has it really been 25 days !

That really is unbelievable....its been 25 days since my last post
January was just coming to an end...and in the blink of an eye its now nearly the end of February.... )

This month has been equally as crazy as last month.
So last week was my 1st class ( I say class it was actually me stepping in for someone to do the meditation at the end of a class )  thats another blog

3!!!!  of my grandchildren had birthdays in february  you would have thought the mothers could have been a bit more considerate 😉


Still persevering with my new job ( 6 weeks now )

Am over the moon as I submitted my 1st yoga paper and passed, thank the Lord!  I did put an absurd amount of work i and was quite often burning the midnight oil writing, but so thrilled to see it pay off, 3 to go and 2 exams to sit, no pain no gain!!!!

Have my 1st 'proper yoga class ' to teach next week.  yes very nervous.  but its got to be done.

focusing on my classes, body balance mainly,  (I need it for my sanity)

Also just started a daily yoga regime at home ( vinyasa flow ) 6 days in ...phewwwww

Feeling exhausted, but in a good way ( i think 😉)

Thank you for joining me on my journey

Namaste

Am I glad to get that out of the way

Yoga Practical Assessment Looming...And breathe

Its fair to say that I love yoga, but I'm guessing you know that from my blogs

But this last 6 months have really challenged me, in every sense..

6 months preparing for my practical exam ( to enable me to instruct a class ) eat breathe and sleep yoga 

which as we all know does not make me an expert...far from it

So the day Arrived, the day I had been dreading since I was given my assessment date ( 6 months ago ) and I was really nervous.

The idea of teaching a group of strangers was very scary.

I thought I had gone over every single thing, checking paperwork, obtaining all relevant equipment ( blocks straps mats etc ) making sure my journal was up to date, ensuring water was available, AND, practising my routine til I really couldnt remember wether I was on my right or left side.

I must of gone over everything 100 times!!!!

It didnt start well,  How ever I managed it I will never know ( I had forgot an essential piece of coursework! how could that be? ) The worst possible scenario had showed itself!!!!

So my assessor  advised me to complete it there on the day, (how could I do that) which was not just stressful but really annoying because I wasnt able to do it to my standard, but I had to submit it or fail, before I'd even started

And all that achieved was to make me even more stressed...arghhhh

I did my practical ( even though I just wanted to run and hide myself, somewhere I found the strength and calm to complete it )

No it wasnt how I would have liked it to have been, but I did it

~He wasnt going to give me a pass~

no way...but hey I gave it my best shot

I was invited in to speak to my assessor and get my feedback, he said he knew I had had a stressful day ( tell me about it ) he asked me several questions about my class and how I would progress it ( which really irritated me, because what did it matter if I hadnt passed?)

 Well....I could have 'pee'd my pants'

'I'm pleased to tell you that you have passed' he said

Well I nearly PASSED OUT!!!!  My eyes leaked too!!!!

I didnt know wether to cry or hug him  ( so I did both........ )

( its fair to say that on the day when it mattered I had a lot of support from my class mates and my assessor.....)

thank the Lord ( and may be a little bit of yoga 😉) for the strength I found to get me through it....

And breathe........

Yoga Session

Good morning ...I know its been ages since my last blog..and yes I've missed you all...

The reason???? 

My yoga course. Its taking up all my spare time...

and of course Xmas...( hope yours has been amazing )

Yoga Time

Havnt done yoga for a couple of days so looking forward to this.

little bit stiff this morning, probably slept awkward so bit tense in the shoulders, so 

hopefully this yoga session will help.

started on knees and deep inhale arms above head and then exhale in to childs pose ..

staying here for a couple of breaths, getting into the present moment… slowly 

connecting to the present moment, taking time to relax into the mat. ( my type of class)

rounding up into cat/cow for 2 and back to balasana and then repeat to cat cow …

warming the spine and shoulders…. slowly pushing up into half dog, stretching the arms

 and warming the joints.

We repeat this several times just coming into half dog with knees bent, allowing our 

bodies to warm and flex.

