Yoga for the pelvic floor muscles
The pelvic floor health is not just about strength but about creating a well-functioning, flexible system within the body. The pelvis is influenced by early life experiences and movement patterns and all of this can manifest in other parts of the body as well, the pelvis being an integral part of our whole body. Ultimately, Yoga complements pelvic physical therapy or other physical exercises by offering a long-term approach to pelvic health.
Best time for your Yoga routine
What is the best time for your Yoga practice? Is it worth building your Yoga practice routine around the time you are having most of your energy? How effective is having a Yoga routine or schedule?
Yin Yoga and TCM: Winter season- meridians and postures
In TCM, the state of nature reflects what quality our everyday life should have in order to be in harmony with the energies. Winter is therefore the perfect time for introspection and introversion, time to ask the right questions and find the real answers. Time to breathe more and create more space in our minds and hearts. It is a time for slower, gentler practices, where one can really go within.
Yin Yoga and TCM: Winter season- main element, organs and emotions
Stagnation, laziness or a general heaviness in moving and thinking are downsides of this winter period. The death of nature around us as well as lack of stimulation and excitement, in comparison to the rest of the seasons, make one prone to feelings of loneliness, depression or isolation. However, it doesn’t have to be like this, if we can mindfully switch this perspective into allowing more space and dedication for more inner work, connecting to ourselves more and finding the necessary time to do the healing.
Yin Yoga and TCM: Autumn season- meridians and postures
Autumn season represents the transition between Yang and Yin, from the expansive and solar energy of summer, to the more introspective and slow one of autumn and later winter. Summer energy might be the best season to juggle many things at the same time, but Autumn is definitely the time to harvest the fruits of our actions and also narrow our focus to one thing at a time, finding a balance between doing and resting.
Yin Yoga and TCM: Autumn season- main element, organs and emotions
An important component to autumn is the feeling of letting go, associated also with this period of acute changes. Autumn is a wonderful time to reflect on what is no longer needed and to let go of what no longer serves us. This can translate into something big like letting go of a person, a home or a situation, but can also refer to letting go of a belief, way of living or material possessions for instance. It's natural for us as humans to resist change or uncertainty, but once we understand how life itself is made entirely of change and uncertainty, then we might come to an understanding and acceptance of this in the long run and offer space for new beginnings and growth.
About Range of motion
The joints play a major role in everyone’s ROM and generally, it is not something that can be taken for granted; several factors can lead to a loss of ROM in time, for instance injury, improper posture, lifestyle, genetic factors or even too much movement. Respecting our boundaries in regards to our joints can help us preserve our ROM longer in time, whether we refer to our spine, knees, shoulders, hips or wrists.
Yoga and the importance of the present moment
When you get those blissful pauses in your practice, let yourself settle instead of anticipating the next cue. Take your time and when it gets hard, notice how your mind reacts. Notice the miracle of breath flowing in and out. Notice what the mind says, how it talks to you, and just like in your meditation practice, gently guide it back to the body and breath.
About Integrity
Integrity is essential to all practitioners of Yoga because it creates a foundation of deep honesty upon which a practice can best be built. Moreover, integrity is fully expressed in the relation with oneself, in the way we honor commitments to ourselves, take time to be considerate of our actions, and represent our practice also outside the Yoga class.
Why Yoga is not always the answer
It could be that the reason for learning Yoga, like being able to touch our toes for example, grows to be completely different in a few months or years; just like we evolve constantly, so is Yoga and what Yoga was for me yesterday, might not mean the same today. Improvement is not always a straight line or clearly defined; often, the smaller, more subtle things are the real clues of our development or progress, maybe the quality of our breath, the posture of our backs or the capacity to listen more.
Yoga for grief
Whenever we feel like we need to numb or ignore our feelings, Yoga is a reminder not to shy away from those feelings. The only way to deal with uncomfortable emotions is to stay with them and learn to embrace them, knowing that feelings are temporary.
The REBOUND feeling in YIN YOGA - what it is and how we can experience it
This sensation in the body of both fragility yet flowing energy is often referred to as the rebound effect or the echo of the pose, a bridge between poses that carries forward their resonance and that can last from one minute to as long as it feels good.
Strength vs. Softness in Asana practice
Just like life itself, our Yoga practice is also a game of balancing strength and softness, pushing forward and letting go. I often see it as an invitation to welcome both of these states and not resisting to any of them.
Working with the HARA in Yoga
Learning to tap into this life force, activate our Hara centre during our Yoga practice, can strengthen our energy, presence, vitality as well as create mental well-being, deeper awareness, a smoother connection to the breath, better emotional self-regulation and last but not least, a better quality of sleep.
The role of a teacher
The relation between a student and a teacher is not something hierarchical or forced, I view it as a natural, organic bond between two individuals willing to learn from each other in the end, sharing a safe space of practice and presence and joy.
Yoga and perfectionism
It is important for a perfectionist to embrace being a beginner at something and not to expect immediate mastery, Yoga class included. To first find the edge, get comfortable there and then move past it, all this without taking oneself too seriously.
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