Improve Your Vision with Yoga
As I sit here squinting at my computer screen, I am reminded of the need to do my eye exercises. Although I resort to glasses for very fine …
Yoga Exercise
Learn more about yoga asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing techniques), the effects they have on the body and mind and the many health benefits that can be experienced with regular practice.
Extension Not Tension
Many people embrace yoga asanas as a way of getting rid of muscle tension. Muscle tension is when your muscles stay partially contracted for a period of time, …
Feel the Oscillating Breath
This is a wonderful way of bringing breath awareness into our asana practice. To find the oscillating breath, it is best to first experience it while we are …
The Power of Community: Why Group Yoga & Meditation Classes are Beneficial
Traditionally yoga was taught one on one and practiced alone. Originally it was taught as an adjunct to a spiritual practice, training the yogi to be able to …
Goddess Pose
This pose is much like the Horse Stance from the martial arts tradition. They both have a wonderfully grounding effect and are both strengthening for the legs and …
10 Reasons to Practice Flow Yoga
Flow yoga, also known as vinyasa yoga, is a dynamic and physically active form of yoga that involves flowing from one pose to the next, often with the …
Anjali Mudra
Mudras can be loosely described as positions which we adopt to bring about a certain subtle result. Anjali mudra is a gesture of peace and respect. It is …
Sacrum Circles
This is a great exercise to do just before you start relaxing. It’s also great to do when you want to wake up out of a deep relaxation …
How To Teach Our Kids Persistence
Never say a child can’t do persistence. Children are great at persistence ……. as long as the reward at the end is big enough. Admittedly there are huge …
Put Some Spring into Your Practice: A Seasonal Yoga & Meditation Guide
Spring has announced itself once again heralded with fragrant flowers and fresh green leaves. There is a warmth to the atmosphere whispering delights of the balmy summer days …
Anxiety – Cause, Effect and Support from a Yoga Perspective
Anxiety is all too common. You may be dealing with anxiety in your own life, or you may know someone who is. It is showing up more and …
Yoga for Resilience
Resilience is an important quality that we all need. It sees us through those tough times that we encounter throughout our lives. To be resilient means we have …
Supine Pigeon
This pose supports the back while stretching around the side of the hips. It’s a great pose to relieve sciatic pain, release tension around the back of the …
Yoga for Sciatic Pain
Sciatic pain is not uncommon. Most of us either know of someone who has had it or have actually experienced it ourselves. In fact it is said that …
Yes, We Even Need Yoga for the Eyes!
Sore and tired eyes from too much screen time? Needing to wear glasses to read now that you’ve been eyeing that screen on and off for the last …
The Yoga Breath: Deep But Not Full
There is a common misconception that to relax we should take big deep breaths. While it is certainly beneficial to breathe deeply in order to relax, full or …
Breathing for Better Health
I always find that knowing why I should take up a practice that is touted to be extremely beneficial for my health is a great motivator. This article …
When To Flow and When To Go
Being immensely popular, flow yoga is taught in most yoga studios. Also known as Vinyasa yoga, it is fun, fast and strenuous. Yoga flows are usually based around …
The Year Ahead
So here we go with another year ahead of us. As we look back on the past year, let’s assess how we did. Did we achieve what we …
Breathing for Beginners
A gentle, serene breathing exercise all about creating space for calm with deeper, more mindful breathing. Take just 5 minutes to learn this powerful yoga breathing technique that …
Breath Retention Pranayama
Breath retention is a simple yet potent practice that helps relax your body and improve concentration levels. When your exhalations are longer than your inhalations, it actually triggers …
Viloma Breathing
Among a wide range of benefits, Anulom Viloma breathing helps to strengthen the lungs, relax the body and calm the mind. Anulom Viloma Breathing is a beautiful way …
The Benefits of a Deeper Breath
We all know we need to breathe. We all know what happens if we don’t. The respiratory system consists of our airways (the nose, mouth, voice box, windpipe …
Taking Time to Slow Down This Holiday Season
From the moment when we first open our eyes and gaze at the world around us, the shapes and colours, the sounds and smells, we are on the …
De-Stress with Yoga Breathing
Recently my friend’s teenage son confided in me that he found so many things in life irritating and his list was extensive. Dripping taps, doors creaking, loud noises, …
3 Step Sequence to Enhance Breathing
There are many things to focus on when we are doing our yoga poses These three poses put the upper body in positions that will give room for …
3 Tips for Safe, Strong & Happy Shoulders
I meet so many people whose asana practice has given them very sore shoulders. More often than not this is from the very popular vinnyasa movement where we …
Staff Pose (Dandasana) to Tone Your Shoulders
This seems like a very simple pose, but many find it incredibly hard to do in a way that is safe and strong. The usual reason is tight …
Yoga for Facing the World with Confidence
Every time I see someone with a hunched spine, it makes me pull myself up straight and tall. While some hunched spines are the result of osteoporosis and …
Wrist Pain In Yoga? Try These Tips
Wrist pain is usually blamed on one of three things. Repetitive hand movements as in long term use of the keyboard or mouse Load injury where the poor …
Surviving Lock Down or Quarantine…
With another round of lock downs around the country (first time for some!), you have had to once again make quick changes to your life. Perhaps you had …
Manage Your Anger with Yoga
Anger dresses itself up in many forms: simmering, smoldering, icy and red hot to name but a few. But basically, it all comes down to one pin point. …
5 Yoga Tips for Tech Neck
A lady came up to me after a class recently and asked if I knew anything she could do for her sore neck. I took one look at …
Supported Fish Pose
Supported Fish Pose is a wonderful way to chill out and relax. It releases tension in the upper chest and shoulders allowing the breath to be slow and …
Yoga for Happy Mums
May is the month we celebrate our wonderful mums. Mums deserve huge mountains of praise for all their selfless love and care. Being a mum is a full …
Supine Spinal Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)
Benefits: Releases tension from chest, shoulders and back May realign spine Relaxes nervous system Strengthens the lungs Cautions: Spinal problems including herniated discs and osteoporosis of the spine …
Should I Close My Eyes During Yoga Exercise?
If you ever close your eyes while in a yoga pose you might feel one of two things: either wobbly and a bit unbalanced, or centered and enjoying …
Complete your Core Support with Breathing
In a previous article I have talked about using the bandhas for core support. The bandhas provide great internal support for the core during our yoga poses and …
Ujjayi Breathing
Having trouble sleeping? Try some ujjayi breathing from the comfort of your bed. This soft throat breath calms the nervous system not only at night but when ever …
What Style of Yoga Asana is Right For You?
Choosing your yoga routine, whether it’s in a class situation or at home, is like choosing what to eat from a table full of many varieties of food. …