U Yoga - Claudia Smith

Today is International Woman’s Day!

Happy International Women’s Day  “From the deep internal rhythms of our bodies to the great rhythms of Nature – the seasons, the moon, and the circling planets – cycles are influencing, regulating and touching all aspects of our lives. We’re profoundly cyclical beings. When you’re in touch  with cyclical rhythm you feel more ‘in the flow’, as though you’re connected to a bigger life force beyond…

Vinyasa Flow Immersion Weekend – Early Bird Discount Closing TONIGHT!!

CLOSING TONIGHT!!!! … 28th February 2017 Good day, This is your LAST CHANCE TO GET THE EARLY BIRD RATE!!!!! Please Note – Temporary Website! I am working on a new website so please refer to the following website for up to date information…www.ushine.co.uk Vinyasa Flow Yoga Immersion Weekend with Ellen de Jonge 2017 At The Abbey in Sutton Courteney Friday 23rd June, 4pm* – Sunday 25th June, 4pm*…

I often find myself talking to other women about issues around menstruation. There are lots of questions around menstrual cycles and contraception especially that interest me. There is a wonderful book called The Pill which I highly recommend to any woman, whatever age. Here is a link to Jane Bennett’s website, Co-Authour of The Pill. She says about  her work… “I am passionate about offering…

“The right kinds of work of art help to rebalance us. Few of us are entirely well ‘balanced’; we’re all slightly crazy in varied ways. We might, for example, have a tendency to be too complicated – or else too insecure, too trusting or too suspicious, too…

As promised, the Menu and Recipes from Ellen de Jonge's Vinyasa Flow Masterclass

Raw vegan flat bread with Hummus and thinly sliced raw beetroot. Inspired by Samantha Mills

I would…

We're planting our seeds - Vinyasa Flow Master Class with Ellen de Jonge.

Inhale Love and light Exhale let it settle Inhale lift all negativity Exhale release

First and…

Moroccan Retreat May 2013

Moroccan Retreat

What an incredable week. Inspirational yoga, inspiring company, delicious food and…

Vinyasa Flow Master Class with Ellen de Jonge

After the great success of Ellen’s previous workshop here in the UK she will be returning on the…

When I tell people that I’m a yoga instructor I usually get one of two responses. “Oh, yes, I really should do a bit of yoga” or “Oh, no, yoga isn’t for me; I can’t even touch my toes”. Both these responses demonstrate some knowledge of yoga; that it is greatly therapeutic and that it entails a certain amount of stretching. However, the latter implies that it is only a physical practice that requires the ability to get into strange positions. This is a huge misconception.

Yes, it is true that some yoga practitioners can move their bodies in amazing ways but this is more or less a side effect and bonus attached to a whole list of other benefits and achievements brought about by yoga. Nonetheless, you will find that yoga can, over time, bring freedom to the body and make challenging postures that you once never thought possible become possible.

When I bend forward to reach for my toes I reach a point where I feel I can’t go any further. You could call this ‘my edge’. What a great deal of people do not realize is that this ‘edge’ is not fixed. Not only will it change from day to day but it will also be different in the evening compared to the morning. It is also changeable from moment to moment when using the breath.

The breath is powerful because it gives us control over our Parasympathetic Nervous System - this is the system in the body that tells you if you are to fight, flight, freeze (Sympathetic Nervous System) or rest, digest and restore (Parasympathetic Nervous System). In a state of emergency or panic our muscles tighten and prepare for action. You may notice that there is a relationship between these symptoms and a faster breathing pattern. By the same token you’ll notice that when the body and the mind are calm the breath is steadier and slower.

One of the greatest lessons yoga and other therapies teach us is that by controlling the breath we are able to control our actions and reactions. When folding forward without paying attention to the breath there is a safety mechanism causing the muscles to tighten that causes the body to find it’s ‘edge’; that feeling of being stuck in a forward fold without being able to fold deeper. If, however, you tell the body that it’s ok, that there is no danger by lengthening the breath and in particular lengthening your exhalation, helping to activate the calming, restful effects of the PNS you’ll find that something amazing happens - you’re not ‘stuck’ and with a little patience you can reach your toes after all. Of course this may not happen over night but remember practice and perseverance will get you closer to your goals.

Seeing this happen in your body through your yoga practice gives you a tremendous feeling of empowerment; to know that you have a certain amount of control over your body.

As I said before, seeing the body become more flexible is just one of the many benefits of yoga. Building strength in both muscle and bone, improving physical as well and mental balance, improved circulation – more specifically you are increasing the blood flow to internal organs and bringing more oxygen to your cells; you are aiding the movement of lymph through the body to support a healthy immune system – are to name just a few of the physical benefits of yoga.

