Retreat Yourself!

We are delighted to introduce our guest blogger Tammy Jones:

Stretch the Imagination…
More than just a holiday, a yoga retreat can be an inspirational and transformative experience that you’ll never forget...

Early morning starts, detox diets and plenty of exercise, may not sound like a relaxing holiday choice to some but as Yoga becomes ever-more mainstream, each year a greater variety of yoga retreats are on offer.

A retreat is a sanctuary away from everyday life, where it is possible to properly unwind and recharge batteries. Often set in stunning, usually secluded locations that make the most of what nature has to offer, a yoga retreat is so much more than just going somewhere beautiful to relax.

A Yoga retreat is ‘Active Relaxation’.  Like anything in life, guests get out what they put in and it actually requires the right kind of effort to relax properly.  The temporary relief of a conventional holiday, sitting by the pool just sipping cocktails may be a quick fix for stress, but a yoga retreat provides long-term well-being benefits, that don’t fade away as quickly as a tan does.  

Whatever your ‘yogabilities’, there are plenty of benefits

For beginners, a retreat is the ideal introduction to yoga that provides a fun personal challenge and learning experience, where one can gain new perspectives, meet new people who come from all walks of life, in a shared interest. 

For those who are all too familiar with upward and downward facing dog, retreats offer the chance to go deeper into their yoga practice, so intermediates learn more about the principles and techniques of yoga to initiate or deepen their yoga practice.

For the adept yogi, a retreat is an annual pilgrimage, a necessity to re-sharpen focus on cultivating inner stillness, strength and balance. 

Ultimately, the ideal yoga retreat is totally based on personal preference and often one can wind up making a choice based on a ‘gut feeling’. However, the choice made can really allow a sense of development of oneself, and create space for the perspective to assess what's important in life.  Peace, strength, serenity, renewed lust for life and better health are just some of the souvenirs to bring home.

Here is a snippet of the Mountain Air Yoga Retreat which will take place Aug 11^th-18^th 2012
http://vimeo.com/30589378

Tammy Jones is a London based yoga teacher who runs a variety of classes and workshops for all levels. She organises and attends many yoga retreats, including the  ‘Mountain Air Yoga Retreat’ in the French Alps. She has practiced yoga for 15 years and has been teaching for 5 years. See www.tammysyoga.co.uk for more info and booking.

Home Remedies

Try these natural medicinal teas, perfect to help you get yourself to your next yoga class if you're feeling a little bit under the weather!

Dandelion Root Tea

This tea is helpful in lowering high blood pressure. 

Place one heaped teaspoon of dried dandelion root in a pot with two cups of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and drink.

If you are trying to stop smoking use the dandelion tea and chew on a little bitter dandelion root when you crave a cigarette - it helps.

Daikon and Carrot Drink
This spicy pungent tea is designed to help dissolve hardened fat deposits that have accumulated deep within various organs. It also enhances the liver system.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of grated carrot

2 tablespoons of grated daikon (mooli)
1 cup of water 
A dash of Shoyu (natural soy sauce)

Place the carrot and the daikon in a pan with water and Shoyu, and bring to a boil and simmer for 4 or 5 minutes. Drink the water and eat the vegetables.


Recipes from Yoga Magazine

Delicious Healthy Recipes!

Mexican Vegetable Soup

A quick and easy soup recipe that is full of protein and flavour and simple to make!

• Serves 4 

• Prep time 10 mins 

• Cooking time 15 mins

Ingredients:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 medium carrots , peeled and cut in to bite-sized chunks
- 1.25 litres vegetable stock
- 1 x 415g tin refried beans
- 1 x 415g tin cannellini beans
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp chopped jalapeno chillies
- 350g French green beans, cut in to bite-sized chunks
- Juice of half a lime

For the tomato salsa:
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 Spring onion, thinly sliced
- 30g (small bunch) fresh coriander, finely chopped
- Juice of half a lime
- 1/2 tsp salt

Mix the salsa ingredients together and set aside. Use a heavy-bottomed pan to fry onions in oil over a medium heat. When they are translucent, add the garlic and ground coriander and fry for a minute more. Add carrots, stock, refried and cannellini beans, and oregano - bring gently to the boil, stirring regularly. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the jalapeno chillies, French beans and lime juice. Simmer for 3 minutes, add salt and serve - putting a dollop of tomato salsa in the middle of each bowl.

