Yoga Body
How can what we practise on our mat, prepare us for what may happen in our life?
Here’s one of my favourite poses, Parvrtta Janu Sirsasana (Twisting Head to Knee Pose), an easier version of which we are doing in our sequence this term. It’s a beautiful side stretch which, among other things, tones and nourishes the kidneys. The way we come into it in class means there is the option of […]
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Why do Human Bodies Need To Move?
Why do humans need to exercise? It’s a shame if the first thing to pop into your mind was “to burn calories” as it sort of misses the point. Most of us in the modern, Western World eat far too much and just don’t move enough, so if we just stopped eating so much, we’d […]
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Why is it Important to be Flexible?
A few years ago, I remember a friend saying, “Why do I need to be flexible anyway?”. There are many, many reasons. Firstly, flexibility and mobility enables us to maintain good health by encouraging blood flow and circulation – there is limited blood flow into tense, tight muscles.
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Why Yoga Teachers Should Adopt a “Best Practise” Model.
At the end of the 90s, I worked at Dorling Kindersley publishing and we were working on edits for the Australian market of the big, hard cover book by BKS Iyengar. I was asked for some input and added my yoga school at the back. The Australian Iyengees were very cross once the book came out because that school wasn’t specifically “Iyengar, so for future editions, it was changed. But was Iyengar that rigid? it’s probably fair to say that he just described his yoga as “yoga”.
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How to Relieve a Niggly Lower Back & Hips…
ack pain and/or hip stiffness or vice versa is the new normal and obviously there are many ingredients, not least the humble chair! If you feel stiff and niggly in your spine at the end of the day when you are in your 30s and have a desk job, imagine what this will feel like 30 years later….
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Thoughts & Opinions are just a Reflection of our Own PERSONAL Experiences….
What have you seen, read or heard already this morning that caused you to conclude something about something or someone without question?
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To Squeeze and Tense, or Not to Squeeze and Tense?
That is the question…🤔! I am talking about muscles of course, and this is my perspective, based on my own yoga practise, years of exercise, study and experience. I grew up in this modern world – a world where women (especially, but now it’s men too), have been informed they need to have a flat, […]
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How do YOU Execute “Down Dog”?
Regular (and non-regular!) yogis, how do you enjoy this pose – Adhomukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) – or not (as the case often seems to be!). If you love it, let me know, if not, tell me why!!
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Vinyasa- Krama = Intelligent Sequencing
Do your hamstrings feel tight and tense sometimes? For a reasonably flexible person, my hamstrings have always felt stiff, but how can this be resolved bearing in mind that “stretching” tight, short muscles is generally ineffective? Just the other day I read an article detailing the results of a recent experiment that demonstrated stretching made […]
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Nobody is “Doing” Yoga; as Practitioners, We are Seeking it…
We are often fond of saying that yoga isn’t about asana and has little to do with being on the mat, but if that’s true, then what exactly are we doing? Certainly it’s fair to say that for most of us, that’s what it is. Some people even fear it because we have all been […]
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