Frequently asked questions
What's so special about yoga for men?
Whilst we do offer mixed classes, at BSY many of our classes are men only.
Yoga is absolutely for everybody, regardless of age, sex, gender, or ability, but there's no denying that, in the West at least, yoga has a certain image of being mostly for flexible women.
Yoga was traditionally practiced by men and only became female-dominant relatively recently. BSY aims to re-ignite yoga from a masculine perspective, creating a safe space for men to explore their relationships with themselves, their bodies, and their minds. There are a number of excellent classes for men in London, but we believe we are the first London studio to focus specifically on under-represented groups such as this.
On a practical level, men's bodies are built differently than women's bodies. This is a massive generalisation of course, but they are generally stronger, but considerably less flexible. Lifestyles can also be very different. Men's minds also work differently. As a consequence many men tend to be put off by yoga classes led by women and in which the students are predominantly female.
At BSY you'll be welcomed into a safe environment regardless of your gender (birth or chosen) with classes catering for all.
I just saw that some of your classes are naked! What's that about?!
Yoga was traditionally practiced naked: it's the ultimate expression of authenticity, and truly embodies the philosophy of being at one with the universe and rejecting materialism.
Yoga is about deepening our understanding of ourselves, the world around us, and our place in that world. Without the physical shield of clothes it's much easier to connect with that sense of self as we can more easily put aside the mental shield we all have in our daily lives. We're all on the same level, so no judgement can be made about who we are by the outward signs we choose to cover ourselves with. Meditating and practising yoga whilst naked as a member of a group of other naked men is a life-affirming and deeply liberating experience.
There is no Tantra, or sexual or sensual element, in our classes. There is sometimes partner work in naked classes, but it's always 'opt in' rather than 'opt out', so you can freely choose to partake in any parts of the class you feel comfortable with.
How do I pay for classes and how much are they?
We've kept our payment structure really simple.
We use a booking system called GymCatch, which is clear and straightforward to use and requires very little setting up. There is an app for your phone and a web page.
You can see how to set it up on your phone
here, and on your computer
here.
Once you're set up it's very simple to use. Click the link on the "Classes" page to go to GymCatch.
Note: if you are an existing customer of Matthew Gough Yoga you do NOT need to set up another account.
All classes are £15 for a single class. You can buy a bundle of five classes for £70, or ten classes for £130, offering a bulk buy discount.
You can ONLY book via GymCatch, there is NO cash or credit card drop-in payment.
Where are you? How do I find the studio?
Our address is: First Floor, 20 Brewer Street, London, W1F 0SJ.
We are directly above our lovely neighbours Cutter and Squidge, an excellent cake shop.
The entrance to the studio is on Greens Court, an alleyway that runs between Brewer Street and Peter Street.
Head down the alleyway past Cutter and Squidge to the big brown door on your left and buzz to come up.
What's your environmental policy?
At BSY we have a pretty straightforward and clear environmental policy - consume as little as possible and create as minimal an impact on the environment as possible:
We don't sell bottled water in plastic bottles and encourage students to use metal or recyclable water bottles which can be filled at the studio.
We use recycled loo roll and have a traditional towel for hand washing.
Whilst we do have aircon climate control we also have a high volume extremely efficient heat exchange air extraction system that uses significantly less energy and makes the room comfortable.
Our lighting is A++ LED.
Our refurbishment was done by an ecological building firm that specialises in environmentally friendly building projects.
I love the props in the studio! Where can I get them?
Our bricks and straps are provided by a small independent company called Ekotex.
They have a strong ethical and environmental policy (like us!) and know all the details of the supply chain for each of their products.
You can find their website
here. They have very kindly offered students at BSY a generous
10% discount using the code BREWER10. The link should automatically apply the discount, but if it doesn't please ensure you enter BREWER10 when you get to the checkout.
Any questions about their products, do please drop Abbie an email using their contact page.
What is the Virtual Studio and how do I join an on-line class?
The Virtual Studio is everywhere and nowhere. It's in our hearts and our minds, and connects us all wherever we are on the planet. It's the shared space that we use to meet up and to practice yoga together as we 'self-isolate'. We're in our own homes, but we're also coming together to see friends and share an experience. 
We use www.zoom.us to hold our on-line classes. All you need is an internet connection (and device) and room to put down your mat. It's a video conferencing system rather than just a web-cam to watch, which means you can see and interact with the other students in the class as well as teacher. It's almost like being in the room with them!
You book a class in the normal way via Gymcatch, and in your Gymcatch notification email you'll find a link to join the class. Click the link, follow the simple instructions (you can download a small piece of software or simply use a web browser), and that's it! You'll be with us in the Virtual Studio.
If you have any technical questions or want to do a trial run before the actual class, do please get in touch and we'll be happy to help you.
