45 Mins
The Power of the Legs
Strong legs are integral to a strong core, they make function and movement so much more efficient when combined with flexibility. This will make your abdominals stronger and is a lot of fun to practice this sequence regularly.
Read More45 Mins
Transitions - Variations In Movement
It’s good to mix things up and feel playful in your practice. What keeps our brain functioning well is doing new things or the same things in a different way. There is nothing unfamiliar in the posses we do in this class but the way we move in to them and the transitions are all different. This can mean that we take ourselves by surprise and find accessibility in the seemingly inaccessible. Have fun :-)
Read More50 Mins
Shoulder Rotations & Freeing the Upper Back
This is an exploration on how we can free the shoulders and open the upper back. Working through the different rotations in the arms and direction of the fingers in a way we can’t with other parts of our body. After all our feet cannot rotate all the way around to face behind us and yet are fingers can. This is accessible and an interesting way to practice that creates big change in the freedom we feel in our upper body.
Read More50 Mins
Moving Through the Spine
Opening the chest and moving through the spine whilst connecting to our heals is a great way to explore back extensions. By lifting through the entire leg chain to pelvis we can see how we can focus on one area of our body to open whilst drawing strength from our foundations.
Read More50 Mins
Big Toe Goodness - Stability & Stackability
The big toe holds major importance to the way we move and for the efficient functioning of walking and running. There is a kinetic chain of muscles that connects our big toe to the arch of the foot, which acts as our shock absorber, and a force of motion that goes up the kinetic chain to the hamstrings and the glutes. So training our big toes to be strong and flexible will not only help us move well in everyday life it will be an effective way to switch on our glutes and effective stretch the hamstrings without strain. Your feet will thank you too!!
Read More45 Mins
Piriformis - Outer Leg Stretch
The piriformis is a muscle that runs from your lower spine through your butt to the top of your outer thigh. It aids in almost every movement of your lower body and the sciatic nerve runs underneath it. It is a muscle I have become more and more aware of the more I ride on a spin bike. Often our injuries or niggles are our biggest learning tool and it highlights where we may be loading or over using certain parts of our body and where we need to seek balance or healing. This is an indulgent class for me because all of these stretches target the piriformis and outer leg/IT band, easing tension in the hip rotators and lower back.
Read More45 Mins
Compression to Expansion
In this sequencing we explore hugging in and stretching out the legs. It is helpful to explore poses that require long extension of our limbs by first feeling how it feels to shorten the leg first, going from small to big. Still stretching but in a different way, we notice and feel different sensations in the body.
Read More45 Mins
Free and Open Upper Back
This is fun class and recorded in the first week of the new year so great for when you have some energy to expend and you also want a jump start. Energetic standing poses and transitions with a focus on opening the upper back and the back of our body is our focus. We also explore lifting the chest and not always moving immediately with our heads in and out of postures.
Read More45 Mins
Leg Extenders
Sometimes are legs are shortened by tight leg muscles, whether this be the hamstrings, quads, hips flexors, adductors or the IT band. We can create a greater feeling of ease and length in the legs by the asanas we focus on. The title picture is misleading because although we do crow pose our focus is on elongating the legs, which in turn frees congestion in the abdomen, making the whole body feels as though it can expand.
Read More45 Mins
Lotus & Binding
When playing with the poses that lead to lotus and binding we look at poses that open both the hips and the shoulders. So whether we can catch the foot in a bind or bring our foot in to lotus or not doesn’t prevent us from moving through the steps on the way. Twists, shoulder openers and strengtheners, going upside down, chest opening, and then possibly twist with lotus where the body allows, other base positions are readily available :-)
Read More60 Mins
Crossing Over - Full Body Extension
Here we extend the side body with a little bit of a twist. We make our limbs travel further by crossing them over, we also add in IT band and hip rotators working this way. We stretch and open the front body and flexors in this practice too. If it’s possible to play Yoga Twister this is it :-)
Read More60 Mins
Hip Compactness
Being held together is kind of how this feels. Moving with stability is key to increasing mobility safely and effectively. For this we need to learn how to feel our different muscles and how to engage them. Our focus here is mainly on the hips and how we can connect to them by how we position and use our feet. Lots of movement flow, hip openers and a delicious unwinding to close.
Read More60 Mins
Backbending - What’s behind us?
When we start to open the chest and front body we often do this with movements that place our attention behind us, where we cannot see what is going on. Whether this is with practices that open the shoulders, arch our spines or contract our glutes to effectively and safely master back bends, big and/or small. The primary focus here is actually the legs and the glutes, leading to ustrasana (camel), but the fun is on the journey, not the destination as we bring awareness to the unseen parts of our bodies.
Read More60 Mins
The Front Body - Quads & Shoulders
A Yoga practice should allow you to move your attention around your body and direct this attention so the mind can attune itself rather than being scattered everywhere and outside of ourselves. A lot of the time when it comes to our movements, we fall in to habits and finding routes that are easy. I personally find my front body much harder to open than my back body. Posture shows us that this is true for a lot of people. So here we focus on poses that stretch our hip flexors and quads but also open our shoulders so our arms can sit where they are supposed to, well ideally where they are supposed, to the side of our body rather than at the front with palms turning back in to our body. It’s fun to explore and there are some easy daily practices we can all do to open up and be playful.
Read More60 Mins
Crossing Over - Outer Leg Stretching
This practice for me gets in to all the hard to reach places. The outer leg can be really tight and a lot of yoga poses we practice most often work more on the inner line of the leg and the hip in external rotation. We also experience in this class how much stability we require to attain the most flexibility and this attention can be a reason we always head to practice the things we are most familiar with instead. Crossing over and stretching out, good for the body and proprioception too :-)
Read More60 Mins
Twist, Lift & Extend
Twisting is a great prelude to opening the hamstrings, I’m not sure when I first learnt/experienced this but I have found it to hold true in my practice. It’s tricky to do standing twists, they require mastery over the hip joint to stabilise yourself, being centred in your core and also relatively free in your rib cage and upper back to rotate. It’s the ultimate meditative, mindfulness in action practice. Here we twist, open the shoulders and upper back alongside opening the hips and hamstrings. It’s a wonderful practice for sports people and anyone who needs to provide relief for the legs.
