Chinese New Year, New Moon, it’s a great time to set some intentions for this year or even this decade!

“A dream without a plan is just a wish” – Katherine Paterson

Take time to prepare by calming the mind, focus on your breath and then start to imagine or dream about the things you want more of in your life. Maybe it’s a new job, change of career, better work life balance, better health, more time to enjoy your hobbies, better relationships with your loved ones, a holiday…

1. Get out your notebook or journal and write down as many dreams you can, don’t limit yourself. Imagine that you have all the time, money, resources you need to make these dreams a reality. Writing them down is a very important stage in this process
2. How are you going to achieve them? What steps can you take to help you achieve them? For example: start a holiday fund, research online courses etc.
3. Break it down. Choose 3 goals to start with as too many big goals can seem daunting. Breaking these goals down into smaller manageable chunks can help you stay on track. You will see results and create a positive feedback loop. You can also readjust your goals if you need to. Make sure your goals are in line with your own values. Think about what are the most important things in your life? Your family? Home? Travel? Learning?
4. Obstacles. What things, people or other obstacles might get in the way of you achieving your goals (not enough time, your own lack of confidence, money etc). Write down ways you can overcome these obstacles if they present themselves!
5. Accountability and Support. This is really important! Who champions you? Who has your back? Who knows what to say when you start to doubt yourself? Ask this person to be your Accountability Buddy, tell them your dreams and ask them to check in with you every 6 weeks to check how it’s going (not to give you a hard time if it’s not going well but to encourage you to keep going). It’s also important that you don’t give yourself a hard time if you slip! We all fall short, make mistakes and take wrong turns but by treating ourselves with understanding and kindness, we can get back on track and try again. Our greatest enemy is our own negative self talk.
6. Daily habits that will support you. What daily habits can you incorporate in your life that will help you stay on track? Looking after your health, getting enough sleep, meditating, exercising, getting out in nature, socialising with friends that make you feel good? Write a list of the things that will help you reach your goals. “Dreams don’t work unless you do” – John C. Maxwell
7. Let go of the things that hold you back. Write a list of the negative things that you tell yourself that will stop you from reaching your potential….. I don’t have enough time/ability/ confidence/money etc. Now score all of them out! Let them go!!

My story.

In 2019 I read “Your Dream Life Starts Here” by Kristina Karlsson and wrote down my dreams. I also enrolled in the Seasonal Yoga Teacher Training course which lasted a year. The course was amazing, I learned so much about the history, philosophy & practice of yoga, anatomy, meditation and also so much about myself. Since graduating I now have the privilege of teaching yoga and sharing its benefits with lots of other people, I was delighted to be asked to go back and lead the Homework sessions on the training course that I did last year, and I had a telephone interview with Kristina Karlsson who would like to include my story in her next book. What a year! It didn’t happen by magic though, it took hard work, persistence and determination and lots of overcoming my own obstacles!

Sometimes it pays to let yourself dream and be open to the opportunities that appear.

I hope 2020 is an amazing year for you and that all your dreams come true 😊

I had the privilege of sharing my knowledge and passion for Seasonal Yoga with 12 beautiful souls in Houston Killellan Kirk Hall yesterday, a huge thank you to all that attended it was lovely to spend time together.

I thought I’d share an outline of the workshop. We had a packed three hours!

• What is Seasonal Yoga
• The season of winter
• Meditation
• A lovely flowing yoga session – working on creating space and fluidity in our spine and finishing off with a lovely, long Yoga Nidra
• Next it was time for a cup of herbal tea and some vegan tiffin (those who know me know that no session is complete without this treat!). If you want to make it yourself the recipe can be found on http://www.bbcgoodfood.com, search for vegan tiffin 😍
• Then we moved on to setting our goals for the year

For those of you who couldn’t make it, I have shared some information on the season of winter that we covered at the workshop below. Come back next week and I’ll cover another topic that we spoke about.

