An easy practice to help you to sit well

If you have ever wanted to sit for meditation or prayer, you may have found that it is harder than it looks.
The answer is to:
a – sit on a chair or
b – try relaxing your hips and thighs.
I hope this video will help. I’ll take you through a breath focussed practice, releasing tension from the hips and thighs.
I really enjoyed leading this session.
I hope you like it as much as I did making it.
Stay within your capacity and work optimally for your body’s needs.
Love and light,
Lucy

A 1 hour Yoga class at Porthmeor beach St Ives

Yoga outside in the sunshine above West Beach Cafe, Porthmeor, St Ives. This was the first class of the summer.
Standing poses are a main stay of these sessions because they are pretty accessible to all I hope you enjoy your practice alongside the St Ives crew, as much as we enjoy being there.
Listen to your body’s needs.
Love and light,
Lucy

Iyengar yoga Standing poses and Shoulder stand using a wall and props

In light on yoga there is a 300 week programme. I have followed the sequence using Yoga, a wall and props.
Although props are not necessary, they do improve sensory feed-back, ease, and the awareness of internal energy asana, making each yoga pose an entirely new somatic experience.
I though it would be fun to follow last week’s sequence again but showing it in a different light.
This practice has been amazing for me, re-visiting it nearly 30 years after first practicing it.
Reading BKS Iyengar’s words as if for the first time but knowing my body and the poses in a deeper manner.
Tadasana, Vrksasana, Utthita-Trikonasana, Utthita- Parsvakonasana, Virabhadrasana 1&2, Parsvottanasana, Salamba-sarvangasana, Halasana and of course I leave you with Savasana.
Enjoy! Have a beautiful day.
Love and light,
Lucy

Improving Triangle and Sideways Stretch

Standing poses feature heavily within the Iyengar yoga practice, bringing strength into the legs and body. You soon feel it when they have not been practiced for a while.
Dan noticed the other day that his inner thighs had become tight. He requested a practice to stretch them out.
Here it is – triangle and sideways stretch with a peppering of the cobbler pose.

Enjoy
Lucy

Turning my world upside down

Simply working towards some inversions, I do give other options if you don’t fancy or cannot go upside down.
I find going upside down really quietening for my busy brain. Always a good thing for me to do when my mental chatter becomes all encompassing (plus I love the feeling too 🙂
If you have never been upside down, get a teacher to guide you up the first few times, with extra eyes on the puzzle you will get to know the correct actions required.
As always, regard your body and the feed back from your body with utmost reverence.
Practice to your own capacity.
Enjoy,
Lucy

Just 3 poses

Utthita trikonasana, Ardha Chandrasana and Anantasana, aka; Triangle, Half moon and the Blissful pose are the asanas that take centre stage in this practice.
Although I am using ropes you do not need to, but a wall is super handy for balance and proprioception (your sense of where you are in space).
As you get more used to inhabiting your body during your practice you will start to feel the subtleties of each posture and the links that connect them together too.
This practice gets better with repetition, a good memory and a firm idea that you are approaching it, once more, with a beginners mind.
You will need a mat, wall, some blankets, a brick, a belt (ropes are ace but not necessary) and the all important peaceful heart.
Gently move from one pose into the next, paying careful attention to the body and the support that it needs.
Enjoy your practice.
Love and light,
x Lucy

Chair pose with a chair

A few nights ago I was on Facebook chatting on the ‘Women with camper-vans’ forum about the idea that a yoga holiday for women with camper-vans might be a nice idea. A lady asked if she do the yoga from a chair. She thought once down on the floor getting up might be difficult. I promised a little video that could be done using a chair (I used a bench in my garden, the weather was just too nice)
There is a lot of ‘Chair pose’.
It’s just a 20 minute practice, but I waffle a bit about G7 summit to begin with. I start teaching the yoga at about a minute in.
Work to your own capacity, be kind to yourself and Enjoy being in your body.
Love and light,
Lucy

A gentle practice for happy knees

Spending a little bit of time observing the body pays dividends.
When the knees are tight, often they need a little more time to allow the tissues to release. Practice and repetition also helps.
Imagine you are giving your knees a treat, listen to them carefully, explore gentle movement, find out what works for each knee individually. Who knows you might even find that the hamstrings will release a little too 🙂
I have been practicing this sequence for a little while now and I find it super relaxing.
Stay with soft attentive movement, if something does not feel quite right just accept it, release and maybe try again.
I usually find that if I gently try a second time, movement comes a little easier.
Listen to your and body practice with care.

Love and light,
Lucy

Campervan Yoga #1

This little sequence is designed to get your head around practicing in a small space. Maybe your standing pose stance will be a little narrower, maybe your space will not allow you to stretch your arms over your head… who knows, only your practice area will let you know.
The poses here are all simple ones I have taught before, and are suitable for a regular practice.
Look around and modify your practice to suit your space. If using support make sure that it is strong enough and will hold you.
Most importantly, maintain your sense of humour.
Love and light,
Lucy