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Living lightly, being gentle on the environment and staying healthy are very important to me. For me it is a part of yoga – finding things that feel great and are healthy as well.

I found a super website ‘EWG Skin Deep‘ in my search for natural products. This website guides you through the maze of toxicity and healthful products. You put your product into the search bar and it will tell you how it fairs from 0 -10, with 10 being pretty offensive and 1 being clean as a bean! Below you can see that Pampers baby soap rates a 5 with limited data, whilst Dr Bronners magic soaps rate 1 with fair data.

You can also click on the item and find out the ingredients which give the product its rating.

I find this fascinating and reassuring as sometimes a green/eco/baby label can make you think a product is going to be gentle: sometimes it is sometimes its not. Also not all the low toxicity products are high price. I just love being an informed buyer!

Doing yoga at IKEA was really inspiring.Sometimes people think yoga is only for the flexible ones and I was excited to be invited to do this as it gave the possibility of taking yoga to those who might not otherwise consider it. I spent 2 days hanging out with the mood lighting and meeting some wonderful people. IKEA wanted a safe space for people to come and restore. This involved a range of yoga related things.

Anne, who is studying to be a yoga teacher, came with her daughter. We did a chocolate relaxation and talked about becoming a yoga teacher. Kittaya, who is on the yoga foundation course, came with her husband and children. We explored headstands in the ‘kitchen’ and ways to make a safe space… even in IKEA!

There was a great range of issues people came with from anxiety, back pain, postural issues and just the need for a wee stretch. I enjoyed meeting people where they were and helping as best I could. It was very humbling and honouring to work with a couple who had experienced some profound life changing events in the last year, and specifically to teach them

I think I enjoyed the relief on parents faces most of all, as their children got some fun just for them. I would help the children to play with the coloured lighting and then give them a relaxation story. This was important as you could see many families ‘on a mission’ with the children tagging along.

This day really highlighted that in a hectic schedule or a busy place even 5 minutes of yoga can be enough to recharge and refocus. Even if you set a timer for yourself – do what it is your body and soul would really like.

Some of you may know I have some loves, and one of my other loves is surfing. Yoga keeps me flexible and healthy, it soothes my spirit and focuses my attention. In short it makes me happier and more patient. Yoga is feet on a steady sticky mat, in the warmth where movements are free but controlled. Surfing is different, everything is moving, its bitterly cold in scotland and you have to be very spontaneous.

Waves come, waves go, breath comes in, breath goes out. Some waves and breaths are deep some are short. Emotions feel settled and get rangy. For me there is a place they meet: alert attention, body awareness, feeling joy and being challenged. Awareness of the feet and the movement of the hips is as important in surfing as yoga. Finding your edge whilst keeping your body safe.

Surfing takes me out of my comfort zone and back to being a beginner, it also takes into the freezing cold grey sea!  This October was the first time Id surfed in Scotland as Im not keen on getting cold, however with the help of a nice 5mm wetsuit and socks it really was excellent.

When Im standing in the water and a big wave comes  and I don’t know whether to duck and escape or meet it I use my yoga. I feel my body’s reaction to the wave whether its tension or tummy excitement and I hear the chatter of my mind or the stillness. My yoga practice has helped me develop a philosophy of waiting, being patient, then seizing the moment. It has helped me enjoy the moment and kept my trying new things.

Yoga is a helpful tool in mastering a new sport or refining your skills. The even steady way of working means you will get an all round body workout whilst some sports are high impact on a few joints and muscles. Yoga will train your breathing so that you can breathe more freely under challenging circumstances. How could yoga help you develop further? Or surfing? What do you fancy, but don’t try because its too this or too that? What would get you just on the edge of your comfort zone just now? What could bring you to feeling your body in a new way? What could make you feel thoroughly alive?

Your breath is probably the most useful thing you have to guide you in your practise. It will tell you to push further and when to hold back, It will tell you when you’ve got a pose just right and when to leave a pose out.
Your breathing should move freely during your whole yoga practise. If you find yourself holding your breath it will do you no harm, but it is an indication that you are trying too hard. If you find yourself holding your breath, find some support, make the pose easier and remind yourself to enjoy what you’re doing! If your breathing stutters or becomes high it also means it’s time to back off and take it easier. When we keep pushing beyond what is healthy we may be doing good cardio vascular exercise or building determination, but we wont be doing yoga anymore.
When you are doing a pose and your breathing feels flat, dull or lifeless this is a message to expand your body and your boundaries. If you find you can’t feel your body moving as you breathe then its time to take a deeper challenge.
Yoga is ultimately about finding harmony between body and mind. It is finding your bliss, your peace and your steadiness as well as finding your wings. Be prepared to challenge yourself, to rest and to BE in the moment.