British Wheel of Yoga Foundation course

Well done to all the students of our British Wheel of Yoga (BWY) Foundation course for completing successfully! Sunday 21st of February was our last day and it was a fantastic but also very sad to say goodbye after spending 10 months together. We met once a month on Sundays for six hours and we gradually got to know each other and developed a trusting relationship. People brought in lovely homemade food that we shared for lunch and there was so much laughter and joy.

The course was quite intensive but once it got going everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. It was a pleasure to see their development and watch their confidence grow over time. The course emphasises finding your own personal journey in yoga and the syllabus covers wide range of techniques including Pranayama, Mudra and Kriya to name a few.

Everyone (except one student who sadly had to leave the course early due to serious illness) completed successfully and received the BWY Foundation certificate. About half of these decided to go on to do the teacher training course. Those that did have commented on how useful this course was and some even said that they would have felt completely ‘drowned’ if they didn’t do the foundation first.

About ten years ago, I also did my foundation course and it provided a great basis for my further studies. Teacher training can be really demanding and this course gives you a taster of what’s to come without the pressure of doing too much homework, assignment or assessment. It is also very rewarding to do the course simply for your own learning and personal development.

As the last course was so successful, I am going to be running another BWY foundation course from May 2015. To find out more, please follow this link. There has been quite a lot of interest already so please apply soon if you think you may like to do the course.

Yoga for Cyclists

I recently started to cycle to work and now ride almost everyday to my yoga classes around Bristol. I love cycling; it’s fast, convenient and environmentally friendly. I also feel great and see the mental and physical benefits from cycling. I feel stronger and really enjoy the wind brushing against my skin.

However, as with most strenuous activities it’s beneficial to make sure that you stretch before and after exercising and I believe that this is also true for cycling.

Because I hadn’t cycled much since I was a teenager, I really noticed how it affected my body. I was getting tight, especially in my legs and hips. I also found that my shoulders and back were collapsing and rounding.

After reading articles on the benefits of yoga for cyclists and experimenting with my own yoga practice, I decided to run workshops on this topic. I believe that simple regular yoga stretches can be immensely beneficial for all cyclists. It can soothe tired muscles and help you to avoid and recover from injury more quickly. The holistic approach of yoga practice will encourage balance and harmony in both mind and the body.

A well constructed yoga practice can help you to improve your cycling performance and can be an excellent cross training programme for more serious cyclists. Yoga is great for improving concentration and relaxation especially in challenging situations which will be useful in competitions. Best of all, it will help you to continue doing what you love for longer.

Yoga For Your Posture

What is a healthy posture? A good posture is one that is balanced, relaxed, and long lasting. Healthy posture allows natural movement of energy within our bodies and minds. On the other hand, poor posture tends to be unbalanced, tensed and collapsed, causing mental and physical strain that could otherwise be avoided.

In the yoga asana (posture) practice we look for the quality of ‘Sthira Sukham’. The Sanskrit word ‘Sthira’ can be translated to mean firm, steady or lasting and ‘Sukham’ refers to happiness, delight and comfort. Therefore, we are looking for a steady and comfortable posture. You will find that when these qualities exist at the same time, it will naturally be long lasting and sustainable.

So how can we achieve these qualities? First of all, it seems obvious but one of the most important factors for improving your posture is awareness. Like most things, without awareness it’s difficult to make conscious lasting changes. Although, at first this seems like a simple advice, it’s actually really hard to be aware of your posture, especially when you’re concentrating on something else. For example, working on a computer or doing the house work. We tend to only notice our posture when parts of our body start to ache as a result of being in a bad position for too long.

How can we be more aware of our body when we are focusing on something else? Bizarrely, the key to this answer is again awareness or attentiveness. If we are more conscious of how we use our body in our everyday life, we can know when we’ve collapsed our posture. It’s then easier to pay more attention during this time and make the necessary adjustments. Although, it sound easy this is a continuous process and we need to adapt and be mindful as our life changes.

The good news is that more yoga practice you do, more attentive and aware you can be of your body and mind. Regular asana practice will help to create a relaxed and strong body and mind, and help to create healthier and more balanced posture.

Pranayama: Breathing Technique

Learning how to breathe properly is an essential part of yoga practice. Breath is often said to be the link between the mind and the body and yogis have always placed a great emphasis on the importance of the breath.

Breathing practice or Pranayama is the fourth limb of the eight limb of yoga called Raja yoga and encompasses the whole aspects of the yoga practice. The book of Hatha Yoga Pradipika demonstrates the essential role that the breath plays on the mental and physical wellbeing of the practitioner:

‘When the breath is unsteady, the mind is unsteady. When the breath is steady, the mind is steady, and the yogi becomes steady…’.

