Curious about yoga?

Maybe you struggle with being in your head a lot, and find it hard to relax? or maybe you have been curious about how yoga techniques can help you reconnect with your body and ease your mind…

Yoga is all about being mindful and in the present moment. When we are thinking about the past we become sad, maybe even remorseful, or we become hard on ourselves; and when we are thinking about the future we are in a state of worry, anxiety or even fear. The body part of yoga helps us become more aware of what's going on physically and the breath part of yoga helps us become aware of the thoughts that pop up in our mind.

Have you ever really paid attention to your breath, or taken a pause to breath deeply? Here is an easy breathing technique that you can practice. 

Practice this by placing one hand on the chest and the other on the navel, close your eyes and take a deep breath in starting with the belly and then expanding into the chest. The hands are there so you can feel what is happening when you stop and take a deep breath. Count on the inhale through the nose one...two...three...four and then on the exhale out the mouth four...three...two...one. Begin to notice how the chest and belly rise or expand and fall and contract with the breath. Set a timer ideally 5 minutes but if all you have is 30 seconds then set it for that. 

Never done yoga before, thats fine. Maybe your curious about an easy pose you can do to become more aware of your body, to ease into the idea of getting to a class.

Sit or stand with the feet flat on the ground. Feel all four corners of your feet pressing down, lengthen the crown of the head up towards the ceiling and relax the shoulders away from the ears. Take a deep breath in and then fold at the waist to find a forward bend. Whether you are sitting or standing, let gravity take over, the head is heavy, chin towards the chest, maybe there is a slight bend in the knees, grab opposite elbows and then just breath. Set a timer for 30 - 60 seconds. Slowly on an inhale rise up and when the spine is straight exhale.