In my toddler’s Sing and Sign classes we learnt a version of the “if you’re happy and you know it” song which addresses all the big emotions: if you’re angry and you know it stamp your feet; if you’re sad and you know it have a cry; if you’re tired and you know it go to sleep, and so on. I love it, because it’s a great way to teach children about emotions and also how to express them – a lesson we adults could do with reminding ourselves of. Continue reading
Tag: Top tips
Yoga tips for better sleep
Difficulty falling asleep? Frequent night waking? Racing thoughts at night? Waking too early? Ruminating on problems and worries in the middle of the night? Chances are you’ve experienced one or more of these at some point in your life, and it’s safe to say you’re not alone. Continue reading
5 Movements of the Spine
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
How to find calm when anxiety strikes
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
Self care: When what you want is not what you need
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
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 – we all experience it, to the extent that it’s almost considered normal. This makes people reluctant to speak up if they are struggling with stress. But there is less awareness about the wider impacts of stress, and what we can do to support ourselves and others to deal with stress in healthy ways. So here are my key pointers for how to spot stress and what to do about it. Continue reading
Add self-care rituals into your life in 5 simple steps
A ritual, according to Wikipedia, is ‘a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, or objects, performed in a sequestered place, and according to a set sequence’. This definition refers mainly to religious rituals, but I’ve noticed I use self-care rituals to help me feel happy and well. Continue reading
Turn up the heat without saluting the sun: 4 alternatives to sun salutations
Don’t get me wrong, I love sun salutations – the flow, the full-body stretch, the generation of heat and energy. They can make a great yoga practice by themselves as well as serving as a go-to sequence to wake the body up in preparation for a longer practice.
But sun salutations are not the only option. Continue reading
5 top tips for getting yourself on the mat
I have to confess that, for years, I struggled to get myself to do any yoga at home. I knew it would be good for me, and every now and then I would manage a flurry of practice for a few days, or a few weeks, then it would fizzle out. I suspect I’m not alone in this! Continue reading
