Restorative Yoga: staying energised in December
December can be a fun and exciting month, but also a very busy and exhausting one, culminating in a few emotionally loaded celebrations. In order to stay centred and energised, it is important to make time for yourself. In this blog I explain how you can do this with simple restorative yoga. When you feel tired and overwhelmed, or you need a short rest before a long night, most effective and easy is to lie for 15 to 20 minutes in one of the rest positions explained below. Resting for 15 to 20 minutes a day in a restorative yoga position counters the effects that stress can have on your body and mind and restores your energy. It also suits this time of year, when the winter invites us to rest more and turn inward.
3 Yoga poses to counter computer posture
Unless your computer screen is on eye level and you are paying attention to sitting straight, you are likely to adopt the easiest position in front of your computer, with a rounded back and forward neck. This “computer posture” is very common in our times and, apart from tightening or overstretching muscles, has a snowballing effect on our health. Below I explain why we should avoid this way of sitting and describe 3 yoga poses to counter computer posture.
Self-care: uplifting yoga
I once asked a friend how she managed to get through a particularly difficult time in her life. She said she focused on looking after herself and eating healthily. It is an important start when life for some reason has ground to a halt and you don’t know immediately which way to turn. As in the cliché, you then have to “put your own safety mask on first”. I am always reminded of her in times I have to be brave, for example when I lose someone dear and I have to think of a strategy to go forward with strength. Apart from nourishing my body and walking or exercising in nature, I also use my yoga practice to make me feel better. Practising yoga can stimulate the endorphins, our “feel-good hormones”, and promote an inner sense of contentment. When we need a mood shift, uplifting yoga poses can help. Yoga also offers the space to centre oneself, to feel quiet and “re-group”. This blog will take you through poses and breathing exercises that have an uplifting effect. Use the sequence whenever you need some extra support.
When would you choose yoga therapy over yoga? — Global Yoga Therapy Day.
14 August was the first Global Yoga Therapy Day, a day filled with sharing and informative lectures via Facebook. “If you can breathe, you can practice yoga” was the motto of this online event. This means everyone can do yoga, even when unable to walk or kneel or bend in certain ways. More than just making yoga accessible, yoga therapy actively seeks to support an individual’s journey to greater health and wellbeing.
A yoga therapist is a yoga teacher who has been trained to make yoga accessible, beneficial and safe for people with a variety of health challenges. We probably all have health challenges, so when would you choose yoga therapy over yoga? A general yoga class can be beneficial when you are fairly fit, healthy and strong, and when you enjoy the group dynamics and social contact. In some instances, however, yoga therapy is the much better choice. This blog explains why.