The Benefits of Chaturanga
Chaturanga Dandasana is an advanced form of a low plank and is regularly taught as part of a vinyasa class or within the Ashtanga Yoga Series. So, what’s it about?
Just like plank, which we may be more familiar with, this posture relies hugely on the strength of our core muscles. While you need a strong core to hold a plank, practicing it will hugely strengthen those muscles!
The Benefits of Headstand
An inversion is any pose in yoga, where the head is lower than the heart (opposite to when standing) and there are so many benefits to this type of posture. Headstands call for increased strength and flexibility in order to move toward it, which means that you are gaining on many levels at every step of the journey.
The masculine aspect of being is consistent and unchanging. This is about being the container, the space holder, the awareness that sits behind it all. The feminine then weaves through this structure with constant motion, the power and force that allows for all change and growth. This is where seasonal yoga is born, from an understanding that the natural world, including us, is in constant motion and therefore requires a different approach at different phases and cycles.
Immerse in Winter…
These shorter days encourage us to lean into the nights, a time for softness, steadiness, stillness. We live in a cyclical world and each season impacts the next, we save more energy in the winter and spend more in the summer. Of course, if we don’t save, we have nothing to spend.
Making Intentions Stick…
New Year intentions can sometimes feel daunting and if we make one that seems too far out of reach, it’s quite likely to end sooner than we’d have liked. At Heather Yoga, we believe that the best intentions are ones that truly nourish you on a holistic level.
Journaling is a very potent and accessible tool that can be harnessed for personal growth and to achieve our new intentions whilst manifesting change. Often, we are moving through life at a high speed, constantly looking forward towards the next thing. Journaling is a method of taking our foot off the accelerator pedal and tuning in to reflect on what’s been and how we’d like to grow.
Tomorrow our new booking system BSport comes into effect. Instructions have been emailed to you via the platform. (that is a legit email if you were wondering!) If you haven’t already done so, please set up your BSport account today!
This is the darkest month of the year and the lack of daylight can present some challenges for many of us. When the sun rises around 8am and starts to set at 3:30/4pm, it can feel like we are somehow ‘losing out’ and it’s difficult to fit in what we may be used to doing in a single day.
The Sanskrit word for fire is ‘agni’ which is also the word used to refer to the digestive system. This highlights the ancient view of the digestive fire, needed to be activated and strong yet not overpowering to entirely destroy. It’s important to keep the digestive fire burning during all seasons but of course as we move into winter, it’s extra helpful to be able to hone the powers of internal warmth.
A mandala is a Hindu and Buddhist symbol which represents wholeness. Each part of the symbol contributes to both the larger circular figure and the ‘buddhi’ – centre of all. This symbol demonstrates how each and every living being and action contributes to the whole macrocosm. No matter how small or big the mandala, there is no break, it is whole.
