Happy Cat

Not every day is the same and that is also the case with my yoga practice.

Today was one such day, I was really looking forward to it, mainly because I had been feeling a bit run down due to work load etc and I knew it would make me feel better.

Our instructor arrived looking full of 'sun salutation' as usual..she has a way of making me instantly feel fab, she is just so bubbly and full of energy

Practice starts with a gentle flow from  bitilasana ( cow pose ) through to  marjaryasana ( cat pose ),

A lovely gentle stretch to start our practice.

This warms and stretches my spine and helps me to let go of the stresses of the week, it is an opportunity to open the chest and allow the breath to become slow and calm, inhaling through the nose, filling the lungs with oxygen, at the same time allowing the belly to drop towards the mat and lift the chin and chest and look upwards ( cow pose )... pausing momentarily,  then exhale through the mouth, drawing naval to spine and at the same time rounding the back toward the ceiling, and releasing the head toward the mat gently ( cat pose ). 

This has the effect of bringing me immediately into the moment, focusing on inhaling/exhaling deeply into the asana (poses ) using the breath to flow effortlessly from one to the other.

We repeat this 10 times breathing more deeply/slowly with each move, 

coming to rest, sitting back on heels in an upright position.  

Feeling Purrfect 😻 😉

Benefits of these asana include

• encourages flexibility to the spine
• stretches muscles in back, hip, torso, neck, shoulders
• stimulates internal organs
• opening lungs

time flies

Wow   when did that happen....

It surely does.... can not believe how the weeks are flying by...

So we had our lovly holiday in Cyprus..( and I havnt even got time to blog about it!!!! )

Main reason...... I am throwing myself into this Yoga course ( and I have not got enough time )

i am on a time schedule to get my Yoga journal in  ( 60 hours worth!!! )

and yes...of course I am doing that amount of classes etc but fitting so many classes in and then finding time to write about them is proving almost impossible.....I love doing the classes but not so keen on doing the write up after 😒

Good thing is 2 assignments done, so on wards and upwards we go  ....

I attended a fantastic yoga workshop this weekend and I hope to be able to tell all..but not just now...

Just to say ..It was amazing ....full of love and calm and laughter  ...( yes 'laughter'...because its good for the soul... yes really )..oh yes and stretching!!!!  😘

And of course there are still all the mundane things to tackle....

....... so time is flying 

and the day is passing me by

and if I dont start this journal...

there will be water in my eye!!!!!

( sorry .. 😘 )

Have a fab day

Now that is amazing

Good afternoon   😃

So its the weekend...and got to say this week has fled by..

I swear if I would of blinked I would of missed it... ( but people say as you get older times goes quicker !!! on that note ... there's nothing we can do about it so enjoy and make the best of it😉)

 So it has been quite an eventful week for me..

6 days at the gym..doing either body balance or yoga 😊 , in concession  ..now I must say thats new for me

had annual check up at GP... told me I have high blood pressure..

yep thats new for me too...

And apparently  I am now nearly 5ft 3inches ( nearly 1.61544 metres)...and thats definitely new for me   ( because Ive always been 5ft 2 !!!! )

And apparently its the yoga thats done it 😉 ( hope thats not the cause of the high B/P  😕) lol

And I'm damn happy about that ( no, not that its the yoga...the fact that I'm taller!!! yes I know its only half an inch...but its half an inch taller..NOT shorter...😊🙌)

So by the end of the year I should be 5ft 4   right? 😜

I always wished I was taller....

So onwards and upwards as they say 😗

Blood pressure...high...u must b high!!!

Symptoms of very high blood pressure

If your blood pressure is extremely high, there may be certain symptoms to look out for including:

• Severe headache
• Fatigue or confusion
• Vision problems
• Chest pain
• Difficulty breathing
• Irregular heartbeat
• Blood in the urine
• Pounding in your chest, neck or ears.... 
•   ( as reported on Boots website )

Tick box...

Severe headache.....at certain times of the month I do have very bad headaches...

Fatigue...of course ..sometimes.. ( but then again I get up between 5 and 6 am...go to the gym..shop etc

so yes...about 3pm I could do with a nap..but never do..and am still going at 10pm most evenings )

Vision problems.... I guess you could say yes....I've worn contact lenses for 30 years!!😁

Chest pain... NO...

Difficulty breathing... NO

Irregular heartbeat... NO  ( i dont think )

Blood in the urine... NO

Pounding in chest, neck, ears...occasionally have palpitations   

So when I was told I couldnt go into the gym because my blood pressure was high...you could of knocked me over with a feather...literally...

