Recent Articles in Style

Duration: 24 minutes

Emphasis:  Warm up with a Surya Namaskar A then try some variations on a Surya Namaskar B which include some press-up dips to strengthen the upper body and some seated twists to finish. Please note: I'm having some problems with the focusing of my camera at the moment - having played with all the various settings to no avail I think it might be time to retire it and get a new one. You might notice the video goes out of focus a couple of times for which I apologise. I hope it doesn't spoil your enjoyment of your class.  

Props needed:  Blocks or a thick book to sit on in Virasana (Hero Pose) if required.

Mat direction: Short side of the mat facing the screen.

Duration: 18 minutes

Emphasis:  An all-round flow with lots of standing postures which will strengthen and stretch your legs and move your shoulders through their range of movement. There are some forward bends, gentle backbends and side stretches, all done in quick succession to give you a complete full-body class in under 20 minutes.

Props needed:  None needed except maybe a blanket for Savasana if required.

Mat direction: Long side of the mat facing the screen.

Duration: 42 minutes

Emphasis:  This class focuses on lifting and lowering the legs in lots of different ways - lying on your back, front and side, hands and knees, standing and seated postures and also in Downward Dog. It will use your core muscles and strengthen your legs too. Finish off this dynamic class with a lovely, long 8 minutes of Savasana.

Props needed: 2 blocks or bricks (or 2 equal sized thick books if you don't have blocks), a strap (or a tie from a bathrobe), and a blanket for Savasana if required.

Mat direction: Long side of the mat facing the screen.

Duration: 8 minutes

Emphasis:  Learn how to do Wild Thing (Camatkarasana). This deep backbend, although less challenging than Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana), can be difficult if you have any shoulder or wrist problems so there are also two modifications to make it more of a possibility if needed. Take care, listen to your body and have fun with this invigorating pose. Any questions, please leave a comment below and I'll endeavour to help.

Props needed: Possibly a blanket to put under your knee if you are practicing on a hard floor but make sure it doesn't slip!

Mat direction: Short edge of the mat facing the screen.

Duration: 10 minutes

Emphasis:  A lovely meditation that focuses on the slow movement and sensations in the hands to help quieten the mind and heighten your awareness of your body.

Props needed: A block, blanket or chair to enable you to sit comfortably.

Mat direction: N/A

Duration: 7 minutes

Emphasis:  A simple meditation using counting from 1 to 10 to help quieten the busy mind.

Props needed: A block, blanket or chair to enable you to sit comfortably.

Mat direction: N/A

Duration: 45 minutes

Emphasis:  Practice familiar standing poses in the precise 'Iyengar' style for strength, focus and good alignment of your body, and enjoy a nice long Savasana afterwards.

Props needed: 2 blocks, a blanket and a strap to loop around your foot if needed.

Mat direction: Long edge of the mat facing the screen.

Duration: 29 minutes

Emphasis:  Practise some familiar poses such as Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), Pyramid Pose (Parsvottanasana) and Tree Pose (Urdhva Vrksasana) with a chair to help you into better alignment, plus some poses we don't practise so often such as Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) and Revolved Triangle Pose (Parivrtta Trikonasana). Using the chair will help to make these more challenging poses more accessible and with regular practise you'll be able to do them without the chair.

Props needed: A sturdy chair.

Mat direction: Long edge of the mat facing the screen.

Duration: 21 minutes

Emphasis:  This practice will stretch the front of your body in some simple backbends - Sphynx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana), Half Frog Pose (aka Quad Stretch) (Ardha Bhekasana) and Camel Pose (Ustrasana), and twist the torso in some kneeling twists.

Props needed: None - except a blanket under your knees if required.

Mat direction: Short side of mat facing the screen.

Duration: 36 minutes

Emphasis:  Your core is made up of muscles in your back and abdomen. They help keep your body stable and balanced and protect your spine. In this class of seated, kneeling and supine poses we will engage the 4 sets of muscles that make up your abs - Transverse Abdomini (the deepest layer that wraps around your middle, front to back, like a girdle), the Internal and the External Obliques (that lie diagonally on either side of the torso) and the Rectus Abdomini (which lies over the top of the others extending vertically from the ribs to the pubic bone) - some of the muscles of your back (Erector Spinae, Multifidis, Quadratus Lumborum, Semispinalis and lower Latissimus Dorsi), the Iliopsoas in your hip and your pelvic floor muscles. Phew! What a lot of muscles are involved in keeping your core strong and stable!

Props needed: A flat block to go under your heels in Malasana, two bricks or big books to go under your hands in Tolasana and a blanket if you need it to pad your knees and to put over you in Savasana.

Mat direction: Long side of mat facing the screen so you can see it while you are lying down.

Duration: 5 minutes

Emphasis:  A breathing practice to calm and soothe you. In this practice you will inhale through the left nostril and exhale through the right. Breathing in through the left nostril links to the right hemisphere of the brain, promoting a sense of peace and relaxation. Please note: holding the breath is contra-indicated for those with blood pressure issues. Please do not retain the breath at the end of each inhale and exhale but allow the breathing to flow in a smooth rhythm without interruption. Please note also that in the video I am not mirroring you, so listen to the instructions rather than copying the arm movement I am doing - I hope that makes sense!

Props needed: A blanket, cushion or chair so you can sit comfortably.

Mat direction: N/A

Duration: 5 minutes

Emphasis:  A breathing practice to stimulate and energise you - inhaling through the right nostril and exhaling through the left. Breathing in through the right nostril links to the left hemisphere of the brain, bringing a sense of being brighter and more alert. Please note: holding the breath is contra-indicated for those with blood pressure issues. Please do not retain the breath at the end of each inhale and exhale but allow the breathing to flow in a smooth rhythm without interruption. Please note also that in the video I am not mirroring you, so listen to the instructions rather than copying the arm movement I am doing - I hope that makes sense!

Props needed: A blanket, cushion or chair so you can sit comfortably.

Mat direction: N/A