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.
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Restorative & Yin Yoga at studios in Southwest London.
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EMBRACING SECOND SPRING: A Yin Yoga + Yoga Nidra for Menopause Class
Saturday 3rd October 3-4.30pm 2020 Online via Zoom with @aplacetohealbyarrigo Donation-based Class
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the third important stage in a woman’s reproductive life - the menopausal years - is known as ‘Second Spring’ – a renewal of energy and opportunities.
In this 90-minute class especially for women in a stage of menopause you will be guided through a nourishing and gently rejuvenating yin yoga practice to support you in embracing your own ‘Second Spring’ and thriving through menopause and beyond.
In this slow, floor-based practice (with the optional use of props such as blankets, pillows or bolsters), each pose typically lasts for three to five minutes. Our yin yoga practice will prepare us for part two of the workshop – an extended yoga nidra (‘yogic sleep’) practice.
To book your place, please click the link in my bio or visit the A Place to Heal website.
WARM ••• The 4th of the fundamentals of restorative yoga. Keeping the body warm enough is essential to being able to fully relax and be comfortable. In savasana (and all of our restorative postures), because the body is still for an extended period of time, the body’s core temperature will drop, as it needs to in helping to facilitate the ‘relaxation response’ - a term popularised by Herbert Benson in his 1975 book of the same name - (e.g. think of how you often instinctively reach for the duvet or something to cover up late at night when you are winding down). This is why having a blanket(s) to hand to cover up when practising is important. Also, as the extremities can get cold quite quickly it is a good idea to have a pair of socks for your feet. I like tucking hands into a blanket to keep them warm too. Blankets are your friends 😊
DEEP LISTENING ••• “One of the many things that came from my own experience of this year was that deep listening was (and still is) more necessary than ever. I did move to teaching online but not instantly; I needed to pause and reflect first. I doubled down on my practices, delving deeper into Svadhyaya.” ••• The October issue of @omyogamagazine is out now. In my Teacher’s Tales column this month: ‘What is your teaching Dharma?’ Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to be able to study with @tracee_stanley. One of the many things Tracee shared with us was the notion of being clear on your own teaching Dharma. Gratitude to Tracee and thank you for inspiring the theme of this month’s column 🙏🏾 I also talk about @menopausewhilstblack @menopause_yoga and you’ll find mention of my upcoming online SLEEP + REST programme for Better Sleep and Energy during Perimenopause and Menopause. Read this article in full on pg. 104. (Details for SLEEP + REST via the link in my bio 🧡)
#Repost @andrearanaej
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The system isn't broken; it's functioning exactly as we've allowed it to.
The system isn't broken; it's a reflection of our individual and collective decisions and actions.
It is easier to project blame onto the people and systems that are outside of us than it is to engage with our own responsibility and accountability.
To be with what is (within + in our world) and ask ourselves "what now?"
There is a comfort in asserting that we must reform, dismantle, or abolish a system while also avoiding the questions that are most vital:
What is mine to do here?
What is my responsibility?
How are my decisions and actions upholding this way of being, this culture, this system that I say must go?
And what am I willing to do about it?
(More) Reflection prompts:
What decisions am I making (in my everyday life, work and relationships)?
How am I using my power (in my everyday life, work and relationships)?
How am I using who I am and what I have available to me?
What are the consequences of these decisions?
What now? 👀
You are the system and the revolution.
Adding more questions:
If you have the power to vote, how are you wielding that? What are the consequences? What now?
If you have access to money, capital, resources, how are using that? What are the consequences? What now?
If you have a certain type of privilege (white, beauty, passport, class, etc) how are you using that? What are the consequences?
What decisions are you making re: relating to the land, your body, children, resources?
Ultimately – are you getting what you want? If not, what now?
Reposting myself today:
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ORIGINS OF RESTORATIVE YOGA ••• “As long as you are maintaining that stable mind, in all the upheavals of the emotional life, for me, that is Samadhi (union with God).” - B.K.S Iyengar ••• In today’s post I would like to express deep gratitude to B.K.S. Iyengar of Pune, India (14 December 1918 - 20 August 2014) for his development of the practice of Restorative Yoga. According to Mr Iyengar, Restorative Yoga “...creates space inside the body and flushes out the impediments and clears the energy blocks and nervous system.” I never got to study with Mr Iyengar but I am glad I got to study with Judith Hanson Lasater who was a student of Mr Iyengar for many years. I really like this photo of Mr Iyengar - note the use of barbell plates here for extra grounding and the abundance of props for support and comfort 😊 (For more on ‘weighting’ see my post from earlier this week). This is a still from the film ‘Sadhaka - The yoga of B.K.S. Iyengar’ - worth a watch if you get the opportunity.
