yoga

Yoga Sequence to aid our circulation

Yoga gets the blood in the body flowing! Relaxation helps circulation, movement brings more oxygen to your cells (which function better as a result), twisting brings fresh oxygenated blood to organs, and inversions reverse blood flow from the lower body to the brain and heart.

How to improve our circulation?

Poor circulation can be caused by many things: sitting for most of the day at a desk or in the car, high cholesterol, blood pressure issues, and even diabetes. It can also manifest in many ways, with the body showing signs of:

numbness
cold hands and feet
swelling
muscle cramps
brittle hair and nails
breakouts
dark circles under your eyes

Luckily, there are almost as many ways to combat it as there are symptoms. You can try:

holistic medication
healthy balanced diet
moving the body with exercise

Movement is key to wellness on many levels, including circulatory health. Yoga is not only one of the most accessible types of exercise (it’s low impact and can be practiced by everyone at all levels), but it’s also one of the best types of exercise for poor circulation.

The below sequence of poses will be a great addition to your self-care and wellness routine. This is especially for you if you’re dealing with circulation issues, no matter what their cause or physical manifestation in your body.

I have been guiding some of our students through the yoga sequence this week. It has been put together in a way that will allow you to explore the asana and yourself while also becoming familiar with the sense of moving inwards again and encouraging your prana (energy) to flow freely, as it should.

FREE YOGA SEQUENCE HERE

I do hope you enjoy the practice and feel its benefits, and I look forward to seeing you in practice later this week!

Yoga for release

This week’s Yoga sequence has been put together to help us to release tension in the pelvic area, remove mental expectations and as a result, promote overall acceptance and surrender.

Let’s begin with the physical benefits of this practice.

How to release tension in the lower back?

Now we’ve all experienced lower backache and pelvic pain to some degree right? Prolonged sitting and activities like running can lead to tight hip flexors (the muscles that connect the upper body to the lower body) causing muscle imbalances that contribute to low back pain. Tight hip flexors create an anterior pull on the pelvis known as an anterior pelvic tilt (the pelvis tilts down at the front, I call it duck bum!). This alters posture and also inhibits, or even turns off, the opposing muscle group, the gluteus maximus (butt cheek muscles), leading to muscle imbalances. I like to call it lazy arse syndrome ha!

Microspasms or trigger points are then likely to develop in the overused/tight muscles like the hip flexors and hamstrings. Releasing the trigger points through particular asana (yoga postures) can lead to greater improvements in range of motion. This Yoga sequence has a selection of asana that has been carefully placed together to create release at these points while encouraging pandiculation (active stretch) in the tight areas and activation in the sleepy areas, such as the glutes.

This sequence is also a wonderful Yoga practice to ease period pains and other pelvic inflammatory pains such as IBS.

Super simple and can be carried out in under an hour, this yoga practice for lower backache is actually much much more than that. You will feel instant results, I’m sure of it!

Yoga to help ease lower back pain

Moving onto the spiritual part of the practice. I like to invite the students in my yoga class in St. Helens, to enjoy a little tuning in practice before the sequence begins. It gives them the opportunity to observe what they have brought to the mat with them that day, without judgment. This process allows them to move into their practice with acceptance and compassion for themselves. Why not give it a try before you work your way through the sequence below.

This week’s Sankalpa (intention)…

EXPECTATIONS ~ Both on and off the mat. We place them on ourselves, on others…It’s no wonder, the world, the Maya, is full of them. Society itself is based on idealism and expectations.

When idealism is conceived, the very concept of an object or experience has been placed, which is the moment an expectation is also formed. So when we place expectations, we predict a certain pattern, behavior to arise, through projecting past (whether personal or non-personal) experiences into the future and onto almost anything. We place an expectation on the mere concept!

When idealism is conceived, the very concept of an object or experience has been placed, which is the moment an expectation is also formed

This can and will lead to disappointment, feelings of frustration, resentment, failure, the NOT ENOUGH.

So maybe ask yourself, when you notice, when you witness these e-motions arising (as a result of expectations not being met)

Why are you frustrated?
Why did you place an expectation?
Why did you not invite or allow the experience to form and unfold and conceive organically?
Why is NOW not enough?
WHO set the expectation?
WHO is witnessing the result?
WHO is even witnessing the emotions arise?
Does witnessing them allow you to watch the energy flow through you rather than become you?
Expectations are fixed. How will they ever meet a happy ending in our ever-changing dance we call life?

A whole potion of tools and techniques can help dissolve expectations, which doesn’t mean being passive or a pushover.

You are the alchemist.

By coming from a place of compassion, love for yourself, and others, the desire to become attached to expectations begins to dissolve. In turn, creating a natural progression into non-attachment, surrender, and acceptance.
It is there you will find peace, stillness, and presence.

Sat Chit Ananda

Click here for Yoga sequence

I do hope you enjoy the practice I have put together. Don’t forget to click on the link below to book onto one of my in-person yoga classes in St Helens.

Please share your experience with me in the comments below or via email.

BOOK HERE

Yoga for anxiety

Is yoga an amazing all-over workout? Heck yes! But that’s only one benefit. Yoga is a combination of physical movements and postures along with meditative movements, breathing, and mindfulness. It can provide you with an approachable way to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression.

If the panic attack has already hit

Let’s get to the nitty-gritty. If you’re reading this, it is highly likely you have experienced or even right now, are experiencing an anxiety attack or panic attack. Know you are not alone and that nobody has ever died from an actual panic attack as much as your nervous system may beg to differ at the time!

Panic attacks are nothing to be ashamed of. They can happen to literally anyone, regardless of their lifestyle. In these sweat-inducing, tremor-producing moments, your body preps for fight or flight even if there’s no real danger. Panic attacks can be scary, especially if you’ve never had one before.

