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Anxiety

Anxiety

Anxiety is something that just creeps up on me.  I feel it first in my mouth around my jaw, teeth and lips and then  jagged edges of fear explode in my heart centre.

These are my main big boy anxiety triggers

1. Fear of not getting something done to my high expectations

2. Comparisons – I am human …I make them in all areas of my life

3. Clutter at home and at work

4. Conflict with others ….

5. Living in my mind (yuk)

Tackling the anxiety

The best way I look after myself when I’m like this is to let my to do list fade into the background. I tend to cut my activities down by half.  Last week I didn’t open my big PINK day – day diary..it got left on my coffee table at the bottom of a pile of cook books hahah! Sorry if you were on the to do list….

My anxiety tool box:

  • Get into nature by my self
  • Being around key people for me it’s 100% my mum and all my family
  • Yoga Nidra
  • Guided Meditations
  • Breathing techniques
  • Cleaning my house helps me clear my mind
  • Telling people who I spend  a lot of time with how I feel so they know where I’m at
  • Affirmations
  • Reminding myself it will pass

On my way out the anxiousness, on an energetic level I will see a boost in creativity and also a deeper connection to the universe.  POSITIVES all round!

Moving forward 

Keeping anxiety at bay each day:

  • Move my body, sweat and get the blood circulating everyday sometimes twice.
  • Ditching caffine and drinking water all the time.
  • Time alone sitting/lying still, chanting or moving on my yoga mat for at least 30 mins a day
  • Keeping my space clear of clutter
  • Saying no to stuff I do not want to do in order to protect my energy
  • Living in the NOW not worrying how much time I have to do this or that… NOW is so empowering 🙂
  • Being honest to myself and others
  • Having a team of wellbeing lovelies – I have a holistic treatment once or twice a month.
  • Accepting myself right now in this present moment…NOW Awakening to my potential NOW

MAKING TIME FOR YOU EVERYDAY (to connect with your energy) IS VITAL in order to survive in these times we live in.

If you haven’t already check out and use THIS you tube video I have done for you.  You can do it anytime of day … it will take 10 mins and you will feel so radiant in who you are.

I LOVE YOU  x x x xx x x xx x

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Sciatica

These simple yoga asanas can help sciatica

Many of us living in a chair-bound society are likely to suffer from sciatica, symptoms of which includes pain of varying severity from tingling to searing in one side of the buttock or/and a weakness or numbness in the leg and foot.

These symptoms occur when the large sciatic nerve is irritated or compressed in the lumbar spine – think slumping in a chair for 8-10 hours a day and the likelihood of sciatica becomes understandable.

There are two sciatic nerves—one for each leg. The sciatic nerves are the largest nerves in the body and are composed of individual nerve roots that start by branching out from the spine in the lower back and combine to form the “sciatic nerve” that pass through the buttock muscles, down the back of the thigh, and down through the outer edge of your leg to your foot.

The good news is that a targeted yoga practice can help you overcome the pain of these symptoms.

The following asanas have been selected to strengthen the lower back, lengthen the hamstrings as well as open up the hips to help relieve the body of pain caused by tightness and compression of the sciatic nerve.

Don’t strain or stress your body out of enthusiasm to stretch and lengthen your muscles. Stretching the muscle too aggressively can provoke sciatic pain. In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali defines practice as “effort toward steadiness.” Be steady and consistent in your practice to achieve results.

It’s advisable to check with your doctor about the severity of your sciatica before proceeding with these postures.

Side twist 

Matthew Newsome Yoga

Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Shift over onto your right buttock, bend your knees and swing your legs to the left. Lay your feet on the floor outside your left hip, with the left ankle resting in the right upper thigh.

Inhale and lift through the top of the sternum to lengthen the front torso. Then exhale and twist your torso to the left, keeping the left buttock on or very close to the floor. Lengthen your tailbone toward the floor to keep the lower back long. Soften the belly. 

Take your left hand behind you to the furthest point, be on the finger tips to keep the chest lifting. Bring your right to rest on your left knee. Push back through your left shoulder to deepen the twist to the left. Turn your head so that it is looking over the left shoulder.

With every inhalation lift a little more through the sternum, using the push of the fingers on the floor to help; with every exhalation twist a little more. Stay for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then release with an exhalation, return to the starting position, and repeat to the left for the same length of time.

Boat pose

Matthew Newsome Yoga

Sit on your yoga mat with your legs straight out in front of you. Flex your feet towards your body and sit up straight. Avoid rounding shoulders and keep the torso upright; Sit on both of your two sitting bones and tailbone.

Lean your body back, exhale and bend your knees, then lift your feet off the floor, so that the thighs are angled about 45-50 degrees relative to the floor. Lengthen your tailbone into the floor and lift your pubis toward your navel. Now slowly straighten your knees, raising the tips of your toes slightly above the level of your eyes. If this isn’t possible remain with your knees bent.

Stretch your arms alongside the legs, parallel to each other and the floor. Keep the torso upright and spread the shoulder blades across your back and reach strongly out through the fingers. If this isn’t possible, keep the hands on the floor beside your hips or hold on to the backs of your thighs.

