As the weather changes and thereâs a little less sunshine in our days, itâs natural for our energy to change in response to our environment. For many of us, that means having a little less energy as the brain is less stimulated which can change our mood and thought patterns. Kapalabhati is a breathing technique to help kick your slump by energising and invigorating the breath and the entire body with it. It is a series of rapid exhales with…
Over the past few years Acroyoga has become more and more popular, but if you havenât tried it you might not know what to expect from an Acroyoga class or workshop. When I was talking to my Dad about it at the weekend, for example, he asked âIs that the one you do in the water?â No, Dad, but that sounds pretty awesome too. What is Acroyoga? Acroyoga is a blend of acrobatics and yoga, usually paired with massage or…
There are many yoga classes that fall into the general category of âyoga flowâ but what resonates with each student is very personal and depends on what you want from your yoga practice in this particular time of your life. One of the main factors in starting yoga, is choosing what type to try. A very common title of class style in studios is ‘yoga flow’. How it is taught often depends on the teacher and studio. One of the…
Last week was a really difficult one for me – and when I have a bad week, I look for inspiration. I found it in a really honest and raw episode of Rachel Brathenâs âFrom the Heart: Conversations With Yoga Girlâ podcast. In the podcast, Rachel discusses how Yoga Teacher Training became a really emotional experience as they delved into each traineeâs relationship to themselves and how yoga has impacted that relationship. Rachel discusses how each trainee was working with…
A lot of teachers use the expression âroot to riseâ in their classes but what does it mean? When I was new to yoga, I was pretty dismissive of this. It sounded a little flowery to me. Then one day during a slower class, I found myself feeling much more grounded and firmer in my foundation than ever before, and I finally understood the expression. Ever since then, this simple expression guides how I practice and teach, because it adds…
I recently started running – and I absolutely love it. I already feel I can breathe more deeply after a run, and Iâm full of lots of feel-good endorphins, helping me to stay motivated and strong. I know Iâm a little late to the party – lots of yogis are runners and lots of runners are yogis. For good reason – there are many ways these two practices can be complementary. Here are my four highlights so far. Muscular endurance…
I got on the bus on Friday evening for what would be a 45 minute journey – and my phone battery was nearly out. I got this minor sense of panic – what would I do with 45 minutes without podcasts, WhatsApp, email and all the other entertainments I could fill the time with? Was there a charging port on the bus? Why didnât I charge it earlier? What would I do for the time? My brain was lit up…
The sunshine over the last few weeks has been amazing and has left many of us with proud tan lines and rosy faces. The sunshine can help us to boost our vitamin D levels, change our sleep patterns, and enhance our immune system as well as our mood. Not to mention all the summer events popping up everywhere to keep us out and active. Whatâs not to love about the sunshine? If youâre like me and youâve been trying to…
A student was talking to me after class recently and mentioned that her friend is really âgood at yogaâ and that there are loads of people in class who are âbetter than herâ. It strikes me that there is a tendency for all of us to focus on the aesthetic of the postures without really examining our thought patterns and judgements while we move through postures. That is to say, we automatically jump to how things look, and put the…
Tree pose is one of those yoga poses we see really often in advertising and the media, it is the archetypal âyoga poseâ known by most people, whether or not they practice which means we can overlook it and all its subtleties when we delve into this posture on the mat. Itâs a wonderfully grounding and balancing pose, helping us to learn how to find a peaceful focus in the present moment as we balance on one foot. But it…
