Grove Magazine - October 2004

Yoga. The word is loaded nowadays. From Madonna’s super-sculpted body to the legions of Saturday morning yogis sweating their way through a gruelling series of postures, it seems that when we say ‘yoga’, what we are often talking about is building the body beautiful.

But yoga is not just about the body. In combining breathing techniques with physical postures and deep relaxation, this ancient system imparts a sense of all-round well-being. With regular practise you may feel a tightening and toning in your body, increased strength and length. But chances are, before you see the changes, you will experience a whole new attitude to your body, a sense of relaxation that may take more delight in the body just as it is.

The onslaught of information, entertainment and communication have made many of us unable to spend even a moment of our day in silence, relaxing. And learning to really relax is key. Much as an evening curled up on the sofa in front of undemanding television can be one way, yoga gives us another option.

A recent study by Eric Hoffman, Phd, in Scandinavia measured brainwaves before and after a two-hour yoga class. It found that alpha waves (relaxation) and theta waves (unconscious memory, dreams and emotions) were increased by 40 per cent, meaning that the brain is more deeply relaxed with greater contact with the subconscious and emotions.

Traditionally, a yoga class will end with a few minutes lying on the back in shavasana. Daily practise of this posture alone can bring a real experience of calm and peace into our lives, reducing fatigue and rejuvenating body and mind. You can practise it whenever you have a spare ten minutes, with no need to confine it just to the end of a yoga class.

Pose of the month Shavasana (corpse pose)

Find a place where you can stretch out your whole body with enough room to let your arms fall open by your sides. Lie down on your back. You can roll up a blanket and place it under your knees if this feels better on your back.

Allow your legs to be open, the feet falling out to the sides and the arms a little away from the body, palms facing the ceiling. Roll your neck from side to side several times then allow it to rest in the middle. Take a deep breath, consciously trying to find tensions in the body and then exhale with a deep sigh through the mouth. Repeat this three times. Then allow the breath to settle into the body without attempting to control it, inhaling and exhaling through the nose.

Take your attention into your body, feeling every point at which it touches the floor, and consciously try to release the weight into the floor. Fix your mind on the breath and every time you become aware of your mind pulling you away and into the tumble of thoughts, gently take your attention back to the breath coming in and out, and releasing the weight into the floor. Keep letting go, becoming increasingly aware of where you are holding on and that if you let go, the floor will support you.

You can consciously direct the breath to different parts of the body and relax each in turn. Stay in this posture as long as you like, fifteen minutes at least. When you are ready to come out, gently bring some movements back to the body and then take a deep breath and stretch everything. Hug the knees into your chest and when you feel ready, roll down onto one side and come up to sitting from here. Take a moment to sit quietly before you return to your day.

Shavasana regulates blood pressure and improves circulation. Most of all, it provides an opportunity to relax deeply and let go of the mind, experiencing calm, releasing tension and learning stillness. Which, in this fast and furious world of ours, is something we can all use.

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Grove magazine - November 2004

As anyone who has travelled in Asia may have noticed, the culture of chair-sitting is an unnatural one. From Nepal to Cambodia, from China to India, many Asians seem to feel more comfortable on the floor, whether kneeling, squatting or sitting cross-legged. In our chair-bound, sedentary culture, we have managed to stiffen up to an extent that is shocking to anyone who has tried to eat a meal in a traditional Japanese restaurant and spent the evening squirming from one position to another. Not to mention the pain and discomfort of trying to get through a yoga class which heavily features cross-legged asanas.

The chair is one of the most implicated pieces of furniture when it comes to the health of our backs, legs and joints as the many who struggle with lotus or related postures during yoga can testify. To help loosen hamstrings and hip flexors and strengthen the back and stomach muscles, try getting off the chair and spending some time on the floor. Sitting cross-legged on the floor for just an hour a day can improve posture and correct weakness in the knees, legs and hips within just a month or two, providing relief from lower back pain and strengthening the spine, storing up benefits for the future.

