Welcome to U Can Yoga
My intention is to give you the space to nurture yourself as you breathe, strengthen and stretch your body and mind.
I encourage you to tune into your body and move safely, with awareness through your yoga asana (posture) practice as you find your own expression of yoga, access your true nature and come back home to yourself.
(PLEASE NOTE: All content and images on this website are subject to copyright. Copyright U Can Yoga 2020. All rights reserved.)
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Restorative & Yin Yoga at studios in Southwest London.
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DOES IT EXPAND YOU OR CONTRACT YOU? •••
Resposting myself. If my words here resonate with you, why not give #SwitchOffSundays a try? Whether you choose to join me in one day a week away from social media or not, take good care and be kind to yourself - this first week of 2021 has been a lot 💜
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SWITCH OFF SUNDAYS 📵••• Does it expand you or contract you? This is something worth asking yourself after spending time on social media, as you observe how you feel. If it is the latter then consider joining me for Switch Off Sundays - one day a week away from social media 📵 If taking an extended social media break feels like too much, then this way - switching off for just one day weekly - still adds up to 52 days per year. Just think what else you could do with that time... 💙
Thank You so much to Everyone who came along to my online #RestorativeYoga class @yoga_garden_party yesterday and donated to @the_hope_foundation_uk 🙏🏾💗 If you missed it, my Restorative Yoga for Anxiety class is still available on YouTube (link in my bio along with my other #yoga offerings).
There are online Yoga Garden Party events happening throughout January with all proceeds going to HOPE - see link in @yoga_garden_party bio for details.
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REST IS ESSENTIAL ••• And we can’t move forward without it. I believe this wholeheartedly and even more so now. Especially at this time. I have taught restorative yoga for eight years and practised it for longer. This practice comes from the therapeutic work of B.K.S. Iyengar. I have deep gratitude to Mr. Iyengar for his development of the practice of restorative yoga which has been and is crucial in my life, and to @judithlasater and @boforbesyoga who I continue to learn from. My Restorative Yoga for Anxiety class is still available via the link in my bio. It’s 20 minutes long. You Deserve Rest.
I’m not teaching my usual drop-in classes this week as I am following my own advice and allowing myself some time out. But the link in my bio will take you to some other yoga resources (including downloads you can buy) at my website 🙏🏾💜
YOGA NIDRA ••• Thursdays, online 8.30-9pm with @aplacetohealbyarrigo
“Yoga Nidra can be understood as a total practice of yoga itself… a state of ‘awakened sleep’ … in this state (we encounter) auto-suggestive experience of the power of the unconscious mind and its linkage with the soul.” – Sri Ram Sharam Acharya.
Yoga nidra is deep relaxation and a way to wake up to your life.
The word ‘nidra’ translates as ‘sleep’, hence the term ‘yogic sleep’. Put simply, yoga nidra can be described as a form of meditation, though it is not so much a practice or technique as a state of being. It can be seen as an altered state of consciousness – neither being asleep or awake, but a state in-between. In this state we can find deep insights – answers we have been seeking – as well as deep relaxation and rejuvenation. (Yoga nidra can also help to enhance sleep).
One of the great beauties of yoga nidra is that you don’t need any previous experience of yoga to practice. As a practitioner, all that is required of you is to lie down in a comfortable position, listen and be willing to enter an effortless state of being, making this practice accessible to almost anyone.
In this session there will be some very gentle movement before lying down for nidra. If you like to journal then you may wish to have your journal close by for when the practice ends.
Link in bio to book or visit https://www.aplacetoheal.co.uk
I’m really looking forward to teaching a Restorative Yoga class for Yoga for HOPE @HOPE_UK as part of the the Virtual @yoga_garden_party this Thursday 7th January 6-7pm online via Zoom. 100% of proceeds will go to HOPE. Link in my bio to book.
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The second wonderful yoga offering on Thursday 7th January is restorative yoga with Paula Hines from 6pm - 7pm.
Sometimes referred to as ‘active relaxation’, in this style of yoga (stemming from the therapeutic work of B.K.S. Iyengar) we are consciously manipulating the nervous system to create ease. Props are used to facilitate relaxation by supporting the body. In RESTorative yoga we rest in each supported posture for an extended period of time. While the body is supported there is no need to ‘hold’ a posture, therefore opening the door more easily for us to completely let go.
It is known that embodied practices like restorative yoga can help us move into a parasympathetic nervous system state (rest, digest, tend/befriend, restore), away from fight/flight/freeze and back to homeostasis. So, this practice is ideal for anyone looking to slow down, relieve stress, calm excessive mind chatter, and can be especially beneficial when in a state of feeling ‘tired all the time’. Nourish yourself with this deep, slow, quiet practice.
Suggested props: 2 bed pillows (or 1-2 yoga bolsters), 3 cushions (or 2 yoga bricks and 1 flat yoga block), 1-2 blankets, 1 soft scarf or eye pillow, access to a chair or sofa or wall.