Tip the chin slightly toward the sternum so the base of the skull lifts lightly away from the back of the neck.

Stay in the pose for 10-20 seconds and then gradually increase your time in this pose to 1 minute.

Release the legs with an exhalation and sit upright on an inhalation. Take a moment to savour the benefits of this asana.

(Neck weakness: Sit with your back near a wall to perform this pose. As you tilt your torso back rest the back of your head on the wall.)

Pigeon

IMG_0971Sheffield Yoga

The Pigeon pose will help ease the symptoms of sciatica by lengthening the psoas muscle, a primary hip flexor connecting the torso and legs that shortens in chair-bound society.

Come onto all fours with your hands shoulder-distance apart and about a hand span in front of your shoulders. Bring your left knee forward, bend it and place it on the floor just behind and slightly to the left of your left wrist, with your shin on a diagonal and your left heel pointing toward your right frontal hipbone.

Straighten your back leg: Your right quadriceps should squarely face the floor so that your leg is in a “neutral” position—straighten your right leg so that the thigh and knee come off the floor. Move your right frontal hipbone forward so that it is parallel to your left frontal hipbone. If, after you square your hips, the area where your thigh and buttock meet doesn’t rest on the floor, you need to add a blanket or two underneath.

Use your arms for support as you organize your lower body. Adjust so that your hipbones are parallel to the wall you’re facing and your sacrum is even (meaning one side hasn’t dipped closer to the floor than the other).

Place your hands in front of you, hip distance apart, press into your fingertips to keep torso upright.

Make micro- movements in positioning your left foot forward, so that it is parallel to the front edge of your mat. Do not move the knee forward if it is painful, keep the knee in position where it is below your pain threshold. Maintain alignment in your hips and sacrum.

Now, extend your torso forward across your left shin, walking your arms out in front of you and releasing your forehead toward the floor. Fold your arms in front and make a pillow for your forehead.

Feel your hips opening and expanding. Allow the body and mind to soften. Release any stiffness to the ground and concentrate on the breath – this will deepen the stillness in this posture.

Stay in this pose as long as is comfortable.

Locust pose

Locust

Lie on your belly with your arms along the sides of your torso, palms up, forehead resting on the floor.

Exhale and lift your head, upper torso, arms, and legs away from the floor. Firm your buttocks and reach strongly through your legs, first through the heels to lengthen the back legs, then through the bases of the big toes. Keep the big toes turned toward each other.

Raise your arms parallel to the floor and stretch back actively through your fingertips. Press your shoulder blades firmly into your back.

Gaze forward or slightly upward, being careful not to jut your chin forward and crunch the back of your neck. Keep the base of the skull lifted and the back of the neck long.

Stay for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then release with an exhalation. Take a few breaths and repeat 1 or 2 times more if you like.

 

Seated forward bend

IMG_1063

Sit on the floor with your buttocks supported on a folded blanket and your legs straight in front of you. Press through your palms or finger tips on the floor beside your hips and lift the top of the sternum toward the ceiling as the top thighs descend.

Flex the toes towards you and bend the knees slightly.

Draw the inner groins deep into the pelvis. Inhale, and keeping the front torso long, lean forward from the hip joints, not the waist. Lengthen the tailbone away from the back of your pelvis. If possible take the sides of the feet with your hands, thumbs on the soles, elbows fully extended; if this isn’t possible then take the ankles or the calves.

Release the torso into the thighs and rest the head on the shins. With each inhalation, lift and lengthen the front torso just slightly; with each exhalation release a little more fully into the forward bend. Eventually you may be able to stretch the arms out beyond the feet on the floor.

Stay in the pose anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. To come up, inhale and lift the torso up by pulling the tailbone down and into the pelvis.

 

Legs up the Wall

Legs Up the Wall

Lie on the floor near a wall and practice deep, steady breathing. Exhale and swing your legs up onto the wall so that your heels and sitting bones are supported against it. Rest your head on the mat or floor, keeping your spine straight, and bend your knees a little so your kneecaps won’t lock.

If you have any lower back pain, support your body by placing a yoga block or folded blankets on the ground beneath your back.

Open your shoulder blades away from the spine, relaxing your hands and wrists. Keep your legs held vertically in place, but only partially flexed.

Lift and release the base of your skull away from the back of your neck and soften your throat.

Release the weight of your belly toward the back of the pelvis, deeply into the torso. Soften the eyes and turn them down towards your heart.

After you come out of this restorative pose, be sure to lie on your side for a few breaths before sitting upright with your back against the wall, then slowly rising to your feet.

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Salt Bath.

Dear lovely yogi’s

I wanted to share the hot yoga lowdown in regards to sweat, electrolytes and how to get

the most out of a practise session. This is a brief overview and there is more detailed info

out there, also if anyone ever has any questions big or small during a class, we are always

here to answer any wonderings and ponderings when it comes to the understanding of the

intricate workings of your hot yoga praccy.

 

Some sessions are hotter than others. You know those ones where you sweat so much

that you seem to wring out your elbows in Garudasana! Well there are a couple of really

important do’s and don’ts to bare in mind when it comes to dealing with this slippy, drippy

residue.

hot-yoga-poses-2

DON’T wipe away your sweat. Leave it. You are sweating for a reason.

Think beach holidays. When you are in hot, high temperatures and you’re so hot that you

need to jump into the sea to cool off…When you get out of the sea, despite the high

temperatures in the air you can still feel a chill and might reach for a towel to wrap around

yourself.

 

This is because the water from the sea/pool on top of the skin interacts with the air and

cools, thus cooling the skin.

 

The cooler skin then cools the blood directly underneath the skin which in turn is pumped

back round the body and eventually to the heart. This cooling process is set into motion by

the water on the the skin and has a cooling effect on the whole body.

The same theory applies to sweat. And so as you can imagine, if the sweat can sit on top

of the skin, then it can interact with the air, thus cooling the skin, circulatory system and as

a result calming the heart rate.

010312_SWEAT

In hot yoga the heat and the challenging asanas raise the heart rate (hence the great

workout). As a result of the increase in heart rate, the body produces sweat in order for

the sweat to interact with the air and cool the blood (the body’s natural cooling process).

Hopefully this is making sense… if you wipe away your sweat you are taking away your

body’s ability to cool. Therefore impeding the process of calming your heart.

Food for thought 🙂

So;

  • DO notice when you wipe away your sweat.
  • DO notice when you leave your sweat alone, suddenly you don’t sweat so much…?

Next up…

  • DO pay attention to your electrolytes…

Understanding that when we sweat, we don’t just lose fluid. We lose vital minerals called

electrolytes. You may have noticed that some days it really doesn’t seem to matter how

much fluid you consume after and before a hot yoga class, you can still feel tired,lethargic,

perhaps have a headache, maybe feel slow on the uptake or forget what you were saying,

thirsty for something, hungry for something?

DON’T worry – you are not going as crazy as a thirsty goldfish! Any of these could be signs

that you are lacking in some vital minerals. And what your body really needs is some

things more specific.

 

Researching into electrolytes can help. It really isn’t just about eating a banana and

drinking a vita coco carton post praccy. Of course this can help, certainly with potassium

intake, but it’s highly likely that it could not be enough of what you need.

Mineral deficiencies and consumptions are complex. Levels and required intake isn’t

necessarily dependent on your physical activities (deficiencies can be caused by many

things, we are all so very different!).

Also practising hot yoga once a week say, would not necessarily call for a mammoth

electrolyte restoration. Mindfulness and personal assesment is required. And like most

practises, listening in to the signs and signals from your own body will tell you what you

need to know.

Personally I practise and teach in a hot yoga environment up to 10 times a week, and I try

to balance out using electrolyte tabs with natural juicing and mineral consumption from

foods – trying to tune in daily to what may be needed.

 

It does depend on your amount of weekly practise – one session a week combined with a

healthy plant heavy based diet should be fine. However practising more frequently or

combined with an active, athletic lifestyle could benefit from a raised awareness regarding

your bodies upkeep and balance of minerals, and therefore a consumption of all the

electrolytes and not just one.

 

Which Electrolytes do we need to balance from all this SWEATING?

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The most common known electrolytes are Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, Magnesium

and Calcium.

 

Many different foods give us each of these. Even balancing such combinations can enrich

or deplete an intake (see particularly info on magnesium).

 

Below I have given a basic list of each. This is a simple introduction and I must stress that

it isn’t just a case of sticking to these things. The variety and beautifully colorful multitude

of foods that can give us so much of what is good for us is endless.

Let this just be the beginning of your electrolyte awareness 🙂

Sodium:

  • modest amounts (& not overused) of (Himalayan Pink) Rock Salt (is the best)
  • nuts and seeds
  • fruits
  • grains
  • meats and dairy

*It is said healthy adults should consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day.

Potassium:

  • spinach
  • greens (kale, sprouts, asparagus…etc)
  • fish
  • tomatoes!
  • apricots, bananas, strawberries, lime, melon, orange, lemon, grapefruit, dates…

Chloride:

  • lettuce!
  • celery!!
  • rye! !
  • Himalayan rock salt
  • Magnesium:
  • greens!
  • peas! !
  • whole unrefined grains: quinoa, bulgar wheat, buckwheat, spelt, rye, brown/red rice
  • Calcium
  • broccoli
  • fish

http://www.livestrong.com/article/113242-foods-containing-electrolytes/

618_348_10-essential-products-for-runners-nuun-electrolyte-drink-tabs

Electrolytes On the GO

There are also tablets and liquid forms of electrolyte supplements that are available on the

market that have all the essential electrolytes you may lose through your training.

This can be another option, especially if you are practising regularly or more than twice a

day (I would not recommend back to back classes but that is another topic for another

day! :))

 

 Extra Reading

Please see the web link below for further guidance on electrolyte additives.

Always use caution when using additives, check labels and of course contact your GP if you have any

concerns. What works for my body may not for yours.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nuun-Electrolyte-Enhanced-Drink-Tablets/dp/B00UZ5OMUY/

ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1431447184&sr=8-5&keywords=electrolytes+nuun

http://eletewater.co.uk/

 

See you on the mat! 🙂

Love Rachel x