Pose of the month Baddha Konasana (bound angle pose)

Also known as Cobblers Pose after the typical pose adopted by India cobblers, this is an excellent hip and groin opener and ideal to practise sitting in when lotus pose is a distant dream. Push the soles of the feet together, bringing the feet close to the pelvis while sitting tall on the sit bones. Sitting on a cushion will help make the pose more comfortable, and if the hips and groins are really stiff, raise the height of whatever you are sitting on. If the knees are high up, a cushion or rolled up blanket under each knee enables them to relax.

This pose helps stretch the inner thighs, groins and knees, stimulates the abdominal organs, kidneys, ovaries, bladder and prostate glands and strengthens the back and the heart. It improves circulation and is recommended for piles and sciatica. It is said to relieve mild depression, anxiety and fatigue. Consistent practice till late into pregnancy can help ease childbirth.

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Grove magazine - December 2004

Here it is again, the season of goodwill. In reality it is often the absolute opposite of that (I realise I am not the first to say this, but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in veracity). There is pressure everywhere, from choosing gifts to producing the perfect Christmas dinner for hordes of family, not to mention the sheer nightmare of overcrowded shops and streets flooded with bodies.

Practising yoga at this potentially stressful time can, with a little effort, help you get through the celebrations unscathed. While yoga postures develop your body and help you stretch and align your muscles and bones, the flexibility engendered needn’t stop here. Yoga can exert just as powerful an influence on the mind, helping us to become more flexible emotionally and in outlook. When you learn on the mat to accept your body and its limitations and possibilities, you plant the seed of that attitude in your mind. You can grow that seed every time you feel challenged over Christmas – be it by aggressive shoppers or critical in-laws – by taking a deep breath and accepting the situation as what it is. And see if a different reaction from your habitual one doesn’t change the way you feel. States of mind cultivated on the mat can, with time, transform the way we live off the mat. Try, this month, to bring a little more flexibility into the Christmas season.

Posture of the month

Vrksasana (The Tree)

In a month when we fill our spare time with a cocktail of hunting for presents and buzzing between Christmas parties, it is particularly easy to lose your balance. Practise vrksasana not just in homage to Christmas, but also to help with balance. To help you stay upright in this posture, remember to keep your gaze fixed on a point that will not move – it will inspire stillness. If need be, hold on to the ankle of the bent leg. You can’t keep balance unless you have a centre, so pull up tall through the spine and tip the tailbone in while pulling the navel back. Only raise your arms if you have balance with them in prayer position at your chest. Breathe and relax into it. The Tree strengthens the legs and spine as well as stretching inner thighs and shoulders. It can help relieve sciatica and correct flat feet.

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Grove Magazine - January 2005

Bikram yoga

Of all the different styles of yoga, the most talked about and controversial is Bikram yoga, also known as ‘hot’ and ‘sweat’ yoga. Practised in a room heated to 105 degrees, yogis performing the series of 26 postures pour with sweat and typically glug down a large bottle of mineral water through a 90 minute class. Teachers sporting microphone headsets call out instruction from a podium at the front of a roomful of perspiring, scantily-clad devotees, classes which are unusual for attracting as many men as women.

Bikram Choudhury’s trademarked series is taught in approved centres by teachers who have completed Bikram’s training course in California. Devised for therapeutic purposes, the series of postures claims to systematically deliver oxygenated blood to the whole body, resolving many health issues as well as imparting a sense of well being. In reality, this often means quite substantial weight loss, with some people reporting shrinking an inch of two after just one class. This may be just water loss, but if practised regularly (Bikram recommends daily practice for the first two months), the series can help stabilise weight.

This is a yoga series that is especially suited to those who are quite fit already and like their yoga served up without reference to its spiritual aspects. Bikram yoga is brilliant for kick starting sluggish post-Christmas bodies and the copious sweating and imbibing of water certainly helps eliminate those pesky toxins. The pleasant Bikram West centre in Kilburn Lane also harbours an organic juice bar and café, great for post-class hanging out.

Bikram Yoga West, 260 Kilburn Lane, London W10, tel: 020 8960 9644; www.bikramyoga.co.uk

Posture of the month

Paschimottanasana (seated forward bend)

If you have started the year feeling bloated and worried that your digestion will never recover, stretch out into a deep seated forward bend, calming your breathing down to stay in this deliciously passive posture for as long as you can. Aim to lengthen the spine with the crown of the head reaching for the feet, and if the backs of legs feel too tight just bend the knees until you feel comfortable. Over time you will loosen and stretch into the full pose. Paschimottanasana not only calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression, it improves digestion and stimulates the organs of elimination – the liver and kidneys – as well as massaging the uterus and ovaries. It soothes headaches and stretches the spine, shoulders and hamstrings effectively. If you have a back injury practice it under supervision and avoid if you are suffering from diarrhea.