Please get in touch if you would like to know more via the Contact Me page on my website or message me on Instagram!

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The Season of Winter

Just as we see in nature, Winter is a time of rest and stillness, many animals hibernate and we should also try to slow down, gather our energy inwards and store it to sustain us for the rest of winter.

The element for Winter is Water. It’s a time to go with the flow, let things flow over you but it is also a time to find your own hidden depths, your inner strength, your willpower and determination. This is the time to start and build a regular, daily meditation practice, 5 minutes a day is enough to still your mind and help you to find calm and observe and let go of any negative thoughts that pop into your mind.

The organs associated with the Water element are the kidneys and bladder.

The bladder meridian starts at the inner corners of the eyes, runs down the back of the skull, neck, spine, backs of legs and ends at the outer edge of the little toe. Wide leg forward folds, pyramid pose or any other asanas that stretch the backs of the legs and neck are ideal for stimulating this meridian.

The kidney meridian starts under the ball of the foot at the bubbling brook and runs up the inside of the ankles, legs, up through the torso either side of the navel to the space under the knobbly bones of your collarbone (this is a fear point, so if you feel anxious place one hand on your abdomen, below your navel and gently massage this point, change hands and massage the other side).

Lunges, horse stance and Warrior are all good, as are any postures which you can feel stretching your inner thighs!

There is so much fascinating information, if you want to learn more please visit the website below, which has free information, videos and tips. I can’t recommend it highly enough!

www.seasonal.yoga

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Tips to thrive in winter

To finish off, I’ll share some simple tips to help get you through this bleak but beautiful season. Look after yourselves 🙏🥰♥️

• Meditate every day.
• Take Epsom salt baths twice a week or use a Magnesium spray if you don’t have a bath!
• Eat warming foods, soups, stews, roast vegetables and curries. Avoid cold foods and iced drinks (they drain energy from your kidneys).
• Slow down. Try to go to bed earlier than usual and avoid screens an hour before going to bed.
• Find your inner passion – read, listen to podcasts, watch YouTube videos on subjects that inspire you.
• Above all, nurture yourself. Conserve your energy and listen to what your body is telling you.

Have a great week 💕🧘🏻🙏

Winter is a time to rest, restore and gather your energy inwards. It’s a time to slow down, nurture yourself physically and mentally. Why not start by setting aside five minutes every day to meditate.

There’s a perception that meditation is difficult to do, it doesn’t have to be! Just find a comfortable sitting position, either sitting comfortably on the floor or sit on a chair keeping your spine straight.

Switch your phone onto do not disturb, set the timer for 5 minutes, close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath.

Notice the breath entering through your nostrils and the sensation as you exhale through your nose. When your mind wanders, and it will! gently bring it back (without judgement) and focus again on the inhalation and exhalation of the breath.

At the end of the 5 minutes take a few moments to notice how you feel, before you get on with the rest of your day.

Try and make these five minutes of you time a priority and a daily habit. Very soon you will notice the benefits meditation brings 🙏

Happy New Year! I hope that this new year and decade brings you many happy times, good health and everything you hope for.
Winter is a time to coorie in, conserve your energy and build up your natural defence system to fight off the bugs that tend to strike at this time of year. So what can we do to look after ourselves?
Listen to your body, go to bed if you feel tired. Try and find a quiet 10 minutes to meditate every day, just paying attention to your breath, the inhalation and exhalation is enough to let your parasympathetic (rest and restore) system to kick in and help you find a little bit of calm! Don’t forget to roll out your yoga mat and do some gentle stretches: cat cow; moon flow (child’s pose to upward facing dog, gentle twists, do whatever feels good for your body. Keep it low, slow and flowing.
Here’s a link to an article from the New York Times with some suggestions on how to be a bit kinder to yourself in this new year
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/24/smarter-living/8-ways-to-be-kinder-to-yourself-in-2020.html
Looking forward to to seeing you in class soon.
Namaste 🙏