Read More60 Mins
Waist Extenders
Here we combine opening the hips and adductors with finding more length in the waist and side body. Freeing the ribcage and in turn creating more movement in the diaphragm and space for the lungs to breathe, to expand and open creating more space in the back and upper chest too. Strong legs, firm support in the hip joints and balancing the four ‘sides’ of the body to have support, stability, flexibility and strength.
Read More60 Mins
360 Leg Movements
The legs move from the pelvis; forwards, backwards, to the side and across. Not always with the same ease of movement on both sides but with the same possibility unless or until there are restrictions in the hip joint. I wanted to look at the different muscles involved in poses when we lifted the leg in different planes from differing base positions. By the end I think we would have explored movement in the hip joint and legs from a 360 degree perspective.
Read More60 Mins
Strong Abs - Core Centric
Good movement through the body and a healthy spine is reliant on a strong and flexible core. The beauty of many Yoga poses, practiced carefully and consciously at the appropriate time, both occur together. The beauty of this class is we include, hip stretches, arm strength, balance, backbends as well as direct abdominal work to really stabilise the core of the body so we can move our limbs in all directions and across different planes without bucking in the middle.
Read More60 Mins
Psoas Lengthening - Body Lifted
The psoas muscle originates around from T12 - L4 on the spine and wraps around the inner pelvis and connects to the lesser trochanter on the leg. When short or feels tight it can contribute to lower back pain or sciatica and prevent us from feeling as though we can stand up tall. Here we look at lengthening the hip flexors, in particular the psoas muscle and all the practices that help us feel as if we can lengthen out from the very distil points of the body (hands and feet) without restriction at our core.
Read More60 Mins
Unwinding the Legs from the Pelvis
Unwinding, essentially lengthening the muscles that stretch from the pelvis down the inner thigh (adductors) and the back of the leg (hamstrings). Combining glorious hip openers with poses that open the back of the knee with intelligent hamstring lengthening. This may lead you towards practicing padmasana (full lotus) for those who’s hips allow, and playing with many other variations that work on the same premise and can be practiced in preparation for full lotus or in place of it.
Read More60 Mins
Feel The Ground - Extend & Expand
When we practice and really connect our feet to the earth our powers to extend and expand in all directions increases. Lengthening the side body, arms, legs; everything feels stronger, more even and the ability to hold a deeper position in the pose is possible and more beneficial. Here we practice lots of arm movements and directions to liberate the shoulders and side waist, combined with hip openers we have a winning combination for length and space.
Read More60 Mins
Backbends - Mobilising Our Open & Lifted Ribcage
This is not a deep backbends class, it combines well with forward bends and focusing us on moving the torso in different directions. Posturally we underuse the spine’s movement in this direction and it is super important to counter the effects of dropping in the chest and rounding the shoulders. All these methods are accessible to everyone and vital to maintain healthy functional movement of the spine.
Read More65 Mins
Twisting - Global Rotation
I think when we twist it’s a good idea to view our body from a 360 degree perspective. Turning to the side or revolving our pelvis, waist, ribs, upper thoracic, collar bones, neck and head? Then there’s the response; how does it feel when we are twisting in the front of the body compared to the back, from the right side to the left depending on the direction we are going. In this practice we are not simply twisting or turning around, we are navigating the full circumference of the body.
Read More65 Mins
Lifting the Ribs - Lengthening the Waist
This practice really highlights how much space we lose when we drop our ribs. The abdominal cavity needs length for all the organs to function optimally and for spinal health and mobility too especially if we are also dropping in to our lower back without the awareness of how to lift out of the pelvis. This practice shows you ways to lift, lengthen and strengthen so the ribs stay lifted when we are off the mat, as well as highlighting the connection to open the hamstrings and inner leg (groin and adductors) to facilitate the ability to lift more without the legs pulling you down. Enjoy, I love this practice.
Read More65 Mins
Sahasrara - Thousand Petal Lotus
Our 7th Chakra, Sahasrara is located just above the crown of the head, associated with the colour violet it’s element is thought. It is considered the thousand petal lotus, the jewel in the crown, the ultimate awakening and wisdom where our connection to spirit, sense of the universal, consciousness, unity and enlightenment are manifested. When balanced we have kind thoughts, actions and faith through meditation and prayer, able to transcend our physical world. When imbalanced we feel disconnected from those around us, apathetic and depressed.
In this practice we focus on the poses, mudra and sound that allow us to bring attention to the area where the crown chakra is located. Balancing our right and left sides, elevating through the central channel of the spine to the crown of the head is a key element to this practice.
Read More65 Mins
Ajna - The All Seeing Eye
Our 6th Chakra, Ajna is located at the third eye centre, between our eye brows. It is considered the ‘seeing’ chakra, our inner sight which guides our intuition and also clear sight in to the things we want and can visualise achieving. This is when it is in balance and also enables us to recall our dreams and past memories. When imbalanced we are caught seeing things from only one perspective, can’t see or imagine the future, could have nightmares, obsessiveness and confusion. In this practice we focus on drishti, where our gaze falls when we move as well as meditation focus and viewing our practice from inside. Affirmations to consider:- I see all things in clarity, I am open to the wisdom within, I can manifest my vision.
* Please note in my post covid brain this is not Hakini mudra (we review this next week). And we should have practiced eye ball movements instead of the neck practice. We review this next week as well. But consider practicing moving your eyes around as if following the numbers on a clock face, holding for 10 - 15 seconds at each point.
Read More60 Mins
Igniting The Sacral Chakra
For the next 6 sessions we are going to approach our practice with an eye (or two) towards our chakras. We will look at the way mudra, seed mantra and physical postures can help us tune in to this center, awaken our understanding of energy and movement and how it may improve our daily lives if awakened. The sacral chakra (Svadhistana) is located at the lower belly/inner pelvis area. The associated element is water and it asks us to observe the fluid circumstances of life. It’s our creative hub, is pivotal to our emotional stability and overall enjoyment of life.
