Four ways yoga helps to nourish yourself this Winter

Winter is the season of introspection, manifesting, integration, hibernation, and surrender. It’s the perfect time to curl into your practice and go deeper. The long dark days of winter can lend themselves to physical stagnation, stress and fatigue, and rolling out your mat can help you call upon the light within by honouring the pause. Find a delightful fragrance in the exchange of surrender and support.

Being the fourth season, winter is a time for stabilising. The number four relates to the grounding nature of all things as well as nature itself — the four seasons, the four elements, and the four directions. This foundational number also corresponds with the heart chakra — the fourth energy centre. And the heart chakra, much like winter, is the bridge between the spiritual and the physical.

The winter blues are very common this time of year, with many of us experiencing a mood shift during the colder & darker days of winter. The chilly air might make you less than excited for your yoga practice, or to even leave the house at all. We have got you! Plunge into your practice in our warm studio set amongst cosy lamps and candles.

Here are 4 ways yoga can help you beat the winter blues:

1. WARM UP WITH HOT YOGA

Hot yoga is one of the best ways to warm up during the coldest months of the year! Not only does hot yoga help you to sweat out toxins, but practising hot yoga loosens stiff muscles, and creates flexibility in your body and joints. If your hands and feet are always cold, even a few minutes in a hot yoga room can increase circulation and help spread heat from your core outwards towards your fingers and toes. Stay healthy this winter by sweating it out on your mat!

2. STRETCH YOUR TIGHT MUSCLES

We have a natural tendency to hunch over more in the winter – especially when we need to bury our faces in our scarves and coats in order to stay warm. When muscles are cold, they tend to be less flexible, and movement can sometimes become painful. Yoga (especially in heated classes) gives us the space to open up again. Taking time for heart opening asanas can help counteract ‘the hunch’ and creates more space in your physical body.

3. BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM & MOOD

Research shows that doing yoga regularly can help reduce the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and seasonal affective disorder. If you find yourself missing sunshine and struggling to boost your mood, carving out time to be on your mat can help! Yoga has also been proven to boost your immune system and reduce inflammation. Say goodbye to that winter cold and set the tone of your Winter.

4. YOGA PRACTICE

Between the lack of sunlight and frigid temperatures draining your energy, winter is a time when energy levels are at an all-time low. Yoga is a great way to naturally boost energy! Increased breathing allows our blood to constantly receive fresh oxygen, and movement stimulates blood flow and circulation, which increases energy and benefits the entire body. Yoga can also counteract some of the harmful effects of sitting down for too long! Plan for your workplace to start a corporate wellness plan and hold each other accountable. For corporate packages please get in touch with us!

The following four yoga postures are gentle and nourishing for the cold winter months ahead and will help to support your immune system, gently squeezing toxins from internal organs and lowering stress hormones in the body. With these supportive poses in your pocket, old man winter can bring it on.

• Supine Twists

• Legs up the wall

• Lizard Lunge

• Reclined butterfly pose

Beginner’s Guide to Kirtan and Mantra

Yoga is a vast subject, and just when you think you know all about it, a whole new yogic practice hoves into view that you know nothing about – step forward, kirtan. So what’s the story of kirtan? Put simply, it is yogic chanting, meditation through song, or communal meditation. It is an ancient practice that is being brought bang up-to-date and steadily rising in popularity here in the UK. So here’s a handy guide to kirtan, from its ancient origins to its modern-day form.

THE HISTORY OF KIRTAN

Kirtan originated in the Hindu religion. In Sanskrit, it literally means narrating, reciting, or describing an idea or story. The tradition of kirtan began many hundreds of years ago in 6th century India.  Back then, in a time before many people could read or write (let alone endlessly communicate through social media) poets wandered the land singing intricate stories from the Vedas and the Upanishads, which are some of the earliest known religious texts in the world.

The only way these religious texts could be passed down was through word of mouth. So, from one generation to the next, for thousands of years, the Vedas were memorised and passed down through the ages.

In the early 16th century, a Hindu saint called Sri (the Indian terminology for a saint) Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, also known as the ‘Father of kirtan’ left India to disseminate the power of kirtan around the world, inspiring many thousands of people during his lifetime, and beginning a movement that continues to this day.

IT IS PART OF YOGA

The yoga that most of us know and practice is only one type of yoga. There are varying opinions on how many branches there are, some say seven, some six and in Light on Yoga, B. K. S. Iyengar says there are four paths. According to him, these are:

• Karma yoga, the path of action, in which a man realises his own divinity through work and duty.

• Jnana yoga, the path of intellect, where realisation comes through knowledge.