Back to all 4s and into cat cow then pushing up to downward facing dog… pushing 

through the shoulders and peddling out the heels..1st one then the other… holding here 

for 4 breaths.

then stepping feet to hands into forward fold from hips taking time to flex wrists…

Coming to table top with hands on shins, lengthening neck and spine…holding for 

2 breaths then back to forward fold for 2 breaths.

Repeating this for 3 sequences…flowing smoothly.

Then into low lunge raising arms up above head into small back bend for 2 breaths.  from here with front leg straight back leg, knee on floor, lower body over front leg and 

reach toward ankle…hold for a count of 2 breaths..strengthening calf and hamstrings. 

return to low lunge and repeat on opposite leg.

then return to forward fold….calves/hamstrings warm and stretched.

We repeated this for 6 sessions, getting deeper into the stretch each time and flowing 

more smoothly from one pose to the next.

by the end of this I was very warm and my body felt energised and tingly.

I love this feeling, it makes me feel like I am working hard.

We moved onto 8 rounds of sun sals.  I love doing the sun salutations.  It is something I 

am very familiar with hence I am able to focus on my breath…inhaling/exhaling, one 

breath for one move…. without having to pay too much attention to my teacher.

This makes the flow smoother.

Each round gives me an opportunity to get deeper into the stretch and to get the posture better.

we then rested for a couple of minutes in childs pose, relaxing completely.

Time for some seated twists, an opportunity to twist and massage our internal organs.  

This is fantastic for our digestive system and helps to beat bloat, especially as we don’t 

really get an opportunity to twist our bodies much in a normal day ( unless you are a 

dancer or fitness instructor )

And also an ideal time to do it when the body is warm.

we moved onto some seated wide legged forward folds

 ( which I am useless at!! ) diagram to right shows how it should look !!! lol

 but I do persevere and do as best as I can, but it is definitely not one of my favourites!

Then onto supine spinal twist, which I enjoy doing, again

 fantastic for

massaging internal organs and strengthening abs/obliques.

And we are already in a laying down position…so brings us 

nicely into savasana….AND BREATHE   ( for 10 mins )

feeling relaxed/energised/calm/relaxed….

Nadi Sodhana

Its fair to say that I am finding my yoga course very challenging ( I believe in saying it as it is....no good lying about it 😉)
But because of it, I have had to research some stuff...such as

Nadi Sodhana

(or to me and you...alternate nasal breathing )

If you are anything like I was before I started doing yoga, you are probably still thinking..'what ever is she on about?'

It is a fascinating subject.

As it sais on the can it is the practice of breathing through the nostrils alternately.

So the right nostril is gently pinched and you breathe in for a count of four through the left nostril and then left nostril is pinched and at the same time the right one is released and you exhale through right one for 4 counts.   Then you breathe in through the same one (right) that you have just exhaled through. Pinch that nostril and breath out through the left nostril for a count of 4 and then in for a count of 4. ( I know that probably sounds really complicated).

So here is how the professionals explain it.....

1. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril. Do this to the count of four seconds.
2. Immediately close the left nostril with your right ring finger and little finger, and at the same time remove your thumb from the right nostril, and exhale through this nostril. Do this to the count of eight seconds. This completes a half round.
3. Inhale through the right nostril to the count of four seconds. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and exhale through the left nostril to the count of eight seconds. This completes one full round.

BY holisticonline.com

I have done this before but it was very interesting to delve into it a bit more.
Its something you can do pretty much anywhere at any time although they do say it is better in a morning on an empty stomach or several hrs after eating.
Apparently we alternate between our nostrils with out realising it, at various times of day, and a healthy person will alternate nostrils on average every couple of hours. and also one is usually more difficult to breathe through than the other.
According to yogis if the breath continues to flow through just one nostril for more than 2 hours that it can have an adverse affect on our health, and that the longer that continues the worse the health will get.
If the breath continues to flow through the right then the result can be a mental and nervous disturbance.
If it is the left then the result is chronic fatigue and reduced brain function.
recent scientific studies have revealed similar results.
 The right side of the brain controls creative activity, while the left side controls logical verbal activity. The research showed that when the left nostril was less obstructed, the right side of the brain was predominant. Test subjects were indeed found to do better on creative tests. Similarly when the right nostril was less obstructed the left side of the brain was predominant. Test subjects did better on verbal skills.For example, the yogis have known for a long time that prolonged breathing through the left nostril only (over a period of years) will produce asthma. They also know that this so-called incurable disease can be easily eliminated by teaching the patient to breathe through the right nostril until the asthma is cured, and then to prevent it recurring by doing the alternate nostril breathing technique. The yogis also believe that diabetes is caused to a large extent by breathing mainly through the right nostril. (by holisticonline.com )

