25 years of yoga

I worked out that it was probably September 1995 when I took part in my first yoga class in Uxbridge. My daughter and I did quite a bit of yoga in 2018, most memorably Mindful Yoga at the West London Bhuddist Centre near Hyde Park. I started doing yoga again in August 2020, which is why I started reflecting on those Uxbridge classes. My yoga practise centres around the following 7 yoga poses which I find easy enough to do regularly.

1. Easy pose

2. Cat and Cow

3. Cobra

4. Crocodile

5. Forward Bend

6. Bridge

7. Corpse

Yoga Therapy

When I first attempted yoga in the 1990s it made me feel sick, so I probably wasn't doing it properly. I came back to yoga in 2018 when I was facing a very challenging time at home and at work. I did mindful yoga at the West London Buddhist Centre and other types of yoga at our local leisure centre and at home. I got on much better with it and found the combination of gentle exercise and meditation very therapeutic. I would definitely recommend it.

Yoga for stress relief

My life has changed quite a lot this year. One thing that I have reintroduced that I am getting on with much better this time round is yoga. I have been doing this yoga sequence regularly with my daughter to help with stress and anxiety and in particular PMS.

1. Easy Pose (Sukhasana)

Do for at least one minute (thirty breaths in and out). Promotes groundedness, inner calm, serenity and tranquillity, relieves anxiety, exhaustion and tiredness.

2. Cat Pose (Bidalasana)

Hold for 10 seconds, then rise for 10 seconds, repeat 6 times. Relieves tension and improves digestion.

3. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

Lift face and leg while inhaling, hold for 20 seconds, then rest, then change leg, repeat 3 times. It helps lessen depression, stress and anxiety.

4. Crocodile pose (Makarasana)

Hold for 20 seconds then relax, repeat 6 times. It helps release stress from various body parts and helps get rid of indigestion and constipation.

5. Standing forward bend (Padahastasana)

Hold position for 10 seconds and come back to standing while inhaling slowly. Repeat 5 times. It relaxes overall body parts and removes depression, stress and anxiety.

6. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandasana)

Hold for 20 seconds accompanied by deep breathing. Repeat 5 times. It relaxes the central nervous, system, improves blood circulation and revives tired leg muscles.

7. Corpse Pose (Savasana)

Hold for at least a minute. It lets the body surrender to peace and tranquillity. It helps improve sleep, concentration and improve productivity.

Our yoga sequence was found on the internet but the resources above have also proved very useful.

I really love the book 'Thrive through yoga', the author Nicola Jane Hobbs is very inspirational. All her sequences begin with the easy pose which is why our one does too. She has been through a lot in her young life and has come out a breath of refreshing air. I also really like her meditations especially the ones on breathing, body scan and stress relief.

The healing meditation CD by Steven Halpern is a great complement to our yoga sequence and guided meditations. I bought the CD ages ago and it is really coming into its own now. The brainwaves CD is also meditative and I listen to it before going to sleep, it is recommended on various 'beditation' web pages.

I have included the Pilates resources as my daughter always preferred Pilates to yoga and our Christian friend is really suspicious of yoga. I like yoga more as I find it mindful and meaningful as well as good exercise, I have yet to get to grips with Pilates.

I have also yet to get to grips with Ayurveda or 'the science of life', however it has already inspired two new mindful doodles and colouring pages.