Iir Prihatinawati

My name is Iir Prihatinawati, I am a teacher registered with Yoga Alliance UK. I come from the Indonesian island of Borneo. I moved to Cambridge in summer 2015, and have been teaching in Cambridge ever since.

My yoga journey began early in life to help with asthma, gradually evolving into regular asana practice. I have been practicing yoga for more than half of my life and indeed yoga has become a way of life, however I had never planned to be a yoga teacher. During my home practices in Indonesia, friends started coming over to join me – and this grew into my earlier taught classes. Before I knew it, I was teaching yoga long before obtaining my first teaching qualification.

In 2015 just before moving to Cambridge I graduated from Frog Lotus Yoga (FLY) International specialising in teaching Vinyasa. I chose Vinyasa after having explored many other styles of yoga. My personal practice is strongly influenced by Vinyasa, Forrest and Ashtanga, although sometimes I switch into Iyengar, Yin, Hot Yoga and Jivamukti. I completed Forrest Yoga Advanced Teacher Training with Ana Forrest in August 2016, which I found deeply empowering.

Prior to becoming a yoga teacher, I taught languages for 12 years, so teaching is something I am very familiar with. With my Masters Degree in Psychological Education, I bring my understanding of progression into my classes. I break poses into smaller components and sequence mindfully and intelligently to reach a peak pose, with strong emphasis on the breath-movement connection, integrity and mindfulness.

My classes are generally characterised by three key elements.

1. Connection between breath and movement. Focusing on your breathing encourages you to focus on your own body rather than those around you, making you more aware of its strengths but also its limitations.
2. Asana integrity and hands-on assists. By moving around the class as I teach, I help you become more aware of your muscular activity, keeping your body correctly aligned in each pose and engage the relevant muscles, which allows you to get deeper into the pose.
3. Mindfulness. As you focus within, maintaining your muscular integrity, you are encouraged to understand yoga as a personal journey of physical and mental fulfilment and improvement. Everyone follows their own journey in life and in yoga, but all living bodies are a wonder. Appreciate yours not what it can’t do, but for what it can.