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 »
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 »
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 »
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
Strength in nature Having written about the importance of Vitamin D for bone health in my previous post it would be remiss of me not to mention the importance of strength and resistance training which works alongside nutrition in order to keep our bones healthy as we age. Strength training and bone density One of the many
Building Strength in Yoga Read More »
This morning, as the sun rises on the summer solstice, it marks the climax of the year when the sun is in its highest and longest embrace with the sky. Let us bask in the glorious warmth and endless light of midsummer, leaning into love for nature all around and its bright, clear and essential
Celebrating Summer Solstice; Embracing Change in Perimenopause Read More »
City Life vs Country Living We all instinctively know that spending time in nature is good for us. Not a week seems to go by without someone saying living in the countryside is better than the city for both your physical and mental wellbeing. In reality, the evidence is surprisingly scant and not as clear-cut as you
Yoga, Nature and the Magical River Room Studio Read More »
It’s April. Happy Days. The sun has finally made an appearance after what has occasionally felt like the longest winter on record and from now until October in the UK we can start to synthesise vitamin D just by being outdoors. Our winters aren’t just grey, wet and dreary, our location in the northern hemisphere
Here Comes the Sun: Vitamin D Read More »
