In Eat Pray Love, Julia Roberts plays Liz Gilbert, a woman who travels around the world for a year to find herself, having realising that the life she had been living was not the one she had planned. Her emotional and spiritual breakdown is convincingly played by Roberts. In reality Liz Gilbert was an accomplished journalist and published author, living what many would consider to be an enviable life in New York. I did wonder how sympathetic I would be towards the main character’s crisis, particularly when played by somebody as beautiful and successful as Julia Roberts. To her immense credit, I was convinced by her portrayal of Liz’s inner turmoil, although I’m not sure that I totally warmed towards the film character. Maybe this was because her personality had become fractured and fragile as a result of her depression and summoning up the energy to simply function was all she could muster.

Eat Pray Love is charming and inspiring. The performances are great and the cinematography is lovely. The fact that Liz is now a practicing yoga teacher and is living the life she wants to lead is great. I enjoyed following her on her journey to find balance and peace. Namaste.

Nintendo’s new Wii Fit has been said to be causing a selection of strain injuries, from minor lower back pain to carpal tunnel syndrome.
Nintendo’s Wii Fit is an exercise system. Players stand on a small pad and are guided through repetitive exercises. These exercises run the range  from track and field to hula hoop, and can be just as vigorous as the exercises they’re mimicking.

I have spoken to a range of people that use the Wii Fit and outline that they often feel out of breath after a play. Just like real exercises, these can lead to various kinds of physical discomforts such as sore joints and strained ligaments. Many users have said that they experienced lower back pain after yoga and hula hooping.

Nintendo’s Wii System has been the subject of controversy since its inception, initially stemming from its innovative Wiimote controllers. The Wiimotes, when not strapped to the wrist properly, have a nasty tendency to fly out of player’s hands and damage friends, family or televisions.

When faced with mounting damages following the initial Wiimote fiascoes, Nintendo introduced a warning screen before each game and warns users to make sure their wrist  straps are fastened.

I have also heard users mention that the initial Body Test used by Wii Fit uses the Body Mass Index (BMI) which is all very good and all but it doesn’t cope well with people who actually have a high muscle density. I have heard stories of people who have high muscle density being catagorised as being overweight. It seems like it can all get a little bit confusing.

It has been said that these Wii Fit injuries are on the increase and I am hearing more about them in my everyday. What do you think of the Wii Fit? Let us know any of your positive/negative experiences?

I love wearing Sweaty Betty clothes for my yoga classes. Not only do I find SB yoga clothes really comfortable but I also find those extra little details make all the difference. Many of my lovely clients ask about where to buy decent yoga clothes because most of the time they end up in a sports shop feeling a little bit lost. I always direct them to there nearest Sweaty Betty shop and they come back to my next class all smiles.

I just wanted to let you all know about the Pilates socks which are an absolute steal at only £6.00. They have additional grip on the sole of the foot and a little strap of elastic that makes sure the sock stays in place in your three legged down facing dog. Ok, they are not strictly for yoga use but if you need something that is going to give you a extra bit of grip in your inversions then I would strongly recommend them.

If you’re interested in the Pilates socks or anything else from there brilliant new yoga range then just pop along to one of your nearest SB shop. Furthermore if you say you’re a Yoga Wellbeing follower then you get a healthy discount.

The Yoga Wellbeing team definitely boosted there Wellbeing this weekend at the Yoga Show 2009 which took place at the Kensington Olympia. There was a vibrant atmosphere throughout the whole event. It must have been down to all of the positive energy coming from the peace tent that was set up in the middle of the venue, lots of people were mediating and looked like they were enjoying there time out. 

The Yoga Show had it all from Hatha yoga, Kudalini yoga to Power yoga. We  also learnt so much from listening to lectures covering topics ranging from PMT management through diet, to using yoga and massage to cure lower back pain. After the lectures we visited the Sahaja Yoga stall and met some lovely people that were offering free sessions.  We came away from the experience and practically floated across the room we were so relaxed. Having brought back bags of stuff to read I have found out that Sahaja Yoga is an international charity and is open to everyone. People from all corners of the world, all walks of life and religious backgrounds enjoy Sahaja yoga.

Lots of people were enjoying the Acro yoga that was taking place in the relaxation corner throughout the whole event. Acro Yoga is a new form of yoga that came across the ocean from California. We had a little bit of a go but it’s definitely not for someone with vertigo.

We are going to upload the rest of the photos and a couple of videos to the website so you’ll have an idea of what to expect next year.

We can’t wait until next year when we get to do it all over again. For more information take a look at – www.yogashow.co.uk

                                 Last week we spoke about Yoga Bliss and all it’s brilliant goodies that it has to offer. This week we are talking about Sweaty Betty and the amazing control legging.

These truly are the answer to your legging nightmares. They are a really comfortable length, keep there shape and are very high waisted. They hold in everything, before you have even started exercising.

They are a great product for the down dogs, no baggy material hanging around and it makes it a much easier for the yoga teacher to see what position you are in.

If you need any more information then just visit the Sweaty Betty website and surf at your leisure – http://www.sweatybetty.com/

Calling all yogis and yoginis. This really is a yoga bag that has it all.

