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 Brathenās āFrom the Heart: Conversations With Yoga Girlā podcast. In the podcast, Rachel discusses how Yoga Teacher Training became a really emotional experience as they delved into each traineeās relationship to themselves and how yoga has impacted that relationship. Rachel discusses how each trainee was working with…
A student was talking to me after class recently and mentioned that her friend is really āgood at yogaā and that there are loads of people in class who are ābetter than herā. 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…
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 āoffā and donāt know why. When this happens, you might notice a quiet little voice in your head saying āslow downā which you promptly ignore because oh-look-my-phone-beeped-must-answer-now….
If youāre new to yoga and joining mixed level classes with more experienced yogis, itās normal to feel unsure of some of the postures when a teacher cues them to the class. Here’s a cheatsheet with 3 commonly used yoga cues and how I interpret them. Chaturanga In flow classes, youāll usually have a lot of āchaturangasā. This is when you flow down from a plank position to slowly lower your body to the mat on the exhale. Keep your…
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…
IkigaiĀ Ā No, itās not the contact details of that oddly-smelling dude from the bar last weekend who you assured youād text after one too many cocktails. (iki-guy, get it? ….). I recently stumbled upon this picture of a venn diagram centred around the word ‘ikigai’ in an article on elephantjournal.com,Ā and through a bit more research, was truly uplifted by what I read. āIkigaiā is a Japanese word which translates to āthe reason for beingā or a āreason to wake up…
My daily routine is vitally important. By following a consistent daily schedule I am in complete control of whether or not I have a good day. My routine is most important from Monday to Friday as I have to make the time to do the things I love before work. Here are a few things I have applied to my daily life in order to enhance my physical and mental health. 1. Get up early This takes work and commitment….
I am delighted to say that I am halfway through my 200 hour yoga teacher training program at YogaHub. The course began in September 2015 and runs for one weekend a month until June 2016. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience to date although at certain points it has been challenging. Here are a couple of valuable lessons that I have learnt during the training process. Learning and development begins outside your comfort zone On the first Friday evening of…
I’m sitting down to write this after a long day at the office. When IĀ add it up, I have spent overĀ 8 hours sitting on my ass today. With this in mind it is of no surprise that my glutes are well and truly de-activated forĀ a large portionĀ of the day. This is the case for the majority of the population that work in an office environment. Unfortunately these working conditions have caused a “DeadĀ Ass Syndrome” epidemic. “Dead arse” or “DeadĀ Ass Syndrome”…
