Today marks the winter solstice, the longest night and shortest day of the year. Throughout history, cultures across the globe have celebrated this turning point with rituals of light, warmth, and renewal. Yoga practice aligns beautifully with the spirit of the solstice. Through mindful movement, breathwork, and meditation, we cultivate inner light and connect with the deeper rhythms of nature. May this solstice inspire you to embrace the darkness, honour the stillness, and cultivate inner warmth. If you can’t go out, go Yin! We’ve already had our last in person yoga classes in Strathaven and Stonehouse for this year. But I look forward to welcoming you to our online membership or back to the studio in January.
Well it’s been a really busy time here over the last 12 months!
After undertaking further specialist teacher trainings in Pregnancy, Post natal/Mother & Baby yoga, Toddler/Family yoga, moving house and doing a business mentorship programme… Well there’s been a lot of learning, developing and building something pretty exciting!
Behind the scenes there’s been a LOT of online work and getting up to date with, well things that I should have been paying better attention to. I’m insured and accredited with Yoga Alliance Professionals. But look at this! After updating my profile, they have deemed me an ‘Experienced Teacher’ Actually, well on my way to being a Senior Teacher. But I’m going to take a moment to be proud and celebrate my achievements.
In an industry that’s unregulated, I feel confident when I’m choosing teachers or trainers that have YAP accreditations. It’s a benchmark of quality content and presentation.
Seven years ago today I was in Bali and wouldn’t have dreamt that I could have created what I have. I have been so blessed to work with so many wonderful teachers and to be surrounded with such amazing students. I am truly grateful for you all
Now that I have this all in hand, I’m going to be working on my mailing list and Pregnancy/Post natal membership as well as a few other exciting projects.
I just have too many ideas to live a quiet life!
Hope to see you on the mat soon, in person or online.
Today is World Sight Day. Eyesight may be limited, but vision knows no bounds. 🌎✨ As a visually impaired yoga teacher, I believe in the power of embracing our unique abilities and inspiring others to do the same.
Please enjoy this free Yoga Nidra for Eye Health guided mediation. If you feel inspired, consider making a donation to the RNIB to help them continue their vital work. You can find more information and donate directly on their website at https://www.rnib.org.uk/. Please also consider sharing this post to your friends.
I have been truly blessed with the yoga teachers that I have been fortunate enough work with. It’s commonly said that you find yoga at exactly the right time and this was certainly true for me. When I first began my yoga journey it was with Vinyasa yoga. A strong and dynamic flow that links together a series of postures, using the breath to connect. As I have mentioned before, this was next to the ocean in beautiful sunny Tenerife. Me clinging to the shade and covered in a thick slick of factor 50!
Vinyasa yoga is a Yang practice, a flowing sequence, or sequences, coordinated with the breath to create a fluid and rhythmic experience. This enhances focus and energy flow whilst improving strength, flexibility and stamina. I teach a fairly repetitive class, I guess a nod to my dance background and the importance of technique training through repetition, giving due attention to posture, alignment and breath. There are of course many teaching techniques and a lot of teachers plan their classes around a peak pose. Although I sometimes do this, you will normally find my classes to be a full body workout. I’m not a fan of focusing on one specific area of the body in each class. If this was a movie, it would cut to endless pliés, brushes and jumps! If you know, you know!
In my Absolute Beginners courses I slowly begin teaching Sun Salutation A, Surya Namaskar. A salute to the sun. This is a sequence of 12 movements linked to the breath and I think a fabulous way to focus on inhalation and exhalation linked to movement. As you inhale the body opens, as you exhale the body closes. Although this can seem quite a lot to begin, the repetition quickly allows the body to learn the sequence and the release of endorphins certainly contribute to a more positive mood, as well as encouraging awareness, mindfulness and improving overall well being.
As we learn the basics of fundamental postures, it’s not long before we can create an ever growing and flowing sequence. Sometimes moving seamlessly between postures, sometimes holding for a few breaths, helping to build muscle tome.
Vinyasa classes can be at any level, beginner, intermediate and advanced. Although I’m not keen to label classes it can be helpful to ensure that folks are in the class that they feel most comfortable. I frequently go back to beginners classes and again focus on essential basics.
Now of course we need Yin and Yang, balance of the energies. We need to be strong and dynamic and we need to be calm and yeilding. When people ask me which yoga class they should attend I always try to find out what they are looking for, how would they like to feel. My classes are simple, come and see me in the morning if you want to work hard, physically and get some heat in the body and maybe even a wee bit of a sweat. Come and see me in the evening if you would like to chill, calm mind, body and soul and reassure your nervous system.
In-person classes are in Strathaven and Love Yoga Crew @home now allows us to practice live together on a Tuesday evening and access to the yoga library, for you to take what you need, when you need it, wherever you are.
This is the perfect day to start yoga or anything!