• Bhakti yoga, the path of emotion, where realisation comes through devotion and love of a personal God.

• Raja yoga, which is another term for Ashtanga yoga, or the eight-limbed yoga that most of us know as ‘yoga’. This branch is the foundation for the three other branches, preparing the mind for enlightenment, or samadhi, the final goal of yoga.

Other sources cite seven (often overlapping) branches which are: Hatha yoga, Raja yoga, Karma yoga, Tantra yoga, Mantra Yoga, Jnana yoga and Bhakti yoga.

It is bhakti yoga which is the source of the practice of kirtan. The devotional practice of singing, worshipping and chanting to the Hindu deities emphasized the intense longing to know God.

CHANTING IN YOGA

Chanting isn’t just restricted to bhakti yoga though. For example, the traditional way to start an Iyengar yoga class is by chanting the ‘Invocation to Patanjali’. As an Iyengar yoga teacher myself, I begin most of my classes with this chant, using the call and response method. I find that it is a way of punctuating the class, leaving behind any tension or stress that’s accumulated before the class, as well as a way of bringing us all together, teacher and students, in the study and practice of yoga.

THE BENEFITS OF KIRTAN

So what are the benefits of this meditative group singing? As we know (or should do) the seventh limb of yoga is dhyana or meditation. The fact that this comes after the mastery of all of the previous six limbs shows how challenging meditation can be. Kirtan is a way of accessing the mental stillness of meditation without having to sit still for two hours. The practice known as ‘call and response’, when the lead singer, or kirtan walla, will sing the kirtan a phrase at a time and the collected group will repeat the phrase back, is a way of letting go of the mind. This is because it uses the power of mantra (repeated sound) to focus and still the mind, enabling access to that deeper state of stillness within our consciousness. All you need to do is listen and respond.

The power of sound, as stated earlier, also cannot be underestimated. The practice of singing in a group unifies you with those around you, reminding you that you are larger than the individual, and part of a global community.

There is also an element of surrendering to the divine in all of us (ishvara pranidhana), which is the very last of the niyamas.

BUT I CAN’T SING…

This is not an issue! Don’t be daunted if you’re not a professional singer. There’s no judgement if you can’t sing in tune, and you’ll probably be drowned out by all the confident singers anyway. The important thing is to LET GO of your thoughts, and let your sound join the sound around you. The other important thing is to connect to how your emotions link into your voice. When we lock our voices away our inner self goes unheard and unexpressed. By opening up our mouths and letting out what’s inside, we get to unlock our hearts too.

Breathwork: Take a deep breath

In the yoga tradition, the individual soul is called “Atman.” From the Sanskrit root “at,” meaning “to breathe,” a soul is defined as “That Which Breathes.” 

Our life begins with a breath. We know that a baby has been born successfully when we hear a loud cry. Our life ends with a breath. When a body exhales then no longer inhales, we know the soul is gone. If breath is what defines life, breath IS life energy. In yoga, we call this “prana,” which simultaneously means both “breath” and “life-force energy.” The two are seen as virtually the same thing. It follows that there is no quicker way to transform your energy than to alter your breathing pattern.

OUR HEALTH & BREATH

Like training our bodies or training our minds, our breath can also be trained. Not because it’s bad and needs to be fixed, but so that it can be harnessed to work more effectively for us. We are made up of body, mind, and breath, and the breath for many of us is the last frontier. If you’ve been doing practices for the mind and body, but are still struggling with stress or your mood, you may be skipping yoga’s “secret sauce.” Breathwork is the most effective practice for your vibe, otherwise known as your feeling tone or how you show up in the world. 

One of the quickest ways to determine if someone is healthy is to examine their breathing pattern. If the breath is slow or shallow, rapid or irregular, you know that something is off. While doing breathwork cannot replace seeking medical help, it can be used to shift your energy and state of mind. For example, when someone is having a panic attack, we’ve all been taught to have them breathe into a paper bag. The idea is that if a person is panicking, they are usually also hyperventilating. The panic alters the breath cycle and the altered breath cycle creates more panic. This can quickly become a downward spiral.

The wise, old method of breathing into a paper bag does two things. First, it makes the person breathe in more carbon dioxide, which they’ve been losing through their quickened breath. Second, because the bag creates a sort of drag, it slows the breathing down. When the breath is slowed, the body takes the cue and thinks there is nothing to worry about. The act of slowing down your breathing is incredibly potent. Think of it like lifting weights with your lungs. It can be done by anyone, at any time, through techniques that are thousands of years old. It doesn’t require you to be spiritually elevated or psychologically evolved. On the contrary – it costs nothing and is simple to learn.

