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…
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…
A lot of beginners and experienced yogis alike can find it uncomfortable and a little bit strange when they are invited by their teacher to chant âomâ at the beginning or end of a yoga class. For many people who go to yoga for the more physical benefits, it might be tempting to completely dismiss this aspect of yoga. But when you understand the meaning behind it, you might find a whole new depth in the practice of saying âomâ…
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…
Many people keep coming back to yoga is for the physical benefits – you can get a whole lot healthier, fitter and more flexible in yoga. But for many many more, the mental impact of yoga is the best (and sometimes unexpected) benefit of yoga. If you are working on feeling calmer and happier and want to know how yoga can support you, practice yoga with these things in mind. Yoga is a place to explore your breath. The breath…
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 âoffâ and donât know why. When this happens, you might notice a quiet little voice in your head saying âslow downâ which you promptly ignore because oh-look-my-phone-beeped-must-answer-now….
Mindfulness is a tricky thing. Itâs such a complex and yet simple subject. At the heart of it, it couldnât 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…
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. Itâs 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 youâve been doing yoga for more than 10 minutes of your life, more than likely youâve been told to ârelax back into downdog.â However, when I started…
There are so many people who start yoga with the intention of gaining flexibility. While this is a huge benefit from keeping a consistent yoga practice, it’s not the only thing thing that your body will gain from learning asanas and yoga sequences. Would you believe that, in terms of keeping a sustainable, healthy yoga practice, strength building is equally as important as gaining flexibility? There is a saying from a book written more than 1,700 years ago in regards…
