Posts In: yoga at home

Winter lends itself well to directing our attention inwards and we can feel drawn to hibernate as the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer. We become a little more hunched over as we try to huddle by the fire and stay warm against the winter chills, cold wind and rain of the Adelaide Hills. Wrapped up in multiple layers, we can feel less mobile and the body may feel more sluggish and lethargic. Some of us may feel the winter blues as we yearn for the brightness of the warmer months. The immune system may be a little more challenged by winter bugs as we spend more time indoors.

A regular yoga practice is the perfect antidote to the cooling effects of winter on the body. We can use different yoga poses (asanas) to invigorate the body and mind, to encourage good digestion, to improve circulation thus warming the body and to also harness the introspective aspects of winter to look a little deeper within. Yoga asanas can also open the body and undo some of the hunching over! Winter is a great season to spend more time on the mat and really feel the benefits.

(more…)

Attending two to three yoga classes per week gives tremendous mental and physical benefits. Consolidating what you have learned in class with a home practice can be life-changing. With the pace of modern life, it can be difficult to start and maintain a home practice. The following tips can help make your dreams of practicing yoga at home a reality. These tips focus on making it as easy as possible for you to get underway.

Tip 1: Designate a space for your practice
Keep a space cleared for your practice so you do not need to move furniture or think about where you are going to practice. It does not need to be a large expansive space, simply somewhere you can roll out a mat. Think about having a wall space if inversions are part of your practice. If you live with other people consider where they will be while you are practicing.

Tip 2: Have your props and yoga clothes ready
Keep your mat and any other props (e.g., bolster and bricks) near your designated space. This removes the barrier of finding what you need when it comes to practice. You might consider having your mat laid out permanently. If you are going to practice in the morning, then put your yoga clothes out the night before so you can get up, get dressed and start practicing straightaway.

(more…)

My first bout of sciatica 10 years ago floored me. It felt like a knife had been plunged into my right buttock and dragged down my leg. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t walk without a stick and I certainly could not think about anything else. Packets of anti-inflammatories, ice and Panadeine forte turned the dagger into a butter knife, but I was still aware of it. It turned out that a tight piriformis muscle that was entrapping the sciatic nerve in the buttock was to blame. The direct pressure of sitting on a golf ball gave great relief by releasing the piriformis muscle but I needed some preventive strategies. This is where yoga came in.

(more…)

When we bought our first home in the beautiful Blue Mountains (BC or before children), I was lucky enough to place first dibs on the loveliest room in the house. This room became my sacred and serene yoga space. The room had honeysuckle coloured floorboards, soft white walls and high ceilings. The large cottage window looked out onto a stunning Rhododendron that donned huge bright pink flowers. This tree brought me hope in the depths of a cold mountain winter knowing that when it started to bud and flower, warmer weather was upon us.

(more…)