Shoulder Stand is a very effective posture when it is practised properly. If you haven’t done this pose before I recommend learning it under a teacher’s guidance before you try it at home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lh9nis1M6I Step-by-step technique for the Shoulder Balance Fold two or more firm blankets into rectangles, measuring...
In the centre of every stressful storm there is a place of total stillness: the ‘eye’. In my life, I have found meditation to be one of the most powerful tools for creating this sense of peace within, even when the world around is in a...
There are basically two functional types of breathing: cleansing and energising. Cleansing breath helps to detoxify the body and stresses exhalation, while energising breath collects and stores vital energy and focuses more on inhalation. Though people take breathing for granted, everyone unconsciously practises both types of...
Are you caught up in a cycle of stress? And are you feeling fatigued as a result? In backbends, we come face to face with the boundaries of our flexibility, patience and equanimity. But learning to practise within our limitations instead of struggling against them can...
Whether you are a runner, cyclist, or athlete, chances are that you suffer from over tight hamstrings. If you are a man however, chances are that your hamstrings are tighter than women folk. And this is a legacy from our hunter gatherer evolutionary origins. So,...
Forward Bends can be wonderfully relaxing and make you feel pleasantly introspective. However, they can also strain or injure your lower back, especially if the backs of your legs are tight. So practise with caution. Learning to practise forward bends correctly means that you must pay...
Kapalabhati is a breathing technique used specifically to promote cleansing. The intake of oxygen makes the blood richer and renews the body tissues, while great quantities of carbon dioxide are eliminated. Kapalabhati massages the internal organs, stimulates digestion and elimination and removes stale air and toxins...
This pose is good to try at the beginning, middle or end of a session to help you relax, rest, restore, reflect, observe change and counterpose. It helps you to come into the moment and promote inner focus and awareness. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl3G-vlzkt8[/embed] Step-by-step techniqueLeave plenty of space between...
The Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskara) is a great dynamic morning sequence. The Sun Salutation is an important building block in yoga as it combines a number of key poses. For the first Sun Salutation of the day, take a few extra breaths in each pose to...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PclvkB5OnVg This twist and core sequence improves digestion and strengthens the abdomen, hip flexors and the spine. This wonderful twist, Half Lord of the Fish (Ardha Matsyendrasana) stimulates the digestive fire in the belly and increases your appetite. The pose massages the liver and kidneys and stretches your...