If you want to freeze the leftovers, add the remaining salsa to the soup beforehand, and on reheating you can refresh the taste with a little more lime juice and chopped fresh coriander.


Recipe taken from The Telegraph

Somatic Movement

We are delighted to introduce our guest blogger Denise Roach:

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”

― Thich Nhat Hanh

Somatic Movement

For a marathon runner and dynamic Vinyasa yoga student and teacher, taking it slowly is always going to present a certain challenge.

But what if we really give ourselves the chance to slow down and notice what is happening in the body as we move? Not ‘doing’ or focussing on the end result, but fully being in the movement, is a challenge. Yet that is the beauty of somatic movement education and its application to yoga, as I found out recently with Dr Brian Ingle of Living Somatics.

Over time and in response to daily stresses and traumas, we create habitual patterns and contractions that prevent us from moving freely. We forget how to move, and for many of us the end result is tightness, soreness and pain.  Over a restful and inspiring weekend, we worked together as yoga and pilates teachers and movement therapists to explore how focussing on the internal sensations of a series of gentle movements could bring stiff bodies out of a state of what Thomas Hanna, founder of the field of Somatics, calls ‘sensory-motor amnesia’ into sensory body remembering.

Somatics is all about self-healing through mindful movement, working slowly, with awareness and with the least effort to achieve comfort and ease.  It encourages responsibility and, for yogis and non-yogis alike, a true understanding of how these unhelpful patterns can be unlearned.  The result is a feeling a rest, openness, presence and ultimately potential freedom from pain. 

Denise was drawn to explore the healing benefits of yoga after many years pounding the streets as a long-distance runner. She now teaches vinyasa flow yoga and works as a Thai Yoga Massage therapist in studios and private classes across London. 

Denise can be contacted at www.deniseroachyoga.co.uk.
Visit www.livingsomatics.com for more information on Dr. Brian Ingle and the Living Somatics programme.  

Cycle to the Yoga Studio!

We're loving the new range of bikes that have just been introduced by Urban Outfitters. Their bikes come in a variety of different styles and colours, and provide a healthy, eco (and fashionable!) alternative to the car.

Not only do these bikes ensure you arrive at the gym or yoga class on time, but look great teamed with agoy's yoga bags, a simple, yet stylish way to bring your own (agoy) yoga mat to the studio!

Check out the Urban Bag, available in five different colours, here.
www.agoy.co.uk

Superfood Salad!

We love this quick to prepare blueberries, feta and mint salad, full of superfoods to keep you going, ready for that next workout!

Recipe and image taken from Hello! Magazine

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 5-10 mins
Cooking time: None

Ingredients:

-400g/14oz blueberries
- 25g/1oz mint leaves, large leaves torn
- 150g/5oz feta cheese, crumbled
- 4 tbsp good quality, extra virgin olive oil
- Flaky coarse sea salt
- 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns, crushed

1. Divide the blueberries between 4 small, shallow serving bowls, then sprinkle with the mint and crumbled feta cheese.

2. Drizzle 1 tbsp of the oil over each serving then crush several generous pinches of salt over each dish and sprinkle with black pepper. Serve straight away.

Prana

We are delighted to introduce our guest blogger Anandi:

"Inhale and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God.” Krishnamacharya

This is one of my favourite quotes and I use it regularly in my classes.  Prana is everything.  If there is no prana (breath), there is no life.  I think in general we take for granted the gift of the breath and have no regard for the more subtle aspects of what breath is.  Breathing is the most fundamental process in the human body; it has an effect on every single cell and is intimately linked with the brain.  We breathe about 15 times per minute, which means we are breathing 21,600 times a day.  The breath gives power to the transformation of oxygen and glucose, which is needed for every movement we make, all the glandular secretion and the functionality of the brain.

