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Learning Purvottanasana from the Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series, with Kino...

Have yoga mat will travel

I always take a yoga mat with me where ever I go- so on recent trips to Manchester (where my son is at  university) my mat came with me. I stayed in the city centres Crown plaza which is in a fantastic location for wandering around the city centre...The beds in this hotel are AMAZING as are the staff, and they have a great Sunday night deal should you ever find yourself in Manchester on a Sunday night... Wouldn't it be fantastic if hotel rooms provided yoga mats along side the mini bar-thus catering for all needs ;-) I definitely will always pick this hotel over the others I have stayed in-in Manchester 70 SHUDEHILL    MANCHESTER  ,      M4 4AF   ENGLAND

Quote: Anger

Anger and hatred are two of our closest friends. When I was young I had quite a close relationship with anger. Then eventually I found a lot of disagreement with anger. By using common sense, with the help of compassion and wisdom, I now have a more powerful argument with which to defeat anger. Dalai Lama

Practising Back bending on Pilates reformer

We have some great Pilates kit in one of our studios-I clearly don't know how to use it but doest stop me having a go... some things got to help move my stiff upper back alongside my yoga.

Chickpea vindaloo

Here is another great recipe form Adam and Theresa over at The yogi Kitchen , which is soon to be called "Keen on food".  Adam and Theresa are currently practising yoga in Mysore India so follow their food journey at the above link. This particular item was posted during their stay in Tarifa, Spain, where they taught yoga and hosted international yoga teachers. Chickpeas are the ubiquitous bean of a vegetarian diet, but here in Andalucía, we are still amazed at the freshness, plumpness and largeness of the ones here.  Vindaloo is a Goan dish, originating when the Portugese brought chillis to the area and introduced cooking with wine, traditionally it is served with pork, but here we have used chickpeas and vinegar instead of the meat and wine, to an effect that I have to say is one of my new favourite dishes.  It has been a bit of a chilly week here in Tarifa, with temperatures dipping to 10 C, and I was craving the combination of chickpeas with potatoes,

Dynamic Surya Namaskar sequence

Let the Sunshine in              Dynamic Surya Namaskar This is a dynamic, flowing variation on the classic sun salutation. This particular sequence has an emphasis on stretching the psoas or hip flexor muscle at the top of the thigh. You can change the pace of this yoga sequence by staying in each pose for 5 breaths or by using the one breath one movement principle in order to to flow through the practice. This warming, heat-producing sequence can be used as a stand-alone short yoga session or, alternatively, as a warm-up to a longer yoga class. Building the number of rounds up over time will enable you to gain strength.  Connecting to your breath in each movement, allows this sequence to feel like a moving meditation. You should always rest in savanasana at the end of your yoga session.             . Tadasana (Mountain pose ) Stand with your feet together-hands in front of your heat in pray..    2. Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute) Inhale and sweep y

Quote: Smile

The smile is a very important feature of the human face. But because of human intelligence, even that good part of human nature can be used in the wrong way, such as sarcastic smiles or diplomatic smiles, which only serve to create suspicion. I feel that a genuine affectionate smile largely depends on ones own attitude. It is illogical to expect smiles from others if one does not smile oneself. Therefore, one can see that many things depend on ones own behaviour. Dalai Lama

Yoga More Effective Than Conventional Medical Treatments for Back Pain

Interesting article about practising yoga in order to relieve back pain in The Times today by Hannah Devlin. Got a pain in the back? Then try yoga instead of a trip to the doctor By Hannah Devlin (The Times) After a 12-week course of yoga, patients with long-term back pain reported less discomfort, performed better physically and were more confident in performing everyday tasks than those offered conventional GP care. While improvements were most pronounced at three months, immediately after the yoga course, people who were assigned to the yoga group still had less pain a year after the start of the study. David Torgerson, director of the Trials Unit at the University of York, said: "Doctors should be able to suggest yoga classes as an approach that could help." The study, published today in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, assigned 156 patients to yoga classes and a control group of 157 patients to standard GP care. Those in the control group received a range o

Mysore back bending with Patthabi Jois

Some amazing old footage from Mysore with Sri K Pattabhi Jois.

Quote: Mind and Body

Our experiences and feelings are mainly related to our bodies and minds. We know from our daily experiences that mental happiness is beneficial. For instance, though two people may face the same kind of tragedy, one person may face it more easily than the other due to his or her mental attitude. Dalai Lama