Good Morning Vlog from Gemma

Was so inspired by my morning yoga practice and my developing meditation practice I wanted I share it with you xx

Read Full Post »

Yoga with Lucy and Meditation with Deepak

The start to my weekend went like this; bright and early wake up on Saturday morning, before the sun was up in these English winter months.  I needed to get my body going after a slightly heavy meal on Friday evening so I chose a vigorous Sun Salutation practice with Lucy.  It is fast and fun, she includes lots of standing poses, just what I needed to get my circulation going as well as flush out any toxins and heaviness.  The video is filmed on the rocks by the sea in Cornwall, with the bright sun shining and waves crashing, what stunning imagery to start the imagination juices flowing.

Once I had completed my asana practice I moved onto a meditation with Deepak Chopra.  The Chopra Centre is currently running a 21 day meditation challenge for creating abundance, they post a new audio meditation each day for you to practice.  The centring thought for this day was ‘Everything I desire is within me’ and the Sanskrit mantra was ‘Ram…ram…ram…’  We are now on day 7 of the challenge, which I have taken on, and I am finding the short but very potent meditations are a fantastic way to start the day.  I have a mediation practice, however sometimes I wonder if I am doing it right or getting anywhere, so it is very refreshing to be guided by the awesome Deepak Chopra and having a clear focus for the practice.

I am practicing the lesson of putting that which nourishes me at the top of my priority list, which is I’m sure partly why we so often do our practice first thing in the morning, it is the most important thing we do in the day and it is from there that the rest of the day unfolds.

Read Full Post »

Ujjayi breath and mental health

Good Morning!  Some of you may have noticed I haven’t posted for a few days; I didn’t do my daily practice on Friday which I put down to having an incredibly long day, although afterwards I can see that is an excuse which I could use most days!  However yesterday I was inspired to practice with Chris in his mini Ujjayi breath intro and workshop.  The inspiration was sparked by a Yoga, the Brain and Mental Health conference I went to on Friday night.

Throughout both the lecture by the lovely Dr David Beales and Heather Mason the breath featured heavily, much more than the physical postures (asanas).  I was very interested to hear how clearly Chris explained the importance of the breath, even saying that Ashtanga Vinyasa is meditative breathing practice for restless people, which is an image I love!

Dr Beales recounted a quote from a book by Ronald Ley, “Breathing is exquisitively sensitive to stress” and reminded us that mindfulness is the conscious of your breath to maintain present moment awareness.  Heather talked us through a plethora of scientific research which time and time again found Ujjayi breathing affects the physiology is such a way to decrease activation of structures in the body which have a potential to increase the likelihood stress and poor mental health.  For example the slow consistent pressure on the lung wall through Ujjayi breathing activates slow adapting stretch fibers that indirectly activate parasympathetic response, which is the ‘rest and digest’ action of the nervous system, promoting calm and relaxation.

Therefore Chris’s video was a reminder to myself of the importance of and a useful brushing up tool on my Ujjayi breathing and my ability to teach it to my students.  Thanks Chris xx

Read Full Post »

Yoga nidra for vata in the morning

I am certainly feeling the effects of the vata season.  Vata is one of the Ayurvedic doshas (combination of elements) and governs movement in the body.  Movement, change and activity are aspects of vata.  Autumn is the vata season with changing temperature, increased wind and a dryness in the air.  The season being of vata qualities makes it much more likely that the vata in each of us will shift into excess.  This likelihood of excess is increased even more if you are busy, over active and have some stress during the autumn.  Which can manifest itself as anxiety, insomnia, digestive challenges and weakness, among others.

I have been sleeping less than usual and which leaves me feeling more prone anxiety, worry and feeling weak.  So this morning after the clocks changing and waking up at ridiculous o’clock I decided to deeply rest my body and mind with a yoga nidra practice.  It was soothing, calming and restorative for my body, afterwards I feel my energy is smoothed and softened rather than jagged and angular.  This helps me to be more soft and open as I go about my day, rather than spiky and haphazard.  It was the perfect practice to prepare me for my busy ahead.

xxx

Read Full Post »