Deep breathing calms the mind, and a calm mind creates deeper more profound natural breath.  Slow profound breathing nourishes the heart and the body and is the most powerful healing tool available to the human being. If the breath becomes shallow or irregular, apart from our physical wellbeing, it affects our emotional balance.  Correct breathing not only affects our quality of life, but also the length of life, one only needs to look at the life span or an elephant or a tortoise and how they breathe to know that there is a connection between a slow breath rate and a long life!

Pranayama exercises regulate the breathe enabling better absorption of the vital life force of prana.  Pranayama also influences the flow of prana in the nadis, purifying, regulating and activating them.  Our life effects the distribution of prana and our emotions deeply affect the pranic body.  

 “There is an intimate connection between the breath, nerve currents and control of the inner prana or vital forces.  Prana becomes visible on the physical plan as motion and action, and on the mental plane as thought.  Pranayama is the means by which a yogi tries to realize within his individual body the whole cosmic nature and attempts to attain perfection by attaining all the powers of the universe.” Sivananda

It is no surprise that Prana, being the force that creates life and being the energetic force that links everything together, has important deities associated with it.  The predominant deity is of course Vayu, the god of wind.  Fire, the sun and the moon are guided by the power of Vayu, and we are guided by the power of Vayu!

 

Anandi is an inspirational yoga instructor who teaches yoga in its entirety as a means to self-transformation. She is a 500hr qualified yoga teacher, Chopra-certified Primordial Sound Meditation Instructor, and qualified NLP instructor and hypnotherapist, having been a mentee of Georg Feuerstein, who is considered to be one of the most important yogic philosophers of our time.
Visit www.anandi.co.uk for more information.

Recycle in Style!

agoy have designed the ultimate 100% recycled Urban Bag, the first of its kind!

The Urban Bag, currently a best seller for agoy, allows yoga practitioners to comfortably and stylishly transport their mat in a durable, lightweight bag.

So what differentiates agoy’s Recycled Urban Bag from the popular original? It is made from 100% recycled PET materials. 

The production of this ground-breaking yoga bag uses 20% less water, 50% less energy, and 60% less air pollution, making it kind to the environment, with approximately three and a half plastic litre bottles recycled into each bag.

The bag features an adjustable shoulder strap, also made with 100% recycled PET materials, which transforms into a 150cm yoga strap. Other additions to the bag include a zip pocket, providing a place to carry keys, cards, lipstick, mobile and any other essentials, and an elasticated drawstring closure, allowing Yogini’s to pack up and carry their mat with ease.  

agoy's Recycled Urban Bag is the ideal gift or accessory for eco-conscious yoga enthusiasts seeking chic, multifunctional, and environmentally aware items. The Recycled Urban Bag goes on sale at the start of October.

Visit agoy's website at www.agoy.co.uk

Chakras

We are delighted to introduce our guest blogger Swami Saradananda:

Chakras: Preliminary Work

Chakras are major centres of radiant power within the body; the seven of them represent energetic intersections between physical matter and consciousness. Each person’s chakras are antenna that constantly receive and transmit energy.  How smoothly a person’s chakras function determines how fully the body is inhabited, how successful relationships are and how much inner peace can be enjoyed.

As, working with chakras can help restore and enhance energy flow, I suggest that people should begin with the following introductory meditation.

When a person meditates on their chakras, they go beyond ordinary limits imposed by time and space. Chakra meditations are simple, yet powerful techniques for helping to develop inner poise and keep life in balance. They work best when they are reinforced with regular yoga practice, self analysis and positive activities throughout the day.