Symptoms of a panic attack

pain or tightness in your chest
a sense of impending danger
trembling and shaking
dizziness or faintness
shortness of breath
a pounding heart
numbness
sweating
nausea
impaired vision

You can use yoga to ease anxiety and panic attacks. Although, before you jump into a new routine, take some time to calm yourself. The breathing techniques below are a great way to begin recalibrating the nervous system.

Try to take deep, slow breaths that fill your belly (not just your chest). Draw air in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. You can also try alternate nostril breathing. Focus on your breath until you begin to feel relief.

Entering a simple yoga pose can also help. Pick one that promotes a sense of grounding but also helps you relax. Some good choices are Child’s Pose and Bridge Pose. This can open your lungs, slow rapid breathing, and decrease your heart rate.

Best yoga poses for anxiety

I have put together a sequence of yoga poses (asana) that will help the body to relax, transferring over to the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) as opposed to the sympathetic system (fight or flight). These yoga poses for panic attacks can help promote a sense of safety, relaxation, and overall stillness.

The practice is for all levels, including beginners, and takes around 60 minutes from start to finish. Each pose should be sat in for around four nourishing belly breaths. If you are struggling with reoccurring anxiety such as GAD ( Generalised anxiety disorder) I would suggest you practice this sequence at least twice a week to keep your nervous system in check, rather than waiting for it to become overstimulated and burnt out.

Click the link here will take you to the free Yoga for Anxiety and Stress sequence, all you need to do is press play and follow its lead.

If you have any questions, need some additional advice or guidance, or would like to attend a 121 or one of my morning online sessions, please click on the link here to get in touch and to find out more or book straight on here

Meditation & breathing exercise for anxiety/panic attacks

This meditation is particularly good for women and essential at times of worry, unease, and irrationality. Normally, we breathe at a rate of 15 breaths a minute, but when we’re able to rhythmically slow down our breath to only 4 breaths per minute, we have indirect control over our minds. This eliminates obnoxious behavior, promoting a calm mind regardless of our surroundings. This is a very effective method of balancing the functional brain.

Please bear in mind that this meditation, and breathing exercise, is an advanced practice. It stabilises the pranic body (energy body), resulting in an increased sense of self and elimination of anxiety. Conscious and subconscious fears negatively impact our judgment and self-trust every day. This meditation removes our reactions to those fears and makes us steady. Follow the Nadi Shodhana link above if you feel this is too advanced for you at the moment.

Try It

Sit in Easy Pose with your eyelids 1/10th open, gaze focused at your brow point. Hold your right hand 4–6 inches in front of your body at the level of your throat. Curl your fingers into a fist. Extend your thumb straight up. Hold your left hand directly below your right fist. Curl the fingers of your left hand into a fist. Extend your thumb straight up.

Adjust the position of your hand so your left thumb tip is about 2 inches from the base of your right fist and your thumbs are aligned with each other. The base of your left hand to the top of your right thumb should cover the space from the level of your diaphragm to your mouth. Hold your elbows so that your forearms are parallel to the ground.

Regulate your breath in this pattern: Inhale deeply and quickly, then exhale immediately, powerfully, and completely. Lock your breath out. Suspend your chest and keep your neck locked. Keep your thumbs stiff and in perfect position.

Hold your breath out for a rhythmic count of 26. With each count, gently apply mula bandha. Visualize as you count. See and feel the energy and awareness going up your spine, vertebra by vertebra. The count of one is the first vertebra at the base of your spine and the count of 26 is at the top of your spine at the center of your skull. Continue for 3–11 minutes

I do hope these tools and techniques help in some way. Always remember…

All is well, and I am safe.

I inhale strength and exhale fear

I’ve survived this before, I’ll survive now

and my favourite…

Let go of the fear, only love is here

I do hope this post brings some relief to you and wish you peace and stillness.

Yoga and mental health

Among the most common misconceptions about yoga is that it’s just another form of exercise. Perhaps this is because people often see yogis stretching and doing pretzel-like poses. However, the reality is that the benefits of yoga are more encompassing than just the physical. And, thanks to modern technology and functional MRI scans, we’re now able to see how regular practice affects your brain.

Here are some of the mental benefits of yoga and how it produces those effects by changing the structure of your brain.

Yoga Increases Gray Matter Density

Our brains are primarily made up of two types of tissues: white and gray matter. A normal human brain consists of about 60% white matter and 40% gray matter. Both of which play important roles in healthy cognitive functioning, however, each brain tissue type has a different function:

Gray matter consists of your brain cells or neurons. While it’s called gray matter, in reality, it is pink in color. That’s because while you’re alive, blood continuously flows through it. After you die, it turns gray. Due to its concentration of neurons, gray matter is responsible for many of your brain’s functions, including learning skills and memory. It is also responsible for the functionality of interpreting your senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch. Additionally, it affects your muscle control and self-awareness.
White matter, on the other hand, is the connection that extends from your brain cells. Its job is to connect different sections of your brain, much like how the internet interconnects the world, by allowing areas of your brain to send and receive signals to one another. As such, healthy white matter allows your brain to coordinate your thoughts as well as your movements.

In general, both gray and white matter complement one another to allow you to think, coordinate movement, and interpret the world surrounding you. Damage or reduction in one or the other area affects your cognitive abilities. How yoga is relevant to our brain matter is that recent research has shown that yoga increases gray matter volume in the hippocampus and frontal sections of your brain (1).

How does this help you?

Research involving a comprehensive study of structural brain scans found that a person’s general intelligence is associated with the volume of gray matter in that specific area of the brain. Essentially, the thicker the volume of the gray matter in a region of your brain, the more cells are present there, and in turn, are more likely to perform better.