'U need to see the Dr first'

I thought she was having a laugh... ( and yes I know its no laughing matter....I completely sympathise with anyone who suffers from it...family members have...so I am familiar with it )

But I was shell shocked...I class myself as being very healthy and never really seen myself as having health problems ( thank The Lord )

So over the last couple of days I have approached anyone who was able  and asked them to take my B/P

i.e. drs. pharmacy.

'I just need a letter to show to the gym so as they can see I have not got a problem with my B/P'

I told them

Each one one showed high blood pressure!!!!  How can that be?

And yes the more I asked them to take it again...the more it went up!!!!

So now I have to be monitored for 24 hrs to get an average!!!!

God only knows what that is gonna flag up!!

 To control/prevent high B/P 

• Keep your weight at a healthy level: you can achieve this by a combination of healthy eating and regular exercise.
• Eat a healthy diet: this includes eating only the amount of food your body needs and choosing foods high in nutrients and low in fat, sugar and salt.
• Limit how much salt you eat: just avoiding adding salt to your meal plate or when cooking, and limiting how much processed foods you consume, can make a huge difference.
• Limit how much alcohol you drink.
• Don’t smoke tobacco: and minimise your exposure to secondhand smoke(passive smoking).
• Get regular exercise: try to get at least 30 minutes of activity each day. Exercise relieves stress and helps you control your weight.
• Don’t let stress build up: the chemicals your body makes in response to stress make your heart beat harder and faster and your blood vessels tighten. All this makes blood pressure higher.

Moral of the story   

Just because... I eat a healthy diet..dont smoke...not overweight...exercise regularly...do yoga...does not mean that I am healthy....and that I am NOT going to get high B/P

( but be assured I will continue to do my best to be healhy 😉😜 and that will even include a glass of the red stuff occasionally )

. GO FIGURE

Meditation after yoga

Yoga goes hand in hand with meditation
I'm very new to this and already enjoy some of the benefits

 I think its fair to say that some meditation sessions go better than others

( sometimes my mind can be all over the place and thoughts jumping in to my head one  after another and all I can hear is a clash of voices in my head....and then another time I can listen to the instructor and feel very calm ) 

Today was one such day.....

The instructor was fab..as usual

The class went really well and at the end I was well ready for the reward which came in the form of a 10 minute session of beautiful calm stillness..

10 minutes dosnt sound long but when its spent being still and listening to your breath it can be very beneficial and very beautiful..

it gives us the opportunity to forget our worries and stresses ..even if only for a few minutes

it gives us the opportunity to completely relax

to take a mental picture of our bodies

to slow our breathing and extend our relaxation

And the more we practice it ..the better we become ...and if we practised it for a life time... there would still be more to know

          Our instructor always ends the session, reminding us to remember the moment, the feeling, the calm...

And to take it with us ..to recall it when our next stressful moment looms....and it will

it could be tomorrow..next week..next month

Remember the calm..... And return to it 

Adho Mukha Svanasana,

Namasta ....respectful greetings to you all..

pleased to say my back is feeling a lot better and I am grateful to be able to get back to some exercise...
although its fair to say that I did exercise and stretch whilst I had back ache, and I do believe it helped a lot... although it has to be done very carefully and not to a point where there is acute pain..
( but that is just my personal way of dealing with back ache..and it might not suit every one )

I am back to my Yoga and Body Balance and I am loving it....dont really know how I got along without these in my life...I am very keen ( and a little impatient)  to improve ..and yes I know thats NOT what yoga is about 😉

my 'Adho Mukha Svanasana' downward dog is still presenting me with a few problems... ( as are a lot of the asana's..lol )
very keen to get my heels down close to the floor but this always gives me pain in my right heel!!!
and I am trying to be really good and patient ( lol ..me patient..😉)
as I know that if I try to get my heel to the floor then its never going to heel....so little and often is the course of action 
I am hoping that this course of action will allow it to heal ( no pun intended ) completely and although it will definitely take longer, i will eventually be able to work on getting those heels down....

In this instance... Pain would not Gain me anything....

Breathe..

No pain no gain....

Good morning (and i use the term loosely 😉....)
too early to be up really....
But the back has won again...
Yes its still ruling the roost...
It still painful especially when lay down....
but on the plus side...it is marginally better
wouldnt like to say I found a magical cure ( unfortunately 😐)
more likely to be a combination of stretching, keeping mobile, body balance ( just working to sensible level ) yoga, mudra 
(not many pain killers to be fair )
so I will be at my balance class later on and hope and pray ( oh yes prayers are always good )
that it continues to get better
unbelievable the affect that a bad back has on your life....  
( truly feel sorry for people who suffer from it on a regular basis )
it has made me feel miserable, incapable, tired, slow, irritable, unbalanced ( too name a few )
cant believe that it has actually been responsible for injuring myself more !!!
bumping into things, not being quick enough to avoid things,,,
due to not wanting to injure my back more!!!
the list is endless!! 
just from a bad back!!!
so I will definitely be careful in future....try to build more core strength...and check my posture etc

back pain mudra...