Experiencing your Chakras

Sit in a comfortable meditation position. Close your eyes; breathe gently through your nose. Visualise your breath as a stream of bright white light, moving down the front of your body as you inhale – and up your back as you exhale.

As your breath flows through your body, notice how you experience the various energetic points (chakras) at the base of your body; your sacral region; solar plexus; heart; throat; forehead; top of head.

Some points are stronger, more easily experienced in front – and others seem more dominant along the back of your body. Certain chakras, you may not feel at all, or may feel very weakly. It is probably the chakras that are the weakest that you should work with first.

Swami Saradananda is an internationally-renowned yoga and meditation teacher. She has taught yoga for more than thirty-five years and is the author of a number of books, including “Chakra Meditation" and “The Essential Guide to Chakras”. Her website is: www.FlyingMountainYoga.org

Starting in October, Swami Saradananda will be teaching “Journey through the Chakras” at the Evolve Wellness Centre in South Kensington. For more information on these workshops please visit: www.evolvewellnesscentre.com/eventsworkshopsjourney-through-the-chakras

DIY Pedicure

Get yourself a agoy Studio Mat Deluxe, and give yourself a DIY pedicure to ensure your feet are in top condition for your yoga workout!

Communal yoga mats have been proven to gather nasty bacteria and germs that can cause rather unpleasant foot issues, and some very unpleasant smells too!

agoy has the perfect solution!

By owning your own mat, you are completely aware of who has been using it and can choose to clean it as often as necessary. agoy's Studio Mat Deluxe, available in 10 different colours, not only looks good, but is eco-friendly too. Made of toxic free materials, the mat is very durable and suitable for all types of flooring; which means you won't have to replace it as often as other mats that wear out more quickly.

 Visit www.agoy.co.uk to look at the full range of agoy yoga mats, towels and accessories.

To make sure your feet are ready for that next yoga class, try this easy step-by-step pedicure!

 

1. Buff feet when dry, not wet, to make sure you shift really dead skin. Use a sturdy foot file and focus on the heels, balls of feet and edges of toes.

2. Fill a bowl with warm water and add a reviving foot soak which helps strengthen and whiten nails. Soak feet for 10 minutes. If you can lay your hands on some marbles, pop them in the bowl and roll your feet back and forth over them for a blissful DIY massage!

3. Massage feet briskly with a foot scrub to get rid of the last dregs of dead skin, then rinse.

4. Dry your feet and gently ease back your cuticles with a cuticle stick.

5. Cut your nails straight across with nail clippers. Make lots of little snips, rather than all at once, or you might break your nail.

6. Use a nail file to gently round the edges of your toenails so they don't snag your tights.

7. Massage your feet with a rich foot lotion.

8. For the ultimate treat, apply foot lotion before bedtime, wrap them in cling film, then add some socks and hop into bed. Wake up to dreamy-soft soles!

9. If you want to add some colour, wipe off the foot lotion from your nails using a damp cotton wool pad. Then add a base coat, two layers of polish and a high-shine topcoat.

10. For a low-maintenance finish add a coat of stain corrector which instantly brightens your nail tip and makes the nail bed pinker and prettier.

Pedicure guide by cosmopolitan.co.uk

Ask the Expert: Jo Manuel

 

This September we are delighted to welcome Jo Manuel as our “Ask the Expert” yoga teacher.  Please send your yoga related question to Question@agoy.co.uk (with 'Question' in the Subject line) and Jo will answer her choice of question at the end of the month.  The person whose question is selected will receive an agoy block and strap.

Jo Manuel is the Founder and Executive Director of The Special Yoga Centre – a charity that is dedicated to supporting babies, children, teenagers and adults living with special needs to realise their full potential, though the practice of yoga and mindfulness. The Special Yoga Centre is also a Centre of Excellence with a renowned umbrella of teacher training programmes specialising in teaching yoga to children/teens with a specific emphasis on special needs.