A few examples include:

London black cab taxi drivers are well reputed for their knowledge of local streets and their ability to navigate around traffic. These humans have a higher volume of gray matter in their hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and spatial navigation (2).
Humans trained as Professional musicians, when compared to amateurs and non-musicians, present more gray matter in the Broca’s area as well as in the motor, auditory, and visuospatial regions of the brain thanks to their years of music training (3).

Similarly, in yoga, your constant use and practice of control in your postures, breathing, and mental activity results in increased gray matter density and activation in your hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Together, allowing you to have better:

Focus and concentration
Emotional and impulse control
Make you more in tune with your senses and be self-aware
Decision making as well as being better at evaluating rewards and consequences. And, be more willing to delay gratification (4).

It Increases the Folds in Your Brain

If you look up a photo of the human brain on the internet, you’ll probably notice that its surface is made up of bumps and wrinkles, like a big sponge. These bumps play an essential role in your ability to think.

These wrinkles are basically called cortical folds, or gyrification if you prefer a more medical or scientific term. These folds contain your brain cells. And, they’re there to increase the surface area of your brain. That’s a good thing. After all, who doesn’t like more brain cells, right?

Why does your brain have folded tissue?

That’s because your brain has to fit in your head. And, because your skull is small, it has to find a way to ‘squeeze’ itself in there.

To visualise this, think of packing a small suitcase. It has only so much space. If you lay out all your clothes there, it will be hard to fit everything in. But, if you fold your clothes properly or roll them up, you’ll be able to fit more into the same small suitcase. The best part is, that folding or rolling your clothes up doesn’t change how big your shirts or pants are when you wear them. They still contain the same amount of fabric.

This uses the same concept as gyrification, the twisting and coiling of your brain tissues show up as folds. In the process, they allow more surface area, which holds more neurons, to fit in your skull.

Where does yoga fit in?

Holistic yoga consists of three main components that cater to your physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. These come in the form of poses (asanas), breathwork (pranayama), and meditation.

When it comes to your brain, the meditation aspect plays a large role as it is connected to increasing the number of folds in your brain (5). According to a study done by UCLA researchers, MRI brain scans showed that long-term meditators had more gyrification of their brain’s cortex. Researchers believe that this was a result of the brain’s neuroplasticity, indicating it adapted to the changes in its environment. In this particular case, it was the 20 or more years or regular meditation that produced the structural changes in the brain. Just as interestingly, the study also learned that the number of years of practice is correlated with the amount of gyrification.

Since your cerebral cortex is responsible for things like language, reasoning, perception, information processing, memory, and voluntary movement, the increase in gyrification allows for better functioning and faster information processing.

It Lets You Relax More by Reducing Stress and Anxiety

One of the primary benefits of yoga reported is a sense of post-practice relaxation. This associated body-mind connection is a positive change from the hectic pace of life but it doesn’t end there.

Yoga and Relaxation

During yoga, your brain releases all sorts of chemicals that not only help you relax but also lower your stress and anxiety levels including, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. Each of which functions in its own way to help you calm down and feel better.

GABA is a neurotransmitter or your brain’s chemical messenger. Its job is to suppress neural activity in order to prevent your brain from getting overly excited. In doing so, it controls how much fear, stress, anxiety or nervousness you’ll feel. Research shows that yoga increases your GABA levels by 27% (6). In fact, another study found that yoga is even better than walking if you want to relax and reduce anxiety (7).
Happiness Hormones. Collectively, your happiness hormones are dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. They’re called as such because each of them makes you feel better about yourself and your well-being. For example, dopamine makes you feel rewarded and lets you experience a pleasure. Meanwhile, serotonin reduces tension to help relieve stress and anxiety.

Together, these chemicals help you relax and feel content. It is why many yogis will tell you that they feel happier after a class.

Yoga and Stress Reduction

One of the reasons you’re able to relax is that yoga also does a number on your stress response (8). During a yoga session, certain parts of your brain slow down to allow them to rest. This functionality helps you de-stress, which takes place in two major areas of the brain:

Frontal lobe. The frontal lobe is the most advanced part of your brain because it is responsible for most of the thinking, planning, and reasoning. Additionally, it plays a role in self-awareness and emotional regulation. As you can imagine, this part of the brain is racing when you encounter a dilemma or when you feel self-conscious about something. However, during yoga, your frontal lobe goes on vacation. Thus, allowing you to take a break for a while.
Parietal lobe. This section of the brain handles all the information coming from your senses. It takes in the sights, sounds, and everything else you observe around you. As such, when you’re always on the move, working, driving, or observing things, you can imagine how much activity is going on here. Yoga likewise causes your parietal lobe to slow down.

But, it doesn’t stop there. Yoga also helps reduce stress by lowering your body’s cortisol and adrenaline levels, two critical stress hormones. That is, when you feel stressed or anticipate something stressful about to happen, your stress response is triggered. As a result, your body releases stress hormones to help you become more alert, make your heart beat faster, and spike your blood pressure. All of these are a result of your body getting flooded by stress hormones including cortisol and adrenaline.

Stress in itself is a good thing. It allows us to take on emergencies or focus better when we need to take a test or give a presentation. It, likewise, prepares you to protect yourself during life-threatening events.

But, if you have a hectic lifestyle and are constantly stressed, it can become harmful to your health. This is because your stress hormones trigger different events in your body to produce the effects mentioned earlier. Among them are releasing more sugar into your bloodstream, increasing your blood pressure, and producing inflammation. When sustained for long periods of time, this can result in serious conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

In contrast, yoga helps to reverse these effects. One study notes how yoga reduces your body’s cortisol levels (9). Meanwhile, another study found that 12 minutes of daily yoga helps lower your body’s inflammation response, which is important as chronic inflammation is linked to serious long-term conditions like depression and heart disease (10).