Read More60 Mins
Vertical Spine
I would say this was Part 2 to last week’s class entitled Up Up and Away but of course can be practiced alone. From teaching this in person I learnt that the vertical spine and being able to lift up out of the armpits is fundamental to balancing safely upside down. It’s also key to ease, I never felt as though it was strength alone that kept me balancing in inversions, it’s about strong fundamentals, foundations and a lightness that comes with practice and letting go of fear and knowing where and when to prop. This is preparatory, you absolutely do not have to do the full inversions, but can enjoy the process and the preparation along the way. Shoulder and upper back opening and side body lengthening in all it’s glory.
*Please note we had problems with WiFi when we recorded this so my phone had to do the Zooming and the recording.
Read More60 Mins
Up Up and Away
Elevating the chest lifts the rib cage, expands the lungs and is key to a backbend practice that utilises the whole length of the spine. Here we start moving towards deeper backbends by practicing poses and sequences that open the chest and expand the heart but through the connection with the legs and pelvis like navasana (boat pose), . I love this practice!!
Read More70 Mins
Hips & Hammies
There is a lot of hamstring lengthening here but we also explore widening the top of the thigh to help get more support as well as length. Our focus is on poses that require the hamstrings to lengthen but also for the area at the top of the thigh front (hip flexors) and back (hams) and the hip joint to mobilise the pelvis for not just forward bending but also squatting movements that are required in our daily lives and for longevity of movement. Although these Yoga movements may not appear to be actions we make on a daily basis, the muscles involved are.
Read More60 Mins
Overlapping Hands - Effective Side Chest & Armpit Opening
I love experimenting and new ways to move and open up the body. Opening the arm pits frees the chest, sides and back of the chest and lungs. It also makes you taller! We open the palms, get super long through the arms and extend out, we also play with balance, tipping and extension, stabilising and strengthening the hip, knee and ankles joints.
Read More60 Mins
Lengthening and reaching out
Continuing what seems to be the theme for this series of classes this month we find length in the torso by extending and reaching out of the ribcage. Here we focus on doing this through twists and side body stretches. The benefits of lengthening our torso is improved postured, improved spine mobility, more space for abdominal organs and their optimal function. This practice also focuses on strengthening our hip joint for greater stability when it comes to wide leg postures, whist stretching out the adductors (and semitendinosus, our inner most hamstring) at the same time.
Read More60 Mins
Up and Over - Backbends
I neglect my backbend practice and it shows up when you go to do shoulder opening work or inversions. This is a varied practice, we have inversions, going upside down which may or may not be possible. BUT it’s the journey that matters most and attempting to embody each and every asana no matter it’s accessibility. Some of the simplest poses can be the most complex and be build towards some persons so there is always a place to be in the practice. With backbends the secret is not to focus on the parts that don’t move much but in stabilising the ones that do. You will always feel taller after back ‘bending"‘, they focus on really opening our front body that shortens up over the course of daily life.
Read More60 Mins
Uplifted - Lifting Up and Staying Lifted
There are many ways to feel more lifted, at every junction in our bodies, the pelvis, knees, ankles, shoulders, neck etc there is the propensity to shrink, shorten the muscles and impact the joint. Which leads us to feel pulled in and restricted. Here we look at creating length in the abdominal region, lifting the lower ribs out of the waist via twists, legs lifts, hamstring lengthening and extension of the arms. It’s a full body experince.
Read More70 Mins
Cross Overs - IT Band LoVe
Crossing over with our Yoga posing targets new muscles groups to feel and focus on. It also adds a new dimension to our twists practice. I would say we cover a little bit of everything here; alongside IT band (outer thigh), we twist, focusing on rotation of the trunk, challenging the spinal rotation meanwhile challenging the abdominal muscles to steady us from falling over, balancing and with this strengthening of the legs, lengthening of the hip rotators and finding stability and support from our hip joints too. And remember it’s good for our brain to do new things and/or to do the same things in a new way :-)
Read More60 Mins
Expression - Expanscious and Luminous
This practice is expansive, we are moving both our arms and our legs outwards. The arms from the chest and the legs from the pelvis. This is the perfect anecdote to closing in, feeling confined or shrinking. We identify the base; the foundation from which we move and then we find a way to illuminate from this point outwards, all the way to the tips of our fingers and toes. Being able to express ourselves, feel awake in this world and know where we are coming from are corner stones to our yoga practice; source, clarity and luminosity.
Read More60 Mins
Ascend and Suspend - Core Lengthening
When we lift up we often localise the movement. When we start to lift from our base, our points of contact with the earth, it is then the feeling of ascent is much more significant. The lift doesn’t start at our chest it starts from our pelvic bones, a lengthened core (the space between our pelvic crest and floating ribs) and translates to a feeling of floating suspension, not rigidity. Here we look at the ways in which different postures and shapes alter the abdomenal space, aiming for feelings of length and depth, not shortening and compression. Core lengthening at it’s finest.
Read More65 Mins
Lifting your spirits - An antidote to lethargy
When our energy levels are low and we are feeling lethargic, motivation, positivity and joy can feel as though they are missing from our lives. Here we focus on lifting the chest and opening the armpits. BKS Iyengar once said no one can be depressed if their chest (and hearts) are open. So let’s give it a whirl, we will lengthen the side body primarily, extend all the way to the finger tips, twist and go upside down (if appropriate for you). Happy armpits = Happy Life !!!
Read More65 Mins
Here we explore traction and how a directional pull on the trunk or an extremity enables soft tissue to elongate. I always find it fascinating how easy it is for tissue to shrink and in turn how quickly we lose space in the body that can be lengthened with relative ease. In this practice there’s lot’s of arm lengthening, chest lifting and tractioning the limbs in different directions for maximum elongation.
Read More70 Mins
This practice was filmed on a hot day in the summer. This is the time when we need to temper the heat with the water element in our bodies so although we make the most of having more energy and enthusiasm during the lighter months, to avoid depletion we need to rest the body too. We focus on poses that take our legs wide in this practice, externally rotating the legs for the most part, exploring balance as well as taking supports, especially when feeling over heated. The last third of this practice restores the body with more supportive and restful ways of forward bending.