What a fascinating subject.  I love looking/practicing this pranayama. 
 Yogis believe that this exercise will clean and rejuvenate your vital channels of energy.  And I can certainly do with some of that.....
(should be practiced with an experienced teacher if not done before  x )

!st day

Yes its the !st day and the exclamation mark is deliberate ( I know its hard to tell with my blogs! 😉)

So my decision to take my yoga passion forward ( see previous blog ) is well under way.

So my !st day was a day full of mixed emotions... and I thought it might be a valuable life lesson to revisit it ( whilst its still fresh in my mind ) and use it for my journal. ( which I need as part of my Yoga instructor course )

It was made marginally more comfortable by the fact that I was coming along with someone else. 
Katie,  one of my instructors in another class, was also on this course, but other than at the leisure centre,  I didnt know her.
BUT I really felt out of my depth.  Was everyone else feeling the same as me?  Everyone else had probably done a lot more yoga than me! (hadnt they?) They definitely seemed more knowledgeable than me.  They were all different ages but I would say I was one of the oldest.  I was expecting at least half of them to be wearing some kind of 'yoga attire'  beads, braided hair etc ( but there wasnt any ... no I didnt have any on either lol )
Just shows what kind of stereotypical pictures I had in my head!
But there was all different types.  9 women and 1 guy. From different walks of life, including a nurse a cosmetic tatooist amongst others.
The tutor was not what I expected either. I dont really know what I expected!  probably someone who looked more like a 'YOGI'?  lol  ( what even does a yogi look like )
well they look a lot like the rest of us, a very mixed bunch.
Ist day consisted of explaining the course and an awful lot of information crammed into a short amount of time.
There was an opportunity to do some practical too.
And then the awful realisation that we all would get an opportunity to have a go at teaching!!!
Each of us had to teach several class members. It was only Introduction and mobilisation BUT I was so stressed. I have never had to do anything like this before and I was well out of my comfort zone.
And its fair to say I did NOT enjoy it.
And the strange thing was I had done all the moves/sequences etc hundreds of times before ( they were a very simplified version of what I do ) YET when it was my turn to teach I couldnt remember anything..HELL I'd even forgot how to breathe!!!!
( did I really choose to do this ? )

3 weeks? that cant be right

Hi there.... I cant believe it has been 3 weeks since my last blog

reason.... for the love of my yoga ( or not at the moment 😣 )

Why do I do this to myself?
Everything was going fine, I was not working, I was doing 6 classes a week, yoga and body balance, and going to the gym!!! yes I was feeling damn good.
No stresses ( well hardly any, obviously still got my husband, 5 children and 8 grandchildren...but hey, thats norm...right? )
But could I be content?   No!
I had to find something extra to do!
I could do more classes?
I could do more retail therapy ( theres only so much you can do ! )
I could do more girly lunches?
OR........ I could train to be a yoga instructor!!!!!!!!  Mmmmmm 
So how lucky was I, when I found out that one of the instructors from my local leisure centre was just enrolling on such a course 😃 and would I like to join her?
( I hadnt thought of doing it quite that soon!!! )
So the suggestion was no sooner said and I had enrolled.
 ( Yes its fair to say I have seriously lost the plot)
So its been several weeks and the stress is killing me ( yes I know ..I thought yoga was supposed to relieve stress too )
I knew it was going to be tough but really, I had no idea what I was letting myself in for.
1st practical weekend was so intense, Asanas, breathing exercises, teaching...
And the assignments, well they are something else.
By the end of the 2nd day I was numb, I seriously could not take any more information in.
Uttanasana     I couldnt even remember where my knees where!!!!!

