Pose of the month!

Dear friends , Hope you are all well and managing to do some yoga !

Here is the yoga pose of the month: The happy baby pose!

 

Beautifully demonstrated by my baby Luke!

This pose has many benefits such as:

Benefits of Happy Baby Pose:

·    Releases lower back and sacrum

·    Opens hips, inner thighs, and groin

·    Stretches the hamstrings

·    Relieves lower back pain

·    Stretches and soothes the spine

·    Calms the brain

·    Helps relieve stress and fatigue

Begin by laying flat on your back. Exhale and bend the knees into the belly. Inhale and grip the outside of each foot with the corresponding hand. If you find it difficult to grip your feet, try looping a belt or yoga strap over each sole and holding on to the ends of it. Open your knees slightly wider than your torso and bring them up towards your armpits.

Stack each ankle directly over the knee so that the shins are perpendicular to the floor. With gentle movements, push your feet up into your hands and pull down with your hands to create resistance. Flex your feet. Lengthen your spine as you bring your thighs into your torso and towards the floor.

Hold this posture for 30 seconds to a minute. Exhale and release the feet back to the floor.

 

 Love and hugs , Lucy x Namaste x x

 

Pregnancy  Yoga Classes

Bringing  greater awareness and connection to mother and  baby: 

Private classes available

A 6 week yoga course designed specifically for pregnant Mums to help prepare mothers to cope with the emotional, physical and mental changes within their bodies and prepare them for motherhood. Using poses, relaxation and breathing exercises to help guide you through the stages of pregnancy, labour and beyond.  Giving your baby the best possible start.

Suitable for all levels of ability

All poses will be modified accordingly to suit each mother as her body changes

For Mums at 14 weeks pregnancy onwards

What to expect weeks 1-6 :

·         Learn gentle poses to help gain flexibility to reduce stiffness and tension in joints and so leading to an easier pregnancy and  birth

 

·         Learn meditation and relaxation techniques to help cope with pregnancy and labour.

 

·         Learn poses to help improve digestion and helping to eliminate toxins and reduce stress, varicose veins and haemorrhoids

·         Gain support and feel relaxed in a non-judgemental environment, sharing your pregnancy experience with like-minded women

·         Learn how to minimise pregnancy symptoms such as nausea, tiredness, back pain, fluid retention and headaches

 

·         Learn how the body changes throughout pregnancyHelp maintain a healthy weight and diet during pregnancy

 

·         Learn to connect with your baby

 

·         Learn poses to help strengthen the pelvic floor and to help the body during labour, recover after the birth and help support the internal organs

 

·         Learn useful postures to help your baby get into the correct position for birth and learn postures and positions during labour to help bring your baby into the world with ease

 

·         Learn about labour and pain management techniques

 

·         Learn how to help with post natal depression after birth

 

·         Learn how to exercise safely after giving birth

 

 

Bookings are essential ~ Maximum 8 people only

Tel:  Lucy Cawdron:   07743 378036.      Email:  lucy@enerchi-fitness.com 

                                           www.enerchi-fitness.com

Final power yoga class!

Dear friends
I have attatched a few pix from our final class held on Tuesday. I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who made it and also a big thank you to everyone who came to our classes each week this year.  When I first started our classes I never expected them to become as popular as they did! On the first week only 2 people came, then week by week more and more people joined! You have all inspired me in so many ways and watching eveyone improve week by week was so rewarding, everyone should be very proud of themselves for taking an hour out of your day to do something good for you, good for your mind and body.  So for that, a big well done and I really hope you all continue to practice at home, even if it is only for 10 minutes a day or even a few Sun Salutations is enough to help balance the energy flow within the body and restore balance.
I will be back teaching in the new year but in the meantime I will continue with our monthly newsletters :)
Lots of love and hugs!
Namaste
Lucy x x x

Yoga Breathing

Dear friends, I am always trying to explain how we should breathe in yoga and sometimes it can be hard for me to explain in depth so here is a piece I found in my Max Storm book. I hope it helps :)

