Icons: Tom's out of hours

Out of Hours Yoga with Tom

Because practicing yoga was my way of dealing with the stresses and strains of kitchen life, I have always felt a powerful urge to share it with others in the hosptality industry. So I was thrilled to be launch Out Of Hours Yoga in 2020. 

Out of Hours Yoga is a community class created to raise funds and awareness for the Pilot Light Campaign. Please contact me if you would like more information. 

This campaign was set up in 2017 by chefs Andrew Clarke and Doug Sanham to open up the conversation on mental health within the hospitality industry. 

I am offering this service in the hope that it will help make yoga accessible and affordable to people working in hospitality (and similar fields). 

London has a vibrant and diverse food culture, represented by an ever increasing amount of places to eat and drink. Bars and restaurants can be rewarding and exciting places to work but they can also be highly stressful environments. The effects can be felt both physically and mentally. An industry which was always characterised by long and irregular hours plus poor wages has become increasingly understaffed, partly because of this boom. Uncertainty over Brexit and lack of job security in the wake of the Covid 19 crisis have intesified the situation. Constantly changing shift patterns for restaurant workers can make it difficult for them to attend regular classes. And class prices can be prohibitive for those on low wages. 

For that reason we will deliberately schedule the classes at times which fall between shifts.  Mid afternoons and early weekdays are often quiet times at Yoga studios. Classes will  will cost a donation of £5 to attend (for those who can afford it) and all proceeds will go directly to Pilot Light. After taking things online during the covid lockdowns I am pleased to be re – launching the class at Oru Space in East Dulwich on Thurssday 17th March 2022

Perhaps you know someone who would like to attend. 

The classes will be suitable for complete  beginners but also those with some experience of yoga. All ages, levels of fitness and body types will be catered for (no pun intended!). 

And of course you do not need to work In a restaurant to attend. If you know someone who is standing on their  feet for hours at a time, be it in a shop, a school, a hospital, home  or a building site…wherever…please get them to join us. If you think you would benefit from this workshop as well please come along. 

If there is enough demand for it, the plan is to put a community class on the schedules of participating studios  which people can attend weekly.The class will aim to give people the skills to self practice when they need to and will possiby guide them towards  Mysore groups which can be very supportive spaces. If you are involved with aYoga Studio and would like to host this class please contact me.

 If you know cooks or other people in similar jobs please give them all this info and / or put them in touch with me. 

Ignite the conversation and burn the stigma! Visit the Pilot Light Campaign Website

Here is a blog post on the subject that I wrote for Tri Yoga 

keep up to date with  Out Of Hours Yoga on Instagram