Yep all I wanted was sleep  zzzzzzzzz

But as we all know.....stress levels do not equal a good nights sleep.....or good digestion or anything else that good !

When I am awake all I am thinking of is yoga yoga yoga and I am praying for sleep...and when I am asleep I am dreaming about it and wide awake after an hour or so ... full of energy NOT!!!!

Hence...why I am wide awake at 3am blogging.....

Wish me luck on my journey

(I am definitely gonna need it ! )

Get stretching - Parsva Sukhasana

Good morning... its time to stretch

 I start with a few gentle breaths to waken the body.. here goes.. Tadasana - mountain pose

Inhale through the nose and stretch your arms up and above your head, keeping feet grounded and close together..letting the in breath inflate your chest 

exhale through the mouth, returning the arms back down to the sides of the body, noticing how the chest deflates on the out breath.. repeat this several times making the breath deeper with each breath..filling the lungs with fresh oxygen and expelling the stale breath

focus and keep breath smooth and controlled... try to stretch as tall as possible ( keep upper body soft and legs strong, knee caps lifted  )

A few sun salutations to warm up the body as seen in previous posts...

and onto some side body stretches... ( some of my favourite asanas )

Starting off in an easy seated side stretch- parsva sukhasana.  This is an excellent stretch for the waist and side of the body, including the neck and shoulders.  

I find this beneficial for my obliques and back, a part of the body that I dont usually stretch in my usual day to day movements.

This is one of the asana that I have seen noticeable improvement since i started practising yoga.  I love the lengthening that I feel from doing this pose.  

A more advanced asana can 

be seen here Parivrtta janu sisasana ( seated side stretch ) it also shows which muscles are being used.This gives the sides of the body a fantastic stretch as seen in the diagrams, it has many benefits including opening and lengthening the side of the body and intercostal muscles between the ribs.

It also massages the abdominal organs improving digestion.

It is important to keep both sitting bones down and to keep lengthening before stretching over to side. 

yoga journal...

woke early....mind working overtime 
yesterday was a heavy day ( stress wise ) and I think my brain was still there!
(trying to get my 1st assignment in...before my hols
trying to sort out apprenticeship applications for my 16 year old..
sorting holiday arrangements out for forth coming holiday...clothes, toiletries, taxi to airport, making provisions for family members!!! ( 3 days time !)
getting a card and gift for mine and hubbies anniversary..2moro!! ( even though he WILL forget )
not forgetting all the usual day to day things that have to be done...)

And breathe.....

I noticed my body was still there too as I got out of bed....back and joints were noticably stiff....i think they were stressed too!!! holding on to all those memories from yesterday

Unbelievable how stress can affect the body as well as the mind...my body takes on a whole new shape/posture when I am stressed... shoulders and ears noticably connected 😉 spine slumped into my hips!!! and the pain in the base of the skull must be due to my head wanting to disappear in between my clavicle and scapula!!!  ( no wander I'm aching 😉 )

Need to address this with a few nice in breaths/out breaths...stretching my arms above my head and taking a nice full body stretch...getting my neck and head back to normal position! rolling my shoulders back and forth and getting them away from my ears...

Positivity starts to return as I remember I have a yoga class in a couple of hours...( not just any class, but my favorite one of the week)

As the morning went on ..its fair to say that a few negative thoughts crept..

(my cousin rang to say she wouldnt be able to make the class as she had to much to do for our hols!)