YOGA & BREATH

Just like yoga and meditation, breathwork has a variety of styles and techniques with corresponding benefits. it can leave you feeling uplifted, focused, calm, or ready for sleep—depending on what type you do. There are energizing practices that require quick, short breaths and those that lengthen the breath for a more relaxing effect. Some techniques retain the breath at certain times or direct you to breathe out of just one nostril. 

While some of it can seem a bit unusual at first, just like embarking on your first downward dog, have an open mind and a sense of adventure. However, remember that no matter what the teacher says, you are in charge of you. If a teacher says “Twenty more like this,” and you feel that you need a break—take it! If nothing else, you are practicing to have a better sense of yourself. 

While it may appear simple on the surface, in the yoga tradition, breathwork was often taught as one of the most advanced practices. Introduced to students after they had mastered physical yoga, breathwork is essentially the synergy, the alchemy, the powerful combination of all yogic practices. 

Unlocking the Secrets of Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra also known as ‘Yogic Sleep’. It is an ancient yogic practice of healing and relaxation facilitated and induced by guided meditation.

The aim is to calm your mind as you move down through the progressive brainwave states where there is naturally less and less thought, ultimately coming to rest in a profoundly deep state of consciousness. Body – breath awareness techniques are used to help us move from the thinking mind into the feeling body, which helps us to sink into a deeply relaxed state of being. The body does this naturally when we go to bed at night, but Yoga Nidra combines the deep relaxation of sleep with a state of alert awareness.

The heightened state of awareness achieved through the practice of Yoga Nidra is not the only aim. By accessing the pranamaya kosha (energy sheath) through the breath the practice unblocks the channels (or nadi) through which prana (energy) flows through us. The free flow of prana through the body allows the body to heal itself. 

Standard Yoga Nidra sessions last between 15 minutes and 1 hour, although advanced practitioners have been known to practice for much longer. There is some evidence that an hour of Nidra is equivalent to several hours of ordinary sleep. Since Yoga Nidra is a very specialised form of meditation, not all yoga teachers are trained to lead it, so sessions must be run by a qualified Yoga Nidra guide.

BENEFITS OF YOGA NIDRA

The state of mind induced by this method of deep relaxation takes the practitioner to a place somewhere between being awake and asleep. It helps to release physical tension and slows the breath, which in turn slows the heartbeat down enough to establish a calm body and mind. The benefits are heightened after an asana class,as it helps to cool and moderate the body’s natural temperature as well as conserving the energy from the movement practice. It also relaxes the entire anatomical system.

Many benefits have been reported by practitioners after doing regular Yoga Nidra and according to research done by clinical psychologist and yogic researcher Richard Miller, PhD, of The Integrative Restorative Institute (iRest) the following responses to the practice have been observed:

• Reduced anxiety and stress

• Better, less interrupted sleep and reduced symptoms of insomnia

• Relief in some chronic pain conditions

• Profound physical and spiritual experiences

• Better, more positive outlook

• Increase in the ability to stay focused

• Healing of emotional imbalances

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?

Traditionally, the following consecutive steps are used during the Yoga Nidra process:

Step 1 – Preparation of the Body for Relaxation

Yoga Nidra is done in savasana. Lying on your back, place your arms away from the body, palms facing up. Feet should be about hip-distance apart. Let the toes fall out towards the side.

Quick tip: If you experience any discomfort in the lower back then place a bolster, cushion or rolled-up yoga mat under the knees to release those muscles.

Step 2 – Introduction of the Sankalpa

Before you start in earnest it’s good to set a positive intention, also called Sankalpa. Repeating the Sankalpa helps to ground the affirmation in the practitioner’s subconscious, although there is an art to creating a good one.

Step 3 – Body Awareness

Next, you may be instructed to bring your focus to the points of contact with the back of the body. Often, a full guided body scan is introduced where you are asked to bring your awareness to each individual body part for a moment before moving on to the next. Sometimes this is also approached by tensing each body part in turn and then releasing it fully.

Step 4 – Breath Awareness

The practice will often start with your guide inviting you to take note of any faraway sounds, outside of the room, for instance. Then moving on to noticing sounds within the room. After that, you’ll be directed to notice the sound of your own breath.

Step 5 – Visualisation/Imagination

It is also common to be given a number to count back from with the instruction that, if you lose count, you just need to start again. Suggested visualisations can often be a scene of serene, natural beauty or it may be an invitation to imagine energy or light flowing through the body.

Step 6 – Reiteration of the Sankalpa

You will be reminded to bring your awareness to your Sankalpa just before you go into deep relaxation as well as at the end of this phase of the practice.

