The Notebook

The August Bank Holiday this year was a gorgeous hot one! After my teaching was done for the day I was craving an ice cold milkshake, so when I got home that’s exactly what I had 😀  I decided to make this with stuff I had in the cupboard/fridge, as you do… The final result…

    {WATCH} Yin Yoga – Square Pose. In this short video, filmed at Evolve Wellness Centre in South Kensington, I show you a couple of propping options to try when practising Square Pose. In this deep hip opening pose, typically, a sensation of intensity / deep stretch is felt around the hips, glutes and…

{WATCH} In this short video filmed at Evolve Wellness Centre in South Kensington I show you how to do a yin Wall Squat. This is one of my favourites for stretching the hips and easing lower back tightness. If sitting in a squat feels tricky for you, give this version a try. – Start by…

“Because yoga can help you feel so good, sometimes there is a tendency to present it all as positivity, love and light, heart-opening and unicorns. But in truth, it’s not all fluffy. When you practise yoga (not just asana) for a while, you find that it can make you more aware of the not so…

{WATCH} In this short video filmed at Embody Wellness I show you a few propping options and suggestions for Dragonfly pose. Yin yoga provides us with the opportunity to let go of striving so bear in mind that we are not striving for an end goal of uber-flexibility. Instead, aim for the variation of the…

{WATCH} RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION – WEIGHTING THE BODY Did you know that weighting poses has the capacity to be soothing for people with depression or lethargy, while for those with anxiety it can feel grounding? I first came across this during my first training with Judith Hanson Lasater in 2012. I have…

{WATCH} In this short video filmed at Create Pilates in Wimbledon, I show you how to do Prasarita Padottonasana (A). When practised with care and consideration this pose is strengthening for the legs and feet – it can improve hamstring and adductor flexibility and can also help develop awareness of how to protect your lower back…

{WATCH} In this short video filmed at Create Pilates in Wimbledon, I show you how to do Thread the Needle Pose. Thread the Needle can provide a satisfying stretch through the chest and shoulders. Also, the gentle twisting motion can help stretch the muscles in the lower back and release tension in the upper back…

{WATCH} SEATED NECK RELEASE Do you suffer with a tight or sore neck? We can often hold tension in the neck (as well as the shoulders and upper back) due to stress and the dreaded ‘computer/mobile phone posture’, among other activities. In this short video, filmed at reCentre Health in Balham, I show you how…

Saturday 27th May | 2pm to 4pm | Embody Wellness Widespread research has shown that relaxation practices such as restorative yoga have numerous benefits including the ability to lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Related to this, restorative yoga also facilitates mindful awareness of the body which plays a part in our resilience to…

Weighting: Legs Up the Wall In this short video, filmed at Embody Wellness, I am using a bolster on my feet for weighting. If you have access to sandbags you can use those, but I have also practised this with the aid of blankets and blocks. We practised this version of Legs Up the Wall…

In this short video filmed at Embody Wellness in Vauxhall, I show you how to do one of the poses I found helpful during my training for the Brighton Half Marathon a couple of years ago. (TIP – Do you have a tendency to hyperextend your knees? I do. To avoid this, you will see…

This is one of the restorative poses we regularly practice during the second half of SLOW FLOW YOGA – Mondays 6.30-7.30pm reCentre Health in Balham. In this short video filmed at reCentre I show you how to do this restorative inversion with the aid of a bolster and a yoga belt. Here, the sacrum (directly below…

    In this short video filmed at Evolve Wellness Centre in South Kensington I show you how to do Wall Eye of the Needle. If you are in London I teach a weekly Yin Yoga class here on Wednesdays 6-7.15pm This version of Eye of the Needle is great if you have trouble keeping…

Yin Yoga – Wednesdays 6-7.15pm at Evolve Wellness Centre As well as Monday 9.30am Yoga Flow, I am now teaching a Wednesday evening Yin class at Evolve in South Kensington. In class we’ve been practising yin poses to stimulate the liver and gallbladder meridians. In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) these meridians are connected to the…

  In this video filmed at Embody Wellness, I show you my favourite variation of Swan Pose to teach (and in my own practice to do post-run or after a lot of sitting). Swan is a deep hip opener with strong external rotation of the front hip, as well as a good stretch for the…

    This Kundalini practice is calming and meditative and a lovely way to mobilise the spine. In this video, filmed at reCentre Health in Balham, I show you how to practice Sufi Grinding. 1. Sit in easy pose and place your hands on your knees. (NB – this can also be practised seated on…

  Nadi – ‘channel’ or ‘flow’ Shodhana – ‘purification’ Alternate Nostril Breathing is a simple yet effective pranayama (breathing) practice. Soothing for the nervous system, alternate nostril breathing is said to help relieve stress and anxiety and lower the heart rate among other benefits. It is also helpful to practice before bedtime if you have…

For a good ten years or so I kept a gratitude journal. Thanks to a TV interview I saw between Oprah and (Simple Abundance) author, Sarah Ban Breathnach where they shared this idea, I was writing down five things each day that I was grateful for in a notebook. The act of writing these things…

New Year, New Classes: Hatha Yoga – Fridays 10.15-11.30am at Create Pilates I’m excited to be teaching another class at Create in Wimbledon. As well as *Flow & Restore with Yoga Nidra on Wednesdays – *now at the new time of 11.45am-1pm, I am also teaching Hatha Yoga on Friday mornings from 6th January. Meaning ‘sun’…

Since the cold weather, I’ve really been enjoying this warming grain-free ‘porridge’ – this recipe started as an experiment but actually turned out quite well! Unlike oats this keeps me full up to (in fact, often beyond!) lunchtime and not craving sugar later on in the day (I also wanted a change from eggs –…