Category: Yoga

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Headstand – Sirsasana

Many people find that the Sirsasana posture helps relieve stress. As you focus your mind and body, controlling your breathing to be able to maintain this pose, you’ll be setting your daily cares aside. The increased blood supply to your brain can help clear your mind so you see things with increased clarity.

If you want to learn to headstand, working with a really experienced yoga teacher like Shaz (pictured above) is the safest and best approach. A good teacher knows when you have enough core and upper body strength to maintain the pose, will teach you safe progressions to help you gain sufficient strength, and can help you find alternative techniques, if necessary.

You may expect the arms to take a lot of the strain and pressure in this pose but experienced yoga practitioners load the head and neck with roughly 40-48% of their body weight when performing a headstand.

It helps to think of the pose as three distinct movement phases. The neck or cervical vertebrae is at its most vulnerable while you lift your legs into the posture. Technique is extremely important at this point: the safest way to master this balancing act is to use your core muscles to lift both legs in a slow and controlled manner. When exiting the posture, take care to use the same type of slow and controlled movement.

You’ll certainly feel a great sense of achievement when you can stay stable and secure in this pose and you will certainly see the world from a different angle!

Sirsasana isn’t the type of posture we recommend doing at home, unless you are already adept at it. Quite apart from the potential strain on the body, spare a thought for your ornaments and furniture! If you live in the Cheadle area and want to learn yoga with us, why not visit our studio? Check out our full timetable here.

As we always say, please consult your health care professional before starting any new type of exercise.

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Some Days We All Need a Helping Hand

In our everyday lives we often have to juggle many different things: at work, looking after family or coping with a hectic schedule. At times we might say we wish we had more hands, ignoring the challenges of getting them all to work together or the jumper we’d need on cold days.

Throughout Hindu mythology there are many religious images showing multiple arms. The hands sometimes hold objects with symbolic meanings and the hand position may have a hidden message too. The many arms reflect their superhuman ability to do amazing things far beyond the capabilities of ordinary mortals. The arms are protective, representing a readiness to battle evil from any direction, so symbolise ideals like harmony and a good life.

While we immerse ourselves in the physical aspects of yoga, it can be enlightening to take some time out to think about the mental or spiritual side of our practice.

Many people today are tolerant, respectful and open to the ideas and insights of different faiths. If that sounds like you, you may find it fascinating to read about one of the oldest religions which is at the root of many forms of yoga. The sacred stories and the tales of epic adventures, passed from generation to generation, have helped shape tradition and culture. The symbolic nature of the stories helps us to think at a deeper level about a range of complex ideas, which may bring new insight to those of us who have not grown up in the Hindu faith.

By incorporating the values and principles that speak most directly to us in to our lives, we gain another resource – a metaphorical form of having an extra arm we can depend on.

Whether or not you explore the philosophical aspects, yoga is a superb way to set all the everyday demands aside, find some space to breathe, to move and find that peaceful place where you can put your worries on hold for a little while.

Want some time to invest in your physical, mental and emotional health? Visit Shaz at her studio near Stoke and find the perfect way to relax and unwind. Check out the latest timeable here.

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It’s a Balancing Act

Not all of us will be able to maintain this handstand. Some of us struggle to balance on the best of days. We often have lots of things on our minds and lots of things we need to be doing or places we have to be. Sometimes this can get in the way of our exercise routines. You can tell what sort of day you have had in your balances: some days you will be as steady as a rock and others you might be unstable and wobbling.

Here are five tips to help you to balance in a handstand pose:

  • Fix your gaze or drishti – here Shaz is staring between her hands, which really helps your ability to maintain balance.
  • Engage your core muscles, then squeeze your legs together and point your toes.
  • Be grounded by spreading your fingers and using them to make fine adjustments to your balance.
  • Shrug, then fully extend your shoulders.
  • Finally and most importantly, remember to breathe into the pose.

There are some superb progressions that will help you build up to, then finally maintain a handstand. The best way to learn those is to go and visit your local yoga studio and find someone to support you.

If you live near Stoke, we suggest booking one of Shaz’s classes so she can help you enjoy your journey to handstand.

 

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Warrior with a Difference!

What can I say? Sharon gives her warrior pose a completely new angle with this athletic arm balance. My first thought was for her safety, although I should have known she would be solid as a rock, not just physically but emotionally. My second thought was for the freshly painted walls in the custom-built, new studio. My third thought: “how on earth does she do that?”.

Fortunately Sharon shares her expertise freely and is happy to teach everything from a humble warrior to this advanced, off the wall version. The lettering on her leggings reads “willpower”, but perhaps it should be Sharon power! She is a fantastic and inspirational teacher to practise with, definitely not your run of the mill instructor (excuse the insider’s joke – she is based in The Mill Studio).

As happens with many of the best yoga teachers, Sharon’s style is completely unique; she may be admired and copied but is impossible to emulate. Knowledgeable from everything from Pilates to Yoga, she has been in the fitness industry for more years than she cares to admit and that experience shows when you visit her studios. It’s not just her expert instruction, the underpinning knowledge of anatomy and physiology or the latest fitness research, but the positive vibes and feelings of achievement you’ll leave the studio with, and the sense of connection that will be instantly apparent. You’ll know that you are in safe, capable, caring hands that are ready to support you as you take your journey to the next level.

The next time something or someone is driving you metaphorically up the wall, remember Sharon can teach you how to do it in style! If the advanced version of this posture is beyond you, as it is me, she’ll help you unwind and de-stress with balances that suit your skill level and experience. Whether your goals are fitness orientated or you have a different objective in mind, you can be sure you can enjoy the experience and the journey at The Mill Studio with Sharon. Click here to view our latest timetable and book a class.

