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…
I recently started running – and I absolutely love it. I already feel I can breathe more deeply after a run, and Iâm full of lots of feel-good endorphins, helping me to stay motivated and strong. I know Iâm 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. Whatâs not to love about the sunshine? If youâre like me and youâve been trying to…
Savasana (pronounced shih – vah- sah – nah) is the final posture in each yoga class where all students are guided to lie down on their backs with their hands by their sides – hands and feet about as wide as the mat. Savasana translates to mean âcorpse poseâ not only because it emulates a corpse on the floor. In the karmic tradition where death is seen as an important part of life, savasana is part of the acceptance of…
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…
When I say I am a yoga teacher, a really common response is âWow, you must be really flexible.â At a wedding recently a girl I had just met went so far as to scream âYou do yoga, DO THE SPLITS ON THE DANCE FLOOR!â When I laughed that off she started chanting âDo the WORM, do the WORM!â. I can do neither so I didnât⊠much to her disappointment and everyone elseâs relief. The screaming girl at the wedding…
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…
‘I’m not flexible enough to do yoga’ is something I hear all the time (mostly from my dad), and honestly? That’s like saying ‘I’m too sick to go to the doctor’! It doesn’t matter how flexible you are when you step on to your yoga mat. What matters is that yoga can help you to build flexibility over time – especially in our pesky hamstrings. Maybe you’re a runner, maybe you have a job that requires a lot of sitting,…