As a lot of you know I have been doing business mentoring for some months now. I was feeling pretty confident with my teaching skills, I’ve been teaching a long time! But my business owner skills? Well, ahem these were almost non existent. I have done lots of reading, writing, listening and talking and it’s been a great experience. I’m very creative but I can have difficulty with flying kites and not pinning myself down. Often this comes from a place of insecurity. What if I fail? What if no-one else thinks this sounds like a good idea? To help me I have been using the principles of vairagya, non attachment. As I would in my yoga practice, I have worked to be present, release my ego and allow gently what is going to happen unfold. This has meant that I have challenged myself to not be at the mercy of my anxiety and to instead explore what I want to do, trusting that the universe has my back. I generally do a lot of listening and a lot of thinking, may be fair to say overthinking! I was really struck with something that Amy said about not waiting til you are ready and I realised that in truth, I may never feel ready.
So, not feeling at all ready but with a huge amount of fire in my belly, I launched Love Yoga Crew @home. It’s been almost a month and I’m delighted with how it’s going. I’m filled with a quiet knowing that this is a magical experience for everyone involved and it’s been fabulous to not have the nagging chit chat in my head! My advice to you is, just start. If you have been thinking about joining @home or a class, just start, just do it. In fact anything in your life, let’s not waste time waiting to feel ready!
Love Yoga Crew @home is a combination of live online Yin classes and a library with recordings of the Yin classes as well as Yoga for Lunch, short classes and Yoga Snacks, even shorter classes designed to fit around your life, knowing and taking what you need. I’d love for you to join us.
I’m often asked about the different styles of yoga, what they are and why they are beneficial. You can separate yoga into two distinct styles of practice—yin and yang. In Taoist philosophy, these terms refer to the complementary opposites that define our universe—darkness and light, water and fire, stillness and movement. Yin describes experiences that are passive, cool, static and therapeutic and yang refers to those that are dynamic, hot and energetic.
Vinyasa is one of the most commonly recognised forms of Yang yoga. A strong and often dynamic practice that sees us flow from one pose to the next, synchronising breath and movement and generating heat in the body. You may notice that this only works half of the body, the muscular half.
Yin yoga is completely different and designed to work the deeper “yin” tissues, our tendons, ligament, deep fascial tissues and bones. Instead of flowing from one posture to the next, a yin class will have a few poses and we have a longer hold time with a counter-posture in-between. It’s the duration of the hold of the pose and not the intensity that creates the magic. We work alongside gravity to release deeply-held tension, exerting as little muscular effort as possible and prioritising stillness and receptivity over movement and strength.
As yin yoga is a restorative practice, we typically use props to support us in the poses. These include blocks, straps and bolsters. Blocks and straps are inexpensive and well worth the investment. However you can substitute a block with a thick book and a bolster with cushions and pillows when you’re starting out.
All styles of yoga improve your overall sense of wellbeing but yin yoga is particularly effective if you are somebody always on-the-go who finds it hard to relax. If that is you, this technique may be just what you need to give your body and mind the time to properly rest and rejuvenate.
There are both physical and mental benefits to yin yoga that are really quite profound. Though a quiet and peaceful practice, I would argue that it is a fairly extreme practice which makes the effects particularly noticeable.
These benefits include:
Time to relax Increased flexibility Reduced stiffness Greater range of motion Mental calm and clarity A reduction in stress and anxiety Improved focus Enhanced body awareness The alleviation of aches and pain Reduced risk of injury Psychological balance More restorative sleep
From a physical perspective, the focus of yin yoga is releasing muscular tension to increase flexibility and improve your range of motion. If you are already fairly flexible, this will mean restoring normal range of motion after exercise and the activities of daily life, staying supple and ensuring that you don’t suffer from unnecessary muscular pain or discomfort.
Passive stretching is so effective as it bypasses the stretch reflex, a mechanism designed to prevent you from over-stretching and injuring the muscle. The stretch reflex is an automatic response, triggered when a muscle is stretched, that causes it to contract. In yin yoga, we are able to override this mechanism by easing into the stretch gradually and allowing muscles to lengthen over the course of several breaths. With this technique and consistent exposure, the body learns to tolerate deeper and deeper ranges of motion.
Students who most benefit from a consistent yin yoga practice are those of us who get stuck in sympathetic “fight or flight” mode—whether that is because we have too many responsibilities, exercise at a high intensity or are just not very good at self-care. And in my experience, this covers pretty much everyone!
The two ways that we create space in the mind are through breathing and choosing what to focus on.
In yin yoga, as in all yoga, the breath is primary. We aim to breathe in and out through the nose throughout the session, deep down into the abdomen. It does, however, become easier with practice and in time, you’ll find that this skill transfers into your everyday life.