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Grove Magazine – February 2005

Yoga for skiing

Few activities can beat the exhilaration of skiing, of swishing down the slopes in the bright clear air of the mountains. The marriage of nature and adrenalin-pumping sport lures many of us back to the slopes year after year, and every year we put ourselves at the risk of injuries at worst and extreme discomfort at best. In the winter months most of us move around a lot less, so usually when we hit the mountains, we are in worse shape than usual, making the likelihood of sustaining injuries higher.

However, a consistent yoga practice can help us shape up for skiing and prevent injuries. A fast dynamic practice such as ashtangayoga is brilliant for skiers. By combining fast movements with specific breath work and emphasising holding a series of internal locks – making the core of the body strong – the practice gives the practitioner strength, flexibility, better balance and increased lung capacity, perfect for skiers.

More sedate iyengaryoga emphasises correct alignment and the fine-tuning of postures while holding them for longer, another good practice for skiers whose knowledge of good alignment can prevent injuries, especially to the knees. A pre-ski practice yoga programme that combines ashtanga and iyengar yoga will benefit your time on the slopes greatly.

The Life Centre has a variety of different yoga classes on offer. The Life Centre, 15 Edge Street, W8, tel: 020 7221 4602; www.thelifecentre.com

Posture of the month

Utkatasana (chair pose/ fierce pose)

Chair Pose clearly works the muscles of the arms and legs, but it also stimulates the diaphragm and heart, making it a useful pose for skiers to practice. Bringing strength to the thighs, ankles and feet, the pose also works the all-important glutes, giving power to the muscles the skiers need to be strong. Pulling back on the navel and allowing the lower back to gently slope out naturally will also help to bring strength to the belly area, important in preventing lower back injuries while skiing. While pulling the navel back, endeavour to raise the chest and expand the ribcage, this will stimulate the abdominal organs and the heart, stretching the shoulders and chest and increasing lung capacity, useful for thin mountain air. Practiced regularly the pose will also help reduce flat feet and strengthen calf muscles.

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Grove Magazine- March 2005

One of the great benefits of yoga is that it puts you in touch. Not just with the rhythms of your body but also with that of the seasons, of what is happening in nature, something that city living can divorce us from. Yoga practice teaches us to go inside, to withdraw the senses and quieten the mind. And when you are able to be quiet, then you can become sensitive to the subtler sides of life.

Although it can seem that yoga merely means stringing together a series of athletic postures, the word yoga means ‘union’ or ‘to yoke’. The practice of yoga (a whole practice of which only one aspect is the physical postures) can help bring about a union of the mind and body, a more integrated spiritual life. The coming of Spring, the end of winter and the renewal of life is one of the most important transitional times of the year, so it is also a good time to take in some gentler classes that enable that inner quiet and practice listening to the body: you will find that after the sleepiness of winter, your body too feels the energy of nature and you may even be able to hear the rhythm of Spring.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog)

One of the most widely recognised yoga poses, Downward-Facing Dog is an all-over, rejuvenating stretch, perfect for quieting the mind. It calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression, as well as energizing the body. It also improves digestion, relieves headaches and can help prevent osteoporosis. And as fit gym-goers who find themselves struggling to hold this pose will testify, it stretches the shoulders and hands as well as the hamstrings, calves and arches of the feet, strengthening the arms and legs. Make sure you are pulling up the inner ankles so the feet don’t collapse in (this is especially good for correcting flat feet) and try to stretch the shoulders away from the ears to really open the upper back. If you have carpal tunnel syndrome this pose can put too much pressure on the wrists, so turn the hands out slightly to relieve this.

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Grove Magazine – April 2005

For most urban yogis, an hour and a half of postures combined with deep breathing is enough to bring a sense of wellbeing. But what if you want a bit more but aren't quite ready for an ashram in Rishikesh with all the harsh realities that entails – the asceticism of a wooden bed and karma yoga of cleaning out the loos? Enter the yoga holiday.