(yes I've got loads to do too?  I could do a quick session at home and crack on with my jobs!!)

so easy to let negative thought stop us doing things....that little voice in the head

But I'm glad to say...I went and as usual it was amazing/inspiring/exhilarating/

The instructor was full of her usual energy...puts me in the mind of a perfect sun salutation..

and I instantly remembered why she had inspired me to want to be an instructor and to hopefully pass on to others, what she gives to me 💓

Why did I even consider not coming?    

we started with a deep breaths in and out, calming us and getting us ready for the class.

we did some shaking nxt!! knees bent slightly and shaking our booties, and then doing small jumps on the spot and hugging ourselves/slapping our backs....sounds a bit odd..but it served to wake up our bodies and create energy and warmth, and a little bit of humour, ( when you spotted yeself in the mirror )  breaking down any awkwardness in the class....again I asked myself

'why would I want to do chores instead of this?' I love my yoga

Nicely warm now....we continue into adho mukha svanasana..with an opportunity to pedal our heels to release our calf/hamstrings,( i still struggle with getting my heels to the floor, but it is a working progress )  bending from side to side, with bended knees, feeling a good stretch in each side of the body....thoughts of yesterday melting away as I push myself into the twists, releasing the stiffness from my shoulders
next was sun salutations, again stretching getting rid of stiffness, enjoying breathing into the forward folds and backbends releasing any remaining tension....allowing me to focus and feel my mind becoming calm.
next came the twisted asanas....starting with intense pose,  twisted chair pose, massaging the internal muscles... I have been trying to improve this as I felt my flexibility was not very good, although I do think it is improving, our instructor encourages us to twist as fully as possible...onto twisted lunges..feeling very stretched!! more to come..onto twisted triangle...I always feel my alignment is not good in this pose.even with the help of the block.(which could be why its not one of my favorite poses ) the instructor came round and helped us with alignment..but I do find breathing in this pose quite tough. 
is at this stage I get a few negative thought pop into my mind, struggling a bit now..need to learn to focus more....more than half way through the class and its tough going
opportunity to rest a little and to relax into the pose...into a belly twist...i like this pose more, and we are encouraged to try the variations, one leg extended etc
we end with shoulder stand moving into plough...I love the roll motion into plough....releasing the back 
we settled into Balasana Baby pose ..phew opportunity to relax into this lovly pose..lenghtening and stretching the spine, shoulders and even the legs, instructor encouraging us to sit right back on our heels and reach gently forward....focusing on our breathing, calming down our breath /minds.
and onto relaxation.......

yoga day hurray

To do yoga everyday is a gift to ourselves

a gift that brings with it many benefits

No 2 days are the same ..something we all agree on I'm sure

Some mornings we wake and are full of energy and good intentions..

and other days we wake and that energy somehow still seems to be sleeping!!

Sometimes that energy needs a little nudge or a kick up the gluteus maximus 😉

Yoga is a perfect way to do this..

on days like these I take a few nice deep inhales and exhales...stretching the arms above my head...inhale and reach for the sky and lower arms to the side of the body as you exhale..after several of these I move on to forward fold...

Forward fold with knees bent and exhale deeply, exhaling out that stale breath from the body..let body be quite relaxed /floppy as you exhale down..and gently draw in abdominal muscles, helping to push out that stale breath..repeat this several times....

I try to let this sequence flow smoothly from Tadasana ( mountain pose ) through to Uttanasana ( standing forward fold )

I am gentle with my body 1st thing in the morning and allow my knees to be bent in uttanasana, and move on to legs being straight after several sequences ( and if it feels good )

It is important to work to our own bodies limitations..it is our practise.

I soon feel the energy/warmth waking....

This sequence only takes minutes but sets me up for the day....so even if I am very limited on time I can still fit this in....and hopefully time permitting I can follow this with either a home practise or instructor led class at the gym.....