During your yin yoga practice, you can drift off and allow your mind to wander but to get the most out of the practice, I recommend that you focus on your breath and the physical sensations in your body. These sessions are an excellent opportunity to improve your body awareness and increase your powers of focus and concentration. This can vary with how easy or difficult you find this depending on how you are feeling day to day and week to week.
In terms of intensity we are looking for nothing too extreme in our yin practice. A 5 out of 10 or less is enough. We’re wanting to reassure the nervous system and to feel comfortable and relaxed. If you notice your breath changing or you are in discomfort, always ease yourself out of the pose, take a few breaths and come back into the pose at a lesser intensity.
Though you can practice yin yoga at any time of day, it’s most beneficial as close to bedtime as possible. In fact most of my yogis in my online classes practice in their pyjamas!
Love Yoga Crew @home online membership offers four hour long weekly yin classes. The recordings of these classes are available in the library along with a collection of longer and shorter classes, yoga for lunch and yoga snacks.
We’re excited to announce some exciting updates to Love Yoga Crew website! We’ve been hard at work behind the scenes to improve your overall experience and make it easier for you to find what you need.
One of the biggest changes you’ll notice is a revamped navigation menu. We’ve streamlined the menu to make it more intuitive and easier to use, so you can quickly find the classes, resources, and community you’re looking for.
We’ve also made significant improvements to our “Love Yoga Crew @Home” membership. We’ve switched to a content delivery network (CDN) to ensure that our videos are of the highest quality, no matter where you’re streaming from. This means smoother playback and fewer buffering issues.
We’re always looking for ways to improve your experience, so we’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you tried out the new navigation? What do you think of the improved video quality? Is there anything else you’d like to see us add or change?
Please share your feedback in the comments below or reach out to us directly.
Namaste, Stephanie & Douglas The Love Yoga Crew Team
Hello my lovelies, I can’t believe that it’s the middle of September already! We are halfway through the first month of Love Yoga Crew @home and I hope that you are loving it as much as I am!! It’s been really beneficial for me to feel calmer and more @home within myself too.
I know that the expectation is that yoga teaches are all super chilled and this is often the case but with a few good practices and helpful wee tips in our daily lives.
It’s no secret that I have at times, really struggled with anxiety and I know exactly how frustrating, debilitating and exhausting it can be. At times the symptoms can be physical and it’s so tough. But I have used a few breathing exercises and techniques to help. I have videos and mp3s available in my online library but here’s my favourites.
To calm the mind, nervous system and heart rate I find that taking a few moments to sit quietly in a comfortable position, (supported by the wall or chair if preferred) closing my eyes are focusing my attention to my breath. I especially like what I affectionately call 2¼ – 1
This is taking one inhale, then another and then a tiny sip more before one long exhale. I find that I can feel a truly calming affect on the body in a few breaths. I like to do about 10 rounds of this, but you’ll know yourself what feels good. If we are needing supporting evidence, it’s pretty cool to watch your heart rate drop on your Fitbit or similar. Though I wouldn’t recommend doing this all the time, it can be helpful for reassurance.
Box breathing is also fantastic for calming the body but also occupying the mind. Again, find yourself a comfortable seated position and close your eyes. Then;
1 Inhale for a cout of 4 2 hold your breath for a count of 4 3 exhale for a count of 4 4 hold for a count of 4 5 repeat steps 1-4 for at least 4/6 rounds or for a couple of minutes.
These can be practiced anywhere and anytime, in a stressful situation, when you are feeling anxious, or on the bus, driving or in the shower to practice and have these techniques more familiar in the body.
At the end of a long day we are often exhausted and looking forward to sleeping. If you are like me and find that often this sleepy state is quickly replaced with my mind deciding to overthink, overanalyse and at times think of the most outrageous nonsense, try these!
Over the last few years I have experimented with these and now find that my favourite changes.
The Sleeping Forecast available free on BBC Sounds is a beautiful mix of classical music and the iconic Shipping forecast, the seemingly perfect way to softly drift off for the night.
One of my favourite podcasts is “Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep.” Kathryn Nicolai (another yoga teacher) has designed these stories to occupy your mind just enough to allow you to easily fall asleep. She always reads the story twice and I’m nearly always missing the end of the story! There’s a few hundred of these available and I find they work like magic played in a wee earbud or quietly on a nearby device.
My last recommendation for now is a good rain and thunderstorms playlist. I know, tell me you are from Scotland without telling me you are from Scotland!! But I do find this soundscape really soothing and relaxing. A cheeky wee additional benefit of this is, if you have a doggy who likes to go out and sniff the garden late at night but doesn’t like the rain. You’re welcome!
I’m going to be talking about Yoga Nidra next time, another magical practice!
Please let me know how you get on, if you have a favourite and if you have another wee gem.
Actually, well on my way to being a Senior Teacher. But I’m going to take a moment to be proud and celebrate my achievements.
