There’s a very simple but very brilliant piece of art by a talented man called Mr Bingo that I often think about. It’s a 14cm-high gravestone with the words “Don’t forget to have fun” engraved into it. It’s the perfect alternative to your aunt’s “Live Laugh Love” cushions and I absolutely adore it.

His is one of the few accounts on Instagram,  that actually makes scrolling enjoyable. Fun for the sake of fun. He is also beautifully cynical about life, which is also my default when I’m not wearing my cheery yoga hat. It’s important to have different hats, by the way. But that’s for another post.

There has been a bit of friend sadness that I’ve been dealing with the past few weeks, and it made me think, maybe I should write a post that we can all go back to when things get bleak and it will remind us all to find the fun when we can.

Or maybe at least to find some time in the darkness when we really need it. I know it’s hard to find at the moment, though. Right now, the world is metaphorically, politically and literally on fire, so when you find some fun, grab on to it, dear. Grab on to it with all your might.

Apply this to a friendship, a relationship, a job, whatever. You are allowed to laugh way more than you are, even when things are hard. Have you, in all the sadness and madness of the past few years, forgotten the fun?

Call up your friend and plan a long overdue night out. Do something spontaneous with your partner. (This can be as cringeworthy and silly as you wish!)  Single out the not-awful people you work with and spend a bit of time with them out of the office. There might be a brilliant new friend waiting for you.

Prioritising fun once in a while should not leave you feeling guilty.It gives you the energy to carry on going when things feel hard. Grant yourself permission to have a break from it all. And please attend to your own fun first before helping others with theirs…because you’re important too!

After the chaos and uncertainty of the last couple of years, it’s hardly surprising that so many of us feel in need of a break.

Whether you’re feeling stressed, need an escape from the news cycle or are struggling to juggle all your responsibilities, the chance to spend a week relaxing on the beach or exploring an unfamiliar city is just what the doctor ordered.

The only problem? As much as you might feel in need of a break, switching off might not prove as easy as you expect it to be – especially if you’re used to being busy all the time.

Being in a relaxing environment certainly helps, but if your mind is still preoccupied with a million and one things, it can be hard to reap the benefits of spending time away.

A while ago, I read a fascinating book ‘The body Keeps the Score’ by Bessel Van der Kolk. The title underscores the book’s central idea: Exposure to stress or trauma fosters the development of a hyperactive alarm system and molds a body that gets stuck in fight/flight, and freeze. Trauma interferes with the brain circuits that involve focusing, flexibility, and being able to stay in emotional control. A constant sense of danger and helplessness promotes the continuous secretion of stress hormones, which wreaks havoc with the immune system and the functioning of the body’s organs. When someone who has experienced either of these emotions feels safe; to inhabit their bodies; to tolerate feeling what they feel, and knowing what they know, they begin to heal. This may involve a range of interventions (one size never fits all), including various forms of therapy including meditation and yoga.

Holistic chiropractor Dr Bradley Nelson claims in his book ‘The Emotion Code’ that emotionally charged events from our past can haunt us years down the track. He believes that these ‘trapped emotions’ can create physical aches and pains in the body. Norwich-based health kinesiologist Monique Thapar explains that the body can store positive and negative energy from our day-to-day experiences, which can lead to us feeling physically and mentally well – or not. “Using indicator muscle testing as a communication tool, we can allow the body to guide us on where and how to release tightness at a cellular and tissue level,” Thapar claims.

“While we may have a very good idea consciously where there is an issue, things like muscle memory helps to guide us on a subconscious level where there may be concerns.”

There is a school of thought among some yoga teachers that some yoga postures and sequences can help to release stored emotions. These yoga teachers refer to tight hips, jaws, shoulders and the neck as potentially being an indicator of not only stress but also trapped emotions. 

While we can easily blame the tension in our bodies on activities such as sitting at a desk, scrolling through our mobile phones and driving, sometimes it feels as though the tension comes from carrying the weight of the world.

