The snow is back… and it’s a bank holiday Monday. Is there anything sweeter than a lazy day in when it’s snowing out? Add a sprinkle of yoga in there too and you’re living the dream. So stay in your PJs, put the kettle on and get yourself a few pillows and a blanket, this is going to be yummy. You’ll need about 20 minutes for this. Turn your phone off and put on some relaxing music. Make the most…
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….
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…
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…
Downward facing dog is one of the most common yoga poses, and it would be pretty rare to have a class without it, for many reasons. It’s one of the best overall body stretches you can do, as well as strengthening key muscle groups, and helping to reduce stress and anxiety. So if you’ve been doing yoga for more than 10 minutes of your life, more than likely you’ve been told to ‘relax back into downdog.’ However, when I started…
Release expectation. One of the best things about yoga is that there are no goals. I know, this might sound like a crazy concept, but it’s true! There is actually no need to ever have a goal in your yoga practice. You can, if you find it beneficial, but the whole point of yoga is to be aware. Being aware can happen at any level, on any day, during any kind of practice. Being aware and being compassionate with yourself,…
On the last day of 2017, I read that 2018 is the year of spiritual awakening and transformation for many people. It’s an exciting time and we want to help you through it, so below we have listed some of the most common signs that deep transformation and spiritual awakening is happening in your life. Your Belief Systems Have Evolved This has happened for me, especially through practicing yoga and meditation daily. Yoga and meditation can be huge stepping stones…
During this time of the year, I often have students asking me how they can keep up a practice over the holidays. Some might find it hard to get the motivation, while others might not have the time. Whatever your plans are for the holidays, there are a few helpful things to remember when keeping up your yoga. You don’t have to prepare. Sometimes “planning” for your own yoga practice means setting a space, getting a mat, putting on the…
They might seem worlds apart, but I think that running and yoga have a really special connection. They both help us move our body in a healthy way, connect deeply to our breath, and find that elusive state of flow. And there are some ways that yoga can make your performance as a runner even better! Let’s check ‘em out. You breathe better As a species, humans have kind of…forgotten how to breathe. It’s sad but it’s true! Notice…
For many people, reading is an integral part of learning about anything we are interested in. I believe every yogi should read the following books to learn more about this practice that we all love. These books are for everyone and not just for those who are doing their yoga teacher training, just click on the pictures for a direct link to buy the books. Light on Yoga, by B.K.S. Iyengar In each chapter, Iyengar digs a little deeper into…