Yoga and Anxiety

Anxiety is closely related to stress. But, they aren’t the same thing. Stress is the response your body produces due to a threat. Once that situation passes, the stress goes away. On the other hand, anxiety can be a result of stress as well as a myriad of other factors (to name a few: trauma, brain chemistry, environmental influences, genetics, use or withdrawal from substances, etc.)

Common symptoms of anxiety may include constant worry, feeling restless, startling easily, inability to focus, and often difficulties sleeping.

Here’s where yoga comes in.

Interestingly enough, while yoga increases the volume of gray matter in some areas of the brain, it also has an opposite effect on other regions of the brain. One such example is your brain’s amygdala (11). The amygdala is what you can call the message processing center of your brain. It receives incoming messages from your senses and internal organs and then processes them. As such, it plays a critical role in your emotions and how you react to them, the most prominent of these emotions being fear. This is why you get nervous or afraid when you feel an impending threat or problem.

Thanks to yoga, the reduction of gray matter in your amygdala means that there is less activity in this part of your brain. As such, you’re better at handling fear and your emotions. Plus, you’re likewise better able to relax.

Final Thoughts

Yoga is commonly thought of as a series of poses that involve stretching and other complex movements. As such, its benefits are often believed to be physical. However, its effects have much more depth. The combination of poses, breathing, and meditation produces structural changes in your brain. This not only causes certain areas of your brain to increase or decrease in size but also affects your cognition as well as how you process your emotions, stress, and anxiety. All of which help you live a happier, healthier life.

References:

(1) io9.com/how-meditation-changes-your-brain-and-makes-you-feel-b-470030863
(2) scientificamerican.com/article/london-taxi-memory
(3) nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1196/annals.1284.062?sid=nlm%3Apubmed
(4) jacobspublishers.com/effects-of-long-term-yoga-practice-breathing-and-meditation-on-cognitive-function-and-emotional-control-a-review-of-the-literature/
(5) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3289949/
(6) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17532734
(7) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20722471
(8) sigmapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/wvn.12097
(9) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3768222/
(10) newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/yoga-reduces-stress-now-it-s-known-236785
(11) link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11682-018-9826-z

Anatomy, Articles, Healthcare Providers, In The Press, Resources, Share Your Story, Yin, Restorative and Meditation, Yoga Medicine News

What is Sadhana?

It’s amazing sometimes what just a little bit of time out can do for you; so that is my challenge to you for this week, or even for the rest of the month of April — to take some time out with yourself, for yourself.

I know we all lead incredibly busy lives — we run from place to place, constantly plugged into the technology of one kind or another. We look after all those around us, and when asked to find the time to meditate, do yoga, take a break, or “indulge” in something that we actually love or enjoy doing, we will more often than not be seen to throw our hands in the air and exclaim that we don’t have time for that!

But even 15 minutes a day can make a huge difference. Fifteen minutes a day can help you to “find yourself” and move through the other 23 hours and 45 minutes of your day in a much happier, more inspired, and alive way. We can all find 15 minutes in the day, right?

If you need a little guidance and support to find your meditation practice, I know you’re going to love this Sunrise Sadhana Morning Yoga class It gets you into a great daily habit and it will help you find your focus as you explore your own sadhana. When you meditate, you take time for yourself. In just 10 minutes, you’ll feel more at ease, and awareness and daily practice will get you into good habits.

Creating a Sadhana

I invite you to create a sadhana. The word sadhana means daily spiritual practice and the idea of this, is that for just 15 minutes a day you get to think of yourself and only you.

Truly, a sadhana can be anything that makes your heart sing. It is a practice that promotes and maintains wellbeing. There is only one aim — that you commit to it every day, no matter what. Here are some ideas of ways you can create your own sadhana:

1. Asana

3-12 simple rounds of Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskara) will set you up for your day like never before! Notice how much more awake, alive, and tuned in you feel.

2. Meditation

Sit with a simple breath meditation. Follow the breath, the inhale and the exhale — or you could add a mantra that flows with the breath if that helps.

3. Journaling

An ideal way to start or end your day, as it helps you to clear your mind and regain focus. It’s most beautiful to simply allow the words to flow.

4. Commune With Nature

Go for a walk in the fresh air. Nature has a way of soothing the soul and allowing inspiration to flood in.

5. Affirmations

Positive affirmations done regularly can have a hugely powerful impact on your life. Work with around three at a time and repeat twelve times each.

6. Morning Intention

Set an intention for the day. It may be simply that you want to have a love-filled day, or there may be something that you need help achieving.

7. Pranayama

Commit to breathing, and I mean really breathing. Breath of Fire, Alternate Nostril Breathing, or full yogic breathing are all good options.

8. Gratitude Journal

At the end of each day, spend some time writing down all the things you are grateful for. This will help you spend as much time in gratitude as possible.

9. Be Creative

Write poetry, paint, sing, dance. Even if you write poetry that’s only ever read by you or sing words that only your ears will ever hear.

10. Be Present

A sadhana doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as lighting a candle every morning to welcome in the day and sitting in blissful silence.

I’d love to hear your sadhana ideas and results. Share in the comments below so we can all be inspired!

Vegan and Gluten Free Crepes

Hello everyone.

Well, yesterday was Shrove Tuesday and even though the gang eats pancakes for breakfast almost every Saturday, we ate our weight in them yesterday! I am seriously still full and it’s 2pm the day after. Food baby alert!

Anyway, the reason for my post today is because I’ve had heaps of requests for the recipe for my pancake/crepe mix. If you’re looking for something a little sweeter, for a dessert crepe, remember to add a tablespoon of agave nectar to the ingredients.

So yesterday was fruit pancakes for breakfast but it didn’t quite fill the pancake cravings. So, we decided to have pancakes again for dinner but this time we went savoury!

We chose two fillings, the first being filled with feta cheese, mushrooms, vegan smoked salmon, spinach, and olives. The second crepe was filled with vegan chicken, spinach, dairy-free cheese, and mushroom.