#FBF 365 SAVASANA ••• “Filling our own cup enables us to give our best to the people, work and causes we care most about.” ••• #fbf to my @omyogamagazine column from September 2014 when I wrote about why I decided to practise savasana for 20 minutes, every day for one year. Of course, you don’t have to do what I did, but can you give yourself 20 minutes today?
If you’d like to read the article in full you can find it in the link in my bio 💜
My upcoming yoga offerings are all about rest and helping you to fill yourself back up. Join me for in-person yoga today @embodyvauxhall Friday Flow & Restore 6-7.15pm (book at embodywellness.co.uk) 🧘🏾♀️ or tomorrow online for The Rest Sessions - my 2.5hr workshop grounded in restorative yoga (see link in my bio for workshop details and to book) 🧘🏾♀️
WEIGHTING ••• The events of the last 24hrs.... I will be practising this today - maybe this will be helpful to you too.
Black Lives Still Matter, even if this is no longer filling your social media feed. Ask yourself honestly: what are you doing beyond these squares?
In this video, filmed at @embodyvauxhall, I am using a bolster on my torso for weighting. If you have access to sandbags you can use those, but this can also practised with the aid of blankets.
Did you know that weighting poses has the capacity to be soothing for people with depression or lethargy, while for those with anxiety it can feel grounding? I first came across this during my first training with Judith Hanson Lasater in 2012. I have found weighting helpful as a tool in my own practice ever since. You can watch this video in full by clicking the link in my bio or here 👉🏾
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sZiwKw7pPp8
I will be back here at Embody Wellness this Friday teaching Flow & Restore 6-7.15pm when we will be using this principle of weighting poses in class.
This weekend you can also join me online for my 2.5hr workshop grounded in restorative yoga - The Rest Sessions. For more details and to book click the link in my bio.
DARK ••• WHY DO WE RECOMMEND USING AN EYE COVER IN RESTORATIVE YOGA? ••• Light can be an irritant and hinder our ability to fully relax in our savasana. Today I am sharing @boforbesyoga’s excellent, informative explanation on this subject. I have been fortunate enough to attend two in-person trainings with Bo, and if this area is of remote interest to you I would encourage you seek out her work. I always recommend Bo’s book, Yoga for Emotional Balance to trainee yoga teachers on @sallyparkesyoga’s 200-hr when I lecture on #restorativeyoga. Here are Bo’s words 👉🏾 #Repost @boforbesyoga
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Eye pillows have a reputation for being the new age version of snake oil: a little bit of flax, and a lot of money. Yet they may be one of our most powerful healing tools, especially when it comes to a balanced nervous system. Your vagus nerve is one of twelve cranial nerves that originates in the brain, travels down the back of the neck and into the chest and heart, and then moves down into the abdomen and digestive tract.
Light pressure on the eyeballs lowers heart rate, sometimes by quite a bit, by eliciting what’s called the oculocardiac reflex. It also stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve has an extensive resume: It regulates heart rate and digestion, and it’s the primary medium through which our belly brain regulates mood. It’s the main communicator to our rest-and-digest system, which helps us to relax more deeply. It also elicits our tend-and-befriend system, enabling us to reach out and connect with others. This is a critical factor in long-term stress resilience and, research shows, in happiness.
One quick way to stimulate your vagus nerve is through this abdominal massage. Another is to use eye pillows, which place light pressure on the eyeballs.
When to use an eye pillow:
Put one over your eyes or on your forehead when you lay down to sleep. This will help you fall asleep more quickly and stay asleep throughout the night.
Use one at the end of your yoga practice during savasana for ultra relaxation.
Pair it with your restorative yoga practice to deepen embodiment. (Also try my two restorative poses to combat effects of anxiety and depression.)
Just posted a photo https://www.instagram.com/p/CFtvBTxnuZh/?igshid=96gnu0oxzo0n