Step 7 – Reorientation to a Normal State

At the end of the session you will often be guided back up through the layers of consciousness, bringing your awareness back in turn to your breath, sounds and your body before ending the session.

Tips for improving arm balances

Confession: I have an aversion to arm balances. Aversion (dvesha), according to the sutras, is just another flavor of attachment and one of the ways we create suffering in our lives. While I don’t think it’s necessary to practice Headstand or Handstand to be a “real” yogi, I do believe that real yoga means practicing equanimity. Confronting our aversions may reveal lessons about acquiring balance in our lives—but we have to start by greeting the challenge.

To approach arm balances, the first thing I needed to change, obviously, was my attitude. I tried a number of classic alignment tips (hand placement, position of pelvis; strengthen the arms, wrists and core, etc.) without achieving liftoff, so I began to ponder some new angles:

Building up.

Strength is in the mind as well as the body, and thinking of my arms and wrists as puny kept me earthbound. But go to the gym? Nah. Like old-school bodyweight exercises, yoga asanas include a number of strengthening moves that also help train the mind for more challenging asanas. Until you have the strength and control to practice Chaturanga safely, begin with Plank Pose and its variations, working your way up to Side Plank (Vasisthasana). Improve your shoulder mechanics in Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) and Dolphin Pose (Ardha Pincha Mayurasana). Be patient and diligent, as the rewards are cumulative and confidence-building.

Break the pose down.

Demystify a challenging pose by looking at its major components for clues on how to prepare or modify. Take, for example, my least favorite arm balance: Bakasana (Crane Pose). It’s a balancing pose, but also an inversion and forward bend. Bakasana uses the arms as fulcrum for the body’s weight, which requires lightness, steadiness and stability. So rather than pouring my weight forward onto my arms, I started to lift my hips and buttocks while engaging my core—similar to what one might do in Uttanasana or Prasarita Padottanasana. Starting from a squat with a rolled mat underneath my heels also made it easier to find my fulcrum point and create a sensation of lift.

Inwardly sensing. 

That magical moment when an asana “clicks” depends on proprioception (sensing where the body is in space) and interoception (recognizing the body’s internal signals). Preparatory poses help build sensing memory, but another way to get from A to B is to practice the pose with the help of props or a teacher or partner. I’ve used folded blankets to make falling less scary, experimented with furniture and walls for support, and enlisted others for spotting and feedback. After lots of trial and error, Crane Pose finally clicked for me with a simple shoulder adjustment.

Embodying the details. 

It’s good to get out of your head, but not if it means losing track of the little things like—oh yeah!—breathing. Focus the gaze (drishti). Scan your body head to toe for pockets of forgetfulness (like lazy hands and feet) or tension, the result of over-compensating for fear or imbalance. Over time, detail awareness becomes a natural and organic part of practice rather than a conscious review.

Practicing with dedication.

 Design a home practice with the above elements in mind, and commit to it. Be sure to sequence arm balances after warming up the wrists and shoulders, but before performing too many strength-building poses, which can tire the arm muscles. If turning upside-down is too much at this stage, no problem. The richness of an asana practice isn’t in nailing a pose; it’s in the small steps it took to get there and the mental training it takes to stay there when the pose starts to get uncomfortable again.

The deeper benefits? Learning how to approach a dreaded pose with equanimity can help us do the same with the challenging people and events in our lives.

The magic of mantras

Have you ever chanted during a yoga or meditation class, or randomly on your own, and experienced a profound sense of calm? Here’s why it works and why you might want to try it…

Your Brain on Mantra

For thousand of years, yogis have known mantra (or japa), whether chanted, whispered, or silently recited, to be a powerful tool for meditation and therapy. Western science is catching up.

Neuroscientists, equipped with advanced brain-imaging tools, are confirming some of the health benefits of this ancient practice, such as its ability to help clear your mind and calm your nervous system. In a recent study, researchers measured activity in the default mode network region of the brain — the area that’s active during self-reflection and when the mind is wandering — to determine how practicing mantra meditation affects the brain. From a mental health perspective, an overactive default mode network can mean that the brain is distracted.

Researchers behind this study asked a group of subjects to recite Sat Nam (roughly translated as “true identity”) while their hands are placed over their hearts. The subjects’ default mode networks were suppressed during the mantra meditation — and suppression grew as mantra training increased.

Research suggests that it doesn’t matter whether you recite an ancient Sanskrit mantra such as Sat Nam, the Lord’s Prayer, or any sound, word, or phrase. As long as you repeat something with focused attention, you’ll get results.

