Do you have the days where you are just don’t feel going along to your yoga session or even meditation class? Sometimes Yoga in London can mean so much in our fast paced environment but some days it can feel more of an effort than others.

Pam Horton has been teaching for 34 years and is someone to draw inspiration from when we have the days where we just don’t want to step on the yoga mat.

She started taking classes in 1966 and was attracted by the composure of the yoga students and the reflective nature of the activity. She continued taking classes for the next seven years before training as a yoga instructor myself.

It’s now 34 years down the line, and she has never missed a day of work due to ill health. She incorporate lots of movement into my daily life.

“To wake your body up, it’s useful to do something it hasn’t done before. If you do the same activity all the time, you will get bored – you need to be stimulated. Engaging your mind is as important as your muscles.”

Exercise definitely affects your mental wellbeing. Her best advice is not to overthink exercise – something is always better than nothing, you just have to make sure you do it.

We would love to hear more of these inspirational stories throughout the Summer. Are you fairly new to yoga and have had a life changing experience? To get in touch click here.

How does yoga help?

More and more research is being used to show the benefits of yoga for depression. The majority of Yoga classes in London are promoting the benefits of reduction in stress and anxiety levels. When putting together our tailored programmes so many of our private yoga clients have asked for yoga for stress relief. So we figured we should give you a bit more of an idea of why you sometimes get that yoga high when you come out of relaxation, ready to float out of the yoga class to get your night bus home.

Researchers have found that three sessions of the yoga classes a week can help fight off depression as it boosts levels of a chemical in the brain which is essential for a calm and relaxed mind.

Scientists have found there is higher level of the amino acid GABA in those that practice yoga compared to those that more strenuous exercise. GABA promotes a healthy nervous system and brain function. Low Gaba levels can lead to depression and anxiety.

Recent research from Boston University School of Medicine, USA, monitored two groups of healthy individuals for a period of 12 weeks, half spent the three hours practicing yoga while the other half walked. There brains were scanned prior and after the experiment to measure GABA levels, there were also asked psychological questions throughout the 12 weeks.

Those who practiced yoga had increases in their mood and lower level of anxiety.

Katie Prior, of mental health charity Mind, welcomed the study.

She said: “Any kind of exercise is good for improving a person’s mood and self esteem. It makes you feel good and look good, both of which help with mental wellbeing.

“Yoga is a relaxing, low impact activity for people who don’t like the thought of walking or running.

“It can be done in the privacy of a person’s own home, or people can join a class where they can meet others – this is a great way to meet people, especially for those who may suffer from isolation and loneliness.”

So next time you feel all floaty at the end of your yoga session you know why, it’s all about the GABA levels.

Harvard University study has shown that most people spend 46.9% of their wakinghours in a state of distraction. The study found that people were thinking of anything other than what was happening around them for nearly half their time awake.

The study utilised the technology of an iPhone web app to collect data from volunteers as they spent their days. The 250,000 points of data covered feelings, thoughts and actions of the participants. The app randomly contacted the 2,250 participants to ask what they were currently doing and how happy they were. They were also asked if they were actually thinking about the activity they were engaged in.

This fascinating study was created by Daniel T. Gilbert and Matthew A. Killingsworth both of whom are psychologists at Harvard University. In their paper which was published in the Science journal, they wrote that “A human mind is a wandering mind, and a wandering mind is an unhappy mind,” adding that “The ability to think about what is not happening is a cognitive achievement that comes at an emotional cost.”

They also found that people’s brains seem to have a default pattern of mind wandering spending time thinking about past events, possible future events and total imaginations, all of which is unique to humans; animals only think about what is happening around them. Killingsworth explained that “Mind-wandering appears ubiquitous across all activities,” and that “This study shows that our mental lives are pervaded, to a remarkable degree, by the non-present.”

An interesting statistic emerged revealing that only 4.6% of someone’s happiness was due to their current activity, whereas 10.8% of their happiness was due to mind wandering.

To sum up, Killingsworth said, “Mind-wandering is an excellent predictor of people’s happiness,” adding that “In fact, how often our minds leave the present and where they tend to go is a better predictor of our happiness than the activities in which we are engaged.”

Yoga Wellbeing classes are filling up with yogis who are using their regular yoga practice to work against all the colds and flus going around. You can’t always keep the colds of winter from stuffing up your head and slowing down your body. Before you know it, you may be wondering if you should attempt your yoga practice or retreat to bed. Here’s a little bit of  Yoga Wellbeing inspiration;

TREAT YOURSELF If you feel you need to take something for your symptoms, try to avoid antibiotics, and even over-the-counter cold remedies aren’t very practical, since many contain five drugs when all you need is one or two. Perhaps you could try individual remedies, like lozenges for a sore throat. For nasal congestion, add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to boiling water and inhale the vapors. Although it’s still not clear how effective echinacea, zinc lozenges, vitamin C, and homeopathic preparations can be, you can still try them, since they are all generally very safe and could be the remedy you need.

