Yoga

Sat Kriya – The everything Kriya!
March 29, 2020

A Kriya that I simply LOVE, I started doing it from the beginning of my journey is Sat Kriya, a sitting movement that can be done in as little as 3 minutes.

It’s called the ‘everything Kriya’ because it gives you a great tune up.

The Kriya features Sat meaning truth and Naam meaning connection or name. It involves some inner movement, at the navel, much like a wave to ride or a seesaw to stay on!

Below is a video of how to do it, if it’s your first time start at the beginning, if your familiar to it play it at 5.45 minutes. Check out more yoga videos here.

Enjoy!

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Why and how to tune in before doing any Kundalini Yoga or meditation
March 17, 2020

I started experimenting with drawing posters with words and yoga inspiration on a couple of months ago. I find the process of drafting in pencil, putting on paper then onto the computer for people to have their own fun and I hope it’s useful too. I’m now exploring the same though with the help of my iPad and Procreate, I cut out the use of my scanner and photoshop and get a better result overtime.

I shared some posters, you can find them on my Free resources page, a student who learned with me reminded me ‘What about tuning in?’ Of course! Something I do automatically and beginners need to before any meditation or yoga Kriya.

The video below and poster are a result of that nudge and inspiration that I believe came from a good place, my friend Helen coaches people at Empowering Transformation.

To download your free copy of the poster on tuning in, click the link> Howtotunein

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Why I no longer refer to Yoga as a Gas Station
February 17, 2020

In my early twenties, before I discovered Kundalini Yoga, I practiced Bikram hot yoga at home, layers on, heating on full. I liked the style, it being only 26 postures and being warm the whole time.

There has been some controversy with Bikram, there’s a Netflix documentary about him called Yogi, Guru, Predator. A simple man, why so many flash cars?

I don’t doubt he helped and changed people’s lives over the years. If my hand hadn’t got hit by a car while cycling or my heating system didn’t break for months at the same time, I may have done it a lot longer.

The Universe has it’s ways of subtle ways of showing what’s to come.

In the audio recordings I listened to, his strong motivating tone while I moved positions, he described yoga to be like a gas station (petrol station). These words stuck to me and looking back I got home from a horrible job, cycling 3 miles there and 3 miles back. I rolled out my mat before dinner, convinced this gas station’ would give me enough energy to cook, clean, watch TV and talk with my partner. And it did!

Though doing things this way, I seemed to overlook why I needed that extra energy anyway. Was my job not interesting or satisfying enough? Was I doing everything in the house and not task delegating as I could? Was I watching rubbish tv to pass the time? Was I in a relationship that didn’t serve me?

Yes to every single one. I wrote a post sharing a great set of vows in 2016.

Yet every day I went to my gas station to fill up and be on my way, without questioning a darn thing.

Ask better questions, if it hurts to, dare your self.

Now I don’t see doing a yoga set as, like a gas station, I see it as coming to the mat to feel.

Really feel.

Whether it be yoga or meditation, in the mornings I can hear an influx of inspiration or frustration flood my way. I could block it all out and push on. Sometimes I do fists of anger or ego eradicator to begin, to release old energy.

Though if I sit at my cushion and cry, I allow myself to feel, know they are tears of grace, I do a short prayer asking for guidance and I carry on.

I feel rather than sit in resistance.

Have you had a similar experience you would like to share? Comment below.

*The image is a throw back to when I first started teaching at my parents house, I’d have a cup of tea in my rainbow mug while incense was burning and read some Kundalini material for a boost of inspiration.

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New meditation and about the navel free printable
February 11, 2020

It’s been a while since I’ve done any kind of freebie and I’m excited as it’s the first with my handwriting and drawings on! I will do a blog post on how I get shit done with a baby soon.

The first free printable is a meditation called Alternate breath, it’s in an A4 booklet Yogi Bhajan wrote about communication, a topic that interests me in yoga, there’s a teaching training module purely on that alone.

Alternate breath is what I do when I only have 3 minutes before the world starts moving at full speed. I also do it when I have a few minutes to myself in the afternoon as it’s a great re start and pick me up. It slows me down but energises at the same time. The trick is to really slow your breathing down, do a full inhale and full exhale each time.

Click on the link to open and print your free copy:

Download alternate breath

The second is about the navel, a point I wanted to research more about and make it easy to understand, remember and actively use. If you want to know more about the navel click the link below for your free copy:

Download navel part 1 Download navel part 2

Both these can be found on my Free Resources page! Enjoyed these or have ideas for more – comment below!

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Warm up with frogs and energise yourself!
January 29, 2020

A warm up I’ve been re-exploring this week in preparation to teach the next set in the the Aquarian Sutra’s series are frogs! A lot of resistance comes up when I even think about doing frogs, though what you resist persists so I may as well do them.

Frogs, as I will go over, are an up and down motion (like a frog) and are a great warm up as you get warm very quickly and after you’ll probably want to sit down and start yoga or meditation right away, anything but more frogs.

Frogs are incredibly energising, they activate our lower energy centres to move higher up. I once read they rid depression and from experience I do feel lighter and happier after doing them and more intention focused in my day.

There’s a sense of accomplishment after reaching 26 frogs or doing a full 108 repetitions, you can add more as you go each day.

Posture description:

Stand up and place your heels together, toes turned out. Squat down and raise the heels (keeping them together where possible). Place your finger tips on the floor in front of you.

Inhale, raise the hips and straighten the legs, exhale and return down to squatting position. Your head stays in the same position, looking forward, eyes closed.

Continue 26 times. Smile, laugh, sigh with relief and sit down stretch it out!

Front view

 

Side view

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Why do morning yoga classes?
January 22, 2020

I often feel so inspired after teaching class, as I put mats away I blast one last song, usually, one that featured in the Kriya, the long-time sun song or Together we will rise by Effie Passero.

I drive home playing a song and my day starts.

I notice there’s a sense of calm to my day, the schedule (or lack of with a baby), the frustrations are still there, interactions are ever-present though I surprise myself.

I surprise myself with how I respond rather than react. Yogi Bhajan said Kundalini Yoga wouldn’t solve our problems, it would see us through them.

I draft a blog post on my phone that Iater finished.
I find I’m laughing at breakfast TV.
I take action on a goal in a twenty-minute baby free moment.
I don’t mind when plans change and enjoy a walk to the shops that are not in any way ‘scenic’.
I sing a mantra I used in class recently ‘Ek Ong Kar Sat Gurprasad’ to mean that everything is a gift from a higher source, EVERYTHING, and work on embodying it.
Instead of getting stressed and hung up on something I say to myself – I choose peace and I feel lighter for it.

I don’t feel these things come just from being a teacher, they come from being there in class. You may come for the stretches, or to move in a new way and that’s great!

Be open for inner change that leads to outer change, it may not be positive straight away as you work through blocks and issues. As a caterpillar, it’s worth the time, the effort to emerge as a butterfly.

Morning yoga classes set your day ahead in a new way, it ups the frequency from combined effort and energy of being with others with the similar interests and values.

You are a powerhouse and it’s only 7.30AM.

Classes have started for the year 2020, you can read about Tuesday morning class and new Thursday evening class in East London on my yoga classes page!

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