Month: July 2016

So… what is yoga?

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IMG_0854Someone approaches you with a leaflet for a new yoga class. If you are not already a convert what comes to mind? I asked some people with no experience of yoga at all and here are the results!

  • Shiny happy American ladies with perfect make up and perfect hair, tying themselves in knots and standing on their hands in front of amazing landscapes?
  • Tiny Indian men living in caves with long beards sitting for hours in uncomfortable looking positions?
  • Young, thin, active people who appear to have no bones in their bodies?
  • New age hippy types wafting around with candles and incense?
  • Something Madonna does?

 

There are so many stereotypes out there and there may be some truth in all of them. What became apparent to me was the answers I was getting were more focused on WHO practices yoga, rather than WHAT yoga is. Just from these answers we can see that a huge variety of people practice yoga but what is it that draws them in? Continue reading →

What is this Blog all about?

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Firstly, welcome. I’m Harri, a 29-year-old newly qualified yoga teacher! I’m super excited about sharing my yoga life with you.

You can see my journey from having just left teacher training, (with YogaLondon who I highly recommend) to full-time yoga teacher! This could take years or never happen at all but my blog will show how I get on.

I’ll be sharing bits and bobs about my own practice and how I develop as a yoga teacher. I want to keep things real I’m not going to make everything all fluffy. There is this odd stereotype of yoga teachers being these happy, floaty people who just meditate their problems away – and whilst there might be some like that – I’ve never met one! When things get tough or when things are amazing I’ll always be true to myself and let you into a little glimpse of what it’s really like.

I will be giving useful pointers and teaching cues as guides for key asana (postures) as well as ways to incorporate yoga into everyday modern life, using some yoga philosophy and trying to explain some of the concepts which are more alien to people from traditional western backgrounds. Maybe I will throw in a bit of anatomy here and there…don’t worry, nothing too tricky.

I have found mindfulness and compassionate mind training invaluable in my personal fight against post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety and depression. These concepts can be used by anyone to help with …well pretty much anything! As they fit in so nicely with yogic principles and meditation, I think it would be good to give some ideas about how to use these techniques.

The importance of wellbeing in both body and mind is close to my heart. As I become more confident with blogging I might share some of my story and how yoga has changed my life as I’m sure it could help others to see that things can get better, as long as you have the right tools. We will see how it goes.

On a lighter note! I will also share some of my yummy vegetarian recipes which are healthy, balanced and nutritious…but might throw in a few naughty ones too.

Love and Light

Harri xx