I encourage my students to practise yoga at home; a mindful, daily practice, even if short, allows them to progress more quickly in the weekly class. Sometimes, when I know my student is very busy, or when I know they would enjoy this particular stretch, I tell them to do the stretches below – and the kitchen is a good place to do this because of the height of chairs and kitchen counters. To stretch the hamstrings, inner thigh muscles and glutes, these yoga-inspired ways of stretching leg muscles can be very effective.

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As this is exam time for many young people, and they are sitting at their desks hunched over books and laptops, I decided to write a blog especially for them. Unlike some business professionals who are lucky enough to have their desk and chair adjusted, screen raised to eye level and keyboard placed at the right height to avoid wrist pains, young students are usually just hunched forward over their desks and books. Even if you are not a student but you sit at a desk all day long, I hope the exercises below can help you. They can counter the ‘desk syndrome’, i.e. fatigue and a bad posture.
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If you are passionate about cycling — you just love the feeling of freedom and the wind blowing in your face as you cycle fast and smoothly — you want to keep cycling as long as you can and keep on top of any niggling aches and pains. Especially when you love long cycling trips or you participate in races and charity cycling events, you will know that your body can complain about the position it has to hold for these long periods. This blog about yoga for cyclists explains what you can do immediately, the moment you come off your bike, to stretch out and avoid muscle stiffness and pain.
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One of my dear, long-term students is leaving; she is moving to another country. Amaia’s story is an example of how debilitating back pain due to a herniated disc can heal over time. It shows how back health can be maintained with the right help and life-style changes. Before moving, Amaia agreed that we write her story. We hope it can encourage anyone who is recovering from a herniated disc or severe lower back pain…