As the weather changes and there’s a little less sunshine in our days, it’s 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…
I recently started running – and I absolutely love it. I already feel I can breathe more deeply after a run, and I’m full of lots of feel-good endorphins, helping me to stay motivated and strong. I know I’m 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…
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. What’s not to love about the sunshine? If you’re like me and you’ve been trying to…
Here at YogaHub we love the practice of yoga nidra, which is often called “yogic sleep.” Yoga nidra Is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping, like the “going-to-sleep” stage. It is a state in which the body is completely relaxed, and the practitioner becomes systematically and increasingly aware of the inner world by following a set of verbal instructions. If you are able to stay awake, it can bring clarity of mind and deep insight. Yoga nidra is among the…
I am often told by people who are new to yoga “I just don’t get the whole breathing thing, I don’t think I’m breathing correctly.” It’s really common to be getting into the practice of yoga, but feeling a little unsure or even frustrated if you feel you are not ‘getting’ one of the main aspects of yoga – the breath. Matching breath to movement is one of the key differentiators of yoga when compared to other forms of physical…
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…
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,…
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…
The heart chakra is the space of love. This is where you nurture, where you practice compassion, where you give and receive. While there are many physical ways to open the heart chakra in a yoga class, there are many other ways you can nurture and treat your heart off the mat. Practice heart-centred breathing. Be aware of the breath in your chest. Imagine that every breath you take is massaging the space around your heart. Take 5 full breaths…
Have you ever heard your yoga teacher mention Ayurveda and not fully understand what they were speaking about? Or maybe some of you may have heard about Ancient Chinese Medicine? Ancient Chinese Medicine is approximately 2,500 years old and included various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage and exercise. Well, Ayurveda greatly influenced Ancient Chinese Medicine. Ayurveda is an Ancient Indian medicine that has been used for thousands of years and is still greatly used today.Ayurveda dates back 5,000 years…
