Lower back pain is a common health problem that can affect people of all ages. The pain can be very severe and make it difficult to carry on with everyday activities. Low back pain can also lead to other health problems, such as depression and fatigue. Yoga has been shown to be an effective treatment for lower back pain, and most people believe it is because it helps improve flexibility and strength in the lower back muscles. However, most yoga approaches will keep the issue to your low back.  A teacher will say, here are some poses that will work that specific joint or area.  This is true of other physical therapies.   What I have found with my approach to yoga for joint renewal is that a holistic approach to ALL the joints in the body (not just the problem area) helps give more awareness and calm to the overall nervous system for health and healing and this  is the best route for long term health and mobility.  The tricky part of just focusing in on ...

  How to Help Arthritis In Knees   Introduction: Arthritis is a common problem that can cause pain and inflammation in the knees. Luckily, there are many ways to help manage arthritis and reduce pain. In this post, we will discuss is one of the best ways to help arthritis in knees. Section 1: What is Arthritis? Section 2: What are the Symptoms and Causes of Arthritis? Section 3: How to help arthritis in the knees Section 4: What kind of yoga helps arthritis in knees Conclusion: Arthritis can be a debilitating condition, but there are many ways to help manage it and reduce pain. If you are struggling with arthritis in your knees, this post will give you a better understanding of the condition and why yoga is a perfect solution. You may be surprised at how much better you feel by doing just a little mindful yoga. What is Arthritis? Arthritis is a condition that affects the joints. The joints are the places where two bones meet. Arthritis can affect any joint in t...

I had the priviledge of meeting a yoga teacher recently who shared her story.  She had been dropped as a baby during her birth, had a seizure,  and as a consequence suffered from brain damage that manifested as she was growing up as severe and  limited physical mobility.  To help with this, all through her childhood and into adulthood,  she had years and years of physiotherapy.   It didn't work.  Or it did work for a few days then she would need to go back. Again and again.  Today, she teaches Kaiut Yoga, which is what I am also trained to teach.  After a few years of her practicing, she is now able to stand without canes for the first time in her life.  I asked her why she felt that Kaiut Yoga was  so much more beneficial, despite being seen by some very wonderful and great physiotherapists over the years.  It seems to me that physiotherapy is offering so much,  using science, data driven methods, giving you caring h...

The Morning Walk for Yoga is an invitation for you to take a metaphoric 'walk' through your body.  I envision this short 3min video (posted below) as something you can come back to time and time again.  This is my New Years offering for 2022 with the intention to support you to be at peace in your body.  At peace in your mind.  I created it so you have something to listen to (although you are welcome to  watch), so you can focus as you begin your yoga practice.  Maybe you only have a few minutes to practice yoga.  Maybe The Morning Walk for Yoga IS your practice for the day.  Yoga, a practice developed thousands of years ago, is about developing a state of presence. We do not necessarily need to be on our mats to practice.    To be present, we simply need to be open to FEEL,  feel everything that arises, just as it is.    Yoga supports you to feel alive and present in your body and not be distracted by the stories a...

  If you find a flower that is closed you don't force it open. You know it's just a matter of time. You would not pull those unformed new petals apart and say: Hurry Up!  Be Beautiful Now!  I have to remind myself (and my students) to be gentle when we approach the body.  If I find that there is some tightness or restriction,  it does not help to force it and say OPEN NOW!  I have learnt from my teachers of  #scaravelli and #kaiut and #yogamais methods that I cannot force my progression.  No,  just as you can't force a flower to bloom before its time, you can't force your body to open before it's ready either. What you can do is make sure the conditions are right.  Our bodies need warmth, sunlight, water, good nourishment,  fresh air and love,  just like flowers do.  When we plant a flower, we know nothing happens for a while, as the plant spends time connect...

Every winter solstice,  when I lived at the spiritual community of  Findhorn,  I would do a walking meditation through a beautifully prepared spiral of greenery with an unlit candle in my hand.  As I walked,  I would reflect on all the months of the previous year.  The people, places, situations I loved, was challenged by, grew from or connected with.  And I would release that old year.  It was a powerful way to acknowledge the return of the light. Then, in the middle of the circle was a huge lit candle.  I would take my little tea light and hold it to the flame.  Walking slowly out of the spiral, holding my light,  I now set my intentions for the year to come.   Finally,  I would sit and reflect, draw and an angel card  (from a deck developed by Findhorn community members) and so welcome that new quality as a guide for the next 12 months.   As I no longer live in Findhorn.  I have started to offer...

Basic Yoga for Beginners Are you  looking for a Yoga practice that is suitable for beginners?  Here are some keys to starting a successful yoga practice that will get your body humming, your mind quiet and your spirit soaring in no time at all!  Yoga Modifications for Beginners Doing yoga safely Drop the comparing Mind Find the right teacher for you  Yoga is about going deeper Keep on practicing Motivation Joint Renewal System(TM) Yoga that meets you Yoga Modifications for Beginners Most people believe that yoga is a practice that has levels of difficulty.  And it can be helpful sometimes to attend a "beginner" yoga class.  However, that gets your mind thinking right away that you start at place A (the beginner place)  in your practice eventually you must get to place Z (the expert). And in between A and B there is discipline and hard work. Hours on your mat.  Slogging away. Pushing, sweating, struggling and working. Want to give up alr...