The benefits of having a private yoga class are surprising and wonderful.  I don't think I've ever had a private yoga class myself and said I wish I hadn't done that! As a yoga student (as well as a teacher) I know that the time and investment into private yoga lessons have made a huge difference in my practice and my teaching. Please note:  I understand that having a private yoga lesson can be a little intimidating to consider.  Especially if you are mostly used to practicing yoga in a class setting.  Many students like to  “disappear” into a class with other students.  So a private session is a very different thing.  I completely understand that a private lesson can be a bit scary as it is time all focused on you. So I invite you to read on to discover 7 surprising benefits of having a private yoga lesson... One Student :  One teacher : One Lesson The lesson plans that I use in my classes come from Kaiut Yoga, they are brillia...

Today's blog is a gift to you. This offering is for you to see yoga as a normal everyday activity. To understand that yoga is a process that is firstly about increased awareness, to be aware is to be awake, alive and participating in your life.  Secondly, yoga will give you more mobility. To be flexible in the mind is to be present and flexible in the body.   One cannot happen without the other. And with awareness and attention, with mindful movement you have the ability to connect to the power available within. So I've created a short sequence of 7 yoga moves for you. This very simple sequence that can be done at home on your bed or a mat on the floor hopefully will give you an indication of how yoga can be for everybody and every body.    Have you seen how the ancient art of yoga is presented today in Gyms and fitness centres around the world?   Does it makes you feel unable to join in?    Are the adverts and images showing attractive you...

When you say you are going to practice yoga.  By that very act, it means in effect you are going to practice yoga and breathing – you cannot do one without the other.  Of course you can’t do anything without breathing, you don’t need a doctor to tell you it’s end of life when you stop breathing,  but the beauty of yoga and breathing is that you are learning how to become more and more aware of your breath and the amazing life force that is behind it.  Just think how much you do in life not being aware of your breath. For you to give yourself one hour a day even one day a week where you commit to your yoga and therefore also to your breath is a great gift to your spirit, your health and your happiness.  In Kaiut Yoga you are taught a lot about freedom.  About how to research and find restrictions in the body, and how to soften and release and let go of those tensions. Using your breath to help you do so.  In the ancient texts, the ...

Yoga Mistakes It’s an interesting thing to think about Yoga mistakes.  I’ve seen some people who have a very dedicated yoga practice, but I can see they don't LOVE it,  and when I start taking them through the Kaiut Yoga sequences that I teach I can see very quickly where some mistakes have been made. The first thing to say about making mistakes in yoga is that actually you can't make mistakes.  You can injure yourself – and learn from that injury.  You can get into habits – and find a good teacher who will help you break them.  You can push yourself – and realise how much benefit comes from relaxing.  You can always learn from the creative experiment. Sometimes in yoga you get it “wrong”, but because you made that mistake, you now understand things deeper. You make a "mistake" and then you see much more clearly why that route may not suit you.  After making mistakes you will be left with more ability and more awareness of how your body and min...

Pranayama is the Sanskrit word for Yoga Breathing.     And a whole branch of yoga focuses on the breath. There are eight branches or limbs of yoga according to the ancient texts from India.  And Breathing or Pranayama is one of those eight limbs. Not surprising those ancient yogis saw it as essential to learn about breathing.    Remember the rule of three for life?    A human can survive three weeks without food, three days without water and three minutes without air.   The aspect of yoga most of us in the west are familiar with is the third limb of yoga, the Asanas (postures).     The other limbs of yoga include meditation, concentration, morals, ethics and values and breathing. Pranayama (yoga breathing) is often taught within an asana or posture class.   However just like we have changed Asanas into a physical workout and think of yoga as a fitness routine, equating it to the gym, a lot of us appro...

Why is Yoga for everyone? In Brazil (where two of my teachers come from )  they have a T-Shirt that read: “Yoga pra todo mundo” which can be translated as  "yoga for everybody and every body " But is yoga truly for everyone?   Surely there are some people who can’t do yoga? Don’t you have to be a certain age?  super bendy?  Strong?  The answer quite simply is No!   Because if you approach Yoga not by thinking of stretching, but rather about accessing the JOINTS, then it is for everyone.  It’s quite possible that for some folk they have to do some postures in a modified way if they have a specific joint injury or issue. It’s quite possible that some people may need to use a chair or extra bolster (yoga prop).  It’s quite possible that some people will need to leave the posture early (as in this system for Joint Renewal(TM) we can stay in postures for quite a length of time).  But does any of that mean...