Read More65 Mins
This is one of my favourite practices. It feels like medicinal healing stretching for the body, without stress, strain or difficulty (well mostly) with maximum length gains. We mainly focus on creating more space between the pelvis and the floating ribs through the extension of the arms (mainly) and the legs. By creating this length we create more space to the front sides and back of our torso, countering shrinking and compression of the spine. Alongside strengthening the legs these practices prime the body for an embodied backbend and inversion practice but here we keep it simple and touch on shatooshpadasana to close which wonderfully combines the actions of chest opening, leg and glute strength, extension of the spine and a lift up towards the top of our shoulders. Get long, get lifted!!
Read More70 Mins
When this practice was recorded it was during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in the UK. So I thought it only fitting that we explored postures that reference Royalty, including the asanas named after Hindu gods and deities. We have the ‘raja’s’, King Cobra (raja - bhujangasana), King Pigeon (eka pada raja-kapotasana), King Dancer (nata - raga - asana) - or at least the working towards of these more extreme (let’s call it that rather than advanced). And of course the King and Queen of all the asanas, named so for the sheer number of healing qualities they are said to possess if practiced correctly; headstand (sirsasana) and shoulder stand (sarvangasana). In essence we are also practicing how to build up arm and leg strength with upper back flexibility in order to support these inversions and arm balances. Working towards vashitasana and ashtavakrasana. Have fun exploring :-)
Read More70 Mins
This class is juicy. We lengthen, lift, revolve and extend through our side body. Starting by opening the groins and lengthening the inner thigh we create more room for the diaphragm to move in space. In turn this allows us to lift out of our pelvis, open our chest, twist and side stretch with increased ranged of movement. This sets us up perfectly to move and balance in more challenging standing pavrittas (twists). This can all be developed from simple asanas practiced passively at first to enable us to hold for longer periods and in turn see more significant change in the body that helps us develop the more complex movements and asanas with greater ease.
Read More60 Mins
When I was thinking how to describe this class and our focus, the main word in my head was ‘pulsing’. That we are very rarely in this practice still or not repeating the movements less than 3 times. Movement and momentum, coming in and then going out, towards our centre and then away. There is an abdominal emphasis and need for integral support from the centre of our body in order to move the legs in and out, as well as up and down, parallel legs and single leg movements. We also combine an element of wrapping the legs. All in all a stimulating practice to the digestive organs and stimulus to blood flow.
Read More65 Mins
Some instructions can seem so obscure that at first you have no idea how to ask your body to respond. Something seemingly insignificant, like pressing your big and lifting your toes or wrapping your outer calves in. But when the brain and the body do connect with the action you start to feel some profound changes and make some new discoveries about your body and how no part in disconnected from another. Put simply the action of hugging the calves makes us engage the whole leg better and allows the glutes to ignite and for the hip socket to feel more compact and for us to be able to lift up out of our pelvis, lengthen the spine and to lift and open the chest with greater ease as a result.
Read More65 Mins
I love adding a belt in to my practice. It can feel experimental if you are not used to it but then you begin to see how much more accessible some postures are, especially if the belt adds the extra length to the arms to reach the toes, countering the need to round the upper back when getting to the toes is a struggle or restricted by the length of the hamstrings. Belts also help us feel and see the connection of the arms to the shoulders and the chest, that these are moving parts of a whole and not separate entities. I hope you enjoy this practice with the belt as much as I do.
Read More75 Mins
Many postures and movements require the joints in the ankles to be flexible, this requires good movement in the knees and the hips above. Here we play with poses where we can look at angles in these 3 joints, opening them out and closing them in like an accordion. In turn creating length and flexibility to the muscles connecting them. I have really enjoyed the creativity and experience of movement in this sequencing. Enjoy …
Read More75 Mins
Our legs are attached to our torso, the pelvis is the intersection between the two. Freedom of movement above and below is intertwined and as we create more length in our legs, more space in the pelvis the ability to lift the torso and feel longer and leaner is evident. In this class we look at muscles and movements that make us lengthen and extend upwards and outwards heading towards hanumanasana - leaping monkey pose :-)
Read More70 Mins
If I am going to receive a mobility test for my hips and or my shoulders there are a few poses that highlight where my restrictions are. For lotus, the hip is key and no amount of force to the knee or ankle should be necessary if the hips external rotation is good. Same for binding, long arms helps but it is more about a full circumferential rotation to get the hands to wrap behind you. Good chest rotation is key for the binds as is the ability to revolve the femur bones correctly in lotus. As always it is not the end goal that marks success but the journey and the awareness this journey gives you in to the mechanics and workings of your body. Your response and the work on your own practice towards full body awareness is the essence.
Read More70 Mins
Creating stability in the shoulder blades and the ability to allow them to move up and down so our arms can move over our heads or support us should we go upside down is pivotal to a healthy joint and movement practice. Here we look at a range of shoulder ‘opening’ practices, both isolating movements and exploring ranges of motion in different poses such as binds, spinx, reverse namaskar, gormuktasana (eagle), forearm balance and handstand. Of course there are many stages along the way to build towards the weight baring poses, all practices that stand alone without the need to progress necessarily today, but building blocks along the way.
Read More70 Mins
Here we look at movements and postures where we work on opposites, crossing over, crossing behind, going over, going under. Working on opposites is deceptively tricky as our brain tries to decipher which arm and which leg is doing what. It challenges our balance and asks us to move from a point of stability and strength. See what it brings up … frustration? laughter? tears? And that’s all just from parivritta ardha chandrasana :-)
Read More70 Mins
Splitting the legs requires our legs to be out of equilibrium. For one leg to go one way and for the other to go in the opposite direction and upwards requires different muscles to work in different ways. The keys muscles that connect to the pelvis have to balance and stabilise the body, rather than just be asked to be flexible and lengthen we are asking them to get strong too. So have fun, balance on one leg, take one leg back, one leg forward, one leg up, one leg down. You will strengthen, lengthen, open and explore different planes of movement.
Read More65 Mins
I think I’ve said this before. Happy arm pits, happy life. It comes from a BKS Iyengar quote where he tells his students that if you lift your chest and open your arm pits you can’t be depressed. This does play in to the image of the drooping shoulders, curved spine, down turned lips etc. So in this class we creatively explore how to open the arm pits by lengthening the side body, revolving the spine and opening the chest. Using tadasana, down dog and virasana (extended childs pose) as our neutral base from which to move from and come back to. Also using these poses between sides to observe changes and developments as we move from one side to the other.
