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What yoga has offered me has changed over the years with the demands of health and lifestyle. Yoga supported me with stress relief during my single life of career and partying in my 20s, to being a busy mum with teenage boys and family and work demands, and everything in between.  My body has changed, my energy levels have changed, the time I've had available for yoga has changed, but I've never given it up, as it gives back so much more than I give to it. Amongst all this change in my life, my practice has remained consistent. The postures and breathwork don't change that much, a posture or technique here and there to address specific needs. There are things I'll keep doing as long as I am able, because they work so well for me, keeping me as healthy as possible, stable, with a clearer, more grounded perspective on what's important in life. What changes the most is how I do my practice. I might take the postures slower - increasing the physical intensity with an extended breath, making more demands on my body by lingering in the hard bits. Or I might use a mantra to accompany the movements, and ease back physically to enable spaciousness to arise in the face of feeling overwhelmed. Occassionally I'll just do lying poses, some breathwork and savasana if I'm feeling poorly. My framework was set by my teacher, Paul Harvey, and remains pretty stable. I have a set practice that works, and offers a reference point for how I am. It took consistency and an experienced teacher to get me to that point, and my job is to keep showing up on my mat. The rewards of consistent practice are lifelong, and riding the rollercoaster of life becomes a lot more fun along the way. Here's to another year with yoga by my side
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Luckily the penny dropped right away with me that yoga was something I needed to prioritise. That this is what I needed to do to improve pretty much every aspect of my life. I immediately felt less stressed and tired. Literally by the end of my first 20 minute practice I felt like a weight had lifted from my body, from my mind and from my sense of wellbeing. I knew I needed to keep doing this regularly to top up these effects and I've never looked back. What else do you put in your calendar that helps you feel better, find more space and freedom in body and mind, and helps everyone around you? I practise yoga every morning before I come down and breakfast with the kids for exactly this reason. It enables me to bring more vitality and a better mood to the table, which helps my day, their day, and get us off to a good start. They are teens so they need all the good vibes they can get or it can be a rocky ride.  Finding the right practise, the right level of effort and ease, the right intensity and relaxation is hard to find these days. There is a lot of power yoga that is fast and vigorous, heated to intensify the experience, skipping through poses with barely a chance to catch your breath.
But there is also what we offer at YogaSpace ... there is a quietness to what we teach, it is challenging but gentle, understated but highly effective and brilliantly accessible. It can take getting used to but brings all the benefits that yoga has to offer. Add slow breath and focus to any posture and you'll discover a new way to practise. It can take time to get it to feel familiar, to get comfortable and to learn the skills of effective practise, but that is why it is called practise. The penny might not drop right away, it might not feel like the workout you thought you needed, but you'll soon find your way with it. Along with our group classes that we offer, there are some in-depth workshops coming up that will help kick start and develop your practise in a way that only small group guidance can.  If you do yoga regularly, a year from now you'll be stronger, healthier, have improved mobility, breath capacity and regulation, and be accustomed to feeling good ...
Our bodies, our health, our mental vitality are in a 'use it or lose it' trajectory. If we don't get round to putting our bodies and breath through their paces, and stretch our mental wellbeing and focusing ability, the decline will be subtle until things start to grumble. Don't leave it that long. I hear all the time, as people return to practice, they don't know why they stopped and had forgotten how good it feels. The body loves (needs!) to move, to breath well, to notice and address postural habits and mental patterns. It is amazing how it all falls back into place if we make it to the mat regularly. If not now ... when? My teenage kids can be a challenge with turbulent and unpredictable moods and impulsive behaviours. It's certainly not easy being a teenager. As they are a huge part of my life they take as much energy, patience and goodwill as I can muster. Keeping calm and bringing positive energy to meet their teenage hormones is sometimes the best thing I can do for them, and I can't always even do that! It helps hugely to practice yoga each morning before I head downstairs to greet them. If I manage to arrive with a positive mindset, it effects how my day goes, my perception of everything I encounter, and if I can bring humour and fun to whatever they bring to the breakfast table, it instantly raises their mood too. And if you know any teenagers, moods are a big deal.  Our yoga practice is not only for us but also those around us. If our outlook can be improved, then it has a ripple effect that goes far beyond ourselves. We experience each moment of our day through the lens of our minds. We colour everything we encounter with our moods, our emotions and mindset. And if the lens of our mind is cloudy, murky or moody, then that will be how we interpret most things.
