Practice, Practice and all is coming

Categories: birth preparation yoga · Blog · Pregnancy · YogaTags: · · · · · · · Leave a comment

On this wonderful Bank Holiday weekend, a gentle reminder to keep up your yoga practice. One of my favourite quotes on the infamous question “What is Yoga?”   There are usually many experiential replies. Yoga is certainly a journey, that begins with a step and understanding develops with life and practice. Whilst yoga can be found in a posture, it’s not defined by ‘a yoga posture’ (my view). I feel blessed to share my love of yoga as a Yogi and a Yoga Instructor and strive to empower and encourage experienced students towards regular self-practice, with gentle asana and pranayama…

Birthing without Judgment

Categories: Blog · Postnatal yoga · Pregnancy · YogaTags: · · · · · · · · · Leave a comment

I really enjoy sharing Pregnancy Yoga with expecting Mums-to-Be. I encourage women to start classes early in their Pregnancy and continue throughout their Pregnancy, so that the practice becomes natural to them and they make it their own. Overtime, it has become apparent by some of the questions asked and the way in which comments are often made about birth – that women can hold much judgment about birth and anxiety about the ‘proper way’ to do it. Set yourself an Intention if you so wish. Try to let go of judgment of yourself and others. Let go of expectation….

Letting Go

Categories: Blog · Yoga · Yoga PhilosophyTags: · · · · · · · Leave a comment

In my earlier days when practicing a yoga posture, I began to notice that I held my breath, particularly if I was doing something that I found mentally or physically challenging. Your yoga practice can reveal much to you about yourself and how you respond or react to every day things in life. I recall asking my yoga teacher at the time about that and she kindly shared, that if I focused on the exhale, the inhale would naturally follow. It took time for me to understand what a powerful metaphor, this reality is. Recently I was thinking about drinking…

yoga breathing and fear

Yoga Bubbles and Fear

Categories: Blog · YogaTags: · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · Leave a comment

I started beginners swimming lessons last week and was so excited! I’ve tried to take to swimming several times before but have never had good experiences. Time passes and I thought, yes, let’s do this! Our first class involved placing our faces in water and blowing bubbles. Sounds simple, right? Yes, well…. as soon as I did it, the exhale came out super fast, panic and anxiety set in and fearful thoughts set off like colourful exploding fireworks. The worse being “I can’t breathe.” I came up, and thought… “This is about breathing, I understand breathing.” A big inhale and then…

Yoga and Emulating

Categories: Blog · Yoga · Yoga PhilosophyTags: · · · · · · · Leave a comment

I was teaching a yoga class recently, which included several students new to yoga asana (postures). As I introduced the next posture, I offered a modified pose more suitable for beginners. To my observation, everyone in the class moved into the more advanced pose. It made me question why? When offered two options, why did everyone chose the most advanced? I reflected on emulating. We learn so much about ourselves on the yoga mat. As people we spend much of our time copying what other people are doing, perhaps it’s a tool of survival, learning that is instinctual – a force…

Yogalime Mums and Bumps Club

Categories: Blog · Community News · Postnatal yoga · Pregnancy · YogaTags: · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · Leave a comment

Introducing our Mums and Bumps Club. We had our first meet up last weekend and a jolly time we had too!  Sabrina, who is in her later stages of pregnancy shared that she really enjoyed herself and ‘it was great to hear the birth stories, tips on colic and feeling that there is a support network, knowing that everyone is going through the same thing.’ The Club builds on relationships forged in our Pregnancy and Postnatal Yoga classes and has been created to bring women together, enabling experiences to be shared, learning, nurturing friendships and creating local support networks.  It offers an opportunity for mums…

London Celebrates its First International Day of Yoga

Categories: Blog · Yoga · Yoga PhilosophyTags: · · · · · · · · · · · Leave a comment

The UN declared June 21st as the International Day of Yoga, after 175 (out of 193) Nations backed India’s Resolution.  192 countries worldwide are reported to having participated in celebrations marking the first International Day of Yoga across the globe. The date was chosen to coincide with Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year.  In yoga philosophy, it is considered that this is the day when knowledge of yoga was first shared with the world.  It’s also thought to be a time where natural support for those pursuing spiritual practices is greater. Events were held across the UK.  Incredible India…

Pregnancy Yoga Differs from Regular Yoga

Categories: Blog · Postnatal yoga · Pregnancy · Women & Girls · YogaTags: · · · · · · · · · · · · · Leave a comment

I was recently contacted by a pregnant woman interested in joining our Pregnancy Yoga Classes.  She was confused, as the gym she’s a member of said they didn’t offer Pregnancy Yoga but said she could instead join their regular Yoga Class.  “Is Pregnancy Yoga the same as a Yoga class?” she asked.  “No” I replied.  “I thought so,” she said “as otherwise why would it have a different name?” Good question ! As a yoga teacher, I teach both Prenatal Yoga Classes and general Yoga Classes.  Here are some ways Pregnancy Yoga differs from a general Yoga Class: During pregnancy…