Understanding and managing stress is key to your well being. Typically, your gut is unhappy because of stress. Research has shown that the stress response can alter the natural balance of healthy bacteria in your gut, causing the gut ecosystem to shift in favour of a...
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...
Most of us will suffer with stress at some point in our lives. According to the Mental health Foundation, 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. Stress is a major factor...
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...
April is National Stress Awareness month, so naturally this month, I'll be posting about this topic mainly. Stress is often talked about as being a ‘modern’ malaise, as though it didn’t exist in former times. However, there has always been stress. But these days there always seems...
These days Yoga students needn’t venture much farther than their Yoga studio or wellness hub to discover the practice’s light shines in many directions. But across all the differing traditions housed under the yoga tree, the concept of detachment remains instrumental. Fasting, of any kind,...
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...
What Are Endorphins Endorphin is a combination of the words "endogenou" (produced within the body) and "morphine". Endorphins are endogenous opioids released from the pituitary gland that are believed to mediate analgesia (pain relief), induce euphoria, and play a role in the reward system in the gut-brain...
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...