And then we do our yoga... Moving and breathing in helpful ways actually shifts things. It changes our state to become lighter, more positive, more vibrant and able to meet challenges with more positive energy, which is contagious.. Weekly yoga, daily yoga even for 10 minutes - it all counts. And it accumulates over time. We build up a positive 'credit' of health and positive energy. We can draw on this when times get tough, and we can invest into it and build up our credit when times are good. Keep showing up to your practice and the ripple effects will positively effect everyone around you. Even teengers.  I'm still enjoying the inspiring afterglow of last Sunday's day of yoga, reflection and intention setting. A lovely group of people gathered for the New Year Retreat Day at the Bishopston studio to take space for themselves and to delve a little more into simple but gorgeous yoga practices and refresh their yoga life skills ready for 2024.
The practices and chats on Sunday reminded us that yoga is as much about moving and breathing, as it is about the skills involved in living a more joyful life. We don't often have time in a group class for explicitly engaging with the philosophical framework of yoga, but it is a real, rich, living philosophy which once explained is hugely practical in every day life. The yoga framework includes aspects such as: ~ being kind and generous to yourself and others ~ ~ reflecting inwardly from time to time ~ ~ noticing how things effect you and adjust the stuff that isn't helpful ~ ~ being present more often, it is where joy can be found ~ ~ keeping things simple, overcomplication rarely helps ~ We do this often on the mat in our yoga class. We are invited to turn our attention inwards to our breath and body sensations, rather than outside of ourselves. To be more gentle with ourselves than we might normally. To pause and observe effects of a pose or technique. To be present and to simplify what we are doing with our attention. These are all aspects that we cultivate on the mat so that they are more available to us in daily life too. Insights are witnessed in our practice that allow us to be easier on ourselves and become wiser in our lives. And the net result will be that we become happier and healthier, nicer to be around, better to ourselves and others, and a whole lot more effective in whatever we are hoping to achieve with our day. (Win, Win, Win!) Beyond the day-retreat being a wonderful, refreshing escape from usual life, it was so valuable to discover what people took from the day. Many participants found the lifestyle framework from yoga, the 'Yamas' & 'Niyamas,' helpful for reflecting on their own situation as we took stock of 2023 and then shifted towards our direction for 2024. This framework is a way to rediscover unnurtured aspects of ourselves and remind us that life isn't all about work, or being a parent or a much-depended on support for others. Rekindling attention to our more whole self, which includes our sense of fun, adventure and creativity, will bring more joy into our life and those around us. "Wonderful,nourishing way to spend a Sunday." Very worthwhile day, would thoroughly recommend to anyone. Feel relaxed and refreshd and looking forward to the year ahead." Enjoyed the reminder of the power of simplicity. A really warm and welcoming experience." The next deep dive into our practice will be the yoga weekend retreat in April where we can take time away to refresh and nurture ourselves.  The holidays are over and we are looking ahead. However if you read the news, 2024 looks a little chaotic and unpredictable. However if there is one thing yoga can teach us, it is that even in the whirlwind of life, there is a calm, sound, internal foundation available to help us navigate every day life.
Our wellbeing doesn't need to be determined by our external environment. Improve mental and emotional wellbeing through movement and breath, and we can more easily navigate any storm that comes our way. Build resilience physically, mentally and emotionally so that we can be a calm presence and positive force in 2024. Let's make 2024 as good as possible. |
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Bristol YogaSpace Ltd
Princes Place, Bishopston Just off Gloucester Road Bristol BS7 8NP |
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