Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2017

Restorative Yoga for Fertility

To rest, relax and restore is essential in today’s society where stress levels are rising. To rest deeply is to experience absolute relaxation, where there is effortless stillness, quietness and peace. Restorative Yoga provides bespoke restorative postures, specific yoga based sequences, breath awareness practices and relaxation.  Open to both men and women these yoga sessions are suitable for couples trying to conceive naturally or through IVF (providing you have been referred by your IVF consultant).  The physical focus of the postures is to create space and ease and to optimize the blood flow to the muscles and connective tissues in the lower pelvis.  On an emotional level, the benefits of restorative yoga and the haven of a safe, nurturing environment, can help both men and women cope with the stress associated with trying to conceive and to increase the ability to self nurture, deeply relax and accept where they are in the process.  Our restorative fertility yoga sessions are i

Organic Clothing for Mini Yogis

We are delighted to introduce our Yoga Baba organic clothing range. Yoga Baba is an independent organic clothing company for babies. In collaboration with a London artist and yogi, we have produced our own unique range of baby clothing. These garments feature illustrated prints that draw inspiration from yoga and nature. All of our garments are made from super soft 100% organic cotton. This makes them perfect for wearing against delicate baby skin. We believe it is important to support the planet for our babies’ future. For this reason, all of our products are fair trade and also come from sustainable sources. For more information and to purchase, visit:  yogababa.co.uk

Cranial Osteopathy and the Treatment of Colic

How cranial osteopathy can help soothe away your baby's colicky cries by Liz Neale Get a group of new parents together and it won't take long before they start talking about sleep. Or, more likely, the lack of it. The advice to 'sleep when your baby sleeps' is all well and good. However, if your little one likes to party all night, every night, you are soon functioning like a zombie if you can't catch up during the day. So when one of my friends suggested taking my four-week-old to a cranial osteopath to reduce her stress levels (and hopefully help us both rest), I was intrigued. What is cranial osteopathy? Cranial osteopathy encourages the release of tension and stresses in the body and the head that might have been caused by the birth. Osteopaths hold and observe the baby, carefully manipulating the body to encourage it to function as it should. I wondered if it was some sort of 'baby whispering'. After all, if the osteopath was merely holding m

Marichyasana D Position with Sharath Jois

In my humble opinion, Marichyasana D (as demonstrated by Sharath Jois in this video) is one of the hardest poses in the Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series.

How to Practise Yin Yoga

An introduction to Yin yoga with Bernie Clark. I personally need a Yin Yoga practice to balance my Yang one.

Can Acupuncture Help Morning Sickness?

How can acupuncture help morning sickness? Morning sickness is a very common ailment during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester. Health professionals prefer to call the condition “nausea and vomiting in pregnancy”. This is because it can affect women at any time of the day or night. Whereas some women may feel sick all day long. Traditional remedies include making modifications to diet, resting and even wearing loose-fitting clothes. However, in this post we pose the following question. Can acupuncture help morning sickness? And, if so, how? What is morning sickness? Nausea and vomiting are commonly experienced by women in early pregnancy. The prevalence rates are 50-80% for nausea, and 50% for vomiting and retching. The symptoms are most common in the first trimester, between 6 and 12 weeks. However, it can continue to 20 weeks. In approximately 20% of women, morning sickness may last even longer. If vomiting is persistent, it can lead to weight loss, dehydrati

Acupuncture During IVF Treatment

Acupuncture during IVF treatment. Recent studies have shown that it can increase chances of a successful pregnancy. Acupuncture During IVF Treatment Western medicine has started to recognise the many benefits of using acupuncture during IVF treatment. There have been a variety of studies that review the implications of acupuncture and fertility. Indeed, recent reports have shown a 65 percent increase in pregnancy success rates when IVF is combined with acupuncture treatments. Those same studies have also shown that rates of live births nearly doubled in cases where acupuncture was used. This is in comparison to IVF patients who received no acupuncture or sham acupuncture. Why Is Acupuncture During IVF Treatment So Effective? At present, the reason why acupuncture can increase IVF pregnancy success rates is not fully understood. However, ultrasounds have shown that acupuncture can improve uterine blood flow. As a result, this may create a more hospitable environment for embr

Acupuncture and your menstrual cycle

Acupuncture, an effective method of treating problems in the menstrual cycle Do you experience bloating, mood swings, headaches, fatigue, or painful cramping before or during your period? These complaints are common during the menstrual cycle, but they are not “normal”. What is a healthy menstrual cycle? A healthy menstrual cycle is one that comes regularly, approximately every 26-30 days. There should be no premenstrual discomfort (both physically or emotionally). Neither should there be any pain. Flow should be moderate, needing to change a pad or tampon every 3-4 hours. There should be no clots or spotting over a consistent period of 4 to 5 days. The colour should be a medium red colour, not too dark. Lastly, your period should also end concisely, with no lingering spotting beyond the fifth or sixth day. How can acupuncture help restore a healthy menstrual cycle? Girls are typically not well educated about their menstrual cycles. Very often, they will gro

Top 10 reasons to attend a hypnobirthing course

Here are the top ten reasons to attend a hypnobirthing course. Gain the tools to achieve a positive birth experience One of the key elements for a positive birth experience is confidence. Regardless of the type of birth you end up having, you can have a positive experience by knowing what you can control. And, of course,  letting go of what you cannot. Learn to trust your body, your instincts and your baby From an early age, we have been socially programmed to believe birth is painful. By replacing this fear and negative outlook, you can enjoy the amazing experience of pregnancy and birth. Having the confidence that your body will work effectively and in the way that it is naturally designed to is vital. It is equally vital that  your baby knows what to do too. This confidence will keep you relaxed and calm. It will also enable you to follow your instincts. This, in turn, will guide you to what is best for you and your baby. Birth without unnecessary interventions There

A birth without pain? The science behind hypnobirthing

Studies have shown that 95% of labour pain is the direct result of the birthing mother’s fear and tension. So what if there was no fear and tension? Does that mean there would be very little pain in childbirth? Well, many hypnobirthing mothers would agree with that. They would claim that any discomfort was manageable without the need of medication. So how does fear cause a labouring woman to feel pain? When we experience fear or anxiety, our ‘fight or flight’ response kicks in. We all know that feeling. Think back to how you felt before a test, an interview or meeting your prospective in-laws. While you may not have run away or hit anyone, you would have experienced that rush of adrenaline produced by your body to help you survive the situation if it becomes too scary. A labouring woman who feels afraid or nervous is not in a position to fight anyone and certainly is not capable of fleeing the scene. Well, not with any speed. However, her body will still produce adrenaline.

Yoga may be best to ease back pain

Session on the yoga mat may be best to ease a bad back By Henry Bodkin With its catalogue of headstands and one-legged contortions, it might be thought yoga was best left to those of us who are in peak physical condition. However, new research suggests the group of people who could most benefit from adopting the lotus position is those who are immobilised by pain. Analysis of more than 1,000 adults with long-term lower-back pain found those who practised yoga were most likely to reduce pain and improve mobility. The findings, from researchers in the US, add weight to calls for GPs in Britain to prescribe yoga sessions to ease long-term discomfort. Back pain causes more disability than any other condition and affects almost one in 10 Britons, becoming more common with age. Because the causes are hard to isolate it is difficult to treat and  patients commonly resort to long-term use of strong painkillers. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) guidelines