LISTEN CLOSE Check in with your body before practice. If you’re wiped out, you could make things worse by pushing through your normal routine, so try a gentle or restorative practice instead and skip strong breathing techniques. Once your energy improves, you can gradually return to a more vigorous practice even if you still have a cough or your nose is stuffy. If you feel worse after practicing, it’s a sign that you’ve probably done too much. Take it easy and be kind to yourself.

TRY OUT SOME POSITIVE VIBRATIONS Vibrations from humming have been shown to open the sinuses and help get rid of phelgm, which can relieve pressure and may even help stave off a bacterial infection of the sinuses. Try chanting Om, or, for nasal congestion, experiment with the pranayama practice of Bhramari: Press your lips together and make the sound of a buzzing bee.

STAY UPRIGHT If your head is stuffed up or you’re feeling tired, avoid inversions like Headstand and Handstand. Even Shoulderstand can worsen nasal congestion and head pressure.

SUPPORT YOURSELF Even restful poses like Savasana (Corpse Pose) aren’t easy when you’re congested, so instead of lying flat, support your back on a bolster running lengthwise from your lower spine to your head, with a folded blanket under the head and neck if needed. This makes breathing easier, and it’s more energizing.

Yoga is designed to help your mind and your body, and many of the new trends emerging around London some yogis are finding a little confusing. Whether you practice yoga for the physical aspect, peace of mind or just because you love it. Yoga Wellbeing has been busy putting together a list of the top ten yoga trends in London. So cast your eyes on these quirky yogic ideas and let us know your thoughts;

1. Doga: Think your dog would like to do yoga? Yeah, probably not. That hasn’t stopped pet owners from trying, however, as this dog yoga trend (or Doga) has spread from coast to coast. While it’s all well and good to get your dog a workout, it would probably much rather prefer a run in the park to trying to perfect its downward dog.
2. Yoga Dinner: Nothing goes better with working out than some hors d’oeuvres, right? This trend pairs intense yoga training with a post-workout dinner. If you’re the sweaty type or just don’t feel like eating a gourmet meal in your workout clothes, this trend is definitely not for you. While it does get away from the tradition of yoga, you won’t have to loosen your belt or unzip your trousers courtesy of your stretchy yoga attire.
3. Mobile Yoga: As if rollerblades didn’t already make you look silly enough, this yoga trend asks practitioners to strap on some skates before starting up their yoga routine. While it might be a good workout, it certainly takes away from the relaxation factor in yoga, as you’ll not only have to concentrate on performing your asanas correctly, but also not falling on your rear end.
4. Funeral Home Yoga: While the dead are pretty much as peaceful and calm as you can get, most people would balk at performing yoga in a funeral home or a cemetery. Yet both of these places are becoming common destinations for yoga studios. If you’d like to meditate on death and your own mortality while doing yoga, then it might work for you. If you prefer something more upbeat, stick with traditional yoga practice.
5. Yoga Competitions: Yoga is designed to be personal, working with your body and your mind to achieve a sort of harmony. In Western society, however, that drive to achieve balance and harmony often becomes a drive to achieve it better than everyone else in your yoga class. Competitive yoga is a growing phenomenon, taking the practice of yoga and turning into a contest.
6. Yoga Dating: This growing trend replaces the coffee or drink date with one centered around yoga. While it’s great to meet people who share your interests, it doesn’t seem conducive to conversation or improving your yoga.
7. Naked Yoga: Many people can’t go on enough about how great naked yoga is and how it gets you in touch with your real being, without all those pesky clothes to get in the way. While the shedding of the often distracting status symbols is great, the reality is that with nudity comes sex, even if instructors adamantly claim their courses are non-sexual. The fact that many of these courses require students to pair up only further reinforces that there’s an element of sexuality to them. Why is this a bad thing? Because the quality of the yoga is often diminished by the sensuality. There are already enough things to distract you when doing yoga, naked yoga just adds another.
8. Room Service Yoga: You can order up a massage, a bloody mary and get your dry cleaning done through room service, why not call up a yogi too? Many hotels, resorts and other hospitality facilities now offer yoga on-site either through classes or on-demand. While having access to yoga no matter where you go is great, why pay for something you can do on your own for free? It simply further commercializes the already over-commercialized practice of yoga.
9. Ski Yoga: You know what hurtling down the mountain at dangerous speeds around trees and rocks needs to make it better? Doing it while in tree pose! Because, of course, everything is made better by adding yoga to it, ski resorts around the nation are now offering a variety of ski yoga classes visitors can take. While stretching out before skiing is a good idea so many places are combining it with everything from skiing to kayaking that it’s hard to concentrate on just the yoga.
10. Aqua Yoga: Doing yoga outside of the water is great, why not bring it into a pool with you? Doing yoga in water can reduce some of the stress it puts on joints, but it also limits the types of movements you can do. There’s nothing really wrong with aqua yoga per se, it just doesn’t seem particularly necessary and follows a trend of bringing just about every land-based kind of working out into the water.