The recipe for the vegan smoked salmon can be found here, and below is a link to where you can buy the yummiest feta cheese.

Feta cheese yumminess here

So what are you waiting for, get flipping those pancakes lovely people!

Don’t forget to let me know what yours turned out like and feel free to get in touch with any questions.

Shanti, Lea

click here for Smoked Salmon Recipe

TO STRETCH OR NOT TO STRETCH

Ever since we can remember we’ve been told to stretch. Frantically searching google for things like How do you get flexible fast? and How to do the splits in a a week? Stretches for splits, stretches for backbends and so on.

Stretching . This word is used so much in the yoga industry as it seems that calisthenics and gymnastics had merged and created some kind of hybrid which is still labelled as yoga.

Is Stretching Good Or Bad For You?

How many times have you been told to stretch if your muscles feel tight, stretch before and after your run or gym session, stretch if your back hurts? The majority of us have been taught what’s known as “static stretching.” Static is still, where we hold a particular pose and stretch and pull, with the intention of releasing the pesky tight tight muscle(s).

Now if you’ve ever come along to one of my online yoga classes, you will know that I avoid the word stretch like Covid 19! The reason behind this is because a) my wonderful teacher ingrained it into my brain haha and that in recent studies, scientific evidence is telling us that static stretching has been proven to be ineffective in the prevention of sports injuries and creating safe range of motion.

Why can stretching be dangerous?

OK, to help get our head around this a little more, let’s begin with some basics about muscle function:

So our brain and central nervous system controls our muscles and our movement. Muscles have no control of their own; they only respond to electrical signals from the brain and nervous system to contract and move. The brain can teach you and your muscles to walk, dance or ride a bike.

The brain can also teach you and your obedient little muscles to stay tight and involuntarily contracted due to many things such as emotional trauma, accidents, injuries, repetitive tasks, or even on-going psychological stress. This muscle tension accumulated over a period of time makes it nigh impossible for muscles to contract efficiently and fully, and to relax completely. They’re stuck in limbo. You have forgotten what it feels like to be tense or relaxed. This is known as Sensory Motor Amnesia: the loss of voluntary control of a muscle group and its synergists. I recall a number of times to have had this problem with my mouth and the words that come out of it sometimes hahaha.

So let’s say you sit at a desk staring at a computer all day long, then you go home to sit in your sofa to watch TV all night long, your muscles can learn to stay contracted in your “chair sitting posture,” ready to hold that same position again the next day, and the next day and so on. Our muscles are obedient, unless there is an underlying condition, our muscles form a habit to whatever it is we do repeatedly. I mean we only have to look at the difference in muscles of a trained sprinter to a professional long distance runner. The sprinter has the powerful, short twitch muscles, the long distance runner has the slender and long slow twitch muscles for endurance. Our muscle length can become set by the brain, at a slightly shorter or longer length depending upon the holding pattern or repetitive movements we’ve become subjected it to. If a muscle is tight, it’s normally because its being held tightly by the brain and sensory motor system. ( underlying conditions may vary this statement)

So we know that the general intention of static or passive stretching is literally to pull a muscle into a specific length or relaxed state. Most of us will have experienced at some point the feeling of pulling a muscle farther than is comfortable. Some of us even stay in the stretch for a while, breathe and hope for the best. The reason this doesn’t work when it comes to creating more flexibility is because it can, in fact, result in over-stretching injuries such as herniated disks, muscle trauma, and muscle dysfunction – is because the brain, the command centre of the muscles, is not engaged in the action. In static stretching there is no sensing so to speak- no feedback loop to the sensory motor cortex because there is no contraction. In order to change what the muscles are doing the brain must be fully and consciously engaged in the process.

What do I do instead of stretching?

Since the beginning of time, we were born with the knowledge of nature’s “re-set” button – a way of restoring full muscle function and length to a muscle. You do it when you wake up, you see cats and dogs doing it after a snooze, you even did it in your mother’s tummy! It’s heaps more effective and I would say much safer than stretching. It is called pandiculation. Oh I love that word and I know my students know I do too haha. So, pandiculation is like a “software update” for your brain: it kinda “re-boots” the brain’s sensation and control of your muscles every time you do it.

Patanjali yoga sutras describe this well

The first is

Sthiram Sukham asanam – to hold a posture with strength and ease. From the beginning, middle and end of the posture (asana) we are figuring out a way to do this by listening to the sensations of the body and adjusting accordingly.

The sutra that follows is;

Prayatna shaithilya Ananta Samapattibhyam –This basically translates as to move into the posture with not too much physically effort but more of a mindful movement, finding the space and moving into then space consciously. Prayatna means effort, shaithilya means relaxation, dropping, looseness. Samapattibhyam means a coming together of the body and mind. So basically slacken off a bit, effort may be the usual way to achieve but mindful movement, the body-mind connection is a more subtle and gentler approach.

Think about it, we’ve all seen animals doing what we thought was them having a good old stretch. They are pandiculating. Look at their feet when they do it, they contract, the same as the rest of their body. They do this pandiculation around 40 times a day. They move into these shapes with little or no effort applied and no goal of achieving the next level! Do animals walk around with chronic pain, receptive strain injuries etc?

There are three elements to a pandiculation:

Firstly you move into a posture with active contracted muscles. It doesn’t have to be full on like your loading your usual 80kg on the leg press kinda contraction, just enough to bring your awareness to that body part. This is then followed by a slow, controlled lengthening….a complete relaxation of the area you’re focusing on. This will give your brain time to integrate the new feedback you just gave it.

