Much of yoga philosophy is concerned not with our specific actions, but the reasons and motivations behind our actions. Long before a person sits down to meditate or steps onto a mat, they are already carrying a lifetime of repeated thought and behaviour – patterns laid down so gradually that they come to feel less
What Are Samskāras in Yoga Philosophy? Read More »
Easy Summer Watermelon Salad Now summer is officially here I feel a celebration is in order. A salad? Really? Not just any old salad. Watermelon salad? Yes please. As you might expect given its name, watermelon is excellent for hydration in the summer months. But it’s more than just 92% water. A nutrient-dense food full
Watermelon Summer Salad Read More »
Delicious Christmas Cookies I’ve called these Delicious Christmas Cookies because I first made them as an offering for my final yoga class of last year and their almond base reminds me of marzipan which reminds me of Christmas. Plus it’s a friendlier name than the slightly uninspiring one under which they are listed: Gluten-Free Almond
Delicious Christmas Cookies Read More »
A love of autumn It won’t have escaped anyone’s notice that the clocks went back at the weekend and I wonder how you feel about the shorter days and longer nights? Autumn is my favourite time of year. I love the morning mists, the shock of bright orange leaves against a surprising blue sky, the woody
Embrace and Thrive in the Shifting Season Read More »
As we have now moved beyond the Autumn Equinox and are moving inexorably towards the dark day of winter, I thought I’d take a look at Vitamin D, otherwise known as “the Sunshine Vitamin”. Vitamin D deficient? There’s always lots of press about vitamin D around this time of year as our main source of
Vitamin D: A Vital Vitamin for Women Peri-to-Post Menopause Read More »
Welcome to Unwind: A Quiet Place to Land at the End of Your Day In this five-session series of micro practices, I’ll be guiding you through short sequences of between 5-10 minutes long to help you find rest. You’ll feel your body soften, your mind settle, and your heart held. The practices include a soothing pranayama,
Unwind: A Free Course for You Read More »
Racing mind keeping you awake? One of the most common barriers to good sleep is a restless mind – we’ve all been there, when a million unconnected thoughts suddenly seem to impose themselves on our attempts to drift off to sleep. But this is what a new technique called cognitive shuffling tries to help with.
Help With Sleep: Cognitive Shuffling Read More »
Restorative yoga is really helpful in our frenetic world as it encourages our bodies to surrender and relax, something we’re not generally used to doing. Restorative postures, which are often supported by blocks, blankets and bolsters, are designed to maximise comfort and allow practitioners to fully let go, which is why they are typically held
The Benefits of Restorative Yoga: the Why and the How Read More »
How good is your sleep? We all know that high quality sleep is critical to our health and wellbeing. As humans we are programmed to spend, on average over the course of our lives, one third of it asleep. This equates to 8/24 hours, or eight hours a night – I know, right? But remember
Helping Your Sleep in Peri-to-Post Menopause Read More »
Peri-to-post menopause sleep issues We all know the power of a good night’s rest and the unique ability it has to help our bodies heal and regenerate. The trouble is, it seems so hard to achieve, especially for those of us in peri-to-post menopause. As it it wasn’t enough to have our raging hormones leaving
Reclaim Your Rest: The Seven Day Sleep Solution For Women in Midlife Read More »
Having recently celebrated another successful circumnavigation around the sun (that’s yogi speak for becoming a year older) I am increasingly aware of the looming threat of that old lady disease, osteoporosis. In the UK it is estimated that one in two women and one in five men aged over 50 will have an osteoporotic fracture in
Strength Training for Bone Health? Read More »
What is it? Why do we want more? Everyone seems to be talking about collagen right now. From celebrities to scientists, collagen has been having a moment for a while. And there’s no denying, it is a vital part of our biology. Collagen is the most abundant natural protein in our bodies, making up around
Collagen: The Elixir of Youth? Read More »
In our busy lives these days we always seem to need to be doing something. Keeping busy. Getting stuff done. Ticking things off our list. In a similar way, if we like yoga – and we like the way it makes us feel in our bodies and minds – we often like to do it
Doing vs. Undoing in Yoga? Read More »
Symptoms of perimenopause Oh the joys of perimenopause! Beyond the hot flushes and the night sweats (the two best-known symptoms) women can suffer from a myriad of issues ranging from the psychological – anxiety, overwhelm, mood swings and brain fog – to the physical such as IBS and other digestive problems, aching joints, insomnia, migraines,
Managing Menopause with Yoga Read More »
High in protein and slow-release energy I’ll be the first to admit these need a catchier name but really, when they tick so many boxes, it’s a shame not to advertise the fact. Most importantly they are utterly delicious and I haven’t met anyone (yet) who doesn’t like them, including my teens who are by
Delicious Sugar-free, Gluten-free Vegan Granola Bars Read More »
If you’re anything like me, midlife seems almost overwhelmingly busy. I spend much of my time firefighting: work, family, finances, planning and a million items on my never-ending to-do list all jostle for priority, with my attention directed towards whatever is most pressing at the time. There’s little time for reflection. And yet, at midlife,
The Wheel of Life: Finding Your Balance Read More »
I made these cookies a few weeks ago for a mini retreat that I hosted with Sally Page and they went down a treat. Several of you asked for the recipe, so here it is! They contain no flour (so are gluten free), can be free of refined sugar (if you use chocolate with 100% cocoa) and
Chocolate Nut & Seed Cookies Read More »
A seasonal practice to create calm Now that it’s December and it feels natural to be lighting candles and perhaps seeking a bit of calm in the manic build-up to Christmas, I thought it would be good to take a look at restorative yoga and even suggest a few poses to practise at home, particularly
‘Tis the Season; Festive Yoga Read More »
As I wobbled around in Vrksasana (tree pose) in my yoga practice the other day I reflected on how importance balance is in our lives, and how easy it is to get out of kilter, both on and off the mat. Work-life balance, emotional balance, nutritional balance: All these things are finely tuned and it
Last Sunday I made these Protein Bliss Balls for the Thrive Mini Retreat yoga and nutrition workshop. Bliss balls are a versatile healthy treat that can be made in so many different ways. They are often filled with energy-boosting ingredients such as dates and nuts, making them jam-packed with healthy fats, carbohydrates, fibre and protein.
Protein Bliss Balls Read More »