Have a fab day

journal Sun salutation

Up nice and early..and I use the term NICE loosely!
Been doing more classes than usual and really pushing myself and felt very tired when I woke at about 5.45 a.m. to get my son off to work😫
By 5,45 I would of had approximately 6 hours sleep and ordinarily that would be more than enough for me.
But this is not ordinary!!
for the last month I have been doing 6 classes a week ( 1 per day ) which means I have doubled the classes...( usually doing just 3 a week )
These consisted of yoga and body balance, as well as my Yoga at home.
So after dragging myself out of bed feeling, to be honest, quite sore  I had my 1st glass of water and took a few slow deep breaths ..in through the nose and out through the nose ...filling my lungs with oxgen and getting rid of the carbon dioxide....I like to really exhale deeply and as fully as possible...pulling the abdominal muscles in ....an action that I liken to ringing out washing!! 😉
this always puts me in the right frame of mind to start my 1st asana of the day
Today its Sun Salutations.....so here goes
I love this ..it stretches the whole body....and again gives the opportunity to fill my lungs with oxygen...
I  ease myself into each asana...I like to work to my maximum and over the last few years I have noticed that it has really paid off....( I am getting deeper into the asana) still loads of room for improvement...
(Only work to your own limitations...its your practise )
I try to keep a fluid movement ..gracefully moving through the moves ...breathing slowly and gently... feeling the energy spread through the body.
Sun salutation leaves me feeling strong and helps gets rid of the stiffness that has built up due to extra exercise
I do 2/3 rounds today as I have a class later on.
Although I feel tired initially..( I expect this to subside once my body gets used to the extra work load)   I still have loads of energy to take me through the day....and I feel stronger and leaner and more healthy...actually I feel full of sun salutation 😉
A fantastic way to start the day....

yoga journal Tadasana

I love to practice every day...
bit extreme some people might say....
I havnt got time...i hear you say
But yoga practice does not only mean spending an hour or so on the mat at a class!
it can be very beneficial to spend 10/15 mins each day. It can be 1st thing in the morning or evening or lunch time..in fact it can be anytime that is good for you It is your practice
So pick a time that works for you...
if you are a busy mum/dad with youngsters maybe 1st thing in the morning is never going to be an option 😟 ( early morning is a fab time to practice ..so may be putting the alarm on for 15 minutes earlier...and beating the mayhem that comes with having a young family, is an option....just a thought 😉)
I like to start my day with a glass of water ( this has many health benefits which I will go into at a later date )
My yoga practice starts with a few deep breaths..like so 
stand tall and straight in tadasana ( mountain pose ) as shown
Experience the complete stretch as you take a full body stretch from feet through hips/abdomen/chest/throat/arms/ head.....fill your whole body with breath as you breath in through the nose, whilst raising the arms above the head... out through the mouth lowering the arms back to the side of the body..as you breathe out...
I repeat this several times.
I personally like to keep my feet a few inches apart allowing me more stability.
There are many variations and can be modified to suit each individual.....most importantly do what is good for you...work to your limitations...It is your practice 
I will then follow with other asanas (positions) usually depending on how i feel at the time and what i think I will benefit most from on any given day...... ( more on these in next blogs 😍)

Enjoy your day

Namaste

yoga time

Namaste

The best and only way to start the day

Excited to be going to my favorite #yoga class to date....

so its been 2 weeks due to bank holiday opening hours etc

and yes its fair to say that I was getting withdrawal symptoms 😉

of course I have been going to other classes... #body balance #yoga ..attending the gym...

its fair to say that if I dont get my daily dose of exercise I do feel very down !!!

but this one particular class I always miss more than the others

Its quite an intense yoga class and always leaves me feeling exhilarated if not a little taller than when I went in... 😉

The Instructor is a beautiful young woman who just gives off this amazing aura...

as soon as she walks in, you feel transported into the spirit of Yoga....

she spends time to chat to the class and makes every one relaxed....

she is full of passion and expression and effortlessly spreads this through the whole class within minutes of arriving,  and its fair to say that when I leave I always feel as if I am taking some of it with me.....

Yes I can truthfully say that it was when I met this beautiful human being that I decided I too wanted to be a Yoga Instructor   ( if at all possible ) to learn more about it
Thank you...you have inspired me  x

Of course I had always wanted to teach and pass on the benefits of exercise and a healthy life style to others, but some how the time never seemed right until now.....

Now was the time and hopefully for the rest of my life

I had found my passion...and I wanted to pass this feeling ( that she gives to us ) on to others and to show as many people as possible the benefits of this beautiful way of life

As Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “Yoga is not just exercise and asanas. It is the emotional integration and spiritual elevation with a touch of mystic element, which gives you a glimpse of something beyond all imagination.”

mudra

Mudra

When I started to do Yoga, I thought it was a combination of stretches poses meditation and some very strange words.....so the word mudra was something very alien to me.