If we think about how we can feel guarded when experiencing difficult emotions, it makes sense that we contract different parts of the body to protect ourselves from being hurt further. According to yoga teacher Jay Johal Davies, it is these constant contractions that can cause the body to store emotions. 

 “Research suggests that our emotions are electrochemical signals that carry messages throughout the body and are then either expressed, experienced or stored in the body and mind, where they can influence the cells in our bodies,” Davies tells Stylist.

 “The symptoms of traumatic stress, for example, can manifest physically because the brain associates an area of the body with a particular memory – often on a subconscious level.

THE HIPS AND BACK ARE THE KEY AREAS FOR PENT-UP EMOTION

Take the backbend, for example. The movement is counter-intuitive to our typical posture of sitting forward when typing, texting or driving. In yoga, backbends are often referred to as “heart openers” – an apt name when we consider that emotions may have remained dormant around our hearts simply because of our lifestyle choices. The same can be said of hip-opening postures that move the hip in a range of motions that far exceed those of simply sitting.

After 45 minutes of bending, stretching, tightening and tensing muscles in new ways, it’s unsurprising when we come to relax that our emotions are more likely to show up. For yogis, this is usually during savasan at the end of the class. 

You might feel nothing. Or you could start crying, feel angry or experience the urge to laugh. The workout lowers our guard and we become both physically and emotionally vulnerable. This doesn’t just occur in yoga, of course; whenever we are deeply immersed in doing physical activity (such as running, for example), we might feel intense emotion.

THE POWER OF YOGA IN RELEASING EMOTIONS

“Yoga offers time and space to reconnect with our bodies; moments where participants pause throughout the class to set intentions – to feel, think and reflect,” Davies adds. 

 “Students are encouraged to not only bring their bodies to their mats but their mind and hearts also; to pay attention to feelings in the body and mind, labelling these and then reflecting on them afterwards.” 

“Breathwork should also be considered,” Thapar contributes, “as when you breathe into those areas of tightness and tension, that’s really powerful and can involve an emotional release and shifts in energy.”

 Additionally, yoga offers its participants a sense of community whereby the activity isn’t focused on competition but on being in unity with others and the self. This environment provides a feeling of safety that can be conducive to emotions being easily expressed.

“Yoga offers time and space to reconnect with our bodies; moments where participants pause throughout the class to set intentions – to feel, think and reflect,” Davies concludes. 

 “Students are encouraged to not only bring their bodies to their mats but their mind and hearts also; to pay attention to feelings in the body and mind, labelling these and then reflecting on them afterwards.” 

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, and this year the Mental Health Foundation’s focus is on loneliness – raising awareness of just how many of us are affected by it, the impact it can have on our mental health and, importantly, what we can do about it.

We have perhaps never needed to focus on connection more than now. A survey highlighted by the National Academy for Social Prescribing found that while the majority of people interviewed said it is important for their mental health to feel connected to their community, more than half said they are now taking part in fewer social activities than they did before the pandemic.

We can all admit to having felt lonely at some point. What can trigger it? It may be external influences such as a relationship breakdown, bereavement, dysfunctional friendship, moving location or a change in role personally or professionally.

But there is also an internal aspect to loneliness that we don’t speak about much: not spending time understanding who we are, not living a life aligned to our own unique self, ignoring our need for time on our own and for space to get to know ourselves.

And this is because loneliness is not always the same as being alone. Loneliness is the feeling you get when you don’t feel connected – to others, to yourself, to the world. When you don’t feel heard, valued, listened to or seen, or when you don’t recognise any part of yourself within others, when you feel no one cares about or understands you.

Why does loneliness cause us so much hurt? Ultimately, because our need for connection is innate in us. Way before the pandemic, the statistics about how many of us felt lonely were staggering, and the ripples are still being felt. What we have to ensure is that the conversation that started getting more prominence around loneliness during the pandemic not only continues, but actually gets acted upon – through connection.

Find out more using the link below:

https://mentalhealth-uk.org/get-involved/mental-health-awareness-days/mental-health-awareness-week/

Taking a deep breath is meant to be a catch-all cure for a multitude of ills.

