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Yoga is about finding a better harmony – increasing the life force, and relaxing.

Yawning also does this – what better way to release tension through the day with a big yawn?

Yawning is natures way of releasing toxins and waste products from the blood.It creates a strong downward movement of the diaphragm, draws in more fresh air and release stiffness from the trunk muscles caused by tiredness, boredom or bad posture.

Start by relaxing your jaw, let your chin drop down towards your neck so your mouth is loosely open. This is the proper healing way to yawn, not the polite small yawn behind a hand. As your jaw hangs you will find yourself starting to take a really big yawn. Just let it happen, enjoy the that big cat like yawn. You will feel it in your face, eyes, head, throat, upper chest and it also affects your lower organs.

Yawning is one of the best remedies for tiredness and tension. Sometimes people yawn spontaneously in class, and then apologise. In yoga class it means you’re doing good yoga, so yawn all you like! In some classes teachers even lead a session of yawning! Im not propsing make you all yawn in class but the next time you feel tense, tired, or think of doing some yoga practice start with a really big yawn.

Photo courtesy of Dan: www.freedigitalphotos.net

Sometimes yoga can feel like it is too stationary, too intimidating to begin, and can lead you to become very rigid in thinking. Have you every found yourself obsessing about the following whilst practising at home?

• ‘where is my arm?’
• ‘how does my shoulder feel?’
• ‘can I lift up a bit more?’
• ‘how is my alignment’
• ‘is my right hip opening?’
• ‘how is my breathing?’

If you try that you still find yourself stuck in’right or wrong?’ Try watching this lovely video – it is a blend of dance, gymnastics and yoga. Can you see a forward bend and bow pose in the photo?

Above all yoga is about enjoying being in your body,  increasing health and harmony… and celebrating life: enjoy!

Yoga is great for the body and soul, and the difficulty many of us find is fitting it into daily life. Doing a class or two a week is great and will really improve your energy levels and flexibility. Doing yoga every day might bring great health benefits… but how to fit it in?

I recommend doing yoga wherever you are, whether you’re on a bus or standing inline. The first thing to do is work out what you can do and where, without feeling very out of place or like a piece of performance art!

Some guidelines:

Beaches are great for lying poses, busy places lend themselves to working with the breathing, mind or ‘invisible’ practices and wide open spaces are just great for allowing your body to really move.

Here are some suggestions you can try around Fife:

• Tree of life at Dunfermline Glen (see above)
• Triangle (Trikonasana) pose on Tentsmuir beach
• Abdominal breathing on the bus to Dunfermline
• Pelvic floor exercises whilst standing in line in Tescos
• Corpse pose on Elie beach
• Tadasana on Falkland hill
• Forward bend at North Queensferry Point
• Walking meditation at Dalgety Bay Harbour
• Foot-rolling-walking whilst walking round Loch Leven, Kinross

I hope you find lots of creative ways to bring your yoga to life in small and easy ways. Do tell me any successes and I can add them in. Keep moving, keep breathing and feel great!

There are quite a few yoga classes in the area, and it can be fun to try something different: whether you want to move faster or slower or find a day workshop.

For Ashtanga and all derivatives, like yoga flow and hot yoga: try Bristo Yoga. A fabulous group of dedicated teachers in a lovely central Edinburgh studio.

For fun ‘get moving classes’ that are good for the body see Dancebase, central Edinburgh

For 5 rythmns dancing see this website, in Edinburgh.

For deeper, gentle yoga try Kay Hush @ Mulberry House, Edinburgh. I trained with Kay in Inner Yoga (British Wheel of Yoga accredited our course), she is just lovely.

For day workshops see Yoga Scotland, Inner Yoga & British Wheel of Yoga – there will be something to tempt everyone!

I run general classes and pregnancy / prenatal yoga classes in Inverkeithing and Dunfermline. I also offer a postnatal, baby yoga and baby massage classe in Inverkeithing.

Within Fife there are 2 other yoga teachers I am familiar with: Fiona McOwan (qualified with the British Wheel, one of the 2 major yoga assocaitions, along with Yoga Scotland) who runs pregnancy yoga in Dunfermline and is lovely. Linda at myyoga4you has some fun evenings where you get a taster of different styles of yoga like restorative yoga. Im  not familar with her training, so can’t comment.

Synergy in Glenrothes run a variety of classes, and the Fife Yoga Association and Edinburgh & Lothians Yoga Association runs yoga events in the area. Yoga Scotland, The British Wheel of Yoga and Inner Yoga also run events in the neighbouring areas of Edinburgh Lothians, Perth, Kinross and Stirling.