Many times when we step on the mat we can find that we're in our practice in body only. Our minds have this tendency to hold onto the millions of things on our to-do list. And this is exacerbated by the distractions of a busy household during home yoga practice. This is why one thing I always do at the beginning, and end of a yoga session is grounding myself into the practice. Occasionally I will do this seated, or with the breath, but the majority of the time it's with a body scan lying …
Search Results for: body scan
Yoga body scan, a 10-minute mindfulness practice
Years ago when I first started teaching yoga, I had a very strong asana-based practice. I was not teaching yoga as a practice but as a workout. The more I educated myself and uncovered the truth of yoga, uniting body-mind, and breathe, my practice and teaching changed forever. At Yoga Nook we begin each practice with a yoga body scan to ground us in the practice. Grounding yourself at the beginning of practice can be done in many ways. Whether bringing awareness to the senses, breath, or …
Quick and easy body fat measuring
Accountability is HUGE for weight management and fat loss, and I'm going to admit that I haven't been the best at tracking fitness, weight or fat percentage over the last year. I've been following the more intuitive method of just seeing how my clothes felt, how my body looked naked, and how I felt. That served me well for my 2015 goal of becoming a Registered Yoga Teacher, however for my 2016 goal of bikini competitor that is NOT gonna cut it. I need to know numbers. I'm a big believer in Karma …
BodyCombat 54 Playlist
Well it’s Les Mills launch time again! Today I’ll be sharing BodyCombat 54 playlist As usual there are some Les Mills exclusive remixes or songs not available on iTunes/Amazon so when possible I’ve linked to remixes and put the original artists in brackets I’m having issues with iTunes creating new playlists so no playlist on iTunes (sorry) but I’ve linked up to Amazon in the playlist below. Again some links may not be the actual songs played in class due to Les Mills redoing tracks with …
Inner thigh release with a yoga block
Many people have this preconception that yoga teachers are uber-flexible. We're not. While it's true that yoga asana does draw in the bendy flexible body, for some of us, we come to yoga for help. Personally, in my body, one thing I really struggled with is hip external rotation. Consequently, this can make poses like goddess, butterfly and pigeon a struggle. In yoga teacher training I learned this quick and easy inner thigh release. Perfect for adding into any yoga warm-up. While this …
Earth Day Yoga Sequence for Grounding and Centering
While I'm still in denial that it's April, one thing I am not in denial about is climate change. Nobody can deny that Mother Nature is pissed and wreaking havoc with all the weird weather systems we're seeing. Floods, droughts, fires, hurricanes and more. Reconnect with mother nature in this 30-minute Earth Day Yoga Sequence. If like me you're interested in nature and yoga then loving and protecting the planet is a no-brainer. Why? Because a spiritual yoga path means practicing ahimsa, …
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Tennis Ball Glute Release – the somatic yoga way
If you've ever had pain in the lower back, hip, or glutes you know just how debilitating it can be. Anatomically this area is referred to as the lumbo-pelvic-hip-complex, or LPHC. I often joke it's called that because pinpointing the cause of the pain around there is so complex. Personally, my go-to for any issues in the LPHC is a somatic yoga tennis ball glute release. 9/10 this is what helps my pain, and that's what I want to share in case it helps you. If you've ever done self …
Yoga for energy beginners 15-min flow
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like this Winter has me wanting to hibernate. Perhaps it's the grey, wet and dreary weather? Or the seasonal craving for warm comfort foods? But, I feel like I need a jolt of invigorating energy to get me going these days. This is why I created a yoga for energy beginners flow. It's a great class to invigorate and energize the body and mind. Use this class in the morning to greet the day with positive vibes, or as a mid-afternoon boost to gain some focus. …
Boat pose sequence – 20 minute core yoga workout
Recently, I've been doing a lot of content around yoga pose tutorials. Common mistakes in poses, then offering a few tips and tricks to make the poses more accessible and comfortable. A few months ago I focused on boat pose. A challenge pose for the core. However, we need to put what we learned into practice with this 20 minute boat poses sequence. This 20 minute core yoga workout is a great way to work the abs, hips and thighs while getting the soothing yoga effect. I love to blend yoga …