Name:  CARL FAURE
Hometown:  BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND
Current town:  LONDON, ENGLAND

Yoga practice style:  DYNAMIC VINYASA FLOW
Website:  stretchlondon.org
Instagram:  @carlfaure
Twitter:  @stretch_london @exhalefestival
Soundcloud:  soundcloud.com/warrior-one

What’s your story?  I started making records and DJing in the late 90’s and had an awful lot of fun all over the world. By the age of 25 I had overcooked thatc fun after years in clubland, and realised I needed to offset myself with something a little more nurturing. Yoga was a recovery for me. I became obsessed and it became a big part of my life. 

How would you describe yourself?  A wide-screen visionary; misunderstood genius; a bleeding-edge cultural technician turned oneness-facilitator.
 

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?  My worst job ever was when I first moved to London. I was down on hard times, so I had a short stint as a bicycle rickshaw driver in the freezing cold darkness of a London winter! Dealing drunk people, frequent blow-out punctures on Charing Cross road at 3am, and handling my own ego and pride made the whole thing quite an experience. It was the best experience that I never want to have again.
 

What is your favourite meal?  Delicious Creole food made by my Papa. It's made all the better by the fact that you can’t just pop down to the high street for Seychellois food.

You own your own yoga studio, what’s that like?  After a few years of teaching yoga across London I decided there was a need for a more dynamic, dogma-free, inclusive yoga community, so I started Stretch. 

We currently have two studios, a 200-hour teacher training program and yoga holidays all over the world. I also co-run Exhale, an exciting new yoga festival in England and Spain. Not bad for a kid from Birmingham!
 

What was the biggest challenge when you first started doing yoga?  Sitting cross-legged without at least seventeen foam blocks. 

What’s the biggest challenge or issue with being a guy who teaches and practices yoga?  When I first started teaching there weren’t so many male teachers. Hell, there weren’t so many teachers full stop! I think the main challenge is the preconception that yoga is primarily only for women. That really is the biggest issue. Props to Jim Tarran, my first teacher in Brighton. I’m now in my 8th year teaching and have just begun to train other people to teach the practice.
 

Is there a difference between men and women who practice yoga?  I guess our physical bodies can be very different. The centre of gravity is generally in the hips for women, and up in the shoulders for men – that’s quite a significant difference, especially in more dynamic styles of yoga where you move around a lot. Transitions and inversions can be easier for guys, but we tend to be stiffer, and have less mobility in the hips. I guess we usually arrive on the mat with less body awareness as well. Some say we tend to be stronger, but if you meet my teacher Vidya you might think otherwise!  All in all it balances out on the mat. 

Yoga is...  freedom from the mind, freedom from mortal fear, and freedom to tie your own shoelaces in old age.

What is your personal mantra?  Commit to the present moment with a compassionate and loving heart and everything will be just tidy. 

Interviewed: January 14th, 2015

Photos by @michaeljameswong and property of BOYS OF YOGA Ltd.

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