Sweet and sweaty

This (probably shortlived) heatwave we are experiencing, has been the perfect opportunity to experiment with how heat, and indeed sweat, affects your practice — and your emotions while practising. It's also been a reminder of which poses are easier to achieve and more comfortable while hot and sweaty — binds, many backbends and especially kukkutasana from Ashtanga primary -— the lifted lotus pose. Here, wearing shorts with slippery, yes sweaty legs, facilitates sliding the arms between the thighs and calves so you can press hands firmly into the ground and lift up away from the floor. 

In an exceptionally sweaty ashtanga class yesterday evening, my students were amazed to discover that some could achieve elusive postures they had never managed before.... and crucially they were also trying less hard! They were so hot, they had relaxed and found their movements took on a naturally flowing element... while water flowed from them!

Some of the balances were far harder to achieve however as slippery shins slipped off upper arms, as in eka pada galavasana and bakasana (crane pose) see below. And toes were harder to hold in binds, so belts came in very handy!

The other flip side is the tiredness which comes with practising in very hot conditions, and the possibility of irritation creeping in...  That's when staying mindful of your body and knowing when to back off and slow down, and when to use the heat is essential.

It is helpful to include rounds of the unpleasant sounding sitali breath ('s' is generally pronounced as a 'sh' in sanskrit),  otherwise known as cooling breath. Roll your tongue into a narrow straw shape (if you can, if not, draw your lips together to making a little circle as if you're sucking in through a straw).

Then, breathe in through the rolled-up tongue or pursed lips for 5 or 6 counts, hold the breath to savour the cooling air for just a second or two and exhale calmly and slowly through the nose. Repeat a few times to stay calm and cool headed. It also works when you are hot and flustered in the office, with your kids ... on the tube ;)

When practising yoga in the heat, it is also lovely to slow down your movements, visualise yourself moving through water as you take your vinyasas and focus on the calming, cooling breath. Mind over matter. But staying grounded by really using your feet and constantly coming back to feeling the sensation of the Earth beneath you and the space around you is essential to prevent feeling spaced-out and light-headed. Try it.

Personally I love to sweat when practising... not in a "hot yoga" studio I should add, but through the exertions of doing the yoga. It feels so good afterwards.

Enjoy the sun and your holidays and remember to keep practising when you are away... whether on the beach, a field, back garden, balcony... the more relaxed you are, the better!

Kukkutasana

Sitali breath

Kukkutasana and sitali breathing, courtesy of http://www.yogatrail.com/yoga-poses

Practicing with a hangover!

So, on Sunday Morning’s class, two of my students announced they had terrible hangovers, and one made straight for the sofa in the corner and lay down with a blanket over her! Good energetic start! The other just felt a bit "thick headed".

Once I had coaxed her off the sofa and onto her yoga mat and got them all sitting with an upright spine, we did a few rounds of Kapalabhati or shining skull breath to clear the head. It is really a kriya, cleansing practice, rather than a pranayama (breathing practice). it’s warming, creating heat and energy so a good start to a practice – and the day – and clears the nasal passages, so it's also great to do at the tail end of a cold you just can’t shift. I tend to do it in the shower each morning to clear my head and nose for the day!

Basically, sit with a long spine, breathing in and out though the nose. Then breathe in and exhale fast and forcefully, drawing the naval back towards the spine and gently lifting in and up with the pelvic floor muscles (Mula Bandha) with each exhale. The inhalation is passive, just happening naturally, between the succession of fast exhales. For many students, just a round of ten, slow but vigorous exhales is enough; but you might build up to 20 or 40 exhalations, sounding a little like an old steam train! Three to five rounds is enough to clear the airways and the head!

Warning -  don't try this is you are pregnant,and on the first few days of your monthly bleed, or if you are asthmatic. Also if your hangover is the kind that makes you feel nauseous!

After breathwork and a gentle seated warm up, the students started a slow flowing practice building in a few gentle twists to aid digestion, energise the body and release toxins. As always the students are their own best guides to how far they take their practice each time they visit the mat, and half way through the class, the student who had made straight for the sofa, asked to be put into a restorative posture, so I grabbed bolster, blankets and blocks and put her in a supported restorative child pose.

The other students meanwhile continued with the flow class around her. She joined us all in pigeon and for guided relaxation

It reminded me of a teacher who one said that for a full six months, a man would come to her class and just lie at the back on his mat and relax, and not join in with anything! He obviously felt secure and found the environment conducive to rest and relaxation and that is what he felt his body needed.

Your own modifications and observations in class do not have to be so drastic, but remember to check in with yourself every time you revisit the mat, and see where you are physically and mentally and get to learn when and where to push yourself and when to ease off, truly tailoring your practice to suit yourself.

