Scott Robinson
Scott Robinson is a finance professional, as well as a qualified mindfulness meditation and yoga teacher. He specialises in offering yoga and mindfulness services to finance professionals. Originally from Sydney, his background is in the financial sector; he currently helps to run the employee-led mindfulness and yoga classes at Deutsche Bank in the UK. He teaches privately, at Deutsche Bank and for Ten Health & Fitness, one of London’s leading health and fitness providers.
What’s the one thing OM readers need to know about you?
As much as I come from a ‘City background’, my mission is to bring more yoga to the financial industry – in a way that not only helps finance professionals experience stress reduction and perform better in their work, but also to introduce the philosophy of yoga into the culture, conduct and integrity of the industry. I’m also interested in ideas relating to sustainability and yoga and mindfulness.
What first inspired you to get into yoga?
I was about to start my first job at Deutsche Bank, and my partner at the time suggested I take up yoga in order to help manage the stress of working in the new role. She was totally right. Yoga totally ‘saved’ me during the first 12 months of what proved to be a very challenging period indeed.
How would you describe your teaching style?
I teach a range of styles, from vinyasa to yin. I also offer movements that work somatically inspired by the work of Tias Little at Prajna Yoga (i.e., SATYA). In terms of my vinyasa classes, my classes are generally strong and dynamic, yet deeply grounding and meditative. I like to emphasise both the physical body and precise alignment as well as the more subtle aspects of the energetic body. My yin practice blends functional anatomy and inspiration from traditional Chinese medicine infused with approaches to mindfulness that focus on stress-reduction.
What does yoga mean to you personally?
Yoga is a vehicle for change. Although this aspect is not well understood to most people in the west (since the west is largely concerned with practicing posture), yoga is an art, a science and a philosophy.
Within it, lies an almost complete system that one can base their life around – whether it be the way we relate to ourselves and others, to physical exercise, stress reduction to the ultimate gift of self-realisation. If everyone practiced yoga, I truly believe the world would be a more harmonious place and we would have a good chance of solving the world’s issues, especially when it comes to climate change.
I have to be honest that I had a pretty ‘good’ pandemic. I was fortunate to be able to transfer my teaching to online, both personally and at the bank. This proved to be rather successful, as I ran a number of yoga for beginners courses for fellow workers, who were all still working from home.
Any good life hacks for the rest of us?
Do one thing at a time and pay attention to that. This is the ‘secret’ to practicing mindfulness. You’ll find more meaning in everyday life and you’ll become more efficient (and you’ll remember where you put things around the house as you ‘touch into each moment’!).
Anything else we need to know about you?
I’m passionate about, dedicated and committed to my yoga practice. All are welcome to my classes, no matter whether or not you work in finance or your level of experience.
Favourite yoga book?
Your Body, Your Yoga, by Bernie Clark
Favourite quote?
Yoga is 99% practice, 1% theory (Pattabi Jois)
Go to health drink?
Warm almond milk infused with a tablespoon of spirulina.Â
If you had to take a yoga class, as a student, with any teacher ever from any time or place, who would it be and why?
BKS Iyengar. A lot of the teachers I admire have either been taught by him or base their philosophies to yoga on his teachings. He has offered so much to the yoga world – through his approach to yoga as well as his books (for example, Light on Life). I also understand his style of teaching was quite infamous! It would’ve been great to experience this first hand.
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Find out more about Scott Robinson at: yogibanker.com
@yogibanker
Om Magazine
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