Read More75 Mins
Essentially all the variations on taking your leg out to the side, straight or bent, standing, supine, prone, kneeling. We can explore this rotation with static poses but also with movements and momentum.
Read More70 Mins
When we practice ‘live’ we often move with the season. This class is the first class back after Christmas and I always focus on lengthening the abdomen (just in case there’s been more time sat on the sofa/eating/drinking etc). This is not the case for everyone and there are many times through the year where we feel we need to fully stretch out the body and this class is perfect for those moments. There are the key elements to lengthen, strengthen and tone the abdomen with a literal twist thrown in here and there. We primarily focus on igniting the lower abdomen through strengthening the legs (inner line/pelvis connection). This is all the things I love to do in one class, weaving in creative changes to familiar poses brings a feeling of newness and regeneration to our practice.
Read More75 Mins
Not one of us has the same body structure as someone else, although Yoga requires us to make all these different shapes with our bodies, the reenactment and the process of doing them will look and feel different to each of us. We do want to be flexible, but not too flexible, we learn a lot from being stiff, lessons the very mobile body will never know or feel. In this class we practice many variations of postures where our legs are straight and we are bring the legs and the torso in closer proximity to one another. We explore different ways of moving in and out of these postures and how this can affect how deeply we are able to go and also different plains of movement which also affects how far we can go comfortably and without comprising our very precious spines. Being straight is really a misnomer, preventing blockages and keeping our pathways clear for the free flow of energy and health should be the goal, to prevent compression and improve longevity in our bodies through the practices of creating space and length.
Read More65 Mins
When we engage in postures that are forward folding we often associate these with lengthening our hamstrings and if we experience these as feeling tight we might groan when thinking about any posture where we forward fold/bend. But what if we think of forward bends as a whole body experience and that the hamstrings are just one part of the circuit. By stabilising the legs and engaging the arms we support the spine in such a way that forward folds are beneficial for our backs. This is less about going in to the full expression of a forward fold initially but preparatory movements and asanas that pave the way to effortless forward folding that are both strong and stable before being flexible.
Read More75 Mins
Holding a posture is often the strongest part of the practice physically. Then we practice staying, making the pose homely so that we can then experience feeling; the doing has been done, nothing has to be held. After the doing and the holding the homely state will start to come more quickly with practice. What we can create, maintain and enjoy in our practice begins to feel limitless and we find a state of peacefulness in many poses that may have started off feeling stressful or difficult. Our mission is for a state of being where feeling homely comes naturally no matter the difficulty. Here we explore breathing whilst holding in a variety of postures that lift and expand our upper rib cage and shoulders, challenging our balance as well as looking for different breathing patterns when the body isn’t straining or stressed.
Read More75 Mins
So much of what we do rolls from one thing in to the next, we don’t allow for space between one event or thought and the next. The problem is that things can then become a jumble and we can take on too much. We can use our practice to observe the space in between and how this helps us to not only calm the nervous system but move more freely and more spaciously. The space between the inhale and the exhale, the exhale and the inhale, the space between the pelvis and the ribs, the shoulders and the neck, the ankle and the knees, the eye brows even .. you get the idea. In this practice we look at creating more space in the chest and shoulders through the extension, movement and placement of the arms and legs in different plains. It’s fun and uplifting to move freely :-)
Read More75 Mins
There is no doubt our arms and legs have different functions. If we were meant to walk on our arms, they would be our legs. But there are lots of poses in Yoga where we are asking our arms to hold and carry the weight of our body or share the load with our legs. That doesn’t mean this is about handstands, we do it downward facing dog, side arms balance etc. And very often we shift our body weight from one to the other and back again. By looking at ways to use the arms to support our body weight, how our connection to the arms from our torso (front, sides and back) needs to be balanced and stabilised in the shoulder joint so we can move with confidence, without struggle and see how our arms can be as supportive as our legs.
Read More70 Mins
Lengthening the inner leg muscles involves increasing the range of motion in our external hip rotators and vice versa. In this class we explore both, external hip rotation and lengthening the inner thigh to provide greater range of motion and a longer in seam!! Finding space in the groins benefits our breathing as the muscles here connect us with our diaphragm and when tight can hinder the depth of our breathing and also reduce the space we are giving our internal organs.
Read More70 Mins
Each week I let the theme I am working with come to me intuitively. This week it started with a seed that started looking in to the month of September and it’s place in Chinese elemental philosophy, which lead me to reading about the element associated with Autumn, which is metal and how this relates to the lung meridian. I also wanted to work towards Urdva Danurasana as this challenging back bend hadn’t been on our menu for quite some time. As it turns out backbends and the path towards urdva danurasana trace the lung meridian perfectly and increases our connection to opening, lifting and increasing range of movement in our upper torso and also our capacity for deeper and fuller breathing. The qualities associated with a balanced metal element are being flexible and malleable. If metal is deficient you can feel very rigid and stuck and experience restrictions with your respiratory system.
Read More70 Mins
One of the things I like to practice most is all the different shapes and poses I can do with straight legs. Sometimes both together, sometimes wide apart, sometimes going off in different directions, sometimes balancing on one and lifting the other, sometimes folding, sometimes revolving. There are in fact endless possibilities and ways in which we can explore our range of movement in these different plains. It does require us to develop both length and strength in the hamstrings but this doesn’t mean we have to experience discomfort if our hamstrings are not overly flexible. We learn our range and movement potential as it applies to ourselves, with adjustments and supports in place the same practice is possible for everyone with this sequencing.
Read More65 Mins
Moving the arms and legs in directions where they move away from and towards the midline of our body is called adduction and abduction. It’s an interesting way of exploring movement and the directions we can take our limbs in and the effect this has on our experience. What patterns can we discover in our bodies? it’s strengths and weaknesses? This class is both strengthening and lengthening with it’s possibilities and also requires us to balance our opposing sides when we focus on the opposite, our awareness is drawn in all directions around the body. Ultimately always coming back to the midline.
Read More75 Mins
I was thinking about the concept of being on the ‘straight and narrow’ whilst reading a book called The Practice Is The Path by Tias Little. The concept of trying to keep oneself on this path and those we care for on a similar ‘straight and narrow’ pathway is not only very limiting but nye on impossible. In this class we navigate our practice by looking at the movement patterns we use to come in and out of poses creatively. Sometimes it’s not the pose itself that’s difficult to experience but the path we take towards it. I would say this class focuses on hip mobility and our own agility when it comes to movement in Yoga.
