, I gave up performance dance
techniques and began to explore experientially
oriented dance. Over the years I have experimented
with forms including including trance dance, contact
improvisation, authentic movement and, in particular,
the 5Rhythms® dance practice of Gabrielle
Roth. My own approach to dance movement has grown
out of these experiences.
I took refuge with the Karma Kagyü lineage
of Tibetan Buddhism in 2005 and subsequently completed
the ngöndro (a traditional series of preparatory
practices). I don’t call myself a Buddhist,
but I do draw much of my understanding of the
world from Buddhist philosophy, and I often work
with Buddhist tools.
I
teach all sorts of people with all sorts of bodies,
but I specialise in working with people with hypermobility.
(My own relationship with movement practice has
been challenged and enriched by Ehlers Danlos
– hypermobility – syndrome.) I also
work extensively with professional dancers –
I taught yoga on the professional dance programme
at Greenwich
Dance for many years and am currently on the
Faculty of the Embodied
Dancer Yoga Teacher Training. I also teach
in the queer community.
For me, whatever arises in the body is an opportunity
for deepening and expansion. When we remove the
labels from our physical experience and tune into
our body on a subtle level, we begin to become
aware that our physical ‘limitations’,
our injuries and imbalances, are our greatest
opportunities for liberating our own potential.
Each and every one of our experiences comes to
us as the seed of a blessing, as the invitation
to wake up to wild new possibilities for being.
Moving body practices teach us how to receive
that blessing.
I feel privileged to be able to pass on the little
I have learnt of these wonderful transformative
practices and hope that you will be as blessed
by them as I continue to be.
Jess’s
practice blog is at http://movingprayer.wordpress.com.
Registration
and certification
• Registered Yoga Teacher (Yoga
Alliance)
• Yoga Register Teacher 1,000 (Independent
Yoga Network)
• Certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist
(Phoenix Rising
Yoga Therapy Center)
• Registered
Somatic Movement Educator and Therapist (International
Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association)
• Member (International
Association of Yoga Therapists)
What people say about practising with Jess
“One
of the big things for me is that Jess is so absolutely
authentic in her practice and it is an inspiration
to know that that integrity underpins all her
classes.”—Belinda
“The sense of the presence of spirit makes
Jess’s classes very special and different
from the normal yoga class. Jess creates a space
that feels sacred.”—Tinsel
“Jess is a fantastic teacher ... I am particularly
struck by and inspired by her calm, relaxed demeanour.
I pretty much relax as soon as she starts speaking
at the beginning of the lesson.”—Leah
“Jess is a very gifted teacher and creates
a space where one is entirely free from judgement
and the soft energy of acceptance is ever present.
She encourages deep listening in a very profound
way because she is so finely tuned in to the present
moment. A class can therefore be full of quiet,
gentle surprises and slow awakenings.”—Anne-Marie
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