Transition and change: What we can learn from yoga

Change is difficult for humans. We place ourselves in the past or the future instead of that tricky present moment of in-betweenness. Yoga has a lot to teach us here.

How to strengthen the vagus nerve for wellbeing and resilience

A few weeks ago I introduced you to the vagus nerve. 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 and upheavals.

What is the vagus nerve?

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!

Less is more: Slowing down for stress relief

A vigorous yoga practice has never been my thing. What I love is a strong but slow Hatha yoga class, with plenty of mindfulness, and lots of attention to micro-movements and alignment. So that is what I teach. Here are a few reasons why I love to slow my yoga practice down and why less can be more, especially when it comes to managing stress.

Stress: It’s not all in your mind

It’s National Stress Awareness Day on the first Wednesday in November. Now, I know we’re all very much aware of stress – but there is less awareness about what the wider impacts of stress can be, and what we can do to support ourselves and others to deal with stress in healthy ways.