If you happened to see one of the posters for the Brighton Yoga Festival 2017, then you’ll have seen Elizabeth Pumer. In this series of vibrant images, she’s striking a pose in and around the city of Brighton & Hove. And yet for Elizabeth, yoga is so much more than striking a pose. It’s so much more than work. It is a lifestyle that she has grown into and developed over the years. Now she’s keen to share what she’s learnt with all of us.
You’ve been a student and teacher of yoga for over ten years. Can you name a few of the teachers you’ve had the privilege of learning with and how they’ve each influenced you?
My journey started with Bikram Choudhury. Of course the severely intense training and dramatic moments made it an experience like no other. One thing Bikram pulls from you is an incredible strength, discipline and bullet proof attitude when you leave. He was probably the first teacher to ever make me look in the mirror and see who I am. And that’s one the beauties of the practice: 90 minutes deep moving meditation and acceptance of what you see in front of you.
I then worked with Jimmy Barkan, completing my 500 hours Vinyasa training. Jimmy’s approach and incredible connection with his students allowed me to develop a confidence I hadn’t experienced before. He has an awesome way of getting you to find your voice. And when you find that voice, rather than just repeating a dialogue, you truly become the teacher you are meant to be. He was the teacher for that beautiful moment.
Norman Blair took me through my Yin training. And this was the moment I allowed my spirit to really shine in my teaching. Norman took us into a deeper part of the yoga path and really allowed me to express who I am through this enlightening practice.
How do you find a balance in your teaching between beginner friendly and more advanced challenges?
When I walk into the class, I can pick up the energy of the class quickly. I think my personality and energy and incredible spirit and story allow beginners to feel safe in the space, but those who are more advanced feel like they will have a challenge. I always offer to all. And always explain this is their body, their journey and guide them all equally into the space that is right for them that practice.
How do you inspire your students to see yoga as so much more than merely a physical practice?
Since teaching Yin and evolving my movement in Vinyasa, I have personally shifted and grown my own journey. I simply allow my story to be heard in the most subtle ways through my teaching: to know the real reason they are there is to start moving inside and that the mat beneath them is the real reflection of their lives.
Why do you believe it’s important for a yoga teacher to connect with each student and how do you find the way to do this?
Most students are coming to you with absolute trust. They are about to embark on a moment in life where suddenly they will be faced with so much. Some haven’t even spent a moment to say hello to who they are. So if they can’t trust me…
It’s integral that the space is safe for them and I hold that.
I just be myself. The gift I have is to reflect the deep inner connection and love for who I am in each and every student. They find an attraction which at first they don’t understand and think is about me, until they start to realise actually I was just reflecting who they truly are. I am blessed that I don’t have to be anyone other than myself when I walk into the room. I have no costume. I am me. Vibrant, alive and open.
You’ve organised yoga retreats all over the world. What do yoga retreats offer that regular yoga sessions do not? How do you personally benefit from attending a yoga retreat?
A yoga retreat is an unforgettable moment in life. And life changing. You will always come together with the exact right group of people for you. If you have taken the time and money for yourself, that will be inevitable.
My closest friends and loved ones have come from retreats. They create a new community and tribe and together, trust and openness is shared. You will be surprised how much you open to strangers when you spend every day practising together, moving and breathing, eating good foods and being amongst Mother Nature.
It’s supportive and nurturing. If anyone is “searching” for something but unsure of what, a retreat will bring the answers. Just like the yoga mat does. You step on it… and suddenly answers come to you.
How does your passion for music spill over into your yoga teaching?
I think I have the musical soul from my father who was in a psychedelic band of the 60s. That free spirit in me has definitely come from him!! I have been complimented that my energy teaching holds a rhythm and so when I create my playlists, that emotion and sweet soul just comes alive. And then I take that into the room. Like a language, music is one of the most powerful connections within and with each other: 60 students in a room all connected by one track on the playlist is a moment of goosebumps!
What was it like to be the poster girl for the Brighton Yoga Festival this year and to teach at the festival itself? Why are local festivals like this one important for a community?
It came about in a real roundabout way. Law of attraction moment. I didn’t want it to be about me. I wanted people to see me and see my story and be inspired that they too can find yoga as a step into the life and health they want. That was what was most important. And it worked. To have people approach me and feel so open straight away, it was really fun and just felt like I have shown a part of me to a new community. The festival was amazing: so many new friendships and business opportunities were created. It really is about getting out there sharing and networking. Festivals are the way. The energy within them is just fantastic.
The summer is over and winter is coming. What do you do to prepare for the change in season – on a personal level and in your teaching? How are the next few months looking for you?
I have done a lot of personal work this year on myself and am feeling in a really good place: physically, mentally and for sure spiritually. I finally feel that goddess of a woman within me is surfacing. So this season for me is about unleashing her. I have a few trips in the new year to India and Spain to teach and am hosting again my second retreat in March. I never have to work. This is a lifestyle. So for me, the end of this year is about nourishing myself and this moment and living in it. I have also shifted friendships and relationships to create new communities and tribes that I will be embracing…enjoying the city and the crispness of the days and the colours of Autumn…teaching and keeping warm in the hot room for sure…and setting some damn fine intentions for 2018.
Elizabeth’s enthusiasm for life and for yoga is inspiring. Her confidence and energy shine through in all that she says. She’s discovered how to be truly herself and longs for all her students to discover this for themselves.
If you’d like to find out more about Elizabeth Pumer and her teaching, visit http://www.elizabethpumeryoga.com/.