We hear a lot about how we should have a morning yoga practice, and morning routines of people in the wellness space almost always include some downward dog time. And a morning yoga practice is wonderful, but for some of us, the snooze button is too tempting, and suddenly we have 10 minutes to get up, dressed and out the door – not too much time left for rolling out the yoga mat or making it to the studio. And that’s…
I love balancing postures in yoga. The effort of maintaining the pose makes it a great chance to practice mindfulness by focusing all attention on the present moment. It’s not always such a picture perfect moment though… balancing postures can bring up frustration if we’re having an ‘off day’ or working on building strength or recovering from an injury. So here are a few simple tips to help improve your balance if you’re finding it tricky. Increase your surface area….
You don’t know how it happened. One day, you were a totally normal human who for some reason decided to try a yoga class. Maybe you wanted to finally be able to touch your toes, maybe you wanted a nice butt, maybe you wanted a calmer mind, maybe you wanted complete spiritual enlightenment. Whatever your reason for finding our way to that first class, the obsession seed was planted, and before you know it… You find yourself standing in Tree…
With the recent snow storm, you might have found yourself cooped up indoors for a lot of last week, which can affect your mood and your body in lots of different ways. If you’re surfacing back into the world today and you’re back to your regular work-week, your muscles might be a little tight. Here are a few simple yoga poses you can do anywhere to get your body moving again and refresh your mood. Shoulder rolls – this is…
Just can’t wait for your after-work yoga class, or can’t make the time to squeeze in a lunchtime flow? We feel you. Here are 5 simple yoga poses that you can easily squeeze into your working day – without getting too much attention from your co-workers. Seated side bend Easy peasy – and no-one will even notice what you’re up to. When we’re hunching over our desks and computers – as we tend to do – the side body can suffer….
If you’re new to yoga and joining mixed level classes with more experienced yogis, it’s normal to feel unsure of some of the postures when a teacher cues them to the class. Here’s a cheatsheet with 3 commonly used yoga cues and how I interpret them. Chaturanga In flow classes, you’ll usually have a lot of ‘chaturangas’. This is when you flow down from a plank position to slowly lower your body to the mat on the exhale. Keep your…
“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves–slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.” Thich Nhat Hanh “The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.” Jon Kabat-Zinn “The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a…
Have you heard your yoga teacher mention Ujjayi breath in class, but you haven’t been sure exactly what they’re talking about? Never fear – we’re here to break it down for you 🙂 What it is Ujjayi breath – which translates as Victorious Breath – is a specific way of breathing that warms your entire body and helps you to connect more deeply with your physical yoga practice. How to do it To utilise Ujjayi breath, you need to create a…
We all hear the teacher tell us to inhale, and to exhale, and we follow along. We then get to a standing posture, or a challenging posture – and what do we do? We stop breathing. Whether it’s holding our breath or going back to shallow breathing, we lose the rhythm of the breath that we had at the start of class. So what’s all the fuss about? What differentiates yoga asana from most other forms of physical activity is…
It’s all about the love this time of the year. Whether it’s for your partner, pet, best friend, or just yourself, it always feels good to sink in to that lovin’ feeling. There’s an amazing meditation that is a great way to tap into that open heart space. It’s called Metta Bhavana, and it translates to “loving kindness”. There are a couple of stages, but the great thing is that you can do it anywhere! Stage 1 : For Yourself….