In yoga the breath is called the OCEAN BREATH. The Ocean Breath helps to open the heart center and helps emotional healing. It is calming to the mind and also helps to process grief. The Ocean Breath should be practiced everyday in your daily life, not just during yoga.  Practice for 10 minutes each day an hour or more after eating and it may be practiced in the morning and again in the evening before bedtime. When you learn to breathe well you may experience tears. This is caused by the releasing of trapped grief that you have been holding onto for years, trapped emotions being released. Eventually the tears with lesson as the grief is released over time.
One of the ways many people push grief down in the lungs is through smoking. Smoking is a way of pushing emotions down and it is a way for people who don't know how to deal with their feelings to repress their problems. But of course the emotions are not gone just stored away and this method will have consequences in the future. During yoga classes people will learn to breath and eventually most people do stop smoking. This is a natural result of learning to breath well.
The breath is one of the most powerfull transformative tools available to us and most people don't actually know how to breathe correctly!

Benefits of conscious breathing:

• Stronger lungs
• Healthier heart and diaphragm
• In many cases the ability to heal asthma and release the habit of smoking
• Nervous system is calmed diminishing stress, lowering blood pressure and heart rate
• Improves sleep
• Allows us to identify and heal emotional wounds from our past

Remember - our breath and emotions are interrelated.

Instructions for Ocean Breathing: (Called the Ocean Breath due to the wave like sounds of the ocean the breath makes, pulling in fresh air and expelling stale air and stress.

• Stand with feet 3 feet apart and straight
• Bend the knees 6 inches and lengthen the spine
• Bring the hands to heart center and press the palms together in prayer
• Inhale through the mouth and open the arms out to the side shoulder level expanding the lungs, chest and belly.  Pause,  then exhale back out through the mouth as if you were fogging a mirror with your breath bringing  the arms back to heart center
• Continue the movements inhaling, opening the arms to the side, exhaling bringing hands back to the heart center  

The lips should be slightly parted and you should be making a ocean wave sound when inhaling and exhaling.

Breath into the lungs, chest and ribs

Continue for 5-10 minutes. You may experience an emotional feeling afterwards. Receive it as a healing experience and you will feel more peaceful, refreshed and balanced.

Once you have mastered this breath you may go onto the next level.  This is where you breathe making the same sound in the same way but with the lips closed and teeth slightly apart. The sound made is exactly the same, the only change is the lips are closed.

You may also practice while in a seated position  without the arm movements, spine tall and shoulders relaxed.

The chest is the most difficult part of the body to open, you may think you have tight hips or hamstrings but in fact the heart region of the body is usually the tightest area, emotionally constricted. The sayings 'she broke my heart' and 'he stabbed me in the back' etc. shows this is an area where most emotional healing work needs to be done.

Resistance to breathing is resistance to change, resistance to change is resistance to living, resistance to living is a kind of walking death. Inhale deeply friend, inhale. Your breathing practices and emotional healing will lead you to virtuous behaviour and a life of non- grasping and joy. The heart, unencumbered by grief and resentment, will blossom from merely an emotional heart into a spiritual heart.

Love and hugs 
Lucy x x 
Namaste

Prenatal Yoga classes coming soon!!

I am currently 26 weeks pregnant with my first baby. Like many other women I am sure, I have lots of fears and worries about labour. I am half way through my pregnancy yoga course and I have learnt so much including labour should not be something to fear but something to be celebrated and cherished.
I will soon be setting up prenatal yoga classes from home to help pregnant women and their babies, helping towards a safe,  healthy and happy pregnancy. Below is an outline of what my classes will offer, along with the benefits:

Bringing  greater awareness and connection to mother and  baby: 
A 10 week yoga course designed specifically for pregnant Mums to help prepare mothers to cope with the emotional, physical and mental changes within their bodies and prepare them for motherhood. Using poses, relaxation and breathing exercises to help guide you through the stages of pregnancy, labour and beyond.  Giving your baby the best possible start.

