Winter Yoga Goodness

I love the winter months, quality time with the family and lots of time for me to deepen my home practice and studies. I am currently doing an advanced Core Strength Vinyasa YTT and I cant wait to share it with you all this summer. I am teaching in the week but its great to give yourself time to do your own work, become a student and deepen. Yoga as you know can rock up and release knots and emotions all to unite us and connect us with self to keep us living from our centre for a long happy life.

This winter I really wanted to try to meditate for longer. When I am teaching I  can sit very peacefully with my group of students for a good amount of time but during my home practice my busy mind tends to make it short and sweet. So this winter I have been starting each practice with mindful meditation and I have noticed a big difference.. Things and feelings have been coming up for me and this has come out in my mood and skin and while it's not great to be trying to live your day being grumpy around your loved ones or having a nice big red spot on your face for me I see it as a positive of that things are shifting and clearing making new space for all what is to come. It's not great going through these rocky periods but you must remember that it will pass, go easy on yourself and let the shift happen. Or maybe the things that are coming up need assistance to really clear with maybe some coaching of therapy. Certainly if you are just starting a practice and you have deep seated emotions that are holding you back emotionally from past events or loss then counselling is a really great option. I can recommend counselling for the loss of a loved one as when I was 25 I lost my dad in a car accident. Losing my dad completely rocked my world. It took 7 years after his death for me to finally get some help. I thought I was coping OK with the loss but from my moods, emotional and physical state my body was screaming at me for help. It was the best thing I could of done. It was no where near an easy journey but with the great support of my husband after just 6 months I could feel a huge shift in my emotional and physical state and was the beginning to really wanting to let go and clear out all the stuff deep in my being that was holding me back to live a life that I dreamed of and to not pass all my emotional baggage on to my children. 

My Yoga practice continues to give me this clearance and tools to live a really fulfilled and happy life, everyday is a new learning day for me, my body and mind show me the way each day and Yoga gives me the space each day to think clearly and connect with myself. I feel lighter and more free from the conditioning we gather in our growing up years.

Take steps to free and break old habits and patterns that hold you back and stop you from living a full filing life you crave or dream off.

Giving your self time is such a gift you can give to yourself and when people come holiday with us this really is the first thing you notice, They dump there bags get on there summer clothes and hit the beach.. No routine, just the self to please and after just one week of inspiring yoga and sunshine and fun they are fully recharged and their direction seems a lot clearer for when they hit there busy lives back home. Whats fantastic is that a lot of our guests last summer have gone on to or signed up for Yoga teacher trainings. Just Brilliant! 

Sending you sunshine :)

Jo ox

www.yoga-holidays-turkey.com

Self Practice! Where real Yoga Begins.

After teaching 9 yoga sessions a week and practicing with some wonderful teachers this summer, 
this morning was my first self practice in a while. 
It felt good to be on my mat to ease me into my week off since our students left. I love attending a yoga class its great being guided for an hour or so but having a home practice for me is were the real yoga starts. Yoga is a life practice and is not separated from our everyday life. Whats happens on the mat is a really good reflection of what our life is like of the mat. A lot can be said from your downward facing dog!
Having a self practice at home is not only good self discipline It's about having self-control and self-independence, which are found in our every moment of our existence and awareness. It brings us great health benefits and harmony to live and fulfil the life each one of us deserves.

Self practice away from a studio or class is the perfect way to connect and get to know yourself, as little as 15 minutes a day helps us to withdraw our senses and go within, we find stillness, silence and contentment we hold all the answers to who and where we want to be, and a daily yoga practice enables you to break through physical and psychological blocks, increasing energy, which will open the doors for new interest and opportunities to come into your life.
We will become more into the present moment and cultivate pure awareness allowing us the time to establish a dialogue with our Soul and tap into our inherent wisdom and divinity. You get to understand your own body and needs and see how your body and mind feels each day you step to the mat without distraction. 

Yoga wouldn't be yoga without the use of our breath. Our breath is the gift of life, using our breath to flow through yoga asana sends new prana throughout our body, we become more powerful and radiant, while at the same time becoming softer and more present.

If you have been to a few yoga classes a home practice can start very simply.
Stick to an overall structure with a beginning and an end. Begin with maybe sitting in easy seat and become aware of your breath to really connect and soften the mind. 
Breath in and out through your nose, lips closed gently. 

Warm up stretches (neck, shoulders, wrists). Sun salutations A to wake up the heart and re-energise the body.
2 standing postures maybe (warrior 1&2), balance (tree), seated forward bends, reverse plank, shoulder stand, plough and savasana. 
Do Not Skip savasana! This is not just for deep relaxation. It allows the body to re-group and reset itself After the exertions of the practice, if only for a few minutes. 

Let your breath guide you through each posture hold standing, seated postures for 5 breaths to really allow your body to except the stretch and release and let go. 

Please do not worry about messing up your flow, have fun with your practice and listen and trust the teacher in you! 

I'm certainly going to have fun with my Practice. I learn something new about myself on the mat and everyday my practice is different. It gives me time to work on challenging postures chipping away slowly and going deeper each day. I love the self-discovery and clearing out the old habits and emotions that we collect over the years to make space and openings for new beginnings and opportunities on our wonderful life journey. 

Enjoy Your Practice!

Namaste!

Jo ox

www.yoga-holidays-turkey.com

http://www.facebook.com/yogaholidaysturkeyside