So its kinda like a yawn, but for the body. It re-sets both muscle length and function at the brain level; it “reminds” our muscles that they don’t have to stay stuck in a particular state. The pandiculation “flicks on a light on” in the sensory motor system and helps improves proprioception, which basically means it helps you to sense your own body more accurately. When you contract a muscle tighter than its present contraction rate, the brain (the command centre of the muscles) receives strong sensory feedback, which allows it to “refresh” its sensation of the muscles. By slowly lengthening from that initial contraction, the brain can then lengthen the muscle past the point of its former, tighter length and into a new, fuller range. The result is a more relaxed muscle and renewed voluntary muscle control and coordination.

Because muscles only learn through movement (the riding a bike comment earlier on) , new information has be sent to the sensory motor cortex if the muscles are ever going to learn to release the built up tension and allow them to move freely and intelligently.

Static stretching is a passive movement and can cause what’s know as a stretch reflex, where your body basically tries to protect your body and contracts back against the passive stretch. It is a safety reflex so therefore doesn’t have a feedback loop to the brain. This leads to no memory of where the muscle moved to and in worse case scenario, an injury. When we pandiculate (the active stretch if we are still trying to get your head around it), the action is directed and information goes straight to our brain: we basically contract the muscle, then slowly lengthen it and then completely let go. This requires focus and awareness. Note back to Patanjalis sutras above.

When you think about it, animals pandiculate; they don’t stretch! Animals rarely sprain their ankles, nor have chronic back pain. The fact that animals pandiculate approximately 40 times a day means that they have full, voluntary control of their muscular system at all times. Doesn’t it make sense that we should do the same?

So next time you want to stretch or you are instructed to, try first contracting the muscle that’s tight and then slowly lengthening it. Then completely relax. Notice the difference not only in sensation and control of the muscle, but also in your range of motion and sense of ease in your body. You may even feel more “connected,” less tense.

Home of Alchemy yoga classes have a method, and my students will confirm that in this method, I constantly reaffirm throughout practise to find space in the body and then move into that space with control and ease! To listen and feel the sensations as they arise with breath and subtle movement. The pelvic tilts, the forward fold uttanasana, and even mountain pose tadasana, will all help you to improve your somatic awareness. Your proprioception of your body and how you move it on a day to day basics NOT just when you’re on your mat. This in turn will prevent injuries in the long run as your daily repetitive movements are done in a safe and conscientious way.

This approach can really benefit you by not only preventing injuries but also helping to avoid old injuries that seem to flare up from time to time and make you go sit in time out while they shout at you for not listening when you kept repeating a misaligned movement haha! I can help teach your body and mind to connect and move in a conscious and safe way.

For more in depth information on this or if you would like to book in for a 1-2-1 session or group class, please contact me via the button below.

Much love, Lea

contact Lea

Sitali pranayama – Cooling breath

What is Sitali breath Pranayama?

It’s been a hot couple of weeks for us in the UK and I’ve witnessed a lot of heated, sweaty bodies in my St Helens Yoga classes, including my own!

It’s summertime and, from the Ayurvedic perspective, that means pitta season—when pitta dosha (fire and water elements), is at its most dominant. It’s relatively common at this time of year to feel a lot of pitta’s main qualities—hot, oily, liquid, and light—all of which can encourage symptoms like inflammation, acid indigestion, rashes, acne, burning eyes, agitation, frustration, and anger to come to the surface.

Summertime Is The Pitta Season—When Pitta Dosha (Fire And Water Elements), Is At Its Most Dominant.

In my St. Helens yoga class, the months of June and July have been themed with the third limb of yoga Asana, so it was useful to learn techniques such as the lion’s breath, to help cool the body down during physical practice and removing excess heat, helping to restore balance.

Another technique my yoga students and I explored was the Sheetali breath, otherwise known as the Cooling breath.

How To Do Sheetali Pranayama (The Cooling Breath)?

Choose a cool, quiet location where you won’t be disturbed. Prepare a steady, comfortable seat: Balance the weight between the sitting bones, lengthen/extend the spine, and close the eyes. You might want to rest your hands on your lap, palms facing up, which keeps them cool during practice, or place the hands, palm facing down to help restore strength and focus.

Begin with a body scan. Observe which pitta qualities are present in your body-mind (e.g. excess heat, acidity, inflammation, irritation, or intensity).

Now bring your tongue all the way out and fold both sides of the tongue like a tube or straw.

Take a long, deep inhalation through the tube in the tongue which is formed by folding the both sides of tongue taking care to expand and not lift up into the chest.

After inhalation, lower your chin to the chest (Jalandhar bandha) and hold your breath for about 6 to 8 seconds. (During retention of breath lower and bend the chin downward resting it on the throat pit. Actively push hands into legs)

When you feel like breathe out release the Jalandhar bandha (lift your chin to the normal position) and exhale slowly by the left Nadi (nostril). Using the right hand to block the right Nadi if needed. This is optional and can breathe out of both nostrils if preferred.

Repeat it about 5 to 6 times.

In the end, bring your breathing back to normal and feel relax.

Swallow now and then if the throat feels dry. Continue this cycle for one to five minutes—until you feel refreshed.

If you are unable to curl your tongue, practice a variation known as Sitkari pranayama. Inhale through the teeth, with the lips parted and the tongue floating just behind the teeth).

Pause and feel the effects of the practice, noticing any areas of the body-mind that feel refreshed, ventilated, renewed, or cooled.

Finish with several minutes of silent meditation to bask in the sensations of spaciousness.

My students and I found this technique to be quite useful. Practicing on a daily basis has been known to reduce symptoms of reflux in one of my students too!

It is important to know that you must not try this exercise if you suffer from migraines, are pregnant, or have low blood pressure. The retention of the breath at the top of the inhalation could be unsafe for those who fall into the above category/categories.

I have also attached a link here to a study of the Impact of Sittali pranayama on brain waves. I found it most interesting.

Do you struggle with hot flushes?