As we always advise, please make sure you ask your health care professionals before you take up any new types of exercise.

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Peacock Arm Balance

This arm balance looks incredibly impressive, but what is truly amazing is the ability to teach not just the balance itself, but the progressions that make this fantastic achievement possible. Fortunately, Sharon, pictured above, has the skills, qualifications and the expertise to do just that.

The balance is called peacock or Mayurasana and it is thought to symbolise concepts such as love or immortality. You may already be familiar with the peacock gesture (Mayura Mundra) in which you join your thumb to your ring finger.

As you can see from the picture, this posture strengthens the wrists and the forearms. Really good abdominal strength is needed to be able to sustain the pose. It includes an element of counterbalance with the legs held parallel to the ground, helping to stabilise and maintain balance. This pose will certainly challenge your muscles in an unusual way, ensuring that you develop significant core stability and strength.

You will need to focus your eye gaze forwards whilst shifting your weight forward, then experiment, playing around with your balance – perhaps floating one leg into the air at a time whilst you acclimatise before eventually floating both legs into the air, squeezing and engaging your inner thighs as you lift and balance.

The trick, if there is one, is to move your centre of gravity forward, allowing your legs to float almost naturally off the ground. You will feel a little like a human seesaw as you find the perfect equilibrium or balance.

Peacock is a really advanced posture, so it takes time and patience to be able to achieve it. It’s definitely not one you should try if you have any issues with your wrists, elbows or shoulders, but if chaturanga dandasana is one of your favourite postures, peacock might be one to try as your next challenge.

This is where a great yoga teacher comes into their own: they can help you learn all the progressions that build up to this posture and they can use props like bricks and blocks to help you get the feel of the posture safely and in a controlled environment. Once you’ve mastered the technique, you’ll be richly rewarded – the posture really frees the mind and the soul and almost feels like you are about to take off and fly – but you’ll need a fantastic, supportive teacher to be able to achieve the posture safely.

Sharon is an expert when it comes to chakras: her chakra meditation is quite the best I have ever heard. Peacock arm balance helps to energise the second chakra, known as Manipura or the naval chakra, which is thought to be the centre of vitality controlling our energy balance.

As we always advise, please make sure you consult your health care professionals before you take up any new types of exercise.

manipura chakra

 

 

 

 

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But I’m Not Flexible!

If you don’t feel your body is flexible, hot yoga is definitely what you need to be doing. Why? It’s simple. Hot yoga will improve your flexibility. Being flexible will keep you fit and healthy and significantly reduce your risk of injuries.

Flexibility refers to the range of movement you have at your joints, where two or more bones meet. Flexibility varies and is specific to your body composition, depending on all sorts of things like gender, the length of your muscles, the length of your arms and legs, and the amount and type of exercise you do.

There are two types of flexibility – static and dynamic. Static is limited by the structure of your bones and muscles and can be influenced by the size of the muscle and your muscle tone. Dynamic flexibility is the range of movement you can achieve when you are moving.

You may have different levels of flexibility at different joints: some people have great range of movement in their spine but limited flexibility in their ankles or shoulder joints, or vice versa. The key thing is to understand your strengths and the areas you need to improve.

Poor flexibility can increase your chances of being injured and that is why it is so important to work on this aspect of fitness as part of your exercise routine. Ironically, being too flexible can also increase your chances of injury.

Finding a great yoga teacher can help to make sure you are doing the right postures for your body. Your teacher can help you improve or maintain your flexibility in a safe and effective way. Practise regularly and you will soon see the benefits.

So the next time you hear yourself saying “I’m not flexible enough for yoga”, rephrase it to “I really need to find a great yoga teacher”. I firmly believe you won’t regret it!

As we always advise, please make sure you ask your health care professionals before you take up any new types of exercise.

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Harmonize Your Thoughts

“Yoga not only allows you to learn to control your breathing, but it ultimately enhances your abilities to harmonize your thoughts and enhances your inner beauty.”
Debasish Mridha

Find a space where you can find balance and inner harmony. For us that’s in a hot yoga studio but for you – who knows! Explore until you find that place where the world passes by peacefully and you can just enjoy a moment of stillness, at one with yourself and your surroundings.

Harmony

 

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Yoga for your Heart Health

Not only is the exercise good for mind, and uplifting to the soul, it’s also extremely beneficial to the body.

Your heart has a demanding job to do, physically: to keep working tirelessly to supply your working muscles with oxygen and nutrients by keeping a steady supply of blood circulating round the body. How does it do that? Well, the heart is made up of a special type of muscle called cardiac muscle: an involuntary muscle that keeps working without you having to tell it to, unlike your skeletal muscles.

The cardiac muscle is supplied with oxygen and nutrients by the coronary arteries, and the blood vessels are surrounded by smooth muscle fibres of varying thicknesses.

The left side of your heart deals with oxygen rich blood, while the right side of your heart deals with deoxygenated blood, sending it back to the lungs to pick up more supplies.

During a yoga session your heart will need to supply the muscles with enough oxygen to allow you to work. The intensity of your workout determines how hard the heart needs to work to supply much-needed oxygen and nutrients. Just like all muscles, as you work them, they get more efficient and more able to perform their job effectively.

Please consult your doctor before making changes to your lifestyle such as going on a diet or embarking on an exercise programme. Yoga or any other activity should never be a substitute for consulting your health practitioner.