I've decided to post future blog posts exclusively to my Patreon page - just so all of the content can be in one place. The blog posts will be released early for my Patrons, but then made public a few days later for everyone to view. My latest blog post is now live on my … Continue reading My blog has moved!
In a Coffee & Musings video last week I talked about the breath, stress and anxiety, the parasympathetic nervous system and the vagus nerve. I first learned about the vagus nerve in a workshop I attended with Edinburgh Community Yoga (www.edinburghcommunityyoga.co.uk) called 'Neuroscience, the stress response and yoga' – it blew my mind and I … Continue reading The Vagus Nerve
Yesterday I uploaded a video to my Patreon page which includes Warrior 1 (Virabhadrasana I) and Humble Warrior - and it got me thinking about hand placement during our yoga practice. For quite a long time now, I've been opting for hand placements which are closer to my body in my personal practice. For example, … Continue reading Hand placement in yoga
I've just released the 6th episode of Coffee & Musings on my Patreon page. In this episode I talk about the eight limbs of yoga, focusing on the final four limbs: Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. Pratyahara: Withdrawal of the senses Dharana: Concentration meditation Dhyana: Absorption meditation Samadhi: Integration meditation I also start to discuss … Continue reading The Eight Limbs (part 2)
I've just released the 5th episode of Coffee & Musings on my Patreon page. In this episode I talk about the eight limbs of yoga, focusing on the first four to start with: Yama, Niyama, Asana, and Pranayama. The eight limbs comes from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali which is often used as a guide … Continue reading The Eight Limbs (part 1)
I'm so excited to announce that my Patreon page is now live! What is Patreon? Patreon is a membership platform that makes it easy for creators to get paid. As a patron, you can subscribe to me, a creator, to get exclusive Patreon only content - in my case, that's online yoga classes, guided meditations and … Continue reading My Patreon page is now live!
Yesterday in my Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training we were discussing the qualities of a teacher; ranging from the voice and language they use to the space and atmosphere they create. In groups we discussed negative experiences we’d had with teachers, and we discussed positive and inspirational experiences with teachers. One thing that was apparent from … Continue reading It’s all yoga!
I wanted to share something that I’ve been trialling for the last two weeks, and that’s affirmations or self-affirmations. I’m pretty sure most of us have heard people talking about affirmations or at least seen it in films or on TV – perhaps we conjure up images of a person staring into a mirror repeating … Continue reading Daily Affirmations
This year has been incredibly challenging for me, and instead of using my practice to help me through it, I neglected it. I’m not just talking about asana (physical practice) here, I’m talking about my yoga practice in its entirety. As we move into this new month, I realise this isn’t a time for regret, … Continue reading I lost my connection to my practice.
This is a question I get asked a lot, and it's never easy to answer! When I first started to practice yoga, I bought a very cheap mat from a high street shop and it lasted me a good year before it started to show serious signs of wear and tear. However, this meant I … Continue reading Which yoga mat should I choose?
I’ve seen a few social media posts recently about ‘advanced’ yoga and 'advanced' practitioners/students/yogis (whichever term you use) and what this actually means. So often, being ‘advanced’ in yoga is seen as being ‘more flexible’, able to hold ‘complex asana’ or being able to have a stronger/more intense physical practice. I speak to people who … Continue reading What is ‘advanced’ yoga?
We like to call it [Brahmacharya] "proper application of energy", because this idea helps guide a physical practice to the appropriate edge, spending energy where it's needed and not where it isn't. Sage Roundtree & Alexandra Desiato (Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses)
On your yoga mat, this might show itself as being excessive in how often you practice, trying so many times to do an advanced posture that you injure yourself. Activity: The concept of excess can start to get very personal so as an activity, maybe just think about this yama? Have this idea in your … Continue reading Brahmacharya on your yoga mat
The fourth of the Yamas is Brahmacharya, or Nonexcess. Moderation in all our actions. Brahmacharya does roughly translate as abstinence, and some people take this to be celibacy, however many prefer to think of this in terms of nonexcess. So basically, don’t have more than you need, don’t be excessive. Still partake in enjoyable things, … Continue reading Brahmacharya (Nonexcess)
Cultural appropriation is stealing the intellectual, spiritual, cultural informational wealth of another group, such as we see happening with yoga today and for the last century. Susanna Barkataki - How to Practice Yoga Without Appropriating It (www.susannabarkataki.com) This is always a discussion that should be happening in yoga spaces but I'm specifically mentioning this now … Continue reading Cultural Appropriation
On your yoga mat, Asteya might show itself as wishing you could do a posture like the person next to you or wishing you had their figure. It could also mean showing up to class on time and respecting the time the teacher and other students are giving. Activity: Try and practice Asteya in your … Continue reading Asteya on your yoga mat
The third of the Yamas is Asteya, or Nonstealing. Not taking what does not belong to you. The obvious message here is ‘don’t steal stuff’. But this can also refer to other things too. You can ‘take’ other’s time and energy by taking advantage of them. You can desire something that someone else has that … Continue reading Asteya (nonstealing)
On your yoga mat, Satya might show itself as not being honest about what you’re capable of on that day – resulting in not giving your mind and body what they need, or potentially pushing yourself to injury. Activity: Try and practice Satya in your next yoga class/work meeting/social occasion, be honest about how you’re … Continue reading Satya on your yoga mat
Truthfulness is partnered with nonviolence…We can appreciate this statement when we begin to practice speaking our truth without causing harm to others. As partners, truthfulness keeps nonviolence from being a wimpy cop-out, while nonviolence keeps truthfulness from being a brutal weapon.Deborah Adele
The second of the Yamas is Satya, or truthfulness. Right communication through speech, writing, gesture and actions. Yes, this means telling the truth, but sometimes the truth can cause hurt which goes against Ahimsa, and Ahimsa always comes first. So, try to be truthful and honest where you can, with your words and actions, but … Continue reading Satya (truthfulness)
On your yoga mat, Ahimsa might show itself as beating yourself up for losing your balance, or perhaps judging the person on the mat next to you when they do… Activity: Try and practice Ahimsa in your next yoga class/work meeting/social occasion, speak to yourself and others with kindness!