Yoga is for life — not just for January!

According to published surveys of the British population, each New Year’s Eve, nineteen percent of Brits (that’s at least 9.5 million people and rising) vow to do more exercise and improve their fitness levels in the coming year. Added to that, about 6 million people decide they will take up a new hobby or learn a new skill. So, that’s why, come January, yoga studios up and down the country are swamped with newcomers! (And you are all most welcome!)

I do notice there is bit of a peak in numbers of new students at my classes in January, and then again in September (back to school mentality?), though often I can tell if a new student will accept the challenge and stay for a few classes, or run back to the sofa! (Or stay in bed an hour longer if it’s an early morning class!)

It would be ideal if having braved the first class or two, new students could keep up the habit and let yoga grow on them, or let their body grow to appreciate the benefits of classes — welcoming the extra space in the body and mind! Then at the end of 2016, they might be looking back amazed at the differences in their posture, breathing, health and general outlook as they have taken their lessons on board gradually over the months!

It can take a while to feel and observe the changes yoga makes, and it can take trying out a few classes and styles to find something you are truly comfortable with. I wasn’t at all enamoured with my first class. Lured there by the promise of drinks and supper afterwards, I found it a bit boring and the teacher a bit sharp. (To be fair, I did start with an intermediate group to be with my friend rather than the beginners!) That was about 25 years ago…. I stayed with that teacher and class for about three years, and then moved venues and teachers a couple of times before discovering Ashtanga. Since then I have experimented with styles, studios and teachers and there are some I adore and others which don’t gel as well for me. But I have learned that it is my practice, and my attitude to the class that will make it a good experience… or otherwise.

And if you are a seasoned yogi, don't allow yourself to be put out by the busier studios and increase in beginners at your regular class (you were new once!) just make space for them and if you have a momentary lapse in concentration on your practice, look up and you'll bound to notice a newbie or two copying your moves and aspiring to perfect their postures inspired by you!

Happy experimenting and discovering in 2016!

Festival yoga!

It used to be that music-loving yogis heading off to summer festivals would get up early (well, before 9.30am) and hunt for a bit of grass without tent pegs and the remains of last night's revelry, lay out their mat and practice a few sun salutations trying not to attract unwanted attention. Sometimes other festival goers would comment or exchange conspiratorial glances, some might even join in. Later as the sun went down, the search for a sacred patch of clear grass would be more challenging than an inverted locust pose.

Now, everything's changed. Yoga is as essential as the bands and hair braids at some festivals — or at least it truly adds to the experience. No longer do yogis have to furtively hunt for a little piece of peace, a whole tent has been set aside and lovingly decorated in readiness. Yoga classes are as much an attraction as the other indie tents drawing intrigued newcomers along, ready to go with the (vinyasa) flow and loosen up in the festival spirit.... well at some festivals it has!

I will be teaching free yoga for mums (parents) and babies at Somersault Festival in North Devon (23rd-27th July) just to prove that tots and festivals are a perfect match — and it's never too soon to try your first cat or at least ananda balasana (happy baby)! And on the Sunday I'll be helping teens find their inner warrior or uncover a chill-out zone of their own. There are plenty of other classes on offer, too. Of course you will need a ticket to the festival to access the classes, but look at it as a yoga retreat under canvas with music, gourmet campsite food and all the rest of the festival fun thrown in!

Some tips for festival yoga newbies.

Bring some suitable clothes — loose shorts, leggings and pyjama pants are ace... jeans and denim shorts aren't, because of the restricting fabric and the deep seams and zips will give you welts when you lie or sit on them. Ouch!

Try not to look around and compare yourself with people who effortlessly balance on one arm or take postures to the next stage — they have doubtless been practicing for years! Besides the whole point of yoga is to focus your attention within... Admittedly that can be hard when there is a sound system and comings and goings around the tent, plus that excited buzz of festivals, so then you get a chance to practice Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) so you take the focus within and concentrate on your breath and your body.

But don't switch off! You'll need to listen clearly to your teacher's instructions ... but more importantly, listen to your own body first and if a posture doesn't feel good, don't do it, or ask for advice on your alignment. You don't want your first taster of yoga to be your last, now do you?

Tell your instructor if you have injuries – and if you are a beginner. They can modify postures for you to keep you safe and enjoying the experience.

Introduce your kids to classes — it might turn out to be their best festival experience — and yours!

If you have tickets for Somersault — follow this link! http://store.somersaultfestival.com/wellbeing/wellbeing-enjoy-the-mat-with-your-family.html

And of course, you could always get a tent big enough to do some yoga inside ;)

108 sun salutations for Nepal

There is something special and heart-warming about the yoga community — indeed, much of the general population. As soon as news reached of the terrible disastrous earthquake in Nepal, so many yoga students and teachers wondered what they could do to help the awful suffering of those survivors who had lost everything. Classes and fund-raising events were instantly organised to show solidarity and support, as well as raise awareness and crucially aid to help the poor Nepalese people rebuild their shattered homes and lives. It will take ages and ongoing aid not just a few small events, we know.