What better way to unwind, dip your toe into the discipline of a spiritual practice, get a tan and toned thighs, all at the same time? Yoga holidays can offer the best of both worlds. Do your research well and you can find exactly the right mix of asanas and meditation to go with your sunbathing. There are serious yoga camps where the food served is macrobiotic vegan and everyone is on washing up duty, and there are retreats that combine yoga with serious hiking, or even with serious partying (I heard that at a yoga place in the Balearics some staff had tried to sell students other, more chemical ways to reach bliss and ecstasy).

Whether you go for five days or three weeks, yoga holidays can refresh you like no other. At the very least they can give you those toned thighs and some relaxation methods. And at best, steeping yourself in a spiritual way of life for a few weeks can, quite simply, change your life.

Posture of the Month: Dandasana (Staff Pose)

It may look like just sitting down, but dandasana is one of yoga’s most challenging asanas. It demands alignment and since most of us are unused to sitting at a right angle, it brings out all our stiffness. It is worth persevering with as this is a fundamental pose, and essential groundwork for all the sitting and forward bend postures. In addition to strengthening the back and stomach, dandasana also stretches out hamstrings, feet and even toes.

If the body is leaning back, it may be because tight hamstrings are dragging the sitting bones toward the knees and the back of the pelvis toward the floor; sit with a blanket or a cushion under the sit bones.

Stretch through the crown of the head, lengthening the spine and opening the chest, but be sure to stay soft and relaxed while lengthening and strengthening.

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Grove Magazine –May 2005

Spring’s beautiful blossoms, lengthening days and explosion of greenery may make most us feel reborn and full of life but for some 20 per cent of this country’s population, it heralds the start of hat fever season, months of misery with itchy eyes and a runny nose. Most of the hay fever in this country is caused by grass pollen which is at its height through the summer though tree pollen can also bother sufferers, starting in April or May.

Although there are a number of treatments available, yoga can also help hay fever sufferers with their allergy. Allergies such as hay fever are worsened by a stress reaction, causing physiological responses such as inflammation. Here is where yoga comes in – by relaxing the nervous system you can temper the immune system’s response to the offending pollen, helping symptoms such as inflammation and mucus decrease. So make de-stressing your immune system a priority and avoid vigorous yogas such as Bikram and Ashtanga which work with heat, and instead practice slower yoga which works with slower, deeper breathing. As congestion might make breathing difficult, avoid pranayama or forceful breathing and instead place greater emphasis on exhaling for longer as this will have a calming effect.

Inversions such as plow pose of shoulderstand (see below) can help clear the upper respiratory tract and drain the nose, allowing the nasal cavity to receive fresh blood as well as strengthening the lungs.

Posture of the Month: Sarvangasana (shoulderstand)

One of the most important things to remember in shoulderstand is to protect your neck, so never turn your head once you have taken your weight up on your hands and try not to strain into the pose. Once you are up, don’t slump into the hands but keep on lengthening up through the feet and tailbone. Many people carry a lot of tension in the neck and shoulder region so this pose may be more comfortable with a folded blanket placed under the neck and shoulders. If the neck or head feel too much pressure on them, then don’t go so high, keep the back lower and place the hands under the pelvis for more support. This pose calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression, as well as alleviating fatigue and even insomnia. The neck and shoulders get an excellent stretch and conditions such as asthma or hay fever can be greatly helped by this pose.

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Grove Magazine- June 2005

As a professional dancer in New York, Mina Stephens learnt to practise Pilates as part of a dancing course and was immediately hooked: ‘I saw my thighs become long and lean,’ she says. ‘But it was like a dancer’s secret then, nobody knew about Pilates.’ She trained as a teacher on both sides of the pond, and a frustration with teaching classes of up to 40 in health clubs led her to open her own London studio two years ago. The Westbourne Villas Studio is familiar to anyone who frequents this lively corner of Westbourne Park and in the two years that it has been open, Mina has seen a steady stream of regulars come to take Pilates or yoga classes. The basement studio is light, bright and very calm and contains Pilates equipment such as exercise balls, Feldenkrais rolls and a ‘Cadillac’ machine. Class sizes are kept small with a maximum of 12 people – a treat for those fed up with squeezing into the corner of a packed class. Accordingly, the level of individual attention is very high, making the most of the excellent teaching. Private Pilates lessons are also available and the best way to take advantage of Mina’s incomparable understanding of the body.

