A few weeks back I began this column about how yoga can create magic for children. In this installation, we’ll take a look at how to connect with little yogis from three and seven, and how to hold their attention throughout a yoga class. When it comes to yoga, the key to engaging younger participants […]
Don’t get confused by the word junior. Juniors, for me, are my two daughters. One is eight, and the other is just two and a half, and their gazes remain fixed on me as I do my home yoga sequence on Sunday mornings. As I started my practice on a particularly rainy Sunday, my elder
The thing I love about Halloween is the creativity it encourages. Even when staying indoors – which is likely to be most of us this year! – There are myriad festive endeavours we can do from the comfort of home. Pumpkin-carving, dressing up, making spooky cakes and biscuits and decorating the house with ghostly banners.
If you ever think you’re too small to effect change, try sleeping with a mosquito. – The Dalai Lama Part of our coursework on the six-month course involves observing three yoga classes, taking note of the teacher’s choice of language, modifications, and adjustments. For my first observation, I chose Guzel’s Sunday morning class. It was
Yoga practice has made its name the world over for its health and beauty benefits for mind and body. But what about your face? Hot yoga might drench your brow, and goat yoga might make you smile, but are we missing a trick by not paying our faces much attention during practice? Face Yoga has
Salamba sarvangāsana, or shoulder stand, can be a thing of beauty – it combines strength, flexibility and balance in one scrumptious, iconic pose. Children do them. How hard can they be? Answer – very hard. Actually, incredibly hard! As a novice yogi I remember the indignity of trying to launch my feet over my head
Neophilia is the love of the new. It’s not so much focused on love for brand-new, straight-out-of-the-box things, but much more on the seeking out of new experiences. Neophiles are people who love novelty, who seek the thrill of doing things they’ve never done before. And they’re not necessarily adrenaline junkies; you can be a
Yoga teacher Maria Odugba is challenging stereotypes surrounding who can practise yoga. Described by the media as ‘plus-size’, Odugba is determined to embody her belief that yoga is for all body shapes and sizes. Her instagram account has 74.7k followers and counting, and is full of inspiring yoga selfies, workouts and posts describing her body-positive
Viniyoga, was created and developed by Krishnamacharya, the great guru and yoga master. “Vini” in loosely translated Sanskrit means “adaption,” and that’s just what this practice is, adapting yoga to the individual. It teaches students to adapt traditional yoga practices to fit their needs, limits, and goals. Viniyoga is also for everyone and anyone, taking
When I started my yoga journey, even the simplest balance seemed impossible. But over the years, I have found that Pattabhi Jois was definitely right – I practiced and it came! I took baby steps – sometimes it felt like I would never achieve a particular pose and then suddenly I was there. I still