Jo has practised yoga for over 30 years and trained extensively under Sivakami Sonia Sumar. She has taught yoga to children for 10 years and in 2001, took her first training in Yoga for the Special Child™ , completing all higher-level courses. In 2003, Sonia invited Jo to teach The Yoga for the Special Child™training in the UK. She is now the UK and Europe's leading special yoga practitioner and teacher training expert in yoga and mindfulness for children.

To learn more about Jo and the Special Yoga Centre, please visit www.specialyoga.org.uk.

Stressed Out Workout?

Not all exercise is food for your stress levels.  Chose a workout that releases tension:  'Simply moving releases blocked energy' says Dalton Wong, founder of Twenty Two Fitness, 'but it has to be a gentle rhythmic sport, like yoga or t'ai chi, where movement and breathing are perfectly in sync'.  Article and image appear in the August issue of Harper's Magazine

Yoga: integrating both the beautiful & the ugly

We are delighted to introduce our guest blogger, Kathy Osborne:

Yoga: Integrating both the beautiful and the ugly! 

Twelve years ago I travelled alone to a Sri Lankan yoga retreat, Ulpotha, having had serious depression. I was understandably nervous and shy, and counting on this experience to give me a ‘new beginning’.

The local shaman took a shine to me bringing fresh bananas to my hut in the morning and chatting to me. One morning he greeted me saying that he had a vision in which I embodied a Hindu Goddess. He told me she was called ‘Kali’ and went on his way. When I asked my fellow guests I was met with giggles. Kali was no vision of beauty, but the Goddess of Destruction!

This upset me, I was ill prepared to meet my anger, and darkness, and counting on yoga to ‘take away’ my ‘bad’ feeling and give me a sense of ‘purity’.

Yoga, the ‘yoke’ joining body, mind and spirit can also reflect the multitude of Hindu gods yoked together as parts of us. Yoga can be a means of integrating both the beautiful, compassionate parts of myself and my angry, warlike parts, which are there for a good reason. I feel strongly when I see the advertisements in yoga magazines selling products offering purity and perfection. I celebrate imperfection and challenge you to do the same!

Following my time at Ulpotha, I trained in yoga, found the wonderful Special Yoga Centre, specialised in yoga for mental health and I am now studying Integrative Psychotherapy.

 


Kathy Osborne is a practising yoga therapist for mental health and special needs (IAYT), accredited yoga teacher (RYT500) and is also trained in performing arts. Kathy is a current finalist on Integrative Psychotherapy M.A. at the Minster Centre. For more information please email kiosborne@yahoo.com or view Kathy's classes at the Special Yoga Centre clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=3223

Ask the Expert: James D'Silva

 

 We are delighted to welcome James D'Silva as our “Ask the Expert” yoga teacher for the month of August.  Please send your yoga related question to Question@agoy.co.uk (with 'Question' in the Subject line) and James will answer his choice of question at the end of the month.  The person whose question is selected will receive an agoy block and strap.

James D’Silva is a professional dancer who has taught and performed all over Europe and the USA. Pilates and Body Conditioning were always an integral part of his training routine and over the years James has added Yoga, Gyrotonic, and influences from Feldenkrais and Alexander Technique to his repertoire.

James’ philosophy is focused on form, breath, fluidity and the dynamics of movement, and believes that all exercise should be performed mindfully, as movement without awareness is wasted energy.

Having developed a versatile and multifunctional exercise apparatus, the Garuda, James has managed to combine the movement of the Pilates Reformer and Cadillac with the precision of the Wunda Chair. With a Pilate’s studio in London his reputation has become well established amongst his many clients.

For more details about James, his studio and the GARUDA exercise apparatus can be found on http://www.thegaruda.net/ or follow the Garuda on Twitter @GarudaStudioUK

Ask the Expert: your question answered by Heather Elton!

This month our Ask the Expert for July Heather Elton answers a question sent in by a fellow yogi. Heather has been practicing yoga since 1986, and is currently teaching Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow yoga in London. She also teaches on international yoga retreats and workshops, including teacher training in Goa.