As time went on I wanted to know more about Yoga..so that meant getting to know these mudras ...

as these are quite often part of yoga classes.

They are symbolic gestures often practiced with the hands and fingers. A seal

so a hasta mudra means hand gesture and they are adopted during asana (posture), pranayama (prana..meaning fundamental life force and ayama meaning control or extend/draw out).... and meditation.

I find the actual explanation very confusing but hopefully as times goes on it will become clear ..er ! 😉  

A mudra is performed to direct the flow of energy through the body for various purposes 

ie promote healing or calming the mind

Simply put ...It is said that our hands hold each of the basic elements: fire (thumb), air (index finger), space (middle finger), earth (ring finger) and water (pinky finger)

Different areas of the hands are connected with areas in the body and the brain. So when we place our hands in yoga mudras, we stimulate different areas of the brain and create a specific energy circuit in the body. By doing this, we help generate a specific state of mind.

One such Mudra is Guyan Mudra or chin mudra
join the tips of the index finger and thumb to form Guyan Mudra as shown above. keeping the other 3 fingers together and slightly stretched.
It symbolises the unity of fire and air as well as the unity of universal and individual consciousness.

The Gyana mudra increases concentration, creativity, and is a gesture of knowledge. 

They can be performed anytime, although sitting in the lotus/cross legged position and focusing on healing can be advantageous.  As with many mudras  regular practice will contribus te to overall good health. 

The theory ithat when a finger representing am element is brought into contact with the thumb, that element is brought into balance.

Good health 

x

Mindfulness

Mindfulness/Meditation

what is this?

Meditation is a simple practice available to all, which can reduce stress, increase calmness and clarity and promote happiness. Learning how to meditate is straightforward, and the benefits can come quickly. Here, we offer basic tips to get you started on a path toward greater equanimity, acceptance and joy. Take a deep breath, and get ready to relax. (david gelles)

for me I initially found even the idea of it very strange ..and difficult....

to lie in a room at the end of a yoga session,  full of people/strangers, possibly with my eyes closed was very uncomfortable territory....

I thought that I would never feel comfortable...my mind would be racing...wandering what I had to do later.....I could feel my heart beating and it felt that it would beat right out of my chest some times!!

I did not get anything out of it at all...to be truthful, sometimes I would leave before the meditation...

it just didnt suit my hyper personality

the concept of strangers/instructors seeing me at , what i percieved to be a very vunerable position, filled me with stress ( the complete opposite of what it should do)

But, 12 months on, I'm pleased to say that i stuck with it and hung around for meditation more often and it started to feel a lot less alien.. and.I actually find myself looking forward to it 

its fair to say that some days are better than others...I can get to quite a calm state in a few moments ..listening to the instructor and taking it all in....

an instructor can be a really good focus and I personally think I would find it a lot harder on my own......on a good session I experience a calm that that I have never felt before....a stillness..a quietness.. quieten the mind....

And then other days ..i struggle...  even to relax..I am constantly distracted, 

It is very early days for me and I am looking forward to learning more about meditation...

we are instructed to remember the calm and to take it with us..to be recalled when we find our selves anxious....I find it fascinating

NAMASTE

All good things come to those who are patient

My cousin and I have now been at our new gym for about 6 weeks.
And we are really impressed....all be it there has been a few mishaps
( but that is with injuries ..not the establishment )
I think its fair to say that as 2 older ladies ( one in her 50's and one in her 60's... and I'm not prepared to spill the beans about who fits into which Category!!!   because she'll kill me !!! 🙊 )
we are in quite a hurry to crack on and try all the different classes and be the best we can....
and we are both probably being a little ambitious...and we want results yesterday..
and to rush anything is probably not good but..to rush to be fit is going to have problems!!
specifically INJURIES!!
thankfully the injuries sustained by us are pretty minor..and more inconvenient than anything else...
(I hurt my back...which I can not say for certain was during my classes, then i hurt my shoulder, which I admit was being too ambitious in the classes...It happened whilst trying to do 'Wild thing')
(my cousin ..who will admit, although very fit/active, is not a regular at the gym until now...also injured her shouder whilst...would you believe doing 'wild thing'......)
It is ..i think an advanced move...combining twist and balance and strength....and like all asana's should be worked to ones own limits..and of course there are variations for beginners.... (definitely a note to us I think !!)
For me ..it just meant that I had to take things easy..and yes I still went to the gym..yes silly I know 
But for my cousin it has meant she has had to have a fortnight off too date...this has led to her being very frustrated and feels that all her hard work in the early days has been wasted.
But its not the end of the world and hopefully once she has rested it fully she can come back and do some more gentle poses....
still managing to work our arm ( to lift our coffee cups....ok ok and our wine glasses 😉 ) and our facial muscles ( smiles/laughs and chats😉) so not all bad news
Moral too this story...
All good things come to those who wait....And who do things gradually 😉       Namaste

