Appropriately, a blog linking yoga and American football ahead of the Super Bowl this weekend. (Come on the LA Rams!) American football (particularly this side of the pond) – is often perceived as the archetypal ‘macho’ sport with plenty of physical contact, taunting of opponents and less than subtle celebrations…. This video outlines one athletes […]
Helpful tips
So what does running have to do with yoga?The objective of yoga has been described trying to achieve the, 'restraint of the modifications of mindstuff' - or essentially clearing the mind of thought and reaching a meditative state. One thing when learning meditate is that this 'state' may only be fleeting on occasions.To complete the […]
On a recent business trip to Budapest I was keen to experience yoga in a different country and potentially in a different language.Within my time and travel constraints I found 2 options.My first class was in a meeting room at work given by a colleague that had recently qualified in one of our meeting rooms. […]
For the first time, YogaTonic UK entered a team into the Cookham Regatta Challenge Cup event in 2018. Shannon and I thought it would be a great opportunity to hang out with our yoga friends, off the mat and to enjoy doing some different activities. As part of the Challenge we would have to compete […]
Our summer holiday: We have been looking forward to it for months. Easy journey to airport, smoothish flight on Alitalia, fresh Italian coffee immediately upon landing at Rome airport and the long wait at the baggage carousels. Still waiting. No bags left at carousel. How is this possible? I am not sure why I was surprised […]
Many people feel intimidated by yoga because they feel as though they feel inflexible and worry they can't do all the poses. I have been doing yoga for years and I can't do all the poses like the Instagram yogis and sometimes I feel a bit self conscious.We all may look different in a pose, even with […]
The answer to the question can be answered in a hundred, if not a thousand ways as it will not only depend on who you ask but also when you ask them; teacher or student. Of course no answer is wrong as everyone has their own reasons and motivations for their practice. (Aside from this – who are […]
Yoga Bandhas In our classes, we are constantly throwing out words like ‘bandhas’, energy flow, throat lock… ‘lower abs’… ‘pelvic floor’. The deeper abdominal muscles should be responsible for supporting your body, but many people do not engage them while doing yoga or other exercise. If you learn to engage those muscles, you will be […]
After doing yoga for a while, sometimes we want a little more than a downward dog or triangle. Sometimes we want to push ourselves a bit further, sometimes not. I did yoga regularly for years and didn't push myself, which is fine, too.When I started regular yoga in 2001, I dreaded the class where the […]
We have all have had a tumble or two on the ski slopes. It is important to build strength and flexibility BEFORE you get skiing. Doing high impact exercise can be great for strength and cardio but there is also risk of injury. Doing yoga is zero impact, high intensity exercise that will help you […]
We tried our first glowing yoga class on Halloween. It was really fun to teach.Some yoga purists might question fluorescent light and glow sticks mixed with respected ancient asanas but it does have benefits.Doing yoga in the dark:heightens the senses. Since your sight is limited, you have more opportunity to focus on the body and how […]
I was training for triathlon in 2004 and couldn't figure out why I was having so many hamstring problems. I constantly stretched, I was going to yoga twice a week at work, and I was careful not to 'overdo' it during training sessions. I had massage, physio and finally went to a sports doctor who […]
This summer, we trialed some kids classes. They were 30 minutes long and was designed to get the kids moving in a focused way. The format was similar to adults class: Starting off with 5 long breaths to centre and then start moving into some fun sequences.The kids liked the names of the poses, as […]
Tight hamstrings is a common complaint for most people I speak to. The lower back, hips and glutes have to overcompensate and can become strained. Why do we have tight hamstrings? Most people get tight hamstrings from sitting all day… over an accumulation of years (studying or working at computer). Hamstrings can also become tight from running and/or […]
Posture tip: Lengthen spineWhen sitting at your desk or standing, try to lengthen your spine by lifting the crown of the head towards the ceiling (like we do in mountain pose, tadasana). This will improve your posture immediately.Mindfulness tip: Focus on 1 thing at a timePut all your concentration into the task you are doing […]
For the first 3 weeks post cycling accident, my tibial fracture required me to have a straight leg splint. This restricted me to sitting in a chair with leg elevated or a wheelchair. This put a tremendous amount of pressure on my back. I completely lost my yoga mojo but out of necessity, I found […]
Apparently, yoga isn't only about the "asanas", the postures. This is often the reason why people do yoga, to become stronger and more flexible by doing postures. And I admit, this is still the main driver for me doing yoga. It has been very hard to not practice every day, while the knee heals. I […]
Doing our final practical teaching exam was a challenge on crutches. I was lucky that I had practiced my verbal instructions before the cycling accident. The week leading up to the exam was tough. I was so sore from the wipe out, it was hard to hop down 2 stairs to our gym to teach. […]
A few months ago, it seemed like a great idea to sign up for a mid-week cyclosportive in Surrey. Paula and I drove to Box Hill to cycle part of the bike route used in the 2012 Olympics. The roads were immaculately paved and the views were breathtaking. And the roads were very slippery after […]
Montgenèvre is a small French village with lifts running along side of it so many of the chalets/hotels are “ski in/ski out”. It is apart of the “Milky Way” consisting of an additional 4 Italian resorts. Most the runs in Montgenèvre are beginner/intermediate but there is plenty of opportunity to go off-piste if you’d like more of […]