‘Yin yoga is a natural, healing practice’ Paul Grilley What is Yin Yoga? Yin Yoga is a peaceful, floor-based form of yoga, which works to stimulate the energy meridians in the body in a similar way to acupressure or acupuncture. Each asana (posture) is held for around three to five […]
One of my favourite principles of Yoga is Svadhyaya, or self-study. Why? Because what greater investment can there be than getting to know yourself – really, truly, deeply know yourself. Not only is the relationship with oneself the only relationship guaranteed to last a lifetime, but I believe that how […]
It seems to me that we live in a time when we require self-discipline more than ever. We are endlessly encouraged to scroll more on our social media feeds, with no real natural end point other than our own will power. There is a proliferation of processed food, some of […]
When was the last time you felt content? Can you remember? And what exactly did it feel like? Often, we find ourselves putting off our contentment. ‘I’ll feel content once I’ve got this out of the way’, we might tell ourselves, ‘this’ being whatever is going on for us which […]
Yoga helps us to connect to, and work with our energy in lots of different ways. One of the principles of yoga is Brahmacharya, or ‘right use of energy.’ As Hannah Barrett explains so beautifully in her book Yoga Happy, Brahmacharya can be seen as being about cherishing and respecting […]
Self-caring, self-love and self-compassion can sound a bit fluffy or indulgent, but the science behind them and the power of these practices – and they do take practice – is clear and becoming increasingly spoken about. And when we take time to think about it, it makes sense that these […]
Would you like more peace? More moments of your day, your life, where you feel peaceful or at peace? I suspect, that with the tendency of our modern lives to be increasingly busy, with seemingly unending demands for our time and attention, that we all want more peace. But whilst […]
If you enjoy a regular practice of Yoga, whether self or teacher led, you may be attracted to the idea of a retreat. And certainly, Yoga and meditation and all other manner of retreats are everywhere right now, so there is plenty of choice! But what does it really mean, […]
Lockdown 2020 and I’m sat in what has become a familiar spot – on my yoga mat in front of my laptop. I hold the Mala beads aloft in my right hand, and feel their cool, calming shape pass across my finger as I guide each one with my thumb, […]
Anyone that knows me will know that I am a huge fan of Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s work and his holistic approach to well-being. Since devouring his latest book, Happy Mind, Happy Life, from cover to cover, I am now digesting it more thoroughly, by working my way through the practices […]
Have you ever sat quietly long enough to observe your thoughts, perhaps to meditate, and noticed that many of them are negative? Or maybe when you’ve come to be still for long enough you’ve noticed an inner monologue which might be distinctly unfriendly towards you, perhaps judgemental or critical? Knowing […]
In his book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’, Viktor Frankl says ‘between stimulus and response is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.’ Take a moment to read that again and consider it fully: ‘between stimulus and response is a space. In that space is our […]
‘Have your head in heaven and your feet on earth’, a riding teacher once said to me, I think having once had it said to her by one of her teachers, much like the lineage of passing down knowledge that has, and continues to, disseminate the practice of Yoga. I […]
I remember my first Vrksasana fondly. Somewhat careworn and stressed, but having proclaimed myself ‘too busy’ to go to Yoga class, my wise and wonderful friend bought me two private sessions with her Yoga teacher as a birthday present. Balancing in my Vrksasana in the first of those sessions, I […]
We all know how great we feel after that long Yoga class – refreshed, relaxed, restored – but how can we get more of that feeling into our everyday lives? Since the arrival of my son at the end of October, there has been little opportunity for long periods of […]
At the end of December, I committed to completing 100 miles for Suffolk Mind, challenging myself to walking the distance in the 37 days before my 37th birthday. I’ve been accompanied on each of my walks by tiny human, (3 month old son in his sling), and tiny dog, (our […]
When you decide to take a Yoga class, whether online or face-to-face, to some degree you are putting yourself in your teacher’s hands. And as Yoga is a holistic practice, it is your whole self – mind, body and soul – that you bring to the class, it makes sense […]