So, why don’t you give it a whirl? Maybe try to add this breathing exercise into your daily lunchtime routine, you may notice a change in indigestion you may suffer from after lunch, or try it after your gym visit, see if it helps you to cool down. A student of mine is also more than happy to share that she found the Sheetali breath a great technique for cooling down during a menopausal hot flush, so if you’re struggling with hot flushes, this may be your answer!

Enjoy and please leave some feedback with your experiences!

Much love,

Lea

Immune Boosting Yoga

Yoga is

99% practice & 1% theory

Yoga is not just rolling out a mat, to twist, stretch, and breathe deeply, it’s more than that. It’s a way of life; Yoga is an ancient practice that stimulates the body and releases the constraints of the mind. It brings balance to the body, regulating the system and smoothing out any dysfunction with regular practice.

It’s also a wonderful way to stave off regular illnesses and ailments.

Yoga can help the body fight infection.

At any given time of the day or year, our bodies are vulnerable to infection by activating a multitude of viruses and bacteria. Experiencing the delights of runny noses, tickly coughs, stomach infections, and nasty bouts of the flu, winter definitely seems to be the time when they let their presence be known. This is normally due to the reduced day light. Daylight being the go to source of Vitamin D, which gives a great boost to the immune system.

Did you know that Vitamin D is actually a hormone rather than a vitamin? In fact, the final product of Vitamin D conversion in the body is considered a hormone. We can obtain Vitamin D from some foods such as oily fish, egg yolks and whole milk, however 90% of the Vitamin D we get is made by our bodies. The body makes Vitamin D from direct sunlight (particularly UV-B radiation) in the skin and the synthesis process continues in the liver and kidneys, until producing the final active form of the hormone.

Vitamin D is actually a hormone rather than a vitamin

Several different types of cells in the body, including immune cells, contain the receptor for Vitamin D, which means they can respond to Vitamin D molecules, triggering different reactions in the body. No wonder Vitamin D can affect so many aspects of health including bone health, cardiovascular health, immunity, autoimmune disease, type I diabetes, and mental health.

So, as well as soaking up as much sun as we can in the winter months with crisp winter sun walks and SAD lamps, how else can we boost our immune system?

how can we boost our immune system?

Yoga! A regular practice can really help the body in its maintenance and fight infection. When I say Yoga, I mean the lifestyle. Yoga is much more than the poses you see in magazines on social media. It involves practice daily, both on and off the mat. A combination of asana (poses), pranayama (breathwork), meditation, and a seasonal wholefood diet, will give a great foundation for the body to build its natural immunity.

We will share with you why:

It Helps To Keep the Respiratory System strong.

Colds, coughs, and similar infections are caused by bacteria that badly damage the upper respiratory system. If your immune system is not strong enough bring back balance, the bacteria can penetrate into the lungs and lead to pneumonia or bronchitis. Yoga is indeed the main tool for maintaining the health of our respiratory system. What’s more? Regularly practice of pranayama (breathing exercises) and asanas (yoga postures) conditions the respiratory tract and boosts the effectiveness of the lungs.

It Reduces the Stress Levels Naturally

A person who’s under stress is more likely to catch a cold or a fever when viruses invade the nasal passage. Also, the stress and anxiety seem to worsen or lift the risk of infirmities such as depression, gastrointestinal problems, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, and asthma. To put it otherwise, yoga helps lower stress hormones and calms the nervous system, which is associated with the immune system.

It keeps Muscles and Joints in A Great Working Order

Whatever is your age, the joint and muscular pain doesn’t seem to discriminate, although the chance of it increasing as you approach middle age and onwards increases. This is due to the natural depletion of collagen within the body. Women experience this much earlier than men, as well as a reduction in bone density. A weak bone structure, lack of physical activity, and deficiency of essential nutrients in the diet can aggravate the situation. Moreover, Yoga asana helps to lubricate the joints with synovial fluid, stabilises the muscles through strengthening exercises, strengthens the bones due to the impact of the muscles supporting the body is holding a posture with bodyweight, which in turn help reduce the chance of osteopenia, arthritis, and general joint pain.

It Ensures the Optimal Functioning Of All Organs

Office jobs that require sitting for long hours and a sedentary lifestyle mean that our organs don’t get enough or adequate amount of blood flow, which in turn lead to blockages and build-up of toxins. Over time, this leads to breakdowns in the body system. If you continue Yoga on a regular basis, it can stimulate the lymphatic system, to remove the toxins from the body. In fact, there are various kinds of asana that ensure organs and glands receive fresh blood and are gently stimulated and massaged. The rise in the supply of oxygenated blood to organs ensures their optimal function. see the free yoga sequence below.

Yoga can bring many benefits to your immune system. Practice Yoga daily, even if it’s a few minutes of breath awareness or a little 5-minute sun salutation. Attempt yoga to stimulate and improve the functioning of your nervous system, digestive system, circulatory and endocrine systems. Attend a regular practice, and remember to incorporate it into your daily routine. It is such a wonderful gift!

Immune boosting worskhop Relax, replensish, restore

I have a wonderful workshop coming up soon.

Do you find yourself feeling run down in autumn or winter? Do you tend to get sick often or experience low energy? Not only is autumn a time for transition, but as we ease into our new schedules, environments, or intentions, it can often be a time of illness. Yoga offers many unique tools to increase our body’s natural resilience, ease stress, and boost immunity in very tangible ways.

Join me for this special seasonal workshop to discover and practice some of the most useful yoga postures, breathing techniques, and acupressure points to not only help you avoid getting sick, but help to treat fevers, pain, and sinus congestion. You will receive practical knowledge to incorporate into your daily life as well as a written outline of a suggested yoga practice. Enjoy complimentary tea and immune-boosting aromatherapy while you practice!

Only several spots available; Preregister for £20 investment in advance to secure your space.

