Profile

Biography

His name translates to mean "Rare Transformation" and was given to Kisen by his Zen teacher. Kisen is a Liverpudlian, who at the age of thirty turned to yoga in order to meet the women in the class. Now in his early forties, he's a Zen Buddhist who weighs four stone less and who wraps his legs around his head on a regular basis.

He has studied with the most pre-eminent yoga teachers of our times. For three months he studied astanga yoga at the Jagan Mohan Palace in Mysore, India, going on to teach in India. In 1994 he co-founded the Life Centre with Godfrey Devereaux.

Geri Halliwell turned to Kisen to improve her health, physique and tone every inch of her body and he helped discover a svelte figure, vitality, strength and an inner calm. The results caused a sensation when pictures of the new Geri appeared in newspapers around the world. But she is not the first celebrity to benefit from Kisen's remarkable teachings - Lulu, Sam Taylor-Wood and Neil Tennant have all got into fantastic shape thanks to his efforts.

He is warm, charming and has an infectious sense of humour which keep his students coming back for more. What makes him such a great teacher is that his students can identify with him - he's not an ascetic who lives in the mountains, but a Scouser who lives in Blackheath half the time, and the other half of the time in Spain where he is currently establishing a residential practice centre. He makes yoga accessible, absorbing and entertaining - but above all he makes it pertinent to modern life. He knows that people want to look good as well as have mental harmony.

Kisen's first book Yoga Pure and Simple was published by Ebury, and his video Yoga for Weight Loss was released December 2001 to co-incide with publication of the book. He has also made a therapeutic relaxation CD, 1000 of which have been distributed to hospitals, hospices and pain management centres throughout the UK.