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…
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…
Ahh, the ego. We all have one, and every so often (or, um, every hour or so) it likes to come out and play. And one of the places we can notice it the most? Our yoga practice. All too often we can find ourselves starting to compare ourselves to others, berate ourselves, and generally feel not quite good enough. Which I think you’ll agree is a pretty icky feeling. So here are three ways that you can start to…
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…
If you havenât heard of âsitting diseaseâ, 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…
Hot yoga is really popular at the moment and a lot of people are trying it out as a way to work up more sweat in their yoga practice and get some heat into their day. I teach hot yoga and I really enjoy the feeling of a total workout along with tension-release. I love the satisfaction I feel when I walk out of a hot yoga class – my muscles are physically more relaxed from the heat, but theyâve…
At the core of Flow yoga classes is vinyasa – which you’ve probably heard your yoga teacher mention more than a few times. If you’ve never had the phrase explained to you, it can be a little confusing! But no worries, we’re here to clear it up for you đ But what exactly does it mean to ‘take a vinyasa’? Very literally, vinyasa means: to place in a special way. In a vinyasa based flow class, that means linking movement…
The snow is back⊠and itâs a bank holiday Monday. Is there anything sweeter than a lazy day in when itâs snowing out? Add a sprinkle of yoga in there too and youâre 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. Youâll 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. Itâs not always such a picture perfect moment though… Â balancing postures can bring up frustration if weâre having an âoff dayâ 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….
