When I say I am a yoga teacher, a really common response is “Wow, you must be really flexible.” At a wedding recently a girl I had just met went so far as to scream “You do yoga, DO THE SPLITS ON THE DANCE FLOOR!” When I laughed that off she started chanting “Do the WORM, do the WORM!”. I can do neither so I didn’t… much to her disappointment and everyone else’s relief. The screaming girl at the wedding…
Straps are a great way to go a bit deeper into your yoga practice, and can help you access new elements of certain postures without having to strain and sacrifice your breath. As well as that, a yoga strap can help you refine your alignment and provide extra support. And pssst – you don’t have to buy a fancy yoga strap for a lot of these suggestions. A belt or a scarf can often work just as well! Check out…
There are times when everyone hits a bit of a yoga slump, when your schedule starts to fill up and making time for your yoga practice takes a back seat. The immediate things (texts, emails, work engagements) overpower the important things (health, happiness, peace of mind) and you start to feel a little ‘off’ and don’t know why. When this happens, you might notice a quiet little voice in your head saying ‘slow down’ which you promptly ignore because oh-look-my-phone-beeped-must-answer-now….
When I first started practicing yoga, I avoided blocks. I was determined to do everything by myself, even if that meant sacrificing integrity in a certain pose, or even risking injury (Oh hey ego how are you?). Now that I’m a few years in, I’ve gotten over that (thankfully!) and happily reach for blocks at multiple points in my yoga practice. Here are just a handful of ways to use blocks in yoga: To give support to tight hips For…
Our primary source of light is the sun. For thousands of years, Hindus have adored the sun, as both the physical and spiritual heart of our world and the creator of all life itself. One of the means of honouring the sun is through the asana sequence Surya Namaskar (better known as Sun Salutation). The Sanskrit word namaskarstems from namas, means “to bow to”, “to adore” or “to salute” and Surya is a Sanskrit word that means the Sun. There’s some disagreement over the origins…
Mindfulness is a tricky thing. It’s such a complex and yet simple subject. At the heart of it, it couldn’t be simpler – purposefully paying attention to the present moment. But we all have deeply ingrained thought patterns and in the busy world we live in, there are multiple demands on our minds at all times, so it can feel much more complex when we actively start a mindfulness practice. I really fell in love with yoga only after a…
As the work week goes on, it can be easy to go on autopilot and simply live by going through the motions. Sometimes all we need to snap out of that is a little yoga-inspired inspiration! So here are 5 of our favourite yoga quotes to beat the mid-week slump. We couldn’t agree more! See you on the mat 😉 So the next time crow pose seems too scary, that’s all the more reason to try. Ugh. Chair pose anyone???…
If you haven’t heard of ‘sitting disease’, it is a scientific term for the sedentary lifestyle a lot of us live nowadays. Long hours in front of computers, or jobs that require sitting for long periods can contribute to the hours you spend sitting down each day. I realised recently that I spend a lot of my time seated – sounds weird for a yoga teacher, right? But with a lot of admin / marketing work moving online, many of…
Get ready for a series of blog posts covering all of the different kinds of pranayama (basically – yogi breathing techniques) out there. Today we’re starting with Nadi Shodhana, also known as Alternate Nostril Breath. Sounds glamorous, no? Nadi Shodhana helps to calm the mind, keeping us focused on the present moment. Beyond that, it serves to cleanse the Nadis, which are the subtle energy channels of the body. When the Nadis are clear, we allow for a smooth, unobstructed flow…
I LOVE using props in my yoga practice. From using blocks to bring the ground up to you in a wide legged forward fold, to that bolster that feels so good under your legs in Savasana at the end of class, they have so much to offer. At a studio we’re spoiled for choice with blocks, bolsters, and blankets galore, but then our at home practice can start to feel like it’s missing something. If you don’t want to go…