Join the movement!

At a time when we, as human beings, are becoming more and more sedentary, we are also becoming disconnected with normal functional movement of our evolved biped form.

Our ancestor hunter gatherers would have moved stealthily through the jungle, with ease, controlling the breath, sharpened senses, with alertness, not quite the tightness and physical constraints that some of us live with presently. Some may see exercise as not for them, the perception of a painful process with little immediate gain mainly to achieve long term aesthetic improvement, the actual benefit of how moving the body makes you feel, has been largely ignored.

I am fascinated with vinyasa yoga style of movement, ‘vinyasa’ translates to movement steadily with the breath a dynamic sequenced moving practice that doesn’t simply focus on static singular yoga postures, the individual’s flexibility, or lack of..

Neither is it dogmatic or metaphysical, referring to cultural learnings of centuries ago that might appear like the ‘emperors’ clothes’ to some.

Vinyasa yoga is of this age. It enables practitioners re learn how to move functionally, the way the human body, with all its component parts, should naturally move. We relearn how to apply core stability, use the breath to greater efficiency, achieve grounding and foundation whilst we become acutely aware of the position of the body in space, without the need for a mirror! We move fluidly, with grace and integrity. This movement requires high levels of concentration, it epitomises mindful movement.

Those that practice vinyasa yoga, (yoga flow or power yoga) on a regular basis know that something positive happens every time they practice.

Stamina and endurance are developed through the dynamic movement of the practice, both lengthening and contracting muscle groups, creating deep strength without building unnecessary bulk, the body become more toned and defined.

The flowing movements promote both cardiovascular, (CV), and muscular stamina. CV stamina is developed through the continuity of movement and muscular stamina with the static holds of the postures. It is not wholly aerobic; the breath rate will rise but with careful sequencing and interspersed restorative postures, the heart rate will achieve its optimum. Fitness improves with each practice session as we learn more about our bodies and improve the technique of our movement.

Increasing circulation with movement and efficient control of the respiratory system, tones the whole body. The muscles, internal organs connective tissues and skin are bathed in a continuous flow of fresh blood, bringing nutrients to the cells and removing toxins and waste, purifying. The whole body is cleansed and nourished more efficiently than with other forms of exercise movements than may create and stagnate lactic acid and toxins.

Thereby, the respiratory, digestive, circulatory, endocrine, immune, and reproductive systems will all benefit, improving overall health and physical wellbeing. We improve our focus and concentration, and the sense of satisfaction and achievement is unparalleled in any other form of exercise.

Practice with care and attention and you will feel deep, but alert relaxation when you have finished. Those that are residually tired and perhaps will feel more tiredness, this will pass after a few practice sessions. With time and consistent practice, the feeling of release and relaxation you achieve at the end of practice will infuse your life, you will become more and more relaxed with your everyday activities, and within yourself.

Vinyasa yoga is as challenging as we make it, we are in control, and we can experiment and innovate with the movements. It is accessible for absolute beginners, the teacher will take you through the sequences and you will discover how wonderful 'vinyasa' is!

Teen yoga, the best coping mechanism!

Well, it’s back to school, a mix of excitement and apprehension for our youngsters, new teachers, new friends, new challenges, new subjects. One thing that really impresses me is that quite a few schools and academies are adopting wellness and holistic activities, in particular yoga. I wish this was around when I was younger.

Children, pre-teen and teen, can benefit considerably from yoga. The teenage brain is both complex and developing quickly. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the changes to the brain and reproductive system between the ages of 12 and 19 are enormous, and the shifts in reproductive and stress hormones during that time can affect thinking and behaviour. Many of us remember our teen years as a time of high anxiety and depression when we could well have used yoga’s benefits. Learning yoga practices at this stage in development can be a game-changer in dealing with hormonal fluctuations, and yoga will provide teens with lifetime tools and techniques for stress management.

Teens are dealing with body changes, peer pressure, social media, exam stress, possibly parental conflict etc, whilst the brain’s prefrontal cortex is still maturing, (where we make executive decisions).