yoga nonagenarian ...there are no limits... Tao Porchon-Lynch

I look with envy at the beautiful supple healthy 20/30 something yogis...who bend their bodies into seemingly impossible positions....
Its this that I aspire to be....
And lets face it ...its never going to happen...I am never going to look like that again ( not that I ever did!! )
But it definitely gives me the motivation to push forward with my yoga practice...
because at the end of the day...I will be the best version of me...
so imagine my surprise and delight when I came across this
well prepare to be amazed as I was, whilst flicking through some yoga articles I came across this amazing lady...      
This amazing lady was born in 1918 and still teaches Yoga
And unlike the majority of all-natural, vegan yogis, Tao Porchon-Lynch wears big earrings, has brightly-painted nails, is always in high heels (well, except for when she’s doing yoga) and she loves wine.  She is definitely outside the box..bless her  

Tao Porchon-Lynch has always led an exotic life  - she was born in India, moved to London in 1940, danced for soldiers in Europe and then moved to Hollywood, during her fascinating life she’s spent time with Mahatma Gandhi, Noël Coward, Marilyn Monroe and the Dalai Lama.

It was whilst growing up in India that she discovered yoga: at the age of eight, she spotted boys on the beach contorting their bodies into strange poses. “I went to my aunt and said, ‘Can they let me be part of it?’ And she said: ‘That isn’t a game, it is yoga and it’s not for girls. It’s not ladylike.’ So I started doing it,” Porchon-Lynch told the New York Times.

This lady is a true inspiration to us all aspiring for that  healthy and long life...and she says that the ancient practice of yoga not only keeps her body young, but it improves her mind and soul as well....and adds that she eats small vegetarian meals and does not over eat or eat just for the sake of it..but that she enjoys a piece of chocolate

She admits that time has taken an inevitable toll on her health; just a few years ago, she had to have a total hip replacement, and in 2011 she broke her wrist... 

When I read this it certainly inspired me... especially as I am the other side of 50..and I often find myself wandering if I have left it too late to start a life and may be a career in this wonderful ancient practice.

'Tao's philosophy is: "There is nothing we cannot do if we harness the power within us."'

And if its good enough for Tao Porchon-Lynch.....

The way forward

A yoga a day....make it one of your 10 a day... 

Go on ..you know you want to

B/P update

Good Morning Beautiful People 

Yes I suppose you could be forgiven for thinking 'what is going on with the fuel company?'

Sorry for the confusion.....I am talking about my high blood pressure drama (B/P) 😉
well actually the lack of it....
Yes would you believe after being told by several health representatives that I have high B/P and couldnt go in the gym ( 😢) until I had seen my doctor, I have now been given the all clear

I had my B/P monitored for 24 hrs...which involved wearing a monitor for 24 hrs including sleeping with it (😒) but all worth it...my readings were then printed out and 

HEY PRESTO....my blood presure is normal....

( and that probably the only thing NORMAL about me 😘)

with 49 readings ranging from 137/69 - 97/63 ( which was when I was sleeping )

giving an average of 135/85 day and 120/70 evening

Another thumbs up for my yoga and body balance ...

(I'm not saying for one minute that it will cure everyones high B/P ..but it will certainly make you the BEST YOU  😃 )

Have a fab day......