Q: I have a Sacral illiac joint injury flare up!
I have experimented with specific asanas to support and strengthen this area, but it still remains. What is your advice?

A: Inflammation of the Sacroiliac (SI) joint is believed to be caused by a disruption in normal movement of the joint. If there is inflammation in the SI joint then the portion of the sciatic nerve that runs directly in front of the joint can also be irritated. The area is very complex and if you feel no relief from my suggestions below, it’s important to seek expert medical advice.

Sacroiliac (SI) joint problems are common for yogis, especially those who practice ashtanga. I suffered from chronic sacroiliac pain for two years early on in my practice and received chiropractice treatments as well as other forms of therapy. It was during a private yoga session with Glenn Ceresoli, an Iyengar teacher from Australia, that the problem was finally solved . He told me to do Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Big Toe Pose) against the wall. The effects of this posture were immediately beneficial and I did it daily for six months. To this day, I’ve not had sacroiliac problems again.

To do Supta Padangustasana, lie down on your back with your legs straight and push both feet against the wall. It’s important to have the same pressure on the legs as if you are standing upright, so you can work the legs properly. Make sure the spine is straight, the sacrum is moving towards your heels, and the shoulder blades are moving down your back towards your waist. Relax the head and let the chin drop towards you throat to lengthen the back of your neck. Then, raise your right leg and place a yoga belt over the ball of the right foot, so that the foot is straight and the mounds of the big toe and little toe can be activated. Pull the little toe down towards your right ear. Do not take the right leg further than 90 degrees. It should be completely straight. Once you are in the pose, try to extend your right sacrum towards the wall and push your right thigh away from your chest. The left leg should be working strongly with the left thigh rolling inwards. Continue to push the left leg into the wall and try to get the back of the thigh and knee on the floor. Stay a few minutes in the asana and then do the other side. Don’t forget to breath. Expand the ribcage on the inhalation and contract it on the exhalation. Breathe through your nose and focus on the breath.

Once you’ve completed Supta Padangustasana on the right side, move right leg to the right into Parsva Supta Padangustasana. It is important in this asana that both SI joints, especially the left one, remain on the ground. You can attach the belt around the right foot and put the long end of the belt securely under your shoulder blades. Then pull on the belt to bring the leg into the hip. (This is a nice way to support the weight of the leg.) The right thigh is externally rotated and the sensation is one of pulling the leg into the hip socket. It’s preferable that the leg doesn’t go to the floor. Squeeze both hips together and activate Mula Bandha. Next, cross your right leg over the body to touch the floor on the left side. This pose is excellent for sciatica. Pull the hamstrings back into the hip and lengthen the big toe forward.

Supta Padangustasana stabilises the sacrum if done correctly and lengthens the major muscle groups (hamstrings, quads, adductors and IT band) that connect the legs to the pelvis. If the leg muscles are too tight they can pull on the lower back muscles. If they lengthen there will be less pressure on the sacrum.

Virhabhadrasana 2 (Warrior II) can be especially dangerous if you lunge forward from Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog) and Janu Sirsasana (Head to Knee pose). Make sure your front hip bones are symmetrical so the sacrum can be level. Try to feel the front groins descending, the front hips lifting, and the coccyx moving downward.

Emotionally and psychologically, lower back issues often stem from feelings of being overwhelmed or having no support. The spine is your main support and when it’s in pain, you can feel very vulnerable. At the time of my sacroiliac pain, I was in a relationship that I felt was unsupportive. Interestingly, after the relationship ended, my pain also vanished. It’s important to remember that injuries arise for a reason that could be mental, emotional, and physical.

Injuries remind us to pause and analyse what’s going on in our lives. Injuries can be teachers and if you listen closely enough, they will reveal what is wrong in the connection between body and mind. It’s important to back off and not re-injure yourself, yet at the same time, learn to do your practice respectfully and gently. Yoga is therapy. 