Feeling stressed, angry, upset, tired, nauseous? Take a deep breath. It will help.

Breathing keeps us alive. We breathe in and out about 22,000 times a day, and we do it without thinking. But what happens when our breath rhythm is off? And how can you tell if you’re doing it wrong?

Experts believe that measuring our breath rate could be more important for our fitness, concentration, stress and even life expectancy, than tracking heart rate or steps. But research by smart wearables brand Amazfit shows that 68% of us do not know what a healthy breath rate range is – or how to monitor and control it.

So, how does breathing actually work? Understanding the mechanism is key to improving our technique.

A new student came to class recently. Like so many newbies to the mat, she was anxious about not being able to keep up with the class; not being flexible enough but first and foremost in her mind was the fear she’d look foolish. I get it. I’ve been there too and I often fear that as I”m a yoga teacher, I’m being judged even MORE critically! No matter how experienced a yogi you are, it never does any harm to remind ourselves that…

1) No Two Yogis Are Alike

What’s your favorite yoga pose? I’m willing to bet that if you surveyed the group of yogis that practice alongside you, each person would have a different response. For example, while some people’s favorite time during their yoga practice is savasana, I find this to be one of the most challenging poses in my practice because I tend to have a difficult time clearing my head. You are different from everyone else in your class: your body is different, your level of experience is different, and your strengths and weaknesses are different. The things that make you unique make you as a yogi completely incomparable to any other yogi.

2) Your Practice Is Entirely Your Own

Why do you do yoga? For some people it is for fitness, for some it’s for relaxation, and for others it may be spiritual. We all have our own reasons for doing yoga and our journeys have all been uniquely different. Allowing yourself to compare where you are on your journey with those around you requires you to assume things about your fellow yogis that you just don’t know. Such comparison is unfair to yourself and unfair to those around you. Allow yourself to embrace where you are on your yoga journey, with the knowledge that your mat is there just for you.

3) Your Fellow Yogis Can Add To Your Practice

I would by lying if I told you that I never let my eyes drift to those around me during yoga class. Especially during challenging poses, I sometimes like to see how others are making the poses their own. But an important lesson that I’ve learned during my yoga journey is that those around you can inspire, rather than detract from your practice. When I see my fellow yogis courageously take on poses that I’m not quite up for yet, I feel encouragement to continue in my practice and to challenge myself to meet new personal goals.

4) Comparison Can Steal Your Focus

Theodore Roosevelt spoke one of my favorite quotes, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Nowhere have I found this more applicable than in my yoga practice. Being able to take time for myself to practice yoga brings a great deal of happiness and balance to my life and I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity and physical ability to practice. Comparing yourself to those around you and competing with your fellow yogis can take away from the reasons you enjoy yoga and can shift your focus in a way that detracts from your practice. Keep your focus inward – where are your own thoughts today? What do your muscles feel like? Have you been listening to your body? If you’re focused on comparing yourself to those around you, you’re stealing from yourself some of the benefits that yoga can bring you. For that short amount of time – bask in the joy that yoga brings you as an individual.

5) You’re Part Of A Community

Competition involves rivalry. It involves trying to push past others and of course, to win. Throughout my yoga journey, I have never once felt that I was practicing alongside a rival. In fact, even when I’m in a room full of strangers practicing yoga, I always feel as if I’m amongst friends. One of my favorite things to do when I’m traveling is to drop-in on a yoga class at a local studio. It’s always a wonderful experience and I’ve never once felt like the “new kid” or an “outsider.” Yogis make up an incredibly diverse and welcoming community, one where competition would simply be out of place, and I feel honored to be a part of it.

6) There Is No Finish Line

There is no “perfect” in yoga. There’s no getting to the “end” of your practice. There are always ways to continue to grow and continue to learn. Therefore, I’ve come to understand that there is no need to compare where I am in my practice to where others are. There’s no rush – yoga is not a race. This ever-changing journey always has something more to give us, and I look forward to practicing alongside each of you as we continue.