I stumbled upon this a few weeks ago whilst wondering around London....

proof that love is everywhere you look, sometimes you just have to open your eyes!!

This is becoming my mantra, at least for today.... 

It seems to me that we often over think things so much when they are actually pretty simple, and become so scared we might get it wrong that we don't even try! I'm not sure this applies to me as I tend to jump into things, even if cautiously, but still.... worth remembering when you're standing on the edge of that hypothetical cliff edge wondering whether to leap or walk away.... JUST LEAP!!! you never know what you're leaping into, but if you walk away... well, you know where you've just come from as you're about to go straight back there!!

the eight limbs

 

Running a Yoga Business

Well, we have been published!! For those of you who haven't seen, there is an article in the December issue of OM Yoga magazine all about this little yoga business, Live Love Yoga. Go out and buy it, and have a read!

The article sums  how to follow your dreams, keep a positive attitude as well as a savvy mind. As a businesswoman, setting up Live Love Yoga has been a hard process, with lots of learning curves! However, finding other companies to help me, such as Cuckoo Vine, have been a great way to get the name out there.

I have chosen to work with a broad range of students, moving away from Gyms from time to time, and embracing the students who wouldn't necessarily join a yoga class, such as those with health problems, disabilities, amputees. I love working with all these different people, and making yoga more accessible so that it moves away from a fitness regime and towards a state of mind.

So, I just thought I should, and would, shout about the article in Om, because it's not every day that my hard work gets noticed!!
enjoy! Nathalie

The path of least resistance

I attended a yoga training last weekend which, as always, has enriched my practice and my teaching. I love to go on training courses - it reminds me that I am always a student, and there is always more to learn. So I wanted to share with you all a few things that have stuck in my mind. 

 During the workshop on back bends we looked at a familiar pose - Crescent Lunge. Whilst it is easy to lean into a back bend in this pose, we are continually reminded to 'save back bends for back bends'. It is so easy for the body to bend in the lumbar spine, thrusting the hips forward and tilting the bum back. Rather than do this, we began by bending our back knee, lengthening the tailbone, drawing the lower ribs towards the hip bones. From here we started to straighten the back leg, lifting the back thigh towards the ceiling and pressing the ball of the back foot into the ground.



I have never come in to a lunge this way - maybe others already have?! I could really feel it stretching across my psoas and illiacus - across my hip and down my thigh. It's a really great way to make sure that your body doesn't take the path of least resistance.

The workshop really reminded me how the body prefers to take this path, choosing the easiest way to bend and move. Often when we are doing yoga we give in to this, bending in to the weak areas such as the lower back. Next time why not give this a go and see how different it feels!

Yoga, Surfing and a sense of calm

I was recently asked how I became involved with yoga, and my answer was 'Surfing'. Without a doubt! I was drawn to the physical aspect of an exercise that could improve my surfing, and replace it when the weather was rubbish! However, the more I practiced yoga, and the more I surfed, the more I realised that it was more than just my body that was being toned.

For many of us, we work our bodies to create a desired look. And sometimes we forget about the feel. When I get out of the sea the last thing I think is 'how do I look'.... I know that I look like a drowned rat! But, I feel fired up, full of energy, calm and relaxed, all at the same time. Maybe its something to do with the adrenalin released when exerting energy, the sense of achievement just from managing to get to your feet, coupled with the cleansing nature of the sea?

I first began to surf in Australia, where I enjoyed a pretty intense exercise regime of running on the beach and yoga every day. It is no surprise that when I returned to England I found it a lot harder to motivate myself to get out there... perhaps something to do with howling northerly winds? Driving rain? or the fact I had to wear boots, gloves and a hood for half the year when in the water, rather than just a bikini!! I needed to find something else that could help me to remain fit, and this is where yoga came along.

The less I surfed, the more I realised that I enjoyed it not just because it made me strong and healthy, but because it gave me an immense sense of calm. I felt agitated more often, and struggled to find a release for this energy. Slowly I began to study yoga, going to a local class specially aimed at surfers. When I left the class I felt a similar blissed out feeling that I used to get at the end of a sunset surf session, when the water was rippling with oranges and blues, my eyelashes were salt encrusted and my arms aching. I was hooked. But it wasnt because I noticed I was more supple, stronger, more toned. It was because of the way I felt.

There are many people who are not as lucky as me, and have not been able to roam around freely with a surf board and a yoga mat, exploring the world. And there are many people who do not have the physical ability to pop up on a wave, or to lift their body up into a handstand. But for all of us there is a space for a moment of calm. Whether it be on a mat, a board, a bike, in a book.... the list goes on. In a world as fast paced and chaotic as ours can be, sometimes this is all we really need.

Yoga Re-Treat

I have been planning a yoga retreat in Cornwall with a couple of friends, and in doing so I have realised the true sense of the word retreat, which I wanted to share! It's a re-energizing, reviving, re-awakening treat. A way for you to take some time out to give something back to yourself, something you don't usual have, that makes you feel special, loved and cared for. A treat! And for those of you who love yoga, what better treat than to practice nothing but yoga for a few days, without the distractions of life. At the end of the retreat you are left feeling like you have a new lease of life, calm, yet energized and ready for another round of life. Able to face this next round with a little bit more clarity thanks to the time out. Time to step away from the picture, re-assess, and then come back with a whole new perspective. Or possibly the same perspective, just clearer.

With all this in mind I have decided that re-treats are a necessity, even though treats are considered a bonus,  if we're lucky and have been very very good. It is not an over indulgent way to pamper oneself. It is a way to bring back that balance which is so easily lost. To show some kindness and generosity to yourself. And in doing so to those around you, who will no doubt benefit from your improved state of mind once you have re-treated from the mayhem around you for a few days!

So whether it be a weekend of yoga in Cornwall or a week of yoga in Costa Rica, or a month of yoga in India, make sure you take the time you deserve to treat yourself. And if a few days is out of the questions, re-treat to your mat...wherever you are.