Shoulders.... shrug your shoulders, take the weight of the world on your shoulders, shoulder responsibility, the word SHOULD - er...  Yep it says it all.  Shoulders are the place in the body where many of our tightnesses and tensions of all the "should"s in our lives can get trapped.   Shoulder issues can be genetic, maybe repetition (I always carried my babies on the left),  maybe an injury, sometimes as a compensation for another area of the body, the shoulders will stop moving.  We are static in many of our modern lifestyle habits.  Think of your shoulders when on your phone, at the computer, driving the car... They don't move much do they?  Then maybe you pick up a heavy bag, or do some digging in your garden and WOW do your shoulders ever ache. So what yoga solutions are there for shoulders?  The principle behind Kaiut yoga is about potentiality.  If you work your joints, then the muscles will follow.  The body is highly i...

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Lao Tzu Sometimes you may find yourself saying "yoga is hard to do". I agree. But not for the reasons you think. You probably think yoga is hard to do because you are inflexible.   The poses are too difficult.   You don’t have the strength or stamina.   It’s the wrong time of day.   Lessons are too hot, too fast, too slow….You started too late in life. There are a hundred   or more reasons why you think yoga is difficult. But the real reason why yoga is hard is because of what you think. Basically if you think yoga is hard.   It will be.     Your mental programming is the biggest obstacle to your gaining results in yoga.   And the whole notion of getting results in the first place is a big obstacle to making your yoga practice easy.   Drop this idea that you need results. Unless you were raised by aliens, your culture has led...

Knee or Hip problems?  Pain?  Inflammation?*  * please read my medical disclaimer at the bottom of this blog post.  A common  problem of the joints one that creates pain and inflammation is hip or knee bursitis.  What is busitis?  The bursae are small sacs of fluid that cushions the different parts of a joint.  They  are situated between the bones and the tendons, muscles and skin near the joints to prevent friction and to cushion pressure points.  Bursitis is an inflammation of one of these sacs. (Information adapted from Mayo Clinic Website www.mayoclinic.org ).  But let’s not get too caught up in the diagnosis or prognosis – we need to leave that to the medical professionals*.   What you want to know is how to soothe the  joint pain for yourself.   M ost Drs. will recommend some form of very gentle movement therapy to keep the joint moving, but not anything intense t...

Are you aware of  ankle pain, or restriction?   You first of all need to approach the joint very gently.  Many yoga poses forget to include the ankle - or think that the pose is about another part of the body, when actually the ankle is the focus. In kaiut yoga we do a lot of virasana sequences and the thought could be it's to open the knees or the hips to sit in those positions.  Actually the virasanas are taught to concentrate on the ankles. Why ankles are important?   The ankle joint is where the ground can come from the foot up the leg to the spine and head, and where the spine, head and torso can reach the ground through the legs.   Heaven to earth, earth to heaven through the body.  The ankles are also an incredibly important function of balance.  And if they are not working well, you can loose balance. Also if you have pressure in your knees or hips, it could be sourced from restrictions in the ankles. We tend to i...

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...