For more information about Heather please visit www.eltonyoga.com

Keep your eyes peeled for August's Ask the Expert, who will be appearing on our blog in the next few days!

Our yoga mats featured in Country & Town House Magazine!

Our yoga mat was featured in this month's edition of Country & Town House Magazine. Get your hands on your own agoy yoga mat here!

FREE YOGA IN THE PARK!

***LONDON FREE YOGA IN THE PARK***
 To celebrate the start of London 2012 Olympics

where: Queens Park, London NW6
when: Friday 27th July 2012
time: 6.15 – 7.15pm (please arrive in the park before 6.15pm to find your spot)

what:  Yoga teacher Divya will be leading a fun (and free) session of yoga stretches to get us in the mood for the start of the world’s greatest sporting event taking place on our doorstep.

who: anyone & everyone invited! no need to book
bring: a towel (or yoga mat if you have one)
weather: no fancy roof, but rain will not stop play

Map/Info: http://www.nw6yoga.co.uk/

***PLUS: STAY ON & ENJOY WATCHING THE OLYMPIC OPENING CERMONY***

Jacks Restaurant/Bar, a minute's stroll from Queens Park, will be showing the London Opening Ceremony live on large TV screens on their covered terrace. http://www.jacksrestaurantandbar.co.uk/

I have reserved space for 18 people who'd like to stay on after the park yoga session and head to Jacks to watch the ceremony.

A set menu of 2 courses for £13 will be on offer, as well as a hot and cold mezze menu. (Each guest responsible for their share of the food/drink bill).

Our 'big table' is reserved for 7.30pm.

If you'd like to join the group at Jacks please email me asap with your full name and mobile telephone number.
(You can bring a friend/partner as long as one of you will be participating in the park yoga session).

Bear in mind this event will be popular so if you do book a spot for Jacks restaurant please turn up.

If interest exceeds numbers, there will be a reserve list. So if you book and then need to cancel, let me know in good time (email or text: 07930 410 387), thank you.

Meditate! Meditate! Meditate! Or miss the point...

We are delighted to introduce our guest blogger Dr. Fleur Appleby-Deen:
Meditate! Meditate! Meditate! Or miss the point...

'I can't do meditation, my mind is too busy'.

You would not believe how frequently this is a comment I hear from yogis!

It's the equivalent of saying, 'I can't do yoga, my hamstrings are too tight.'

That is exactly why you need to stretch your hamstrings and your busy mind is exactly why you need to meditate!

Although good yoga teachers will consistently remind their students that yoga is not about fancy poses, the sad fact is that much yoga practice is about getting a toned body and impressing mates with a headstand. But we are drastically missing the point if our yoga practice does not include some form of regular meditation.

Done properly, Asana practice is a meditation on the breath and the sensations in the body, but it takes a while to be comfortable enough with the basics of the pose before the internal benefits can be felt.

Meditation is crucial to surviving the stress of daily living in our society. It switches the physiological stress response off, refreshes the senses and allows us to connect with a higher intelligence and intuition. Research continues to establish the efficacy of meditation in treating many stress-related conditions, from headaches to insomnia. The recognized benefits are too widespread and numerous to list here.

But still, we resist. Not due to lack of time but because when we close our eyes and sit still, it can feel pretty darned uncomfortable. Suddenly there is no barrier between awareness, feelings and racing thoughts. It can feel really rough and we resist like crazy! The good news is that sticking with the feelings and breathing through whatever comes up is the way to change our lives, the way to peace, happiness, joy and connection. There is no bad news.

It usually take some practice before finding the blissful space that lies on the other side of feelings, but then it takes practice to do a headstand too. Have the courage to sit still with yourselves; I promise in time you will be so glad you did.

Dr. Fleur Appleby-Deen, a medically trained doctor, aims to help people maximise their own well-being using methods such as yoga and meditation. For more information visit drfleur.co.uk

Delicious Recipes!

