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Are you one of the majority of people that suffers from poor posture from constantly looking down at a desk or mobile phone???

Well if so, then recent research is showing some very scary health implications that are much more serious than just “looking” hunched over.

Repetitively sitting with the head slumped forwards, leads to the soft tissues of the neck and shoulders becoming “solidified” in that position, which leads to a permanently hunched posture. This can lead to true hyperkyphosis of the spine, and chronic pain as the spine has to try and support the weight of the head in an unnatural alignment. If you hadn’t noticed your head weighs A LOT!

Even more terrifying is that researchers have now discovered that this can lead to medical issues similar to , but separate from, osteoporosis, such as vertebral fractures, and as we get older can severely impair our mobility, stability and quality of life. 

So take a break from the lure of that electronic device and spend a bit more time looking out into the world. Not only will it allow you to engage more with your surroundings and enhance your current quality of life, but it could dramatically improve your health!!!!

Needless to say a regular yoga practice can really help to improve our awareness of where our bodies are in space and allow us to make little changes in our everyday lives to stave off these detrimental changes.

Happy yoga-ing 🙂

 

Exciting times!!

There are some additions coming to the Yoga Warriors timetable.

Monday and Wednesday classes are continuing on as normal at the same time and in the same venues. 

Private 1:1 sessions are also now available (contact me for more details) and there will be blocks of beginners and prenatal classes running from the end of August so please keep checking the page for new developments and more information.

I am also planning on running some weekend workshops so watch this space!!

Feel free to contact me for more information 🙂

 

Hi !!

It’s been a while since I last posted anything on here!

It is hard to write something that you think at least one other person might read when you are struggling to find inspiration. So I’m writing this one for me!

Like many people I have been searching for that elusive “thing” that will make everything fall into place. I don’t think it exists. There are far too many variables in life.

As someone who has spent their whole life terrified of change – or at least making a move towards the “wrong” change, I have finally discovered that I crave a more nomadic lifestyle.

Maybe not in the physical sense of moving away from all the people and things that are important to me and that form my home (although some travel is always exciting), but definitely in the sense of being less anchored by the things the make up my day to day life.

So I have decided to become a slightly freer spirit, letting my path go where it may and for the first time ever am moving forward without a definitive plan of exactly where this path might lead. It is so exciting to think about all the opportunities that I may stumble across, and the things that I can learn without the fog of expectation. Maybe this new direction will lead me to achieve something great – or maybe not, but I’m ok with that.

Set yourself free of the constraints of the box you are in and allow yourself to be open to what might come along – unless you want to be in the box in which case that’s great too. Just be true to yourself 🙂

We have probably all seen the inspirational word quote “in a world where you can be anything, be kind”!

It is such a simple premise but can be harder than you think. Sometimes it can be hard not to express frustration towards other people or a situation that is out of our control. And remember, once something is out there you can’t take it back!!!

Yoga teaches us to show kindness and compassion towards all living things (ahimsa). Maybe its something as small as a smile or a simple thank you, or maybe making someone a cup of tea or coffee at work without being asked.

Yoga however, also teaches us to be kind to ourselves.

I am a firm believer that how we feel inside is inevitably portrayed outwards, regardless of how hard we try to keep our feelings to ourselves. So it goes without saying that if we feel a bit rubbish, physically or mentally, then this will frequently be translated into how we deal with the things and people around us, even if in the most subtle of ways.

So this week I would encourage you to keep the cheesy tagline in your thoughts – BE KIND. Be kind to others but maybe most importantly be kind to YOURSELF!!!!

Maybe that means taking 5 minutes to stand or walk outside in the fresh air, or have a relaxing bath. Or maybe find the time for some extra home yoga practice.

We also need to be mindful of what we put in and on our bodies. Fuelling ourselves with healthy, nutritious and most of all tasty meals will inevitably make us feel better. But what about the things we put on our bodies? We don’t always think about the fact that although our skin filters a lot of the things we come into contact with, a portion of everything we touch will be absorbed into our systems. I recently started to use a new brand of skincare that is formulated from all natural products and free from a multitude of “sins”. (Feel free to message me if you want to know what I’m using). The difference in how my skin looks and feels is truly amazing.

So whatever you need to do to give yourself some TLC, make the time and don’t feel guilty.

Remember that by taking time to self nourish you will actually be spreading that benefit to everyone around you.

Namaste

It’s all in your head!

More specifically it’s in your face!

We all know that feeling of tension from a stressful day or situation, and the most noticeable place to be aware of it is usually the neck, shoulders and upper back. We feel the need to stretch these areas especially if we have been hunched over a computer or work station.

But have you ever noticed how much tension you hold in your face?

I know I do! I have become all too aware that at times where I am really focused or concerned about something I transfer all of my stress into my face, clenching my teeth, and to make matters worse I have become very aware that at the same time I forget to breathe properly!

We don’t always have or manage to find the time to do a full yoga practice, but maybe today you can take a minute (or even better – 5) to evaluate how much you are holding your emotions in the muscles of your face. Are you furrowing your brow? Are you squinting your eyes or wrinkling your nose? And the biggest one of all are you clenching your teeth?

The tension we hold in our face is often overlooked as we focus on the much bigger muscle groups of the neck and shoulders, but not addressing this leads to a huge amount of pent up stress!

I suffered for ages from pain down the right side of my neck and shoulder and no amount of stretching or massages could ever seem to give any sort of lasting relief – until I started to focus on the tension I was holding in my jaw.

So maybe you can try and take a little time for you every day and put aside 5 mins (or more if you have it) to try this little relaxation to help you to release some of the tension from your face.

Honestly it will make a huge difference!

Find a comfortable seat (maybe cross legged on a cushion or blanket) but try not to slouch. It might be helpful to find a particular piece of music that can run for the time you have available and this can act as a clock for you, so that you can switch off and not worry about how long you have to do the exercise.

Close your eyes and then gently close your mouth and focus on breathing gently and deeply through your nose. Make sure that your jaw muscles are relaxed by having a small gap between your teeth and maybe pressing your tongue into the roof of the mouth to prevent you from clenching your jaw.

As you settle, mentally scan your face and be aware of any tension you are holding in your forehead, eyes or cheeks.

Then start to gently press into the temples and rub little circles with your fingers, taking the circle one way then the other.

Then gently press along the bone at the bottom of the eye socket before pressing firmly but gently at the bottom outside corner of the nostrils, and then pressing with your thumbs along the underside of the cheekbones until you reach the muscle at the joint of the jaw. Pause here and gently massage the muscle with the index and middle finger for 1-2 minutes. Try not to let any tension creep into your shoulders while you do this.

At the end of the time just relax your arms and hands and take several deep slow breaths.

You can do this little exercise at any time of the day but it’s probably really lovely to do as you try to unwind before you head off to bed, or even sitting or lying comfortably in bed before you drop off to sleep. If nothing else then just taking a moment for yourself will let you tune in to what is really important.

Hopefully this can help you as much as it has helped me and is a lovely reminder that we can’t always get rid of the things in life that cause stress and anxiety, but we can take a little bit of time for ourselves to try and reduce the effects that these things have on us.

‘When everything around me is moving so fast, I stop and ask, “is it the world that’s busy,or is it my mind?” ‘   (from The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down – Haemin Sunim)