Suitable for all levels of ability
All poses will be modified accordingly to suit each mother as her body changes

For Mums at 14 weeks pregnancy onwards

What to expect weeks 1-10

       ·         Learn gentle poses to help gain flexibility to reduce stiffness and tension in joints and so
               leading to an easier pregnancy and  birth

·         Learn meditation and relaxation techniques to help cope with pregnancy and labour

·         Learn poses to help improve digestion and helping to eliminate toxins and reduce stress,  varicose veins and haemorrhoids

·         Gain support and feel relaxed in a non-judgemental environment, sharing your pregnancy experience with like-minded women

·         Learn how to minimise pregnancy symptoms such as nausea, tiredness, back pain, fluid retention and headaches

·         Learn how the body changes throughout pregnancy

·         Help maintain a healthy weight and diet during pregnancy

·         Learn to connect with your baby

·         Learn poses to help strengthen the pelvic floor and to help the body during labour, recover after the birth and help support the internal organs

·         Learn useful postures to help your baby get into the correct position for birth and learn postures and positions during labour to help bring your baby into the world with ease

·         Learn about labour and pain management techniques

·         Learn how to help with post natal depression after birth

·         Learn how to exercise safely after giving birth

Benefits:

·         Reduces cholesterol and high blood pressure

·         Improves respiration

·         Reduces free radicals within the body

·         Boosts the immune system and circulation

·         Improves concentration and vision

·         Helps towards a healthier, happier and longer life!

·         Helps women become stronger and calmer, both physically and mentally, in preparation for childbirth

·         Women can share their worries with other Mums and feel at ease knowing they are in the same position

·         Talking about their fears will help and I am here to help reassure them

·         The practice of yoga can help a woman deal with the changes she goes through mentally, physically and emotionally by helping her accept the changes and adapt to her condition

·         Yoga will help women become in tune with their body and listen to their body.  Knowing what their body needs is important for both mother and baby

·         Yoga will help women learn how to breathe, relax and be in control during contractions, all important when going through childbirth

·         Yoga will help create a bond between mother and baby as the mother is more aware of the life inside her

·         Many women can become fearful, stressed or panicky during pregnancy and through yoga women can learn to be in control of all worries and stress

·         Yoga has many benefits regards the health of mother and baby and so the mother will feel good in knowing she has given her baby the best possible start in life

·         Yoga strengthens the whole body, increases flexibility and reduces tension and will therefore make labour easier

·         Can reduce symptoms such as morning sickness, headaches and fatigue

·         Can help mothers to be in control of weight by having a healthy approach to eating and way of living. Reduces cravings, improves digestion and elimination of toxins and also reduces the risk of fluid retention by improving the lymphatic system

·         Helps strengthen the back and so helps prevent back pain or prolapse

·         Helps reduce the chances of haemorrhoids, varicose veins and high blood pressure by stimulating all the vital organs and ensuring they function correctly

·         Exercise through yoga will help the mother get back into shape easier and quicker after birth

·         Helps post natal depression

·         Helps relieve postnatal symptoms such as aching back and shoulders

·         Strengthens the pelvic and tummy muscles floor after delivery

Please contact me for class details 
Love and hugs,
Lucy x x 
Namaste

Storing emotions within the body

As most of you know, certain poses help to heal or cure many health concerns.  If you have a particular health concern please let me know so I can include specific poses to help you  more in that particular area in our classes.

I have been reading a  great book called – A Life Worth Breathing  by Max Storm. He is a yoga teacher and travels all over the world holding workshops and spreading his knowledge. I have just finished reading a chapter on tension within the body:

Nothing happens in the mind that does'nt happen in the body. They are one. Within our bodies we hold emotional, mental and tactile experiences of our past and present. By manipulating the body with yoga  we release buried negative emotions that are crippling to our spiritual progress. Our spiritual intent realigns our misaligned emotional body.

From my experience as a practitioner, and especially as a teache , I have witnessed that certain areas of the body contain different emotions.

