Start a home yoga practice and prevent back pain by moving your spine in all directions.
Students often ask me for tips about how to start practising yoga at home. There are all sorts of ways to approach a home practice but one thing I suggest is to think about moving your spine in five different directions. This is also a great way to prevent and alleviate back pain. So what are these five movements and why are they important? Continue reading
We’ve all experienced that familiar feeling of anxiety rising up, although what tends to trigger it will differ for each of us. Yoga, meditation, and mindfulness give us valuable tools to overcome anxiety, by overriding the accompanying stress-related “fight or flight” response.
Here are my favourite strategies to cope with anxiety. Continue reading
Over the last three years, on New Year’s Day, I have chosen a theme or a ‘sankalpa’ (an intention formed by the heart and mind) for the coming year. In 2017, my theme was ‘clarity’.
I have come to love this tradition and find it so much more valuable than making resolutions. For anyone who is new to this, the idea is to pick a word or theme that you would like to shape your year – something you feel drawn to, or something you want to be more conscious of. It feels very different from making resolutions which, so often, are restrictions or unrealistic demands we place on ourselves, driven by the sense of not being good enough as we are. Continue reading
I’ve always been drawn to alignment-focused yoga, where there is enough time in a pose to focus on how micro-adjustments affect your body, energy and breath. For those of you less familiar with all the different forms of yoga, this style can be contrasted with fast-flowing practices where you’re constantly moving from one pose to the next.
Here are my top four reasons why I love practicing alignment-focused yoga and why I teach this way. Continue reading
I recently taught a gratitude meditation to one of my private clients and thought I would share it here. Give it a try anytime, but especially if negative thoughts or anxiety are taking over. Continue reading
For various reasons, including this hot summer weather, my physical yoga (asana) practice has taken a back seat over the last few weeks and months. I’ve taken the opportunity to spend some more time working with my breath, revisiting familiar pranayama practices and exploring new ones. It’s been a wonderful reminder of the power of breathing for shifting energy, changing thought patterns, and finding balance and calm. Continue reading
You’re feeling tired but wired, and all you can think about is sleeping, mindlessly watching TV, scrolling through your social media feeds, or stocking up on chocolate, caffeine, or a nice glass or two of wine. Sound familiar? It does to me. Continue reading
I’ve never been a fan of prescriptive diets, but now that we’ve turned the corner into spring, my body is starting to crave fresh raw foods and tasty salads, so I’ve decided to go on a spring detox of sorts. I’m listening to my body to inform my eating choices, cutting out caffeine and alcohol, and throwing in a few cleansing rituals into my routine.
One of the Niyamas in yoga philosophy is ‘Sauca’, or purity/cleanliness. And spring feels like a natural time to bring in these practices. I invite you to listen in to what your body is telling you this season. And here are a few ideas for things to try.
A few weeks ago I introduced you to the vagus nerve, that fascinating wandering nerve responsible for our calming ‘rest and digest’ and ‘tend and befriend’ responses as well as being a communication channel between body and mind. Read on to find out about the signs of a weak or strong vagus nerve and how make this nerve as healthy as possible to keep us happy and resilient in the face of life’s stresses. Continue reading
And what’s it got to do with yoga?
Yoga makes us feel good. And scientific
research is just beginning to discover why. Over the next few posts I’ll introduce you to the vagus nerve, which is a key player in balancing the calming and activating sides of our nervous system. Read on to find out how this single nerve can help us with health, emotional wellbeing, happiness, memory, digestion, and social relationships. It’s fascinating, even if you’re not a science geek like me! Continue reading