Read More75 Mins
When we cross over from right to left or from left to right it involves a twist/revolving movement through the spine. It also allows you to focus on feeling and stretching one side of the body at a time, principally the back side. We can also see how a twist or a turn can impact our ability to breath in to each lung. We also experience that there is asymmetry between our two sides. There is lots of exploration in this class, not just twists but cross body movements and accessible arm balances and transitions. Good training for the vestibular system too, learning about our sense of balance and spatial orientation. Have fun :-)
Read More75 Mins
In Yoga there many ways of exploring the asanas and here we look at how the same shape is formed in the body but practiced from different angles. We use these variations as a means of studying both our body and our mind. How are we experiencing each variation differently? What is this teaching us? Why does one way feel good and another feel so unstable for instance? We look at how to find the similarities and differences and use them to help us arrange our structure. Dandasana, Uttanasana, Prasarita padottanasana, Paschimottanasana, Urdva Paschimottanasana 1 & 2, Halasana. All these poses look very similar, the same even, but they are experienced very very differently. Learn, study, practice :-)
Read More75 Mins
I started a little investigatory research in to the lymphatic system and it’s function and purpose for our bodies. Teaching people I always notice certain areas where people are ‘stuck’, where the body doesn’t respond to movement instructions to ‘open’, that can look confined, shortened or congested. In brief the lymphatic system maintains fluid levels in our body, it acts as a drainage system that moves fluid from body tissue in to blood circulation, it helps us fight infection and gets rid of any waste cells make. We need to maintain it’s flow for a healthy immune system and one way we can do this is through diaphragmatic breathing and through Yoga. Specifically where we incorporate postures that open and stretch across the chest, arm pits, groin and where are legs are inverted. This all helps lymphatic flow and drainage, and helps dust off feelings of lethargy and sluggishness. Hopefully this practice will energise you and get things moving. Enjoy :-)
Read More75 Mins
In this class we will explore the idea of counter balancing our movements and creating a sense of equilibrium. We move through a sequence of poses where we notice how we are asking parts of our body to move in opposite directions from one another, simultaneously moving apart. If we over use one part and under use the other it creates instability, so we work to try and balance ourselves evenly, as one part goes up, another goes down, as one extends forwards the other goes backwards. This thought process can be applied to almost every movement, an exploration of physics. We focus mainly on forward facing asanas where we split our legs and build towards lifting in to forearm balance and headstand without necessarily lifting both our feet off the ground.
Read More75 Mins
In this class we explore where an action begins. When we ask are feet to turn out or take our hands out to the sides. The movements come from the hips or the shoulders, the movement is a whole limb not just the distill ends. We play with different rotations of the feet and hands and explore how what we are being asked to do and our ‘success’ depends on how the legs and the arms are able to move in the joint. Put simply I could say this is a hip focused class without the traditional poses you would associate with ‘hip opening’. I love exploring the asanas (poses) in this way, it’s intriguing and adds a new layer of enquiry to our practice and help us ‘crack the code’, as one of my teachers puts it. Understanding more about the shapes we make with our body and how they work can be illuminating and enable us to move deeper.
Read More45 Mins
In this fundamentals class we focus on sequencing together many of the standing and backbends we have covered so far in this series. Here we highlight the poses where we are twisting/revolving and stretching the front of the thigh/hip flexors. This particular family of backbends are more front body lengthening, bending in the back is a misnomer. The key to them is the strength and flexibility in the legs, particularly the hip flexors and the strength of the paraspinal muscles and glutes to give you stability and lift off.
Read More45 Mins
In this fundamentals class we focus on sequencing together many of the standing and seated poses we have covered so far in this series. In order to fit these in to a 45 minute session we highlight here the poses where our legs are split, one forward, one back and the chest and pelvis is forward facing; warrior 1, warrior 3, parsvotanasana. The key movement patterns and elements that make up these poses are the rotational elements in the pelvis forwards. But there are some variations to this rule as we include poses where we bring the chest to the legs or the legs to the chest and explore wrapping.
Read More75 Mins
The abdominals muscles are made up of the rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis and the internal and external obliques. In brief they provide support for the spine, support and protect our internal organs and help to regulate breathing. Muscles get stronger in the lengthening process (eccentric muscle contraction). Put simply it is when a muscle lengthens when it contracts rather than when it shortens and contracts. In this class we explore a huge variety of ways in which we lengthen and strengthen our abdominal muscles without a single sit up in sight. There’s lots of variety, movements in all directions and an exploration of all the abdominals muscles.
Read More45 Mins
In this fundamentals class we focus on sequencing together many of the standing and seated poses we have covered so far in this series. In order to fit these in to a 45 minute session we highlight here the poses where our legs are wide; warrior 2, trikonasana, parsvakonasana, ardha chandrasana, badha konasna, upavista konasana to name but a few. The key movement patterns and elements that make up these poses are the rotational elements in the pelvis, in the majority of the standing poses one thigh internally rotates whilst the other externally rotates. But there are some variations to this rule as we include poses that give an all round perspective to the different rotations in the pelvis/hip joint and we move the legs together, individually and separately.
Read More75 Mins
There’s a sense that we have to hug in to lift up. If we gather ourselves towards our centre in order to extend our limbs in all directions it helps us to balance, move more symmetrically, strengthens our core and supports the spine. Stabilising the hip joint feels like we are hugging them in, same at the shoulder joint. This allows our arms and legs to move more freely but also helps us to find more length through the movement of these limbs. Essentially feeling longer and taller. If you have a Yoga brick this would be perfect for this class. We use it to connect our outer to inner legs and to balance on, really challenging the strength and stability of the joints in the leg chain (ankles, knees and hips). The sequencing leads us to Shoulder stand (supported) and here we can really appreciate how the preparatory work of the legs helps us to lift up and lengthen, taking the weight and pressure off our shoulders, so we feel lighter and able to elongate upwards.
