Who needs a coffee for an afternoon pick-me-up when you can fill your brain with lovely oxygenated blood cells! We love these exercises from Yoga Today – so simple and so effective. Goodbye fuggy brain, hello bright eyes!
Category Archives: Exercises
Disciplines: Meditation – “Seminars in London, Get Some Headspace”
Yogi London recently attended a one day meditation course in the centre of London, organised by our friends at Headspace. We loved our experience and strongly encourage our readers to take some time to ‘get some headspace’ too.
No chanting and no incense
The day really did do what it says on the tin: Andy Puddicombe, Headspace’s figurehead, taught us all about everything to do with meditation – however, he did it the Headspace way, which means that it was approachable and non secular. To quote from the Headspace themselves: “there’s no chanting, no sitting cross-legged, no incense and definitely no gurus. There’s no religious agenda or mystical mumbo-jumbo, just simple, practical tools to help you find a bit more clarity and calm in your everyday life.”
More science than religion
Well, whilst we at Yogi London aren’t usually adverse to a little mystical mumbo-jumbo, we also realise that such esoteric incantations simply don’t appeal to or work for most people. And Headspace understands this too. So they made the day relaxed, open, conversational and practical, choosing to focuses on the ultimate reality of the situation: whether you like it or not, regular mediation provides unbelievable health benefits, proven by countless scientific studies:
Scientific benefits of meditation
- Meditation shown to improve levels of blood pressure and heart function
- Meditation shown to have positive effects on depression
- Meditation shown to improve sleep quality of people with insomnia
- Case-study showing the positive effects of meditation on anger, aggression and addiction
- Meditation shown to be more effective at reducing stress levels than music
- Meditation shown to improve heart function
Daily “take 10″
By the end of the day, attendees were given all the tools and techniques to understand meditation. We felt ready to practice meditation on our own – with a daily ‘take 10’ (watch the take 10 video online) – and enthused about enabling the wonderful benefits to improve our lives too. Plus, helpfully, we were provided with access to personalised online support and resources helping us to get the most out of our Headspace experience.
Get in Touch
When?
Help! I can’t stop thinking. London – Mar 26/2011
Help! I can’t stop thinking. London – May 21/2011
What else?
Follow Andy on twitter and hear his informative musings on all things meditative
Read the Headspace blog
Get the Headspace App
Read the Get Some Headspace book
Special Offer: Free Yoga Class – “Online at Yoga Today”
Free yoga videos online
Yoga Today is a site in the US which has a great selection of yoga videos available online. Free members get a free yoga class that is available for one week only. Paying members get continuous access to a wide range of archived yoga videos in different styles.
It’s a great way to keep practicing when it’s cold outside, or when you have a particular style that you want to practice and not the right class available. It’s a good way for beginners to sample a few different styles and exercises in the comfort and safety of your own home.
For free members: Build Consonance with Power and Grace
This Week’s Free Class is a full-body practice with Sarah that promotes energizing detoxification with a blend Hatha styles.
- Skill Level: Novice
- Instructor: Sarah Kline
- Release date: January 31-February 7, 2011
New class for subscribers this week, Neesha brings Open Hamstrings and Stable Shoulders with a practice that builds on the essentials of Anusara© Yoga, nudging you deeper into backbends, in turn sharpening your insight into the world around and within you.
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Visit Yoga Today: www.yogatoday.com
Centre: North London – “Hatha Yoga, Special Yoga Centre in Kensal Rise”
I went to a great class with Jessica Horn at the Special Yoga centre in Kensal Rise on Sunday evening. We worked on shoulders, loosening off any tension and did a bit of gently neck stretching. There were four of us in the class so it was friendly and peaceful.
- We worked on rolling our shoulders back behind our heads using a belt
- Rolling shoulders up as rising up into a cobra pose
- Twisting upper back in a pigeon pose so that your left shoulder is on the floor when your left leg is bent and arms locked together
- Arms in eagle pose whilst holding horse pose
Jess is not intimidating as a yoga teacher and can tailor the class to beginners and offer more advanced students ways to take poses further. She is not too nice to put you through a bit of pain with some long hard horse poses but gives you enough time to recover.
A really lovely class for a Sunday evening! Much recommended.
View the timetable here: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=3223
Jess’s profile: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=3223
“Jess has been practising yoga for over twelve years and has spent the last two studying with the Life Centre. As well as teaching in various yoga centres she also gives private classes. Having practiced Astanga, Iyengar and Hatha, Jess now teaches gently flowing hatha with an emphasis on safe alignment and the breath”
Yogi Lifestyle: Exercises – “A Simple Breathing Exercise to Calm Your Mind”
'188: I sometimes forget how to breathe' by bronx on Flickr
I’m not an expert on breathing but I learnt this simple exercise in a yoga class that I find really useful to do during the day, especially when my head is busy with too many ideas and thoughts. I like this image because it makes me grasp for breath and reminds me how good it is to breathe!
Before you start breathing exercises, make sure that you are sitting comfortably. You can be crossed legged, kneeling or sitting on chair, if you’re in the office. I personally like to do it lying down, legs rolled outwards, arms, loose away from your body.
Calm your mind
This is a quick way to control, lengthen and calm your breath. When you slow down your breath, your body and your consciousness calm at the same time. Your consciousness rides the wave of your breathe, so by slowing and controlling your breath, you can also control and calm your thoughts.
Lengthening and slowing your breath
Breath in for 2 counts
Breath out for 2 counts
Breath in for 3 counts
Breath out for 3 counts
Repeat this with increasing counts up until you reach 10 counts breathing in and 10 counts breathing out.
Try it on a friend
It’s fun to do it on someone else too. Make them lie down and talk them through, counting out loud for them. It can be strange at first but by 10, the person is visibly much calmer (and happier!)