The Westbourne Villas Studio, The Basement, 95 Westbourne Park Villas, London W2; Mina Stephens: 07967 569 258; www.thewestbournevillasstudio.co.uk

Posture of the Month: Navasana (Boat Pose)

 An abdominal and deep hip flexor strengthener, Boat Pose requires you to balance on your sitting bones and tailbone. It is an excellent pose for strengthening the core of the body and combating back pain. Spread the shoulder blades across your back and reach strongly through the fingers. Keep the chest open and don’t let the upper back slump. If the back is rounding, keep the hands on the floor beside your hips or hold on to the backs of your thighs. This pose strengthens the abdomen, spine and hip flexor muscles and gives you a lean stomach for baring on the beach. It also stimulates the kidneys, thyroid and prostate glands, as well as the intestines, improving digestion. It can help relieve stress too. Proceed with caution if you have a neck injury: leaning against the wall can help. Don’t practice this pose if you are pregnant, menstruating, suffering from insomnia, diarrhea or heart problems.

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Grove Magazine July 2005

The enfantterrible of the yoga world, Jivamukti yoga has been called the wild child of yoga and its founders David Life and Sharon Gannon, feted as innovators. Founded in New York in 1984, Jivamukti was created with the aim of reintegrating the physical, philosophical and spiritual aspects of yoga, a reaction to its metamorphoses in the West as a mere system of physical exercises. ‘We want to remystify a practice made mundane,’ declared Life and so a centre that placed importance on the spiritual aspects of yoga was born. Jivamukti yoga involves very vigorous asana work but other practices such as meditation, devotional chanting and study of the ancient texts play a role as well. With the bright lively centre as full of shopping opportunities as spiritual ones, Jivamukti was an instant hit in New York and famous devotees include Sting, Gwyneth Paltrow, Donna Karan, Willem Defoe and Christy Turlington. The Jivamukti approach links yoga practice with the importance of a vegetarian diet and ethical activism and New Yorkers lapped it up: ‘We make God hip,’ David Life explained. Now, Jivamukti is opening a UK centre in Kensal Green on 7 July with a series of special workshops with the founders so get set for its brand of playful spirituality to transform Grove’s yoga scene.

Jivamukti Yoga London, 300 Kensal Road, units 136-137, W10, tel: 020 8960 3999 ; www.jivamuktiyoga.co.uk

Posture of the Month: Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

 One of the basics of any yoga practice, uttanasana is nonetheless one of the most challenging as it stretches the hamstrings, an area where most people suffer from tightness. Despite this, persevere with uttanasana as it prepares you for many other postures. If you have a bad back, then keep the knees bent and come out of the pose slowly with a rounded back. In uttanasana make sure that your knees aren’t locked, pull the navel back to lengthen through the front of the body and keep lengthening through the crown of the head towards the floor. Not only will it wake up your hamstrings, uttanasana will soothe your mind, calming the brain and helping to relieve stress and mild depression. As well as working on the hamstrings, the pose strengthens the thighs, hips, knees, ankles and stimulates the liver and kidneys.

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Grove Magazine- August 2005

Holiday yoga

Routine is the cornerstone of every practice, be it your working day, our eating patterns or yoga practice. So when that routine is interrupted – even if that is by something as wonderful as a holiday – you might find your yoga practice is the first thing that flies out of the window. Getting back home and finding that regular routine of going to class again can be hard. But it is possible to continue with your yoga while you are away, without having to find a studio or teacher or even lug out a yoga mat with you. Before you go, ask your teacher to help you choose four or five simple postures that you can do, an abbreviated practice that works for you. Then when you arrive at your hotel, ask for extra towels and use these on the floor instead of a mat. Try to find a time every day when you can practice the asanas – the advantage of just concentrating on a few is that you they give you the flexibility to practice for as much or little time as you want as you can vary the length of time you stay in each posture. And then when you get back home, it won’t be so hard to slip back into your regular practice.

