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.