Herbert Benson, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, is particularly interested in what brings on a meditative state, which he calls “the relaxation response.” He’s experimented with subjects repeating Sanskrit mantras as well as nonreligious words, such as “one.” He’s found that regardless of what the practitioner repeats, the word or phrase has nearly the same effects: relaxation and the ability to better cope with life’s unexpected stressors.

The Roots of Mantra

The word mantra is derived from two Sanskrit words — manas (mind) and tra (tool). Mantra literally means “a tool for the mind,” and was designed to help practitioners access their true natures and a higher power. There’s so much more on the magic of vibration and resonance in Sanskrit.

Eventually that vibration sinks deeper and deeper into your consciousness, helping you to feel its presence as shakti — a powerful, subtle force inside each of us that carries us into deeper states of awareness.

One of the most universally recited mantras is the sacred Hindu syllable Om or Aum — considered to be the sound of the creation of the universe. Aum is believed to contain every vibration that has ever existed, and ever will exist.

It is the energetic root of other, longer mantras, including Om namah shivaya (“I bow to Shiva” — Shiva being the inner Self, or true reality), and Om mani padme hum (which means “jewel of the lotus,” and is interpreted as, “By practicing a path that unites method and wisdom, you can transform into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha”).

These popular Hindu mantras are in Sanskrit, but mantra has deep roots in every major spiritual tradition and can be found in many languages, including Hindi, Hebrew, Latin, and English. A common mantra for Christians is simply the name Jesus, while Catholics commonly repeat the Hail Mary prayer or Ave Maria. Many Jews recite Barukh atah Adonai (“Blessed art thou, oh Lord”), and Muslims repeat the name Allah like a mantra.

How to Get Down with Mantra

In some practices, such as Transcendental Meditation, students hire a trained meditation leader to learn and receive mantras. But there are plenty of ways to practice mantra independently and free of charge.

Consistency is key, regardless of the mantra you choose.

“You enliven a mantra through regular practice over a period of time — months or even years” says Sally Kempton, meditation teacher and author. “It’s a bit like rubbing a flint against a stone to strike fire. The friction of the syllables inside your consciousness, the focus of bringing yourself back to the mantra again and again, and especially the attention you give to the felt sense of the mantra’s resonance inside your awareness will eventually open the energy in the mantra, and it will stop being just words and become a living energy that you’ll feel shifting your inner state.”

Most teachers recommend to begin sitting or lying down in a comfortable position and silently repeating the mantra, on the inhalation and the exhalation. When thoughts or feelings enter your mind, notice them, and then return to silently reciting the mantra. Advanced practitioners allegedly have their mantra on repeat, in their mind, at all times no matter what they’re doing.

Set aside a few minutes a day to practice — potentially building up to 20 minutes or even more. Several traditions suggest sticking with one mantra for at least a few months before switching to another, in order to deepen your practice and cultivate a sense of ease, presence, and peace.

Choose Your Mantra

Check out a guided mantra meditation for So Ham and Sat Nam. Or experiment with your own choices and creations!

Your mantra can be ancient, tried-and-true, Sanskrit or otherwise… Or it can be any word or phrase, in any language, which you find comforting, inspiring or grounding. An old friend found the word “cornfield” especially calming, and would repeat it during times of anxiety!

Here are a couple of examples I personally use:

1. Perfect peace and poise are mine today as I concentrate all of my power and ability upon expressing the divine will

This is my daily mantra. For many years, I have been reciting this mantra from Yogananda’s Scientific Healing Affirmations.

2. I’m right here

This mantra is channeled to my heart. A long time ago, whilst in a precarious mountain biking situation, the words, “I’m right here,” popped into my mind and comforted my heart. To this day, I use it when in need of grounding and stability.

3. Om

Inspiration from the ancient yogis…The Divine Energy
Often chanted three times, Om, or Aum, symbolically embodies the divine energy, or Shakti, and its three main characteristics: creation, preservation, and liberation. The mantra, or vibration, derives from Hinduism and is considered to have high spiritual and creative power.

4. Lokah Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu

A Chant for Wholeness. I end each practice and teaching with this beautiful mantra which means: May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words and actions of my own life in some way contribute to that happiness and freedom for all.

5. Gayatri mantra

Being Illuminated by Sacred Sound

Om bhur bhuvas svaha
Thath savithur varaynyam
Bhargo dheyvasya dhimahih
Dhyoyonah pratchodhay-yath

Traditionally chanted a capella, this mantra has been set to beautiful music by many kirtan stars, and it means:

We worship the word (shabda) that is present in the earth, the heavens, and that which is beyond. By meditating on this glorious power that gives us life, we ask that our minds and hearts be illuminated.