Read More75 Mins
Having had a pretty heavy few weeks on the hamstrings I decided it was time to loosen up and have a little bit of hip play. Less focused on long holds and forward folds but gaining movement and momentum in the full range of the hips. Sometimes we think there is a movement or a pose that we can’t do but sometimes we can if we approach it in a different way, from a different direction. Or we can access it by adding in a prop or two. Please approach this by exploring your range of movement and not with any idea that one pose fits all.
Read More75 Mins
When I practiced and planned this class before teaching I realised that most of the postures required us to make ‘V’ shapes with our bodies, either by splitting the legs (one forward, one back, parallel) or by the angle we make at the hip junction between the legs and the torso. Sometimes the ‘V’ is an ‘L’ or in our finale posture an ‘X’. In actuality when practicing this sequence, when making these shapes, feel the letters your body to making.
There is a focus on needing the hamstrings to open and lengthen, and for the hip flexors and quads to help in lifting the legs but there are progressions towards each full posture. Remember when the hamstrings challenge your movement the best course of action is to add props, or modify, they will open far more successfully this way than when they are in a fear state (“You are going to snap me aren’t you?? STOP” said the hamstrings). Amongst others, we practice Navasana and variations (boat), Krounchasana (I think they call this heron) and kurmasana (which makes me think of Kermit the frog). Have fun :-)
Read MoreI haven’t taught a splits prep class in a while, so this is a first for the library. I have had dreams whereby I slide in to them effortlessly, sadly this is not my reality right now, but each year I do get closer to the ground. What is glorious about splits is actually the preparation, you have to open both the front of the body, mainly the hip flexors to allow the chest to lift and for the back leg to be able to extend away, and the back body, principally the hamstrings to extend the front leg forwards.
The pose, Hanumanasana is named after Hanuman, the monkey god, son of the wind (Vayu) who was known for his giant leaps, whereby he could stretch his legs incredible distances. The power of his back leg propelled him skywards whilst his front leg would reach and stretch towards his destination. Feel the powerfulness of this pose, be brave and experiment (safely) with what is possible. Most importantly, enjoy the journey.
Read More45 Mins
In this fundamentals class we focus on Forward Folds, poses where we hinge from the hips and extend the torso forward and over our legs. We also explore poses mostly that require the legs to be together or no wider than hip width apart. What movement patterns and key elements make up these poses and how we can make it more accessible and/or experience it in new ways. Forwards folds can be experienced intensely in the hamstrings and is often what makes people avoid them. Tight hamstrings are very uncomfortable and can be a factor in causing lower back pain. So here we approach them by emphasising the parts of the legs and hips that need to ‘hold’ you before folding, to avoid a fear reflex and the possibility of causing strain through over stretching. The amount we can ‘fold’ depends on the flexibility of our hamstrings, as well as the hip rotators and often requires patience. By striking a balance between stretching and maintaining the integrity of the spine, we can have a much healthier forward extension that doesn’t make us feel like we are stuck and can’t move forward.
Read MoreThis class focuses on opening the chest and shoulders through a full range of different movements and actions. There is also an emphasis on core stability and strength to allow the arms as well as the legs to lengthen in all directions. With preparation we move towards Shalabhasana (locust pose) which resembles more sky divers pose in the beginning. It is a prone backbend that builds strength in the paraspinal muscles (3 muscle groups that support your back) and the legs. We finish off with right angled handstand and/or the preparation for weight baring on the arms before concluding in Setu Banda Sarvangasana. This can all be done without props but if you have a yoga belt and a bolster this would be super beneficial.
Read More45 Mins
In this fundamentals class we focus on Utkatasana and it’s related family poses. What movement patterns and key elements make up this pose and poses like it. It is one pose, alongside downward facing dog practiced regularly in every class that causes varying scales of discomfort. This is until you learn to love it, and you learn to love it the minute you experience it without discomfort and then the body and the brain celebrate as you practice it with ease. It’s deceptively hard because it requires flexibility in the shoulders, stability from your core and strength in your legs. In this class we look at creating flexibility in the ankles and lower leg, strength in the glutes and thighs, flexibility in the upper back and shoulders and an element of core strength to manage the correct alignment of the pelvis.
This is a pose, that when your crack it will increase your lung capacity (because of the stretch in the ribs when you take your arms over your head) and improve your posture. It will help support and strengthen the knees and strengthen the core to protect the back, which can tend to excessively arch in this pose if not practiced correctly. In this class there are tons of preparatory poses and variations of the pose to play with. The introduction of the actual full pose is from the wall so it gives you a feedback loop to know how it should feel. Then when practiced in space the angle of the pelvis, lift in the chest and extension of the arms will feel natural. Enjoy ;-)
Read MoreWhen I was writing and practicing this plan I wondered to myself ‘is this the yoga equivalent of legs, bums and tums?’ which, I have never done but it seemed we were about to feel all these areas. I would say the dominant theme is opening the hamstrings, I say opening rather than lengthening because we focus here on widening the belly of the muscles. This tends to be more productive than feeling as though we are “stretching and lengthening” the muscles and potentially pulling them too much. Broadening the hamstrings whilst stretching them also protects the lower back, makes it easier to engage the abdominal muscles and strengthen the glutes. So legs, glutes and abs here we go.
Read More45 Mins
In this fundamentals class we focus on Virabhadrasana 1 and it’s related family poses. What movement patterns and key elements make up this pose and poses like it. It is different to Warrior 2 and Trikonasana with the rotational elements in the hip joint where the pelvis angles forward. The front leg is bent like warrior 2 and parsvakonasana but the back leg is straight like parvottanasana. Lots of names for you to remember :-) But once you get used to the key standing poses you will see how all yoga poses have similar elements in common and you will be able to carry with you your awareness from one pose to another. It is true though that you will experience it differently in different planes. Here we explore variations of virabhadrasana 1, standing, on our back, kneeling and balancing on one leg. You will see how the normal imbalances of the pelvis influence this particular pose, it has elements of a back bend so tends to be the problematic standing posture. Here we work to open the hamstrings, as well as the hip flexors and focus on lifting and opening the chest and upper back to elevate the arms up and over our head.