Mentally one will experience more clarity by clearing away the, sometimes incessant, chatter in the head that can cause negative physical reactions such as stress and anxiety. However you don’t need to know all of the above to experience the benefits of yoga, and usually the benefits are felt instantly in the sense that it simply makes you feel good. The more you practice, the more you naturally develop an understanding of your own body and the relationship between it and it’s environment in order to live in a more mindful and purposeful way.

With great respect and love I honor and give thanks to all my teachers and students.

Some of you already know the tremendous power yoga has to transform, however the majority of us only get the opportunity to practice once or twice a week and although, yes, you feel renewed and energized, what can a daily practice do for you? I would like to say a few words on the importance of a regular yoga practice and how you can evolve a practice that suits your needs and circumstances.

The discipline of a yoga teacher who encourages you to find your edge in class is a satisfying and rewarding experience. A lot of my students tell me they try and practice at home, but without the teacher there they fail. I would like to suggest that we only feel we fail in these situations because we are trying to recreate the classroom experience. But a classroom experience is unique to the classroom. Instead, just start with being. Be in a space where you feel comfortable and safe and see what comes out of that. It may just be balasana (child’s pose) today, or perhaps 5 sun salutes, or you may just stand there and sway on the spot to feel the connection of your feet to the earth. There are no rules about how long you should practice each day or how regularly, it entirely depends on what you want to achieve.

The amount of time we spend rushing from one place to the next or processing all that comes into our world needs to be balanced by some quality time spent quietly listening to what our bodies need, connecting to our own rhythm and pace so that we can move through our day from a sustainable place. Of course things happen in a day that throw us off course sometimes, but you want to be thrown from a place that is steady, not from place where you are already loosing control.

A full daily asana practice has its place too. I lived in Mexico, Playa del Carmen for nearly two years. Playa del Carmen is a special place in so many ways, the white sandy beaches, the Caribbean Sea, the mix of nationalities and cultures, but for me the most powerful thing was the yoga community – the heat and the pace of life there are conducive to yoga practice and a yogic lifestyle. While I was there I practiced with several different teachers until I came across one that really resonated with me. I started to practice daily – twice a day - with Ellen de Jonge at Yoga by the Way.  These classes brought me to understand the value of tapas, the Sanskrit word for discipline. The heat and consistency of the practice helped me burn away anything that was unimportant and carry me towards achieving my goals. Tapas is not about a grin and bear it/just get through it attitude, it is about doing the practice no matter what, embracing the difficulties and adapting it where necessary. I can’t emphasize enough the value of retreating like that, to a place where you can focus and renew. But everything has its place.

So wherever you are in is important to remember that every time you come to practice you feel something different. Each day you start from a different place and in remembering this we can become human again. The demand and expectations we put on ourselves from one day to the next do not fall in line with the fluctuating nature of the body, mind and environment…. ironically though, the more we can accept this constant transformation the more fluid everything seems to become. When we are not fighting but instead surrendering to these changes in our body, mind and environment we find ease and pleasure are more common than awkwardness and strain.

Yoga is beneficial in many ways but most relevant to us right now in this speedy and manic world is its stress reducing qualities. When we minimise stress in our lives we allow our body to function more efficiently and this in turn helps to support our immune system.

When we respond to an acute crisis there is a surge of a hormone called cortisol in the body which gives us a temporary boost in immune function. However, when cortisol levels remain chronically high they have a damaging effect on the body's defences. Yoga, when made part of your life can help you to respond appropriately to situations.

Yoga also encourages healthy behavioural change helping to combat bad habits such as poor diet and getting too little sleep. Creating a regular routine can improve sleep and memory.

Start to set aside 20 - 40 minutes for yourself to set you up for the rest of the day. Set the tone for how you want your day to continue with a gentle conscious pace to support your immune system.

First of all, if you can make time, after waking and drinking a large mug of suitable warm or hot liquid like green tea -something low in caffeine - spend some moments sitting calmly either reading something positive or giving yourself a gentle foot massage.

Then practice yoga postures to help ease out any tension or stiffness in the joints and muscles to help get your circulation going. If you haven't already been to the toilet for your morning elimination this routine may also help to set a healthy digestive rhythm as the movements will gently massage the organs in the abdomen.

"Even hundreds of years before Patanjal wrote the Yoga Sutras, Indian Yogis were trying to see some pattern in the seemingly chaotic fluctuations of Nature. The infinite variety of natural phenomena gives an appearance of chaos, but, they asked, is it possible that the laws that govern the unending turbulance of nature are orderly and comprehensible? And if we can grasp how they work, would it not be possible for us to emerge from chaos into order? All games are meaningless if you do not know the rules. When you do, they can become very good fun. You still take a few knocks and loose a few games, but at least you are participating; you are playing the game. Yoga says you are playing the game with the body and the self. By playing you can observe the rules and by observing them you have a far better chance of success in life as well as gaining illumination and freedom."