There are lots of different breathing techniques but you don’t necessarily need to use complicated breathing methods to gain benefit. In fact, if you’re new to breathing practice, it’s best to start by simply noticing the breath and finding out how you tend to breathe. Breathing is a semi-automatic system so it’s possible to breathe in an erratic and even in a stressful way without you noticing.

Due to modern day stress, many people have learnt to breathe in a shallow and fast way all of the time. This way of breathing encourages the sympathetic nervous system to trigger and cause unnecessary stress and tension in the mind and the body. Most noticeably, the secondary breathing muscles, the neck and the shoulders, become chronically tight and cause you to feel stressed and on the edge for no reason.

A simple breathing technique called 'diaphragmatic breathing' can help to re-train the body to breathe from the primary breathing muscles which helps to calm and aid relaxation. If you find it difficult to breathe in this way, try placing your hands on the diaphragm as this is a great way to direct the breath from the right place. Another technique is to concentrate on the exhalation of your breath as it will naturally encourage your inhalation become deeper. Make sure that you gradually lengthen and deepen the breath and try to avoid straining as this will be counter productive.

Spending several minutes preparing the breath before you begin your asana (posture) practice can really help to tune and open your breath. It also encourages you to stay in the present moment and help you to concentrate. If you find it difficult to sit in an upright position, you can always choose to lie down or sit on a chair or a cushion as it’s crucial to have your chest opened and your spine lengthened.

I have personally found that breathing properly has helped me to stay relaxed and grounded, helping me to progress within my yoga practice and provided me an excellent tool to cope with challenges in my everyday life.

If you’re interested in exploring your breathing further, I recommend that you read Donna Farhi’s ‘The Breathing Book’.

Handy Tips: Slippy hands

This is for people who find it difficult to hold poses such as downward facing dog or plank pose because of their hands slipping on yoga mats. If you have this issue, read on!

If you moisturise your hands, then make sure that you wash them before you practice. Cream and yoga mats don’t tend to mix and it will make your hands more slippery.

If you have your own mat and it’s new, wash it as I’ve found that new mats tend to slip a lot more. I was told that new mats have a layer of chemicals on them that make it much slippier. It is a good idea to buy your own yoga mat because it will encourage you to practice at home and it’s more hygienic. Plus, I have found that some yoga mats slip more than others so you could buy non-slip ones. They can be purchased online and in some high street stores.

Another alternative is to buy yoga gloves with grips. You can get these for your feet too and it is said that they are good for travelling as you can use them without a yoga mat. I’ve never tried this myself but I know that they are available from specialised yoga shops. Some of my students use tissues instead and it seems to work for them. If your hands are sweaty, it’s worth using a towel to wipe your hands as you practice. You can also buy specialist chalk that is used by climbers and I’ve been told that this really works.

Failing all this is, you could try practice these postures on the forearms instead of your hands. For example, forearm dog instead of downward dog.

I hope you find a creative way to combat slipping hands and enjoy your practice!

Downward Facing Dog

I recently wrote an article for the Clifton Life magazine on releasing the lower back. This pose is a wonderful pose not only for back problems but great for strengthening and improving flexibility for your legs and shoulders. We practice downward facing dog all the time in my classes and it gets easier more that you practice.

Q. I suffer from lower back problems. What can I do to alleviate the pain?

A. Back problems are one of the most common complaints in modern day life. There are plenty of exercises and asanas (postures) you can do to help alleviate lower back issues but it’s also important to find ways of future prevention. Bringing awareness to your everyday posture and alignment and strengthening core stability muscles is one of the first steps to preserving a strong back.

Daily Yoga practice is one of the most effective ways of improving and preventing back problems. The following pose is ideal for stretching the lower back and building a strong abdominal area. It will also strengthen your upper body and release the backs of the legs.

1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward facing dog)

Come into a table top position, on your hands and knees. Spreading your fingers wide, placing your hands shoulder width apart and knees directly underneath your hips. With a deep exhalation, lift your knees and buttocks upwards; try to lift your sitting bones high and tuck your tailbone under to engage your core stability muscles. Keep your arms straight and strong and open the chest, bringing length to the sides of the body. Work towards getting your heels on the ground. Make sure that your shoulders and neck are relaxed. Breathe deep and smoothly throughout the pose.

Modification: If you have tight hamstrings, bend the knees so that you can lengthen your lower back effectively.