Welcome

About Norman

Norman began regularly practising yoga in 1993 and his first meditation retreat was December 2000. In October 2001, he started teaching yoga. Particularly inspirational teachers include Judith Hanson Lasater, Paul Grilley, Richard Freeman and Sarah Powers. He believes that through regular yoga and meditation practices we can experience profound changes in our mind and body.

Norman teaches Yin yoga courses, workshops and retreats in London and around the UK. His Yin yoga training courses are highly respected and popular. He is one of the leading teachers of Yin yoga in the UK and has been teaching Yin yoga trainings since 2013. He has been mentoring yoga teachers for more than twelve years.

His first book – Brightening Our Inner Skies: yin and yoga – was published in 2016. In July 2025 he published a book of yin wisdom; his next book will be published in early 2026 – Everything We Do Matters: poems and prose about yoga and life.

Norman has been actively involved in social justice campaigns since the early 1980s. He believes that it is crucial that we connect inward work with outward work – personal transformation in the service of societal transformation. As practitioners, we know that we have the capacity for positive change. We can be catalysts for change: we can look up, raise our aspirations, be less reactive and more creative. 

In the words of Bernie Clark: “Norman Blair is a highly experienced Yin Yoga teacher whose decades of practice are reflected in both his teachings and his writings. His book on Yin Yoga, Brightening Our Inner Skies, is thoughtful, clear, and deeply grounded in lived experience rather than theory alone. Having known him for over 15 years, I can confidently recommend Norman as a teacher of integrity, depth, and genuine insight”

Book

Brightening Our Inner Skies: Yin and Yoga practically and provocatively explores yoga, self-transformation and social responsibility. 

Both a meditation on the role of yoga practice in the world, including Norman's personal journey, and a Yin yoga manual with over 140 photographs of poses as well as suggested sequences, this book takes the practice of yoga and understanding of self to profound levels through stories, images and well-researched debates.

Brightening Our Inner Skies can be purchased online or in fine bookshops in the UK and North America.

If you would like to buy 5 or more copies, please contact Norman direct.

“Highly recommended…Brightening Our Inner Skies has inspired me to remember the sweet heart at the centre of yoga practice, and the importance that the consistent practice of self-awareness has for each of us as individuals and for the world around us.” - Judith Hanson Lasater

Brightening Our Inner Skies book cover

Testimonials

  • “Incredible Yin teacher amongst other styles. You not only gave me the gift of Yin, but taught me how to truly show up and give yourself to other people - even when you are dealing with the deepest of pain. But also how to set boundaries for yourself at the same time. And how to be honest about how you are feeling and it is ok to be honest and not shy away!”

  • “What I love about your teaching is your depth of knowledge of yoga, and the way that you are able to weave stories and philosophical writings into your classes to give them a richness and meaning I have yet to find anywhere else. You somehow manage to tell these stories in a way that I feel enriched, not indoctrinated or 'talked at'. I am sure you will infuse your students with your passion for helping others on their paths, and your lightness and joy of being. I would be very happy to attend the class of anyone who named you as their teacher.”

  • “His teaching style is so unique... If I were asked to capture Norman’s class in three simple words it would be: repetition, reiteration and reassurance; elements which continually reoccurred throughout his whole class”

  • “Norman has many stories to tell, and his wise words are always a source of inspiration, laughter and guidance. He manages to bring some lightness and wisdom to classes, and his three-hour long Yin workshops are like a treat – from stories, words of awareness, gentle postures and fluffy blankets, an afternoon on the mat never felt that good! His approach is also quite unique: intertwining the physicality of Ashtanga yoga with softer ‘Yin’ postures, meditation insights and a sense of humour, his depth of knowledge transpires and makes each class special and enjoyable.”