Pose of the month

Balasana (Child’s Pose)

This gentle pose is ideal after a long plane journey and any time that you are feeling a bit hot and bothered. It gently stretches the lower back as well as the hips, thighs and ankles and it helps slow down the breathing, encouraging the breath to move deeper and to the back of the body. Child’s Pose thus clams the brain and is very good for relieving stress and anxiety. If your forehead doesn’t reach the floor, place a folded blanket under the head and allow your forehead to rest on that, thus stretching out safely and helping relieve back and neck pain. If your buttocks don’t reach your heels, place a folded blanket between your calves and thighs.

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Grove Magazine - September 2005

The Special Yoga Centre

Recently I tried to fix lunch with my goddaughter. It proved almost impossible: despite being on her school holidays her days were a tumble of parties, shopping trips, day trips and museum visits, not to mention the plethora of courses she was signed up on. She is five years old. With our kids now busier than ever, you can forgive parents who worry about the effects of stress and anxiety on their offspring, as well as the pressure to grow up quicker than ever. That’s why Jo Manuel’s unique yoga centre is such a welcome addition to Queen’s Park. Trained for many years as a teacher of Yoga for the Special Child, Jo has seen amazing results working one-on-one with children with a range of conditions including Down's Syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, ADD and other physical and developmental difficulties, as well as supporting the parents. Her mission to make yoga available for all children – not just special needs children – has seen her teaching in schools around Queens Park and starting a programme to take yoga to local nurseries. And she doesn’t forget about the adults either: teachers are offered weekly classes in schools and the centre offers adult classes as well. In addition to the range of children’s classes – offered to one-year-olds up – there are family classes so the whole unit can benefit from the relaxing and empowering effects of yoga.

The Special Yoga Centre, The Tay Building, 2a Wrentham Avenue, London NW10, tel: 020 8968 1900, www.specialyoga.org.uk

Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose)

A key standing posture that appears in all styles of yoga, Trikonasana is wonderful for building strength in the legs, stimulating the abdominal organs and opening the chest. Whichever style you practice, the pose helps relieve stress, settle anxiety, improve digestion and stretch the hips, groins and hamstrings. Make sure you lift the inner ankles by rotating both your thighs outwards, this can do wonders for flat feet. If you have neck problems don’t turn your head to look up and if you are suffering from a bad headache, give this pose a miss.

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Grove Magazine-October 2005

Integrating the body

After a particularly vigorous class in which we had worked on lengthening and freeing the thoracic spine through backbends, I watched my fellow students walking out. Some had scrunched their heads back, closing the back of the neck and compressing the upper back, while others had allowed shoulders to round and the chest to cave in. It got me wondering how I could walk out of that class and take the wonderful feeling of elongated spine and open back into my life without slumping into my chair and allowing my shoulders to rise up to my ears as I took my usual place behind my computer. Yoga asanas help correct and prevent many uncomfortable physical conditions and habits, but for long-term change we need to bring the same sense of awareness to our bodies as we go through daily life. The best way to start integrating your yoga body into your life is to pause and breathe whenever you catch yourself and allow that breath to probe your spine. As you regain the spacious awareness that you find in a yoga class, gently lengthen the spine and release the shoulders: if you can just do this several times through the day, you will be living the true meaning of yoga: union of mind and body.

Ustrasana (Camel Pose)

Camel Pose is a transition between the simpler backbends and the more challenging backbends like Urdhva Dhanurasana (upward bow pose). If you are a beginner, you may not be able to touch the hands to the feet while keeping the thighs perpendicular to the floor, in that case, keep the hands on the back of the thighs and concentrate on opening the chest. Whatever stage you are at with this, pull your hip bones up towards you to take pressure off the lower back. Ustrasana stretches the entire from of the body and the psoas muscles – the hip flexors deep in the body. It will strengthen the back muscles and improve posture. Avoid this pose if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, migraines or serious lower back or neck injury.

