Practice Labs
One question.
Two hours.
Space to investigate.
Practice Labs are live online sessions on yoga, the body, philosophy and physiology, and the questions that come up when we put ideas into practice.
Each Lab begins with a question. We look at what we know, test it through practice, and pay attention to what we notice along the way and that includes the questions that are not so easy to resolve.
For yoga teachers and curious practitioners.
Live online · £29 per Lab · Replay available for 14 days
NEXT PRACTICE LAB
#01
What do we mean by regulation?
Thursday 12 November 2026
19:00 to 21:00 UK | live online
The language of nervous system regulation has found its way into almost every corner of contemporary yoga. What do we mean when we say we're regulated? And is feeling calm always the goal?
In this two-hour Lab we look at regulation through physiology, movement, stillness and our own experience. We consider activation, challenge and capacity, look at some of the language commonly used in yoga spaces, and ask how much we can know about another person's internal experience.
The practice is part of the investigation. We move, pause and notice between the discussion, and bring what we find back into the conversation.
WE’LL EXPLORERegulation and relaxation. Settling is one part of a healthy range of nervous system responses.
Challenge and capacity. Can something be difficult without being dysregulating?
Experience and interpretation. What can we notice in the body, and when do we start writing stories about what those sensations mean?
The language we use. What happens when we tell someone they're "activating their vagus nerve" or "releasing trauma"?
Choice. Alongside "how do I get out of this state?", what changes when we also ask "do I still have choice within it?"
WHAT WE’LL ACTUALLY DO …
Question.
We begin with what you already understand and believe.
Context.
I introduce some of the physiology and models that help us think more clearly.
Practice.
We explore the ideas through the body, with options and variations.
Pause.
Take time to rest and notice.
Inquiry.
We come back together to share what happened, and what we can and can't conclude from it.
Application.
For teachers, we look at what this might change in the language and choices we bring into the teaching room.
You might enjoy this Lab if
You teach yoga and want to understand nervous system language more carefully.
You're curious about your own experience in practice.
You've heard phrases like "vagus nerve stimulation" or "stored emotion" and wondered if there is evidence to support these claims.
Upcoming Practice Labs
NOVEMBER 2026What do we mean by regulation?
Regulation | capacity | challenge | choice
DECEMBER 2026The four-minute mark
Time | Yin | sensation | physiology
JANUARY 2027Alignment, anatomy and the individual body
Variation | alignment | movement | choice
Want to stay with a question for longer?
Practice Labs are short investigations. The longer trainings give us time to study, practise, question and return to an idea over weeks and months.
Questions
Do I need to be a yoga teacher? Practice Labs are open to yoga teachers and to practitioners who are curious about their own experience of practice.
What if I can't make it live? Every Lab is recorded, and the replay is available for 14 days.
Is this therapy? Practice Labs are yoga education and stay within the scope of yoga teaching.
What if I have a question before booking? Email me at info@gemmaryan.co.uk.
Stay in the inquiry
New Practice Labs, writing, research and occasional invitations to study together.