No wonder they are grumpy sometimes, there is lots going on!

A yoga practice is the first step towards re patterning our stress response, it shows us how to respond intelligently and effectively to stressful situations, by using the breath and conscious management of the stress response. Practice, effectively and regularly, and these learned techniques become instinctive, we are able navigate stormy waters much more effectively.

The physical “feel good” element is also important for teenagers. Rather than ploughing through fast fitness focused sequences, most teens respond well to taking time to feel the effects of a yoga posture—whether it’s a challenging arm balance or a calming twist. Explanations of the movement and why a particular movement may cause us to feel a certain way, is of great interest to young connective minds.

Girls usually enjoy the flowing movement and boys will throw themselves into arm balances and more strenuous postures, it’s just how they are. I really enjoy teaching teens yoga as they are risk takers, and they still have a reasonable range of movement. I say ‘still’ as I have noticed, over the last few years, just how tight youngsters are generally -it is a concern and something that shows up in a yoga class. The default posture these days is influenced by our addiction to our phones, it’s hardly surprising that youngsters are so tight in their posterior muscles.

Yoga might not be what our youngsters think it is, there’s plenty of mis-information out there.

I would say if you have difficulty in switching off, or are not comfortable with how you are developing, are carrying some anxiety or even frustration and anger, perhaps lack of confidence or low self-worth, then yoga can help.

Yoga is a set of tools that you can use to improve your life, on your own, in your own space – why not call it ‘technical wellbeing’ instead of yoga.

If I’d had the opportunity and access to yoga in my school years, with a teacher that could show me the benefits of practice, I really feel it would have helped me to navigate my teens a whole lot better.

I commend those schools and academies for providing some technical wellbeing to the next generation and for the youngsters that invest in themselves. Make your health, your wealth.

Yoga for Strength

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One might not realise that yoga is an excellent way to build muscle strength, many consider yoga primarily as improving range of movement, flexibility and calming a busy mind.

All these are true however a regular yoga practice will considerably improve body strength and conditioning.

The yoga advantage is that the movements engage multiple muscles or muscle groups and are so-called compound movements. That means they never train isolated muscle groups but build strength in entire body areas.

Yoga builds strength in natural movement patterns.

Another advantage is that yoga always alternates movements – backward and forward, sideways or twists – so you train muscles on opposite sides of the body and don’t overtrain one area over another. At the same time, it increases your core strength as you need it for balance and stability during your practice. All that leads to a very balanced muscle development, which helps to prevent injuries.

This strength is referred to as functional stability and with normal range of movement at the joints this allows us to move without disfunction. An experienced yogi will move gracefully from pose to pose, with complete control and in sync with the breath.

Yoga develops both strength and mobility because it alternates muscle groups engaging and stretching during the whole practice. As such, it is a unique type of training, making you able to actively move your body parts through a wide range of motion. Essentially, it removes limitations caused by the tight connective tissue that holds you back, making you strong and flexible at the same time.

My first yoga class was something of a revelation, whilst I was reasonably strong through gym work and triathlon training and competing, I was amazed at how hard my body worked through the class. For an hour, I never moved away from the yoga mat, yet I felt I had seriously ‘worked out’ through the series of postures. The regular yogis, young and older, seemed to take it in their stride and moved effortlessly throughout.

This was mostly down to how tight my body was, I had developed strength through training, but my body was like a straight jacket that offered up resistance each time I moved into the postures.

I persevered with the yoga and very soon my range of movement improved which allowed me to develop the practice, some of the really challenging postures became accessible. Patience is the key with yoga, we need to accept that it will take time to regain normal ranges of movement and increase functional strength.

Yoga works at any age, I can do things at 60yrs that I couldn’t at 50 yrs of age and I expect I will do things at 70yrs that continue to evade me. By using the weight of the body to build strength there is no need for gym membership, simply roll a mat and start moving.