Yoga has even been known to cure various serious ailments and diseases including heart disease, muscle and joint debilitation, depression and many, many more ailments. We have found more and more clients are being faced with diabetes. It has been seen to be resolved with a regular yoga practice. Diabetes or Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic polygenic disease where the glucose level in the blood is abnormally high. It is a type of metabolic disorder characterized by the body’s inability regulate and produce insulin. The main function of insulin is converting sugar, starches or other food items into energy. When the body stops producing insulin, the sugar circulation in blood increases unchecked, which leads to serious disorders of the nervous system, the vascular system, the circulatory system, obesity, even loss of limbs. Diabetes is a growing world-wide epidemic that even the most advanced medical doctors are continuously losing the battle against. Yoga and a balanced diet paired together have been seen to show marked steps towards curing diabetes and balancing blood sugar. Regular practice of yoga also reduces the chances of the onset of diabetes and keeps it in control by changing lifestyle patterns.

There are various yoga poses which can be effective in warding off diabetes. Sun salutation or Surya Namaskar is a very powerful and helpful yoga exercise for people suffering from diabetes. This exercise tends to improve the blood circulation throughout the body and hence a better level of insulin administration throughout the body. After becoming more familiar with Sun Salutations, one can practice other yoga asanas. Pranayama or the breathing techniques are also very good for controlling and purifying the blood. In addition, practicing meditation can also be helpful in the treatment of diabetes. Regular meditation has actually been known to have a regulative effect on sugar levels.

Well today’s the day. The Yoga Wellbeing team can’t wait to get down to the Yoga Show 2010.

The Opening Ceremony will be led by the World Healing Project, at the “Sacred Space” by the Main Stage. Come and join us to open the weekend’s events. Free yoga and Pilates classes will be on offer to those who have never tried the relaxation techniques and are interested in doing so, while numerous lectures and demonstrations are to take place over the three days, along with one-to-one demonstrations of how to use all the latest equipment.

Everything from mats to belts, training sessions and clothing will be on sale at the show, while many of the free open classes are being held by some of the UK’s leading experts in relaxation and meditation.

The Yoga Wellbeing team will be there from Friday morning to last thing on Sunday night so come and visit us. We will wear our lotus YW tshirts so you won’t be able to miss us. Just click onto our Facebook page if you would like to know more about the Yoga Show.

Yoga Wellbeing has been working with OM Magazine and The Yoga Show. We have 15 FREE tickets to give away. If you would like to know more just click here to visit Yoga Wellbeing’s Facebook page.

Here’s a little bit more information on The Yoga Show 2010. It’s being held at The London’s Olympia, now in its seventh year, is a total Yoga experience under one roof. The show is on for three days and offers endless yoga fun for everyone.

The Yoga Show also features:

Free open classes

Sample a wide range of yoga and pilates. Open sessions are for all levels of experience including beginners, and are the ideal way to try something new. Sessions are held with some of the country’s leading teachers and professional organisations.

Workshops

Take a longer class and experience the teaching styles of talented inspirational teachers. A chance to .try a different style of yoga including popular fusions influenced by yoga, pilates, dance and music.

Exhibition

Visit over 200 exhibition stands covering all aspects of Yoga, Pilates, Ayurveda and naturally healthy products. From mats to bolsters, bags & belts to holidays, teacher training and clothing.

Children’s yoga

Let the kids have some fun in the Lion pose, all sessions are free of charge.

We are really excited about the up and coming Yoga Show. Yogic fun, free talks and tasty snackettes – what’s not to love about The Yoga Show 2010? It’s the yoga event of the year and takes place at London Olympia between the 29 – 31 October.

Over 200 exhibitors and a lovely group of yoga teachers giving workshops and lectures look set to make The Yoga Show 2010 one to remember. The Yoga Wellbeing Team will be there greeting and meeting all the lovely yogis. We are running a Yoga Break competition throughout the yoga show. Giving away lots of super special yoga prizes, including our main prize which is a free place at our next yoga retreat. Also, we are offering a two free ticket to anyone that books a one to one session before Friday 29th October.

Teachers are increasingly ditching traditional team games such as rugby, hockey and netball to boost the number of pupils taking part in PE lessons.Figures from the Department for Education show that more than six-in-10 pupils now fail to take part in regular competitive sport during the school day. A further eight-in-10 shun competitions between schools.

The disclosure was criticised by the Coalition amid claims that pupils were being denied the chance to develop vital team-building skills.It follows an announcement that the Government will create an annual Olympics-style event for state schools in an attempt to revive children’s competitive spirit.

Although participation reached a new high, it still meant some 840,198 children failed to hit Labour’s target of 120 minutes of sport each week. Only 64 per cent of pupils in the final two years of secondary school did two hours of sport, suggesting that GCSE preparation got in the way of PE for many teenagers.

More than a fifth of schools are laying on yoga classes, compared with 21 per cent a year ago. It’s a great opportunity for kids to thrive in a non competitive enviroment.

If you would like to know more about Yoga Wellbeing in Schools then we please just click here.