I’m Sophie Harris, a 500 hr registered Yoga Alliance teacher and Reiki practitioner, and a writer, whose key objective is support others in feeling good about life. My focus is on careful instruction and compassion, and I teach yoga for beginners through to advanced practitioners. Having lived and practiced in New York for seven years, I am now based in my home city, London, where I offer private yoga classes and Reiki treatments.

I am committed to helping others through the practice of yoga, having seen the difference it can make in people’s lives – both on and off the mat. A good yoga class will of course help you get physically fit, strong and flexible. But it can also help you feel more open, calm and confident; learning how to really look after yourself can bring so much joy. My teaching style combines Iyengar Yoga-inspired alignment principles with mindful Vinyasa flow, meditation and pranayama breathing techniques.

My approach is called Blossoming Yoga because I've been lucky enough to see the transformative effects of the practice on my students over the years I've been teaching. Practicing with care and kindness, we’re more able to grow and thrive – just like a lotus, emerging from the mud and blossoming open.

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My background and special skills

I have studied yoga, meditation, Ayurveda and approaches to Traditional Chinese Medicine under the inspiring tuition of Leigh Evans and Summer Quashie as part of Greenhouse YTT in Brooklyn, NYC, and the year-long Yoga Sukhavati advanced training in New Jersey. I have also practiced Sivananda Yoga at Amrutham Gamaya in Kerala, India, and have taught on the acclaimed UK health and spirituality forum Conscious 2.

I received my Reiki 1 & 2 attunements from Maha Rose founder Lisa Levine, and learned advanced Reiki healing techniques with Padma Gonzalez.

I love to work with essential oils, and I have studied Aroma Accupoint therapy and the Five Elements system with Master Healers teacher Tiffany Carole on her Elements Embodied retreat in Sri Lanka, and at workshops in London, including work on pelvic health.

Music is a key part of my practice. I sing and play guitar and harmonium, and love to lead Kirtan (chanting groups). I offer ceremonial music for weddings and celebrations in New York with the Brooklyn-based yoga teacher Seth Lieberman.

A journalist with over a decade’s experience writing for international magazines and broadsheets, I created the Time Out New York guide to Yoga in NYC, which rounds up the city’s best Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Kundalini yoga studios.

I am inspired by the loving teachings of the humanitarian teacher Amma, Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and Ayurvedic author Maya Tiwari.