Reuniting Body, Breath & Mind
A very good question was asked one recent frosty morning. “Can you overdo it in Yoga?” Yes, I think you can. Yogi R has practiced yoga for years. The same poses in the same way regardless of circumstance, neither faulting nor querying that practice. Yogi F has practiced on and off for years. Coming back […]
This week we begin our 10 week winter Yoga term. We start with Balance, which will require focus and concentration and engaging the core and the limbs, all that and breathing too! Initially we work on one pose, then another, then a sequence of five poses. A second pose will lead us into another short […]
Deconstruction is the new way to present food on a plate. Lately, I feel it describes our poses on the mat. Peel them back, body part by body part, what are we trying to achieve, what do you want from the pose, where to feel it, where to work more or less. Therefore we are […]
Age need not be a restriction to a yoga practice. Here’s what Maggie says, and at 87 she is well qualified to endorse this. “It is a privilege to be in your yoga class Jan. For me the exercises are enjoyable and necessary for my ongoing physical health. The yoga practice of concentrating on breathing, […]
Your Yoga practice doesn’t need a New Year Resolution. All it requires is your attention and intention. Continue to practice what you enjoy. Stay with the practice that allows you to glow from the inside, and shine from the outside. If you can feel the hot summer winds of change, and feel so inclined, then […]
You will be pleased to know that the Annual Test for your end of year Yoga progress report – is an open book test. You can refer to as many notes, books, and trusted websites as you please. You are testing yourself. Can you establish and maintain a home Yoga practice while your regular class […]
As you begin to understand your physical practice, you may notice subtle changes on other levels. Those moments when although you are quite aware of your surroundings you feel almost removed, detached, or withdrawn from them. You may find a sensation of ‘in the zone’ or quite literally that wonderful yogic sense of ‘being’. Where […]
A mat does not a yoga practice make. Liberate your practice, and work off the mat – perhaps it’s the yoga equivalent to being ‘off-line’. Without trying to stay within the edges of a mat you can allow yourself to slide between poses; (like swapping sides in pigeon) or roll from prone to supine. You […]
It has been a tradition to end our classes standing in a circle and holding hands with the left palm up right palm down, the gesture of giving and receiving. This is how classes ended when I attended weekly classes, and I chose to keep that tradition alive. Coming together again after lockdown, the gesture […]
Resistance and Resilience both hold a place within a Yoga practice. By using a prop when practicing a particular pose, resistance can help build strength and stamina. This will come from pushing, pulling or loading the pose. It is entirely different when there is resistance to change. Without change a yoga practice can become stagnant. […]