We love it when we hear more schools are introducing yoga to their cirriculum. We have just recently started teaching a lovely bunch of kids at Southfields Primary School. It’s a great experience to be able to teach a wide range of kids the physical side of yoga and a little bit of relaxation too. In addition to this we are really excited to be starting up with The Sports Academy next week to take kids through a couple of yoga adventures on their Easter holidays. We feel through yoga we are giving children the tools to deal with future stresses, and showing them that there is more to relaxation than playing computer games.

Barbara Herts, the chief executive of the young people’s mental health charity Young-Minds, says: “Today’s fast pace and often confusing world can have a real and lasting effect on the emotional wellbeing of children and young people. With increases in stressful events such as exam pressure, family breakdown and bullying, we are experiencing more triggers to stress and anxiety in young people.”

Visualisations

Visualisations are about setting kids up for when they are older, and it’s great for emotional literacy and helