Last night, I addressed the theme of  ' ahimsa ' in my yoga class. Ahimsa is derived from Sanskrit and essentially means "not to injure" and to behave with "compassion".  Whilst most of us (me included) are very good at being compassionate to others, we often fail to accord ourselves with that same level of compassion and love (again, me included). I had a very frank conversation with someone this week about their perception of me and how it differs from my own.  I feel that I am a very independent person - self-reliant, resourceful etc. - but they said that whilst that is the case, there is also a side of me that does tend to ignore or discredit my need to be nurtured.  It wasn't the easiest conversation I've ever had but it was certainly one that I am finally ready to hear and to accept. Acting in accordance to the principle of ahimsa means allowing compassion and nurturing into all areas of our lives. It could mean living in a way that is ...

It's July now, which means we are half way through the year.  No better time to stop and review your goals and aims from the start of the year... It's easy to make resolutions on January 1st because that is what's expected of us.  What's also pretty much expected, is that we'll probably have ditched most, if not all, of those goals before the first week of January has finished.  If you have managed to continue thus far with your goals for 2018, then now really is the time to stop and take stock of how far you have come. Often we berate ourselves for not smashing our targets and goals within a relatively unrealistic time period - be honest, how many of you have spent the week eating healthily and going to the gym and then expected to be a dress size smaller by Friday night...only to discover you've not dropped a single pound, and subsequently given up?  Yep, me too!  Let's face it, that's just not realistic and completely screws with your motivatio...

Ok so when you start yoga, people are ready to tell you all the positives - that it'll change your life, that you'll become more flexible/stronger/balanced - and all the negatives - there *may* be involuntary passing of gas, you might fall over when you try and balance, people might see your pants through your leggings - etc. etc. etc.  However, what they fail to mention is that probably the hardest thing to do is actually to pluck up the courage, book a class and walk through the doors. In a world where we spend copious amounts of our day to day life behind a computer screen, going out into the 'real' world and interacting with 'real' people is not always easy.  Especially if you're worried that those people are going to be toned gods and goddesses who weave their own clothes from yak's milk and discuss in great detail how to power up their root chakras.  Yes, yoga is a spiritual practice and to be honest, it is one of my bugbears when people just...

One of my loves (aside from eating, running and yoga-ing) is reading.  In fact (and this is a random little fact for you), I even have an MA in Literature. So, with today being World Book Day, I thought I'd share a few reading ideas with you.   My first suggestions for World Book Day... Raise Your Vibration by Kyle Gray Light Warrior by Kyle Gray  My second World Book Day recommendation has a yoga theme... The Bhagavad Gita Rumi's  Selected Poems My third World Book Day choice comprises of a couple of books about the body’s healing system.  The Heart Speaks by Mimi Guarneri   Extraordinary Healing by Art Brownstein Make the most of this snowy weather: snuggle up on the sofa with a nice cup of tea, a blanket and enjoy a great book!

Easy Pose If you’ve got a knee injury this may not be as ‘easy’ as it seems…it can be modified by sitting on a yoga block or rolled up blanket. The benefits of this pose include: relaxation and stilling of the body quietening of the mind opening of the hips strengthening of the back through sitting upright stretching through ankles and knees Contraindications of this pose: knee or ankle injuries

Three Legged Dog This is a nice pose to transition to when you feel like your downward dog is strong and balanced. The benefits of this pose include: strengthening of the arms stretching through the hamstrings stretching through the hip flexors of the lifted leg improving balance helps to still and quiet the mind Contraindications of this pose: high blood pressure issues with wrists, i.e. carpal tunnel syndrome

If you’ve just started a running plan or schedule, well done!  Whilst running may have initially seemed reasonably uncomplicated – put trainers on, go for run – the more you get into it, the more things you discover!  Here’s 5 things I wish I’d known before I started running: Choose the right trainers 1.   Get the right trainers.   I think all of us have started running in whatever trainers we already owned, irrespective of whether they are gym trainers, running trainers or the trainers we have had at the back of the wardrobe for the past 5 years. As you start getting more serious about running and increasing your distances, it’s really important to ensure you are wearing the right kind of footwear.  Everytime I get new running shoes, I go and get my gait analysed as I know my running style changes with the distances I am building up to or the speeds I am working towards.  For example, I used to over-pronate when I ran.  This means that as ...

Running towards a goal: London Marathon 2018 I' ve been really lucky to secure a ballot place for the 2018 VMLM.  I’m so excited as I used to live in London and watch the marathon runners go past.  It’s also always been a dream of mine to do a marathon but I’ve never been sure I would have the time or tenacity to complete the training. I’m going to start a series of posts focused on my training and what I have learnt/am learning along the way.  Hopefully, this will be helpful to anyone else considering taking up running or increasing their distances. I already run so am not starting from scratch (thank goodness!).  If you are completely new to running, there are lots of beginners schedules and ‘couch to 5k’ plans to try, such as  this podcast based one  from NHS Choices.  It’s worth having a look at the different options and seeing whether you would prefer to follow a schedule on an app or podcast instead of a printed out plan.