Read More60 Mins
In this fundamentals class we focus on Prasarita Padotanasana, a pose where the legs are wide apart and we fold forward. We also explore similar poses that require the legs to move wide apart and where there is an element of forward ‘bending’. What movement patterns and key elements make up these poses and how we can make it more accessible and/or experience it in different planes. This can be experienced intensely in the hamstrings and the inner groins and requires a fair amount of ankle stability to ensure we don’t overstretch in the outer foot. The distance we take the legs apart depends on our hips and often the shape of our pelvis and the amount we can ‘fold’ depends on the flexibility of our hamstrings and our ability to move into, stay in and move out of the pose. By striking a balance between stretching and strengthening, the placement of our feet, where we bare weight, we can have a much healthier forward extension that doesn’t comprise the integrity of the spine or make us feel like we can’t move forward.
Read MoreWhen you want to strengthen your core it is good to learn how to move from your centre. In this class we see how to stabilise our centre, our ‘core’ so that we can lift and lower our limbs without zigzagging (dropping the outer hips) or tilting the pelvis and ‘puffing’ the abdomen. By stabilising we are strengthening the deepest abdominal muscles rather than the superficial outer layers. Ultimately this protects our lower back and supports our whole posture. From our centre comes every movement. Strong, stabile and supported, SSS.
Read MoreThis is my go to practice when I want to stretch and open as many parts of me as I possibly can in one practice without moving in to any advanced postures or leaning too far in one direction. Finding length in the torso, lifting from the pelvis, relief in the hips, opening the hamstrings, fullness of breath. Side bends, forwards bends, back bends: all in small doses but designed to open me up and wake me up all over. This is a wonderful all round flow and suitable for all levels. If you have a yoga belt or something that could substitute as one this would be helpful for this class.
Read MoreThe psoas muscle wraps around our body, connecting our torso to our legs, traversing through the pelvis along the way. It is a major stabilizer for the spine as well as being a hip flexor and can cause major asymmetry in the body. It effects our posture, and when imbalanced (too tight or too stretched) can cause lower back pain, contribute towards tight hamstrings and play a part in your stress responses and good digestion.
Here we look at trying to balance the psoas, view it from a right and left perspective as well as looking at ways to stretch it, strengthen it and flex it. Then observe, is their greater ease of movement? How? Where? “With a healthy psoas our weight is naturally borne through the bones, and walking is initiated at the solar plexus instead of the knee or hip joint.” Sandra Anderson. This is by far one of my favourite practices to do and feel in my body afterwards. Sweet release.
Read More60 Mins
In this fundamentals class we focus on Parvrtta Parsvakonasana and many other Parvrttas (revolving poses/twists). Moving in to Parvrtta Ardha Chandrasana, a tricky balancing twist. What movement patterns and key elements make up these poses and how we can make it more accessible and/or experience it in different planes. What is wonderful about Parvritta Parsvakonasana is it combines elements from Parsvottanasana, Parvrtta Trikonasana and when we move towards Parvrtta Arda Chandrasana, the elements of Virabhadarasana 3/Warrior 3 that come in to play. Our base, centre of gravity and balance across the pelvis shifts and alters with each move and transition as we attempt to remain steady whilst revolving. Maintaining/creating not just the lift in the chest but avoiding compressing the abdominal organs and loosing the spaces between the ribs to breathe fully.
Read More60 Mins
In this fundamentals class we focus on Parsvakonasana, or extended side stretch pose. Moving in to Ardha Chandrasana, or half moon pose and it’s related family poses. What movement patterns and key elements make up these poses and how we can make it more accessible and/or experience it in different planes. It is similar to Virabadrasana 2 (Warrior 2) and Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) in that your base, the legs and pelvis are at the same angle/have the same directionality. We ask our spine to rotate upwards so we can lift the chest and extend the top arm overhead. The position of the legs is key to finding the length in the side body in parsvakonasana and the standing, balancing leg (ankle, knee, hip connection) is key to mastering 1/2 moon pose. If we see how all the standing poses are connected we can begin to find accessible roots for all Yoga asanas and these provide the building blocks for further exploration and are essential before doing inverted postures.
Read More60 Mins
In this fundamentals class we focus on Parvrtta Trikonasana, or revolved triangle and it’s related family poses. What movement patterns and key elements make up this pose and how we can make it more accessible. It is part of the Trikonasana family and yet your base, the legs, are the same as in parsvottanasana. We ask our spine to rotate whilst our pelvis remains level, our frontal hip bones angled down and the torso revolves up. The balance alone is tricky to navigate. The revolving of the abdomen in to each of the movements is key to all the variations in this class. The hip, knee and ankle connections, stability and/or flexibility in these joints can help or hinder our progress. But with practice and patience all the elements will come together.
Read More60 Mins
In this fundamentals class we focus on Parsvottanasana and it’s related family poses. What movement patterns and key elements make up this pose and poses like it. It is different to Warrior 2 and Trikonasana with the rotational elements in the hip joint where the pelvis angles down and both legs are straight. Here we explore variations of parsvottanasana standing, on our back, on our sides, on our front and balancing on one leg. You will see how the normal imbalances of the pelvis influence this particular pose, as well as hip mobility, ankle stability and/or flexibility, the hamstrings, knees and the elements of forward extension required.
Read More60 Mins
In this fundamentals class we focus on Warrior 2 and it’s related family poses. What movement patterns and key elements make up this pose and poses like it. It has similar features to Trikonasana with the rotational elements in the hip joint but we work with a bent rather than a straight leg (alleviating a lot of the pressure on the hamstrings). Here we explore variations of warrior 2 standing, on our back, on our sides, on our front and balancing on one leg. You will see how the normal imbalances of the pelvis influence
Read More60 Mins
In this fundamentals class we focus on Trikonasana and it’s related family poses. What movement patterns and key elements make up this pose and poses like it. As a beginner or an advanced practitioner you will see that Trikonasana is the pose that just keeps giving, it’s our greatest teacher and requires our attention to be everywhere.
Read MoreWe twist, we open, we lengthen, we release. Like a 360degree tour around the ribcage to lengthen, stretch and release the chest, upper back and side body for optimal lift and preparation for shoulder stand. Strengthening the legs and twists prepare the body perfectly for all lifts, backbends and inversions.
Read MoreEnergising, awakening and lit up practice to counter inertia and lethargy
Read More