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Grove Magazine - November 2005

On teachers

I have just returned from a wonderful weekend workshop with my teacher. It was an opportunity not just to absorb his insight and wisdom, but also to say goodbye: he and his family are moving to New Zealand. Goodbyes can be hard, but I have become used to waving off my yoga teachers: almost all seem to move on at some point, and many others are only ever visiting. As yogis, practising non-attachment is part of the deal but as human beings, it can be hard to let go. Over the years I have found my goodbyes softened by the realisation that teachers are everywhere. I don’t mean the hot new yoga teacher at the gym, but the man next to you on the tube, the colleague at the next desk, your child. Yoga itself is the greatest teacher: open your awareness on the mat, knowing that how you practise asana can be a clear indication of how you approach your life. And when you take that attitude of open enquiry into the rest of your life, you may notice that every encounter you have can be an opportunity to learn.

Salamba Sirsasana (supported headstand)

For many of us, going upside down can be really scary. Long forgotten is the joy with which as children we were willing to flip into a handstand or try to stand on our heads and giggle when we fell, being upside down can bring up all our fears. But it is worth overcoming fear to stand on your head: being upside down can give you a wonderful sense of balance and joy. However, headstand is an advanced posture so take your time getting there and get help from a good teacher to guide you through the different stages. Headstand calms the brain and stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands, tones the abdominal organs and strengthens the lungs. It can help insomnia and asthma too. Avoid this pose if you have a back or neck injury, a headache, heart condition or low blood pressure.

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Grove Magazine - December 2005

The season of giving has come round again and with all the rush and pressure it is easy to forget the essential message of Christmas. And that message of love and peace is relevant to us all, whatever our religious inclination, or even if we have none, and these days perhaps more than ever. So why is it that this season ends up about being exactly the opposite? Well, you can use your yoga practice to guide you through the season, pausing to take a deep breath every time you feel rushed or stressed, and especially any time you feel an angry word rising up inside you, pushing to be barked out at one of your nearest, or when you want to huff at someone getting in your way as you shop. If we want to promote peace in the world, we first have to cultivate peace in ourselves. So approach your practice on the mat with the knowledge that this is a space in which you can choose how you conduct yourself, and be aware of your approach to each posture and each breath. Notice what is running through your mind and if those thoughts are negative, or if your approach to your body is violent and aggressive, please take a moment to cultivate kindness towards yourself, and peacefulness of mind. And this spirit of loving quietness will slowly filter off the mat and into the rest of your life, and into the world. Now that’s the real spirit of Christmas.

Pose of the month

Virasana (hero pose)

Because surviving the festive season can be a bit of a heroic effort, practice virasana to soothe tire legs at the end of the day and help calm the mind. If lotus posture is too uncomfortable for sitting meditation, virasana is a perfect alternative. If it is too hard to bring your bottom to the floor between your legs, then sit on as many cushions as you need to be comfortable. This posture is therapeutic for high blood pressure as well as relieving gas and improving digestion. It stretches the whole of the legs and should be avoided by those with knee or ankle problems.

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Grove Magazine - January 2006

When I first started yoga, I turned up to class in a pair of holey old leggings and a big t-shirt. Looking around I thought the tight stretch-clad figures of more experienced yogis were just about showing off those lean yoga muscles. But after a class spent spitting my t-shirt out of my mouth in downward dog and worrying about those holes ripping wide open, I understood the appeal of second-skin clothes. Since then, my perfect pair of yoga pants have come off the mat with me and around town: doing chores, to the gym, onto the sofa, and even, on occasions when my schedule has defeated me, to drinks parties and smart bars. Clothes that support your practice are ones you can forget about: comfortable, stretchy but not baggy so as to get in the way and able to be worn time after time without sagging at the knees and bum. My favourite pair of Nuala trousers have been with me for over four years without losing any of their shape, but Christy Turlington’s brand is too prohibitively priced. My newest discovery is Asquith who make perfect clothes to take you from asana to errands. The collection consists of pieces made from natural breathable fabrics that are light and strong, with little details that make them more stylish than your average sports gear: a band of ribbon along the neckline of a cami, a smattering of Swarovski crystals. Best of all they are affordable and will keep their shape through the most strenuous of classes. To order call 020 8968 3100 or visit www.asquith.ltd.uk

Pose of the month

Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose)

Practice bridge pose during January to stretch out and strengthen the spine, and to stimulate the endocrine system, bringing all-important hormonal balance to this dark and tired month. The pose also stimulates the nervous system which may be feeling somewhat depressed, and it alleviates stress and mild depression. Brilliant also for calming anxiety and fatigue, bridge pose can also help with insomnia and headaches. If you have a neck injury, however, you should avoid this pose unless you have experienced supervision. Remember to keep your knees aligned with your hips by rotating thigh muscles towards each other and curling up the tailbone.

