It’s already been a year since I qualified with my 200-hour yoga teacher training (with YogaLondon!). By the end of the course I had learned so much and my brain was truly full to the brim. I could not imagine ever needing (or wanting) to learn any more about teaching yoga. But I could not […]
Once we start to move beyond a purely physical practice, and come to appreciate the deeper psychological dimensions of yoga, we start to see that it’s not all about poses. Yoga is about finding a sense of awareness that connects us to ourselves and to life itself. It’s possible to have the most impressive asana
Ahimsā is the practice of not causing harm to ourselves or others – in other words, being kind and considerate. Sound easy? Read on to find out if you may be bringing unnecessary pain into your life – and how you can practise more ahimsā both on and off the mat. Say What? Ahimsā, pronounced ‘a-hymn-sa‘, is a combination
Learn how to build your internal heat and bring discipline to your yoga practice without getting burnt along the way with this niyama, tapas. Say What? Tapas (not to be confused with delicious Spanish nibbles) is like fire. Derived from the Sanskrit word ‘tap’ which means ‘to burn’, Ashtanga teacher Melanie Cooper calls it the
So we’ve been going through the Eight Limbs of Yoga for the past few weeks. We started with the grossest, or most physical of the limbs, yama and niyama, moved on to asana, pranayama and pratyahara. We’ve also explained why we practice these limbs: to tame that ever-mischievous monkey mind. Now we start getting to the
If you’ve been following my series of the eight limbs of yoga, you may be aware that I’m rather fond of a good analogy. This article is no different, as we venture into the ever-subtler aspects! Limb six was dharana (concentration), and our seventh limb of dhyana develops our practice further from there. The analogy I
Lululemon has long been a lifestyle brand, famous for its athleisure and athletic gear. From their visual branding to the classes they hold in store, Lululemon has been synonymous with sweating your way to health and happiness in high performance, fashionable kit. The brand’s latest campaign takes a step beyond offering a lifestyle, however: now,
How ancient gestures can boost your health, enhance your yoga and deepen your meditation. Every so often it’s fun to add a new layer to your practice. Something that takes you a little further into the yoga experience, sheds new light on familiar territory, or guides the way towards uncharted realms within. Mudras can do