Try this delicious (and low fat!) Chicken with Lemon and Courgette Cous-cous recipe, full of protein and only 275 calories!

Recipe and image taken from BBC Good Food

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 15-20 mins

Ingredients
- 200g cous-cous
- 400ml chicken stock
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 courgettes, grated
- 2  lemons, 1 halved, 1 cut into wedges
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1. Tip the cous-cous into a large bowl and pour over the stock. Cover and leave for 10 mins until fluffy and all the stock has been absorbed. Heat 1 tbsp oil and fry the courgettes until softened and crisping at the edges. Tip into the couscous, then stir in with plenty of seasoning and a good squeeze of lemon juice from one of the halves.
    
2. Halve the chicken breasts horizontally and put each piece on a sheet of cling film. Cover with another sheet and beat each piece out with a rolling pin to make it thinner. Season. Heat the remaining oil in a large pan and fry the chicken for about 2 mins on each side until cooked through. Squeeze over the juice from the other lemon half and serve with the couscous and lemon wedges on the side.

Breathe Through Pain

We are pleased to introduce one of our guest bloggers Divya Kohli:
Breathe Through Pain

Yoga is an effective way to release and manage pain. As well as offering asana to strengthen the body, yoga teaches us healing pranayama, or breath practises. How we breathe instantly affects how we feel and manage pain.

Conscious breathing

In yoga, the mind and body unite through the breath. When we experience pain, our breathing tends to be shallow and we often hold the breath without realising it. Slowing down the breath and making it fuller and steadier relaxes the body and calms the mind. The more relaxed the individual is, the less they are affected by pain.

Another result of conscious breathing is its calming effect on the nervous system.  Done regularly, yoga breathing exercises will help diminish tension before it accumulates around the area where pain exists. 

The following pranayama techniques are great for balancing mind and body, and are particularly effective for pain release:

• Ujjayi breathing, which loosely translates as "victory" breathing, is often referred to as the ‘wave breath’ as it sounds and moves like the ebb and flow of tidal waves.
  The practice: Find a comfortable seated posture, or take a supported supine position (lie over a bolster/folded blanket, with your head supported so that it is slightly raised). Close your eyes so you can focus on your breath. Start by taking several long, deep, slow breaths to help relax you. Then, breathing through the nose, constrict the throat muscles slightly (as if you were breathing through a hole in your throat), feeling the air whirl in the back of your throat as you inhale. Regulate and steady the flow of air through your throat as you exhale, making a soft oceanic sound as it passes through your throat region. It’s as if you were saying ‘haa’ but with your mouth closed. Keep the breath steady and soft (not overly projected).  Continue to breath in this way for 2-3 minutes or for as long as you feel comfortable doing it. Then relax in Savasana (Corpse pose).

• Full Yogic breath, often referred to as the three-part sectional breath. The practise: Lie down your back, with your knees bent, palms resting softly on the lower abdomen. Or, take a comfortable seated position keeping the back straight without tension, resting the palms on the abdomen or on the thighs. Steadily breathe in from the belly (feel the belly expand), then into the ribs (feel the side body expand) and into the upper chest (feel the collar bones widen). At the top of the inhale, take a soft, brief pause, before steadily exhaling through the chest, then ribs, and into the lower belly. Exhaling right until you’re empty, then the inhale will naturally follow. Try 3-8 rounds of Full Yogic breathing. 

Both exercises can be done anytime and have no contraindications. Though seeking the guidance of an experienced yoga teacher (who teaches pranayama, not just asana) is always advisable.

Stay well,
Divya.

Divya Kohli has been practising yoga for over 13 years, having completed advance courses in yoga teaching. She teaches a deep practice which is physically and mentally transformational.

Before teaching yoga, Divya worked as a news journalist for many years, giving her experience of the pressures of urban working-life, and the knowledge of how yoga can be used for stress management in the workplace.

Based in North West London, Yoga with Divya runs workshops, retreats and private tuition. Visit www.yogawithdivya.co.uk for more information.