TO LOVE!
I want to love, to be lost in love!
To love just to love: Here… there…
This one, that one, another one,
Everyone! To love and not love anyone!
Florbella Espanca
One of Portugal’s most known and loved poets
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“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
Arthur Ashe
When I approach a yoga class as a teacher I invite people to connect to their breath and notice what their starting point it “Start where you are.” Then I will ask people to notice how they feel, to connect to their body in a mindful, creative way “Use what you have.” And then I will offer ideas around what may be possible from there…there is no expectation to do what I ask, rather I ask “Do what you can.” Quotations by Arthur Ashe.
In this article I offer a short insight into chair yoga and what I love about taking support in our practice with this versatile prop. My hope is, should you wish to take it along with me, that you are able to notice more fully the above prompts in an accessible, comfortable and enjoyable way.
“Our posture can be a reflection of our current state of mind as well as our past experiences.”
Jivana Heyman
When I invite people to practice yoga with me, it is an invitation to explore shapes, movements and pauses that can provide a sense of opening and softening, structure and support.
“Clothes could have more meaning and longevity if we think less about owning the latest or cheapest thing and develop more of a relationship with the things we wear”
Elizabeth L. Cline
I am continually evolving.
“Each day is filled with lessons and new experiences. Each day we have the opportunity to connect with those lessons and experiences in ways that will further our growth.”
Manifest; Kelley Carboni-Woods
This practice was inspired by the coming of Spring and an enriching conversation with Kezra of Conversations Worth Having whereby we delved deep into yoga, movement, stillness and our capacity to work with nature as medicine, and as a tool towards reconnecting us with our ability to be and think creatively.
“Go where it feels best, where your energy flows best. Exercise your ability to sense this.”
Erich Schiffmann
When I invite you to practice yoga with me, I’m inviting you to explore shapes, movements and pauses that can provide you with openings and softenings, structure and support.
Learn about yourself and the in-built mechanisms you have in place to connect to your breath, movement and your ability to slow-down. This is where the real learning happens.
Know what it is you need for your shoulders, and then for your whole body as you re-integrate what you discover for yourself during the practice.
“Perfection is having the greatest range possible of comfort.”
Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen
When I invite you to practice yoga with me, I’m inviting you to explore shapes, movements and pauses that are as Bonnie so simply puts it within the “greatest range possible of comfort” to yourself. So when you take this mini series of practices with me, please do honour yourselves fully and listen to your unique experience of the practice.
Learn about yourself and the in-built mechanisms you have in place to connect to your breath, movement and your ability to slow-down. This is where the real learning happens.
Know what it is you need for your hips, and then for your whole body as you re-integrate what you discover for yourself during the practice.
“It’s more than just a shape, it’s how your breathing in that shape…What is your intention whilst you’re in that shape? What is the quality of presence whilst you’re in this shape…?”
Theo Wildcroft in conversation with Jivana He-man Episode 32 Accessible Yoga Podcast
“Carry your body, but please do not let your body carry you!
We must walk well, as animals do!
Lift one foot and move it forward, allowing the heel to make initial contact with the ground. Feel the weight of gravity in that foot. Let it spread towards your toes. Your other leg should remain open and extended at the back of the knee. When you move the second foot forward, transfer the weight of gravity from your first foot to your second.
This way of walking will help you re-establish order…”
Vanda Scaravelli on walking; Awakening the SpineREAD MORE
If you are new to Yoga it’s natural that you will have some questions? More often than not we are recommended by friends or peers to practice yoga with a certain teacher, have been recommended to take up yoga by a GP to help with certain conditions such as back pain, anxiety or breathlessness and sometimes we may stumble across a local advert for a class near to where we live and want to find out more. I have questions for you, but you will also likely have some for your practitioner which is why I’ve decided to home in on some of the most frequently asked one’s in this article.
There are only 3, so I hope this is enough to start with? If not and you find yourself asking more questions along the way, do send your questions over to me, and if I can’t answer them for you, I will point you in the right direction so you can do a little further research for yourselves. After-all yoga is a path of self-inquiry, self-learning and so start with some questions before you begin to ensure this is something you are wishing to explore further for yourself.
Although it’s easy for us to get carried away. For us to feel a sudden surge of newness and run before we can walk. Taking it slowly and mindfully provides us with a more sustainable approach to our new intentions or goals.
My aim here is to offer you a short meditation practice which will take about 5 minutes and provide you with the headspace to think a little more clearly about which steps you may wish to take next on your goal setting journey.
I often feel clearer and more focussed even after 5 minutes of paying attention to my breathing.READ MORE
Pause for winter well-being has been the theme for my winter yoga class schedule this season. It’s impossible to ignore the change in seasons and the shift nature makes at this time of year towards a state of hibernation, bringing with it a sense of closure for the year that has passed. The leaves let go from the trees and are washed away with the winter rains. The frost is icy and refreshing on the ground and reminds us of the cleansing properties coolness can offer. There is a freshness in the air and the scent can be full of alpines and spices as we move into the festive season.
There is joy in being wise and just,
But above all there is the beautiful,
The immense happiness of serving.
Extract from Gabriella Mistral; The Pleasure of Serving
that path is you
that is why it will never tire of waiting
whether it is covered with red dust,
autumn leaves,
or icy snow,
come back to the path.
You will be like the tree of life
your leaves, trunk, branches,
and the blossoms of your soul
will be fresh and beautiful,
once you enter the practice of Earth Touching
Thich Nhat Hanh
If you just set people in motion, they’ll heal themselves.
Gabriella Roth
The aim of life is to live, and
to live means to be aware,
joyously, drunkenly,
serenely, divinely aware.
Henry Miller
As the seasons change, so to do we! Through leaf fall to the sprouting of seeds there is an abundance of metaphors upon which we can draw to inspire our practice. The Earth offers us its true sustenance as we engage, observe and learn about ourselves through taste, smell, touch and light. Slowly we are encouraged to find our own rhythm’s, as the cycle of the seasons invite us to pause and to observe, perhaps for the first time what it feels to be alive.READ MORE
“…take a few smooth breaths in ujjāyī, and the mind feels calmer; the effect is very direct. New students can be surprised when they first discover ujjāyī. Taking long, smooth, regulated breaths they often immediately experience a lighter, more spacious feeling.” Ranju Roy and Dave Charlton; Embodying the Yoga Sūtra.
Ujjāyī breathing is one of the defining characteristics of yoga, and within my approach as a practitioner and teacher. It is an ancient breathing practice known as the ‘Victorious’ breath. In the West it has adopted names such as the ‘Ocean sounding breath’ or the ‘whispering breath’ because of it’s wave-like, sighing sound and soothing quality.
“Breathing is the essence of yoga.” Vanda Scaravelli
Cultivating breath awareness is key for developing stillness and peace of mind. It’s simple really, all we need to do is pay attention to the experience of breathing in, and pay attention to the experience of breathing out. And yet for most of us this is the hardest part; being still and attentive to the breath in each given moment. Perhaps the thing we struggle with most in life is stillness? Is it easier for us to be constantly moving, in body and in our thoughts? The answer is most likely yes, because at our stillest moments we are usually watching television, reading a book or engaging in some kind of activity or interaction, or we are asleep.