Pam Toy

Pamela Toy, owner of The Studio. It had been my dream for many years to open a yoga, Pilates and wellness studio in the east of the island.

My yoga journey started over 20 years ago, doing yoga while living in Bermuda to help turn a posterior baby before birth (successfully) and to help me labour naturally without pain relief (thank goodness it was quick). It quickly evolved into a way of life, trying all sorts of different styles of yoga over the years, until 5 years ago when I tried my first Yin yoga class. I experienced a feeling of complete connection with my body, nourishing my physical and mental health. I was hooked: I had found “my thing”.

As someone who is always busy, being a full-time mum, wife and dog mum, as well as staying very active in the gym, cycling and running, Yin is a perfect complement to my yang lifestyle. It adds balance to my life and grounds me. My practice became my centre, allowing everything else to fall into place. Every time I step onto my mat it gives me strength and clarity, and keeps me humble with its challenges, much like life. I enjoy the feeling of rejuvenation and steadiness that comes from a Yin practice. It is a meditative form of yoga that cultivates awareness of one’s inner silence, a wonderful way to learn the basics of meditation and stilling the mind, and particularly helpful for anyone distracted by mind chatter.

I went on to complete my first 200 hour RYS Functional Yin training, not only to learn more about yoga but to help others feel the benefits I have.

I believe a well-rounded Yin class brings together breath (pranayama), movement (asana) and meditation (shavasana). I teach functionally, focusing on the uniqueness of everyone’s bones. My classes aim to bring self-awareness, an understanding of the postures and what they are doing to our body, and the intention to feel a particular way: to use the pose to get into the body and move in ways that nourish the mind, for every type of body regardless of age, sex, shape or flexibility. There is no perfect pose. Expect it to be intense at times. We need to feel stress, but in a safe and deeply delicious way: breathe, and learn something new about your body. Yin yoga can be transformative, easing and deeply releasing held tension in the physical body and unleashing stagnant, blocked energy.

My practice brings together ancient yoga teachings and meridian theory as taught in Chinese medicine, engaging the body’s natural healing power as you nourish and harmonise its life force, or chi: the subtle energy that supports organ health, immunity and emotional wellbeing.

I offer group classes, private Yin, assisted Yin one to one, Yin for sports, men only classes, and myofascial release and Yin (not for the faint-hearted) using trigger point balls and foam rollers.

• 200 hour RYS Functional Yin Yoga teacher training: anatomy, chakra studies, upper body anatomy and meridians. Delivered in Bergen, Netherlands, by the incredible Anat Geiger and Marcel van de Vis Heil of The Fat Yogis (senior assistants of Paul Grilley, founder and developer of Functional Yin Yoga as we know it today).
• 20 hour YACEP Yin Yoga, The Functional Approach teacher training with Paul Grilley.