I hope to see you there!

How to take flight in Crow pose – Kakasana

Arm balances are fun and flashy in the western Yoga world. In all seriousness, they’re challenging and require a lot of strength and focus, sthira sukha. Since most of us spend our days with our feet firmly planted on the ground and butt on a chair, the ability to elevate them while balancing on our hands is always going to look super cool.

Yoga arm balances are more than party tricks.

As mentioned above, they require strength and focus. They also encourage us to expand our conception of what’s possible. By lifting yourself, you become uplifted and then uplifting. When our body and spirit feel heavy and low, we can lighten the load and mood with a little playful balance.

playful balance

Crow Pose is usually the first arm balance that most people attempt. It’s more than likely because it’s a pretty straightforward one with no added twists or needs for flexibility to distract you from your experience with gravity. The body stays still and compact in this pose, so it can be a good place to figure out how to manage your weight without the added complication of legs sticking out here, there, and everywhere. Once Crow pose (Kakasana) becomes comfortable you can move onto Crane pose (Bakasana), which leads onto a whole host of other arm balances that may soon be more accessible with practice in these postures.

When you find that sweet spot, your feet will actually fly off the floor.

CROW VS. CRANE

In modern postural practice, Crow is the bent-arm version of this pose and Crane is the straight-arm version as demonstrated in the image above. The knees squeezing the outside of the upper arms as opposed to sitting in the armpits almost. The Sanskrit names of these two poses have gotten a little mixed up over time in Western Yoga. That’s not unusual for yoga poses in general, any hybrids and variations are being created over time.

As yoga has been disseminated, teachers have called poses by different names and developed and named their own poses

There’s not really one authoritative reference source of all yoga postures, though I do like to stay tuned into Hatha Yoga techniques, as their recordings seem to be most traditional and reliable. In this instance, “Hatha depicts the straight-arm version of the pose, labels it Bakasana, which makes sense as Baka means crane in Sanskrit. Case closed, except that the bent-arm version is often also called Bakasana and translated as Crow Pose. We’re not sure how this Crow/Crane confusion came to be but for clarity’s sake, we’re following the convention of calling the bent-arm version Kakasana, since Kaka means crow in Sanskrit.

HARD CORE

You may be led to believe that you need super strong arms to support you in arm balances. You may be surprised to read that arm balances are more about core strength, flexibility, and body awareness (especially in the hand – hasta bandha), which helps you find your centre of gravity and craftily distribute the load. When everything is arranged just so, your feet almost float off the floor effortlessly.

There is no denying there has got to be something supporting your flight: it’s the muscles in your torso, AKA your core. The core goes a lot deeper than the rectus abdominis (what you’d probably call your six-pack abs) I like to describe to my yoga students that the core is like a corset. It also includes the pelvic floor, the obliques, the transverse abdominis, the psoas, and the muscles that support your spine.

Core strength is the key to yoga’s balancing poses.

If arm balances seem out of range at the moment, I would recommend practicing standing balances that will help you build strength. Even poses where you’re not standing on one leg can be balance challenges. (Ever felt wobbly in a standing pose like Warrior I, I know I have?) Targeting your core with crunches, planks, and side planks is another way to get stronger.

CROW POSE (KAKASANA)

If you are working on the pose, try to explore it every day at home. It can be a challenge, though not impossible, to practice kakasana in class due to the restrictions of a sequence. You may also feel too inhibited about falling to really explore the edges of your balance too. Practice in the comfort of your home with props, following the tips below and in my video, and you will be flying high in no time!

1. To give yourself a firm foundation, start in a squatting position (malasana) with your palms flat on the floor and shoulders’ distance apart. Here we focus on the hasta bandha, the hand lock. See my other blog post here for more details on hasta bandha.

2. Shift the weight of your body onto the hands and come onto the balls of your feet.

3. Bend your elbows straight back so that your knees make contact with your outer edges of the upper arms as close to your armpits as possible. You may need to move your hands closer to your feet to do this. Just make sure your hands are not coming closer together nor are your elbows winging out to the sides. A strap around the upper arms here is a good way to keep track of your alignment (tighten the strap around the arms at shoulder-width apart. It will give a good indication if the belt slackens or tightens). When you come into the pose, your knees will be resting and squeezing on the shelf made by your upper arms.

4. Now, you may notice that your bum is still pretty low. Before you try to take off, you’ll need to lift it quite a lot. Keep your bent knees resting on your upper arms but straighten your legs until your bum is level or slightly above the head.

5. Body mechanics dictates that you have to lean forward to get your feet off the ground. Figuring out how much to lean is the key to the whole pose, and, indeed, to all arm balances. Keep the gaze a few feet in front of you to keep your head up. Keep leaning forward and coming onto your tippiest tiptoes until one foot lifts off the ground. Begin to actively push the hands hard into the ground and strengthen through the arms to round the upper back. Firm your belly and lift the other foot towards the tail bone. Now the big part here is the SQUEEZE your knees toward your centre line so they don’t slip off your arms. The arms will need to push back against the knees and the hands need to keep pushing into the ground and the core wrapping around the whole torso to lift, lift, LIFT!

6. You may crash-land a few times before you get the hang of the balance. Set up a pillow or two in front of your mat, or as I demonstrated in the video above, a couple of bricks in line with the head, resting the forehead on them, allowing them to support you while you explore the rest of the posture. sYou must lean into the posture to gain lift-off. When you find that sweet spot, your feet will actually float off the floor. Once you are airborne, bring your feet to touch, tucking your heels up near your butt and keeping your toes active. As you get more comfortable, begin to work toward straightening your arms.

Lea’s Tip: When you first start playing with this pose, it’s important to remember that your head is heavy. If you let it hang, it will pull you down, in arm balances and life. Keep your gaze on the ground in front of you to elevate your head and your mood.