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Grove Magazine - Feb 2006

Open your heart

It’s the month for love and sales in red roses and Valentine’s cards are rocketing. Cultivating an open heart and loving attitude are harder, though, than sending a card or being romantic for a day. Practising yoga is a sure-fire way to start to open the heart, to bring compassion and loving kindness into your life and many yogis notice that a less judgemental and more accepting attitude becomes, seamlessly, as much a part of the practice as the poses you hold on the mat.

Research from the Yale University School of Medicine also shows that yoga can help your heart in more practical ways too: that people who practice yoga and meditation three times a week can reduce their blood pressure, pulse and risk of heart disease. Importantly, the study also showed that yoga improves heart health in those with diagnosed heart conditions too, with volunteers who took part in a six-week yoga and meditation programme showing improved blood vessel function by 17%. The study was the first to look at the way blood vessels respond to stress and shows how dramatically yoga and meditation can help combat the destructive effects if stress on blood vessels. And you don’t have to sit in lotus for a lifetime to achieve these results, just six weeks of regular three-times a week practice is all it took for there to be a measurable improvement. The yoga and meditation programme included 40 minutes of postural yoga, 20 minutes of deep relaxation, 15 minutes of yoga breathing, and 15 minutes of meditation – not a lot of work to help, literally, open your heart.

Pose of the month

Urdhva dhanurasana (Upward bow pose)

This is an advanced posture demanding strong legs and back, and, most importantly, an open chest and mobile shoulders: ie, an open heart. This full backbend strengthens the arms, legs, abdomen, and spine, and gives you a big boost of energy. It’s a therapeutic posture for asthma as it stretches the chest and lungs, great for back pain and osteoporosis and is even said to be helpful for infertility. Stimulating the thyroid and pituitary glands, this pose balances hormones, increasing energy and combating depression. Be very careful if you have a back injury, heart problems, blood pressure problems or a headache. If you are ready to do the full pose though, you will enjoy the feeling of having a wide-open heart and the strengthening of the ability to trust.

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Grove Magazine - March 2006

On props: the yoga ladder

Many of the postures we associate with yoga look impossible to wrap yourself into if you are not blessed with elastic limbs and molten joints. In order to make many postures feasible, most of us have to reach for props. Foam blocks can be used to sit on, raising the sit bones for forward bending sitting postures, and can be invaluable when sitting cross legged for meditation or breathing exercises; wooden bricks are wonderful for helping ease into standing postures such as rotated triangle or half moon posture which are both helped by raising the ground a little. And straps help make bindings possible when the shoulders just aren’t ready to let the hands meet by themselves. Now a London cabbie and yoga devotee has come up with the Yoga Ladder, a wonderfully practical prop that he developed in order to ease his own way into postures. With its evenly spaced slats, this leather belt works better than the conventional strap because it enables you to grip in a way that doesn’t tense the hands, keeps the palms open rather than turning them into fists and therefore helps keep shoulders open and mobile. The cut-out slats also enable you to work your way along the belt so you can progress more easily and sweaty hands don’t slip. There are a whole range of postures that can be helped by using a Yoga Ladder, and the stylish ladders come in black, red and white and will last for ever. Visit www.yogaladder.com

Pose of the month

Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose)

In order to spot the cow face in the pose, look closely at yourself in a full-length mirror as you perform it. Notice that the crossed legs look a little like the lips, and the bent-elbow arms, one up and one down, are the ears. There is your cow’s face! Even trickier than spotting the cow’s face is actually holding the pose. For many people, tight shoulders make it impossible for them to touch fingers behind their backs, let alone clasp hands. This is the kind of pose that is helped enormously by using a prop such as the Yoga Ladder. It is worth persevering as the pose stretches the ankles, hips and thighs, as well as the shoulders, armpits and triceps, and opens the chest. Brilliant for us desk-bound yogis, though it should be avoided by those with serious neck or shoulder problems.

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