If your looking for a bag that magically holds everything you need for a bendy session, then you have found it here. Your yoga mat, clothes and mere essentials will all fit in. The bag has lots of extra special details, I love the lotus embroidered on the outside pocket.  Also, it’s ethically sourced in India, which fits in perfectly with the yogi lifestyle.

If you would like to find out more then take a peek at Yoga Bliss – www.yogabliss.co.uk They have plenty of other goodies to take a look at. Before you thought it couldn’t get any better, Yoga Bliss offers discount to all yoga teachers and seems to keep the promotional discounts coming.

I am off to another Yoga in the Park class, I might just squeeze an extra mat and snackette in my bag.

Om peace,

Lx

When I walked into the meeting room and saw the cupcakes sitting pretty on a cake stand I had a good feeling about this focus panel meeting. The first step was show and tell. We all talked about our yoga outfits with such love. Outlining where we bought them from, which type of clothes work when your in down facing dog and what design elements were important to us. The buyer listened with bright eyes, ease and seemed to be trying to absorb all the advice from the yoga ladies.

We then took a peek at all the current ranges from the small companies to the other major department stores. Everyone spoke with passion letting the room know how they felt. We spoke about favourite colour palettes, chocolate brown, oatmeal and dusky pink were a favourite. However the big subject of the night was black. The English are as adventurous as ever, M&S best sellers are black, navy and grey joggers. The black legging was discussed at length and with such meaning. All black outfits were favoured to cover big bums, I have no idea what the girls were talking about as they were all tiny. At one point I had to hold myself back from not eating all the cupcakes, hardly anyone else was tucking in. I am a yoga teacher but I still  love cake.

Anyway statements aside. The ethical meaning was brought up, one lady spoke about most of her clothes being environmentally friendly and fair-trade pieces. The clothes having almost a Wellbeing aspect to them. Yoga Wellbeing are all for that idea. Happy mind, body and clothes.

M&S have asked Yoga Wellbeing to return when their brand spanking new yoga range is ready. We are really looking forward to the opportunity to learn more and if we have time nibble a couple more cupcakes.

Deva Premal is a classically trained musician and specialises in Bhakti yoga. She grew up singing mantras in her German home. Her albums, The Essence, Love Is Space, Embrace and Dakshina have become popular in yoga studios and healing centers throughout the world. Her latest album, The Moola Mantra, features a 50 minute extended presentation of a mantra received while on a meditation retreat with Miten at the Oneness University in Chennai, India.

Her new album Mantra for Precarious Times offers a selection of seven mantras. Each mantra is chanted an entire mala. For 108 times. According to the Vedic scriptures, our bodies contain 72,000 energy channels these are called Nadis. There are 108 nadis in total.

By chanting a mantra 108 times, the energy permeates the entire body. Each track is about 7-9 minutes in length, which is short enough to try and fit into our daily lives and long enough to feel the effects of the mantra.

If any of you are interested in taking a look at this CD, then take a peek – Deva Premal Sings the Moola Mantra

The Five Spices
This feel good tea includes Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger and Black Pepper.

Many years ago, Yogi Bhajan began serving a special spice tea to his students, which they named "Yogi Tea". Today this tea is still one of our most popular and is known as Classic Cinnamon Spicy tea. I drank it constantly when I was backpacking through India, it was a great friend to me on chilly nights in the desert and always went well with a piece of cake (or two)

Yoga Wellbeing tip -

The five original spices are very tasty and they have beneficial properties. Cardamom aids the digestion, Cinnamon is for the bones, Cloves are excellent for strengthening the nervous system, Ginger helps alleviate any physical weakness and Black Pepper is a blood purifier. Given the cleansing properties of these spices they add a huge boost for your overall Wellbeing.

Hello one and all.

I have been practicing Hatha yoga for over 10 years and also teach. This newfangled Nintendo Wii Fit has got me very curious. Upon hearing about the Wiiii’s influence in certain weird and wonderful areas of the yoga world I thought it would be interesting to give it a whirl. Yes sirree, Laura Watson the technically challenged fiend is going to try out the Wii fit as a yoga tool. Here I go.

I have borrowed the Wiii from a friend and feel as though I am momentarily stealing her happiness. So I must be quick and use it this morning and have it returned by tonight or she will have a mini breakdown. The Wii fit yoga poses offer a good variety of postures. However it’s important to ensure that your yoga practice includes a range of different asanas that bring the body into balance. Once you’ve unlocked the 15 wii fit yoga poses be sure to design your practice with a range the different categories. This is important as yoga is all about balance of the mind and body. The Wii fit demo video showed me how to go through the exercises, basic information was given and reference to the breath was made, but I found there were quite a few differences between traditional yoga and the wii fit yoga poses. The final 4 poses were a lot more advanced, so please take care not to injure yourself by thinking that you’re super bendy.

Not having a yoga teacher to help adjust or advice is missing in the whole experience. The practice lacked the heart of yoga in exploring the connection between mind, body, and spirit. The wii fit is not a replacement for a regular yoga practice. It’s only a very very wee sample of yoga but the percentage of people crossing over from the Wii yoga to a local yoga class to daily practice should be noted as positive movement for the yoga community.

I am a yogi after all I have to try and look at everything from a sunny perspective. Until next time. Namaste.