Paula is a senior yoga teacher who has practised and studied yoga for twenty years.
An experienced restorative yoga teacher, Paula is an Advanced Relax and Renew Trainer, (having studied with the renowned Judith Hanson Lasater,) with a particular focus on the therapeutic aspects of this practice for a range of conditions including anxiety and depression.
Also an experienced writer with script-writing credits for the BBC, Paula has written the monthly Teacher’s Tales column and travel features for OM Yoga Magazine since 2012.
ucanyoga.co.uk
You can book Paula's class using the link in bio.
#ygp2021 #yogaforhope #ucanyoga #restorativeyoga #rest #restandrelaxation #yoga
THE YOGA UNION IS HERE •••
“Last January, in this very column, I asked: ‘Do we need a yoga union?’ I was writing about how it increasingly seems that only people who are financially well-off, or do not need to rely on an income from teaching in order to live, will be teaching yoga. I also pondered, given that yoga is meant to be inclusive, what does this tell us? And how many great teachers have been lost already?”
This is an extract of my Teacher’s Tales column in the January 2021 issue of @omyogamagazine which is available now. You can follow the Yoga Teachers Union here on Instagram @yogateachersunionuk and join the union at yogateachersunion.uk
Yinyasa resumes this week (online via Zoom). Each Wednesday 11.30-12.30 (£7). Booking via @yogapointbrixton yogapoint.co.uk 💙
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Wednesdays 11:30 via Zoom & the @yogapointbrixton studio (when open). This class promotes health through helping you to really relax and let go. Paula @ucanyoga1 draws on many years of experience teaching yin yoga. This class begins with postures and movement and transitions to supported Yin postures. At first it may appear deceptively gentle but that is the work of this class. It allows space for the body and mind to let go and relax. To nurture and restore. #yinyogabrixton #yinonzoom #yinonline #yogatoheal #ucanyoga #yogapointbrixton #yogapointbrixtononline #brixtonyoga #hernehillyoga #tulsehillyoga #yinyoga #blackyoginis #blackyogateachers #lockdownyoga #yogawednesday #yogawednesdays
In our @menopausewhilstblack podcast conversation (see previous post for details) one of the things @thekarenarthur and I discussed was the benefits of yoga for menopause. If this is of interest to you, I’d love you to join me for my upcoming online workshop, Restoring Calm with @yogaonthelane on Saturday 27th February. You can find full workshop details and hear the podcast - available on Spotify and @applepodcasts - via the link in my bio 💛 (And if you haven’t had a chance to listen to Karen’s brilliant @menopausewhilstblack podcast series yet, do catch-up on the previous episodes too - all enriching conversations 💛)
I absolutely loved talking to @thekarenarthur! Our conversation is out now on Spotify and @applepodcasts (link in bio). And do catch-up on Episodes 1-4 if you haven’t listened already. Thank You Karen for having me as a guest on your @menopausewhilstblack podcast! 🙏🏾❤️
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A lil New Year gift for you!
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Menopause Whilst Black Episode 5 From script writing to sun salutations. Yoga for every BODY! with delightful Senior Yoga Teacher Paula Hines @ucanyoga1 is now up.
We chat grief, lockdown, BLM, spinal injury and diversity in yoga amongst other topics.
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Paula, who is perimenopausal, at first thought that she was suffering from dementia when her memory started to fail her. Her reluctance to visit a doctor stems from a distrust based on experience, anecdotes and fact based research on healthcare disparities for black folks*. Luckily she came across a TV clip of Dr Louise Newson @menopause_doctor and decided to delve deeper.
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Link to episode on iTunes in bio.
*not to be scoffed at or taken at all lightly, black folks have legitimate reasons to be wary of medical profession. (covid vaccine reluctance anyone?) ESPECIALLY black women. History and current research (if you're googling start with covid deaths, MBrace report, @fivexmore_) bears this out but that should not stop us from getting ourselves checked out at the doctors. We may miss vital info or diagnosis that could aid our symptom management.
Take a close friend, do prior research, ask questions, write (or record with permission) answers and seek a second opinion if you're unsure.
#menopausewhilstblack #MWBPod #makemenopausediverse #makemenopausematter #olderblackwomen #perimenopause #menotalk #africandiaspora #jamaica #london #yogaforall #blackyogateachers
In our #menopausewhilstblack podcast chat (see previous tweet) one of the topics @ReddskinUK and I discussed was #yogaformenopause. If this is of interest to you, I’d love you to join me for my upcoming online workshop: https://www.yogaonthelane.com/workshopsandcourses/2021/2/27/restoring-calm-an-online-yoga-for-menopause-workshop-with-paula-hines
#YogaNidra online, Thursdays 8.30-9pm with A Place to Heal.
Details here: https://www.aplacetoheal.co.uk/events-1/yoganidra14thjanuary