Its fair to say that if we are in pain most of us will try most things...

this usually starts with some basic pain killers...
which sometimes if the pain is mild can be very helpful I've found..

then moving onto stronger painkillers if no relief is found....

And then the list goes on depending on the pain and WHERE it is!!!
Getting professional help is an option for some...( but by the time you get to see a GP its probably better!!! )

could remove the offending body part!!!!!😱
( ie a tooth etc  😉.)
 ( and quite often my hair because that gives me great pain most days when I look in the mirror😦)

But I've found that back ache/pain is one on its own!!!! 
(literally a pain in the #### )
rest it is usually the advice... (then ts goes stiff and you cease up )
take pain killers..(in my experience they dont work..unless you have perscription drugs < then back to the time scale with GP!! )
massage it...hmmmm I cant reach it....(because it hurts to twist !!)😓
stretching exercises ( as in yoga ) yes these can  give some relief...but again its how long it takes
( and as any one who has back ache knows... the longer it lasts..the worse it seems..mainly due to the fact that we assume this ridiculous body position to get away from the pain !!! )
Which in turn gives us aches elsewhere!!!
So I am going to try good old fashioned Mudra

Back pain Mudra

This also gives me an opportunity to explore this fascinating area of yoga

how does my body feel since yoga

probably not the best day to do this blog....
(back not good... due to a long windey car journey.... i think )

but hey...any day is a good day to blog..( or do yoga 😉 )

so its been about 4 months since I started to do yoga classes..( I must be honest this was mainly due to the fact that we lost our body balance instructor )
but to say it has turned my life around is an understatement.....

I absolutely love my new yoga class and our instructor is amazing ( thank u )
Yes it is very hard most days..pushing me to my absolute limit
 ( and I know yoga is about your own limits and a gentle maximum, but I am competitive, even with myself and I do like to challenge myself...but thats just me)
Every one should work to their personal best OR indeed to where they are at on a particular day.

Obviously due to doing body balance I am familiar with some of the positions..but not with the correct names
SAVASANA: corpse pose....etc
( lol..this is the pose I need most at the end of a class 😉)

I am very keen to learn these..( they are so difficult to pronounce )

Back to how I feel....
I feel stronger ..more flexible..more positive...more chilled
And yes I have lost a few pounds..partially due to change of diet I will admit..( but I do think the idea of yoga has made me feel like I want to be healthier )


Its early days yet I am very eager to continue with my yoga and to see if the improvements last....hopefully for a lifetime....    

do i need to be a vegetarian

this is a question that often comes up in conversation when people realise you do yoga

R u a vegetarian????

If I want to be a PROPER yogi...do I have to be vegetarian...

( and obviously I asked the question myself as I am very serious about yoga...) but didnt particularly want to change what I ate.

Most people see yogis as a litttle bit hippie...a little bit stretchy...a litle bit strange
and almost definitley Vegetarian.....right?

This is a general stigma that for many years, was attached to yogis...

yes Yoga has always been closely associated with vegetarianism....
perhaps due to the following

• Indias ancient hindu beliefs
• may be for climate reasons ( eating vegetables/fruit etc safer than meat in hot climates)
• or because of the attitude of non-violence towards animals etc 

yes vegey food is considered wholesome..but yogis do not rule out fish or meat

humans in the large, are omnivorous... ( mainly !!)  as such will have survived on a very varied diet

I think what is important is moderation....

If your present diet is not working for you..than look at others

and Yoga is about being the best you can...working in unity with yourself...

    am I a typical yogi.....

with yoga becoming very popular it has adapted, as have the people who now practise yoga
many people with high profile jobs find it very beneficial for de-stressing ( particularly the meditation side)
also it has been introduced to professional sports people, again due to benefits ( both mental and physical )
people in the media also rave about yoga and the benefits....which has helped with its new found popularity..
So I think its fair to say that not all of these people would want to follow a vegetarian diet...

so as we progress and learn more about yoga...we realsie that we  want to eat what is good for us and what makes us feel good...

everything in moderation........

Namaste

Namaste.....????

Some of you may be looking at the screen in confusion....
has she changed language?
has she mis-typed
has she been drinking ( possibly 😉)

I'm guessing a lot more will recognise it as a 'Yoga term '

The literal translation of the word “Namaste” breaks down into three sections…Nama means bow; as means I; and, te means you. Thus, I bow to you. The gesture is one of greeting in India. Most often we hold our hands together in the prayer position at our heart chakra. Often our hands move from our third eye to our heart in acknowledgment of our teacher. And usually Namaste is said at the end of a class, but it is equally appropriate to utter it at the beginning as well.

greetings to you....

its fair to say that I am loving my yoga...and love discovering something different every day
problem is ..I am in such a hurry to learn more that I am jumping from one new thing to another without really taking anything in....

But I guess this is true of so many things in life...especially when we are loving them...
racing along to discover the next new wonderful chapter

( and really I need to slow down and enjoy the moment...enjoy today ....enjoy everything about it....the smells, the sounds, the sensations, the sorroundings,the sights... the discovery )

wow... the 5  'S'  lol  😉

I hope you will enjoy being with me on my journey ...not just my yoga journey....but my life journey

Make it one of your one aday

It makes sense...

go on....make Yoga one of your one a day...😃

even if you just manage to find 10 minutes a day

thats 50 minutes a week
( thats with weekends off 😉 )

200 minutes a month...
wow ...

and all it starts with is 10 minutes a day...
it will be as familiar as brushing you teeth or 
doing your hair...

Benefits enjoyed include....

increased flexibility
increased strength
increased core strength
increased balance ( surprisingly )
increased calm..ummmm
increased control
and so much more

surprise yourself...start a little journal....a daily diary....and just be wowwed with your journey
but always remember...its your journey...not a competition with any one else....
listen to your body...be kind to yourself...be gentle on yourself....and just go to your gentle maximum
and each day is a new day....
just because today didnt feel improved....tomorrow may do....

Let yourself be amazed.....

Namaste

Yoga day

Loving my Yoga ...loving our new Yoga instructor....loving how it makes me feel...

so after we lost our body balance instructor its fair to say that I didnt think Id feel the same about any other class..

BUT...

here I am ...couple of months on and I am loving my Yoga classes

Its tough .. but our instructor is awesome... she makes us feel anything is possible

I am not just enjoying the asanas..but also the meditation...

I feel I am a lot more relaxed, that I can really get into the mode...

I know its just the beginning of my yoga journey and I am looking forward to it...

So in the word of our instructor......BREATHE

(lovin it)

calm and beautiful

so this is my day so far today...beautiful...spiritually calm...chilled..
Why ??
not for any particular reason.. but I woke up..I'm breathing..and smiling...do we need any other reason to have a fab day....?

( which is a million miles away from the awful day I had 2 days ago ...
I will probably blog about it soon ..when I feel able to revisit it!!! 🤢)

Although I havnt done a yoga class for a few days ..I do feel that I am benefiting from it..even when I am not in a class.
not just physically but mentally too

have your day is fab too

Cant I do the tadpole

So our very lovly yoga instructor said it would be a good idea to have a go at the frog pose - Mandukasana
mandu: frog
asana: pose

      benefits include...stretching the inner thigh, groin and hip areas. Go slowly and don’t push your body beyond its limits.  ( she said )
well that wont be difficult because my limits seemed to be confined to being on all fours!!! ( i have a very long journey ) oh my days
and the pain...for days after.....


I have since suggested that my body may be more suited to the tadpole!!!!
my hips definitly dont want anything to do with a frog!!!
in any shape or form

a frog in your throat???  probably the best place for it 😉

Mandukasana (man-doo-KAHS-uh-nuh), also known as the Frog Pose, is a simple yet intensive pose that frees your spirit while alleviating back pain. Before attempting this pose, ensure your knees are warm and are able to bend completely. Start slowly, in child’s pose, to test your flexibility before beginning the pose. During each exercise, make sure to maintain a focus on your breathing. ( as described by www.gaia.com )

Surya namaskar

so this is how I start the day...not quite Surya namaskar...( its the easy option 😉 )

I am enjoying my new yoga classes so much....( but why didnt someone tell me how hard it is!!! )

I thought my body balance used to wear me out ......well move over body balance cus Yoga is going to really challenge you!!!!

my body ached in a new way after my 1st class....I felt strong and challenged....with a yearning for more

our instructor is just amazing...beautiful and confident and informative

she actually puts me in the mind of a ray of sunshine

her inner beauty shining through

Namaste

50 something and a li'l stiff

So I want to do yoga 👌

We'll ok I said to myself...
I started following these yogis  ( is that even a word !! )
They are all beautiful lean individuals who r so flexible it blows my mind...
Now I have to b realistic I say
U r 50 + ( I tell myself )
Who am I kidding ...I cudnt of done those positions the day I came into the world ( God give me strength!!! Or flexibility lol... or both !!!! )

(yogaforjoy.com)

but i will persevere!!!!