Month: September 2016

Why go upside down?!

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Inversions are used loads in yoga, any time your head goes below the level of your heart, technically that’s an inversion…. yes even downward dog!

So what are the benefits?

  • Strengthens the whole body
  • Improves balance
  • Helps drain the lymphatic system
  • Can help with circulation
  • Creates a sense of calm in mind and body
  • Boosts confidence
  • Emphasises an internal focus
  • Keeps the ego in check
  • It’s anti-aging!!!
  • Some say it boosts creativity
  • Takes pressure off the joints
  • Can help with sciatica
  • Realigns the spine
  • Can help with sleep problems

Full inversions e.g headstand, shoulder stand etc. Are not necessarily suitable for everyone and are contraindicated for those with:

  • High blood pressure
  • Glaucoma
  • Neck injury
  • Any injury which makes the foundation of the pose unstable e.g if you had a wrist injury it would be a bad idea to try a handstand!
  • Menstruation – turning the body upside down disrupts the downward energy

So what can you do instead? To get the benefits of inversions without turning fully upside down go for a legs up the wall version. Lying on your back scoot into the wall so your bum rests against it. Place the legs straight up the wall and flex the feet. Alternatively you can place a block or a bolster under the hips. Lying down and raise the legs up, feet flexed. 

Keep practicing and most of all have fun!

Harri xx

New Classes

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£10 per person

Monday: 9:00am-10:00am restorative
Tuesday: 6:30pm-7:30pm open level vinyasa flow
Friday: 3:00pm-4:00pm restorative
Saturday: 3:30pm-4:30pm beginners vinyasa flow
Saturday: 4:45pm-6:00pm intermediate vinyasa flow (some experience needed)

Call 0208 7672266 to book

Rechere’s Health, Education and Well-Being Centre
163-165 Tooting high street SW17 0SY

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How does Yoga support Pregnant Women Energetically?

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Unlike other prenatal exercise classes yoga focuses on the whole being of mother and baby, not just the physical side of Pregnancy and Birth.

Yoga empowers women to listen to their own bodies and to make choices based on their inner feelings. Learning how to quiet the mind through meditative practices and listen to the true self is vital when the world suddenly thinks it’s okay to throw advise at you.

Yoga has a focus on union and oneness so it naturally helps mum and baby connect. Mum can let go of expectations and pressures of ego driven behaviour and slow down, stop pushing to achieve and take a gentler approach to just be, as one with the baby.

Learning about how prana moves in and around the body can prenatal-teachinghelp a woman make sense of the changes that are happening both physically and emotionally. Accepting and allowing the ebb and flow of energy to be a guide, connecting with the inner self to choose what she feels is needed without judgement.

Linking with the elements will give mum a feeling of connectedness with mother-nature. Reminding her that we are all made up of these elements, part of nature, alleviating anxiety and a feeling of disconnectedness felt by women as the process of birth had become so medicalised and far removed. Yoga works to balance the elements and nourish the body through prana, working on all 5 koshas to encourage mental, emotional and energetic stability ready to start a new life – to be reborn themselves as a mother.

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

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The foundation pose of our practice, the body completely balanced, calm, steady and focused. Yet, it often turns into fidgeting, hair flicking, clothes adjusting and general lack of focus.

For some reason this pose is neglected and almost discounted by many students and sometimes even teachers! So lets give it some love and really get to grips with it.

  • Standing at the front of the mat, feet together, big toe joints touching, heels slightly apart.
  • Spread the toes without gripping the floor, weight evenly distributed through the points of the feet, arches lifted. (yogi toes)
  • There is a feeling of grounding into the floor, whilst growing and extending through the body, as though the crown of the head is attatched to an imaginary string from the ceiling.
  • Firm the thighs without locking the knees (be extra careful if you have hyperextended knees) Gently rotate the upper thighs towards the centre line and lift the kneecaps.
  • Balance the pelvis in a neutral position, as though you have a bowl of water in the pelvis and you don’t want to spill it.
  • Draw the front ribs in, whilst lifting the sternum towards the sky – opening the chest and widening the collarbones.
  • Roll the shoulders down and back to relax them and allow them to sit with ease and avoiding excessive downward motion. Shoulder blades slide down the back.
  • Let the arms hang naturally, with energy throughout, all the way to the fingertips.
  • Keep the neck long and chin parallel to the floor. Drishti can vary depending upon the school but a forward, neutral position with a soft gaze is common.

so…what’s samasthiti? Is it the same as tadasana? If you’ve ever attended an Astanga class you will definately have heard this term. Many student don’t really know the difference and it never seems to be explained! Basically Tadasana is the name of the asana, whereas Samasthiti is more the essence of the asana – the focus. Samasthiti roughly translates as ‘establishing an equal and steady posture’… Personally I believe Tadasana should always be Samathiti. That focus on balance and stability should always be emphasised to keep the medatative quality to the flow. This emphasis would eliminate the tendency for students to unwittingly use it as more of a pit stop – just a little break, where all focus is lost.

yogi-toes