For our part, myself and other London teachers have organised a 108 sun salutations challenge at the end of the month. (Details below.) On hearing about it, one of my students who has just had a serious operation, immediately asked if she could join the event, desperate to help. 108 sun salutations can be very challenging for the regular fit student.... so why choose to do 108 sun salutations?

108 Surya Namaskaras are often performed as a mark of respect (as following the death of Shri K Pattabhi Jois, who established ashtanga yoga), and at summer and winter solstices, and equinoxes – when the Sun shines directly on the equator and the length of night and day are the same. Here, it is a charity event, the aim is solidarity but also to raise funds through sponsors and donations.

So why 108? It's not just a random number picked to challenge students to make them hot and thirsty and uncomfortable so they feel sympathy with those less fortunate. (Though it is always worth remembering those you are raising funds for when you reach 81 and feel tempted to give up... )

108 is traditionally a sacred number — in yogic, Hindu and Buddhist cultures at least. There are 108 beads on Mala (or garland) beads used for meditation and prayer. But there are so many beautiful coincidences connected with the number 108. Like the 9 times table where the individual digits of any multiple of nine always add up to nine...  The sun's diameter is roughly 108 times the diameter of Earth. While the average distance from Earth to the Moon (about 384,400 km) is again roughly 108 times the diameter of the Moon.....

And 108 is 9 times 12.... both numbers are said to have a spiritual significance in some traditions — number 9 is the number of Universal love.  So we will have 12 teachers each leading 9 sun salutations. This should make for a harmonious event — and vary the styles of the sun salutations to make it more achievable. Let's hope we can also help lessen the burden of the Nepalese people in some small way through our efforts too.

Join us as we flow through 108 sun salutations at the Kensington Unitarians Church Notting Hill on 31st May at 2pm. Please register via the facebook events page — https://www.facebook.com/events/1591484301141004/
 or contact me on the contacts page on this site.

Donations in support of the work of the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) to aid Nepal. 

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=SunSalutationsfortheNepaleseEarthquake&isTeam=true

** Bring your own mat.

Music and yoga — or not

Music and yoga can be a match made in heaven…or on the computer… or it can be a distraction, even a mild irritant, depending on your point of view, type of practice and music tastes!

Generally I love practising my yoga to music. I’ll choose music to suit my mood or the time of day or just my practice. I have a few different playlists depending on whether I am doing an uplifting practice or calming yin poses, or a bit of both, which is most of the time. Most of my selections have an upbeat start, rising (hopefully) in time to sustain me through my peak posture and then ebbing and soothing as I begin to cool down and hold postures for a while, perhaps in time for a few gentle forward bends or restorative postures. 

A well chosen track can encourage you through those challenging moments, when you’re hot, sticky and maybe beginning to flag. While a gentle, melodic tune can help you find release and reconnect with your breathing.

Sometimes I’ll listen to or throw chants or designated “music for yoga” into the mix. Mostly it is a random collection of sounds that work for me, tracks I could listen to over and over again and that really inspire me to get up and move my body — through a collection of asanas rather than dance. Yoga can be a little dance-like, linking movements and breath, choreographing a sequence of postures that work on the same area or emotion and build gradually and sequentially to a chosen crescendo — whether it is pincha mayurasana (forearm balance), Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow) or the sublime dancer posture itself natarajasana.

One of the studios I teach at is a quiet studio — a music free zone. That is lovely, too. Students can all hear instructions clearly and focus purely on the rhythm of their breath leading them in and out of the postures, with no background distractions.

Elsewhere, especially vinyasa flow classes at studios and gyms, music is deemed an essential part of the experience. I often quiz students on their preferences and gauge reactions to particular styles of music, such as traditional chants, or instrumentals over voice. I have two very close and loyal students with completely opposite viewpoints. One adores having music and is deeply disappointed when a sound system doesn’t work as the soundtracks really lift her spirits. The other absolutely can’t bear music of any kind with yoga. “I listen to it all the time at home, yoga is my haven of peace and quiet,” she said shocked at the very idea of having music in class.

Obviously some styles of yoga lend themselves better to music — flow classes for instance, whereas classic Iyengar and ashtanga classes traditionally don't have music — apart from the opening and closing mantras of ashtanga chanted
by the students! 

What do you think? Music or not, or does it vary on your mood or the soundtracks! 

Here’s some of my favourite music for yoga.....
Let me know yours!