Areas we hold tension and emotions:

The face: One simple technique to transform this negative habit into a positive is to add the act of relaxing your face on your list that you use for postures. In other words when you go into a pose you have a list - things to think about and adjust and usually in a particular order.  In Down Dog for example you may think about the placement of your feet, then your hands, then the quality of your breath. Put relax my face on the list for every posture.  By doing this you will elicit the relaxation in your nervous system and likely to carry the habit over into your daily life.

The chest: Opening the chest through back bends, handstands and deep twists can release several emotions, including grief, inspiration, joy, compassion and profound gratitude; this is because the chest is the home of the heart centre. Who you are and what your current issues are will determine which emotions you experience.

Recommended poses: Down facing dog. Camel. Wheel. Spinal twist.

The thighs : The thighs can be silos of anger.  Stretching them can release backlogged anger out of the body. Doing so can be very uncomfortable,but afterwards you may feel a new sense of buoyancy and optimism.

Recommended poses: Bridge.  Camel. Wheel. Cresent Moon.

The hips: Sometimes while opening the hips people experience waves of sadness. This particular sadness is usually linked to dealing with shame, loss of a beloved partner, sometimes even trauma particularly from early life.  Women tend to become emotional in hip openers more often that men whereas men tend to become more emotional by opening the chest.

Recommended poses: Pigeon. Happy Baby.  Cow Face Pose.

The shoulders and neck: The archetype of atlas carrying the world on his shoulders is quite accurate. The shoulders seem to carry what we feel are our emotional burdens, often imposed by outside authority figures or circumstances. So stress gathers there making our shoulders and neck stiffen like concrete. Opening the shoulders gives us a feeling of elation and freedom.

Recommended poses: Down Facing Dog.  Warrier 1.  Side Plank.  Shoulder Stand.  Cow Face Pose.

Throat and jaw: A chronic tight jaw can be a symptom of unexpressed rage. No amount of yoga will cure this syndrome. You must access who it is that you feel unexpressed rage toward and attempt to appropriately express it. This may ultimately require a major life change such as a new career but the consequences of avoiding the heart of the matter will only be adverse.

Recommended poses: Fish Pose.  Shoulder Stand.  Wheel .

Solar plexus: Located in the upper belly just below the rib cage and above the navel. This region is below the heart centre and houses different emotions, it is the area where we experience feelings of anger and fear when we are threatened, which leads to the fight or flight response. 

Recommended  poses : Twists and Back Bends to help release these feelings

The feet: The feet are like portals that bring in energy from the earth and generate energy flow up through the legs into the body. By opening and strengthening the feet the entire movement of energy throughout the body is enhanced, along with overall health and stagnant energy and blood flow released.          

It has taken me many years to learn what yoga is truly about. I always used to  judge my practice on how far I could stretch but I have learnt it is totally NOT about that and it always makes me giggle when I hear people say they can t do yoga because they can t touch there toes!  There is so much more to it than that and because of my practice I have become a much more balanced and happier person.  It just takes time, practice and patience with yourself to learn to breath and respect your body while in a pose, working out all the  blockages mentioned above. You can take your practice into your daily lives and become more balanced, stronger and focused.

Love and hugs ,
Lucy xx
Namaste

Power Yoga DVD

Hi everyone , hope you are all well :) As many of you already know I am 4 months pregnant, for those that don t I just wanted to let you know I will be teaching as normal all the way through my pregnancy.  I  am due at the end of October when I will take a few months off then..... BUT...... I have just released my POWER YOGA DVD!!  It is a 1 hr workout, so you can pratice as many times as you wish - ideally 2-3 x a week for the best results.   It is designed similar to our classes, the workout will create greater strength, stamina,  flexibility and balance, sculpting and toning every inch of your body!! 

If you are interested I will be selling them at our classes or I can post them to you. Price is £10 plus P&P.

 Lastly just a quick update on the Festival of Sport on May 13th. My stall number is 24. we will be meeting at 1.10pm at the stall and walk over to the Holding Area 4 at 1.20pm :) 

Hope to see you all there!

Lots of love

Lucy x 

Namaste