About Us
The Vishuddha philosophy and the team behind the Centre
The Vishuddha Centre is the physical realisation of a dream to create a home for authentic yoga practice in Oxford. The Centre ethos is to respect the lineages and values of traditional yoga styles, well-taught from a range of different schools. A centre enables the exploration, sharing, discussion, teaching, and practice of yoga by differently experienced teachers and practitioners.
Crucial to the operation of the centre is democratisation of power and control, so that the community the Centre aims to serve is at the core of how it is run. The Centre is non-profit making, so that teachers who have invested heavily in their own learning can be more adequately paid for their wisdom and experience. Oversight is by the board of trustees whose profiles are outlined below.
The building showcases innovative technological solutions to minimise consumption of fossil-fuel, and sits lightly in its environment, while providing quiet, warm, and welcoming spaces. In addition to a well-equipped studio, changing rooms and other amenities, the heart of the building is a social area, connecting to a peaceful garden, where aspirants and teachers can meet to share ideas and socialise. This space provides the physical means for connecting, and creating community.
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Netia Mayman
I’m proud and pleased to be a director and a trustee of The Vishuddha Centre. Its mission to take yoga’s benefits to those who might not otherwise access them excites me most. Asana (posture) practice, the form of yoga most known in the West, is just one aspect of my understanding of yoga. I try to give as much priority to Jnana Yoga (philosophy and learning) and Karma Yoga (selfless service). I know that the yogas of the head, the heart and the hand will all inform the development of the Vishuddha Yoga Centre.
I’ve been practicing yoga since 1988 when my mum suggested I use it to recover from ME/CFS. Yoga in its varied forms has sustained me through many of the key experiences of life including childbirth and cancer. The best years have been the ones when I was most consistent in my practice.
I had a long career in education and it became my dream to one day bring the benefits of yoga to the school curriculum. In 2015 I did my first yoga teacher training, and with another yoga teacher, Laura Sewell, set up Yoga in Schools. The company now thrives under the leadership of Charlotta Martinus.
I have had a range of leadership roles including as a lead Ofsted inspector; Headteacher of The Virtual School for Looked After Children, Oxfordshire; Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Oxfordshire Touring Theatre Company and of the charity providing activities for vulnerable young people, VIP+.
I still teach yoga and intend becoming regular learner at the Vishuddha Centre.
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Ruth Bottomley (director and teacher representative)
In my role as director and teacher representative, I represent the voice of the teaching community and ensure that the needs of the teachers are met and that teaching and safety standards are upheld.
I spent most of my working life, since 1994, in Southeast Asia, working in the humanitarian sector. It was in Cambodia that I began to immerse myself more deeply in yoga practice at Krama Yoga, a charity that provided yoga classes for disadvantaged children and youth, supported by donations and revenue raised through its yoga studio. I was lucky to study with many experienced yoga teachers who passed through Cambodia and contributed to the work of Krama Yoga, and from 2010-2011, I undertook my first teacher training with Hart Lazer of United Yoga Montreal. I taught at the studio and served on the board of the charity. I was privileged to be part of Krama Yoga and to work with the young Cambodian teachers who have since gone on to spread the power of yoga to others in their communities.In 2014 I returned to the UK and have been a student of Jacqueline Mangold since then. I also embarked on my Iyengar introductory teacher training with Sheila Haswell in High Wycombe and gained my certification in 2020. I have the honour to be involved in the Vishuddha Yoga Centre as the teacher representative and am excited to be working with this amazing yoga community that embraces the traditions of classical yoga and offers the benefits to all, something that is greatly needed in our frenetic and uncertain world.
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Jacqueline Mangold and James Pritchard (founders)
We have been teaching yoga for over 15 years and for the last four have immersed ourselves in making the Vishuddha Centre a reality. We are immensely grateful to have learned from so many wonderful yoga teachers in Oxford and around the world, bringing a greater richness to life for us. The Centre is a continuation of this journey and an opportunity to create an environment where good teachers can teach, and students can learn.
Jacqueline has made extensive study of Chinese Medicine as well as yoga and its sister sciences. She practices acupuncture and shiatsu from our home in central Oxford.
James trained as an engineer, collecting a PhD in carbon brakes along the way. Most of his career has been as a coach to senior leaders, primarily in the public sector and health.