The first of the Yamas is Ahimsa, or nonviolence. Nonviolence towards others and ourselves, and a consideration for all living things. There is more to this than just “not getting in fights” – this means being kind and thoughtful when interacting with others, but also yourself. Your words and thoughts can be just as violent … Continue reading Ahimsa (nonviolence)
Yamas translates roughly as restraints and covers our attitudes toward our environment. The yamas are: Ahimsa (Nonviolence)Satya (Truthfulness)Asteya (Nonstealing)Brahmacarya (Nonexcess)Aparigraha (Nonposessiveness) I realise that at a first glance, you can see a lot of words starting with 'Non' - however, these guidelines, or restraints, are not about limiting your life, they are about opening up … Continue reading The Yamas
Recently my, physical/asana practice has been very limited - a combination of the house move and shoulder injuries means it's just been more difficult than usual. But this doesn't mean I've not been practicing yoga. I've spent 3 years practicing asana, so now it's really nice to dedicate some time to the other areas of … Continue reading Yamas & Niyamas
Social media is a great way to keep in touch with friends, stay up-to-date with the latest news and promote your business. But it’s also easy to get lost in an unhealthy relationship with social media; it can start to take over, you live your life through a camera lens or screen, and you’re constantly … Continue reading Self-care when using social media
The eighth, and final, limb is Samadhi which is a state of unity, or a complete sense of concentration.
The seventh of the limbs is Dhyana which is often translated as meditation, though in some books I've read it is slightly different to meditation - the ability to focus and have deep mental concentration.
The sixth of the limbs is Dharana which is concentration, or the ability to direct our minds.
The fifth of the limbs is Pratyahara which is sense withdrawal or the restraint of senses. From this point on, the limbs are very new concepts to me, so I'll wait to go into more details until I'm more familiar with them myself.
"To approach your practice intelligently means to know all the implications of what you want to do, whether that be Asana or Pranayama, and to make appropriate preparations and adjustments." T.K.V Desikachar's The Heart of Yoga. The passage in the book goes on to give the example of wanting to travel overseas - it's not … Continue reading Making appropriate adjustments in your practice
The fourth of the limbs is Pranayama which is breath control and the practice of breathing exercises. I've done a little bit of Pranayama work in my regular yoga class, and we practiced a few techniques in a workshop I attended at the Natural History Museum in London. Some of the practices made me feel … Continue reading Pranayama
The third of the limbs is Asana. These are the physical postures of yoga and are what a lot of people think of when the term Yoga is used.
The second of the limbs is Niyama, or the Niyamas. This translates roughly as 'observances' and includes our attitudes toward ourselves. The Niyamas also have 5 elements which I'll be covering later. When discussing the Niyamas here, I'll often be referencing the work of Deborah Adele and the book 'The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga's … Continue reading Niyama, or the Niyamas
The first of the limbs is Yama, or the Yamas. This translates roughly as 'restraints' and includes our attitudes toward our environment. The Yamas have 5 elements which I'll cover in the future. When discussing the Yamas here, I'll often be referencing the work of Deborah Adele and the book 'The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring … Continue reading Yama, or the Yamas
"In its exported manifestation, yoga has tended to focus on the physical aspect of the system of yoga, the Asanas, or stretching poses and postures, which most Western adherents of yoga practice in order to stay trim, supple and healthy. Patanjali himself, however, pays minimal attention to the Asanas, which are the third stage of … Continue reading The Eight Limbs of Yoga
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are a series of 196 short statements (sutras) concerning yoga. I'll go into the sutras in more detail as I work my way through them in my own learning, but I first of all wanted to introduce the Eight Limbs of Yoga, which form part of the Yoga Sutras. Over … Continue reading Eight Limbs of Yoga
On the way to my teacher training I was full of nerves and anxiety - don’t get me wrong, I was incredibly excited. But it was those Imposter Syndrome thoughts creeping in. ‘Who am I to think that I can teach yoga?’ ‘I can’t do many of the advanced poses, how am I supposed to … Continue reading My first weekend of Yoga Teacher Training!
According to WeAreSocial.com, almost 3.5 billion people are now active on social media; this is 45% of the world’s population (https://wearesocial.com/uk/digital-2019) With social media being so popular, it’s even more important to ensure that your social media pages are accessible for your audience. What do I mean by accessible? Accessibility covers many different things, but … Continue reading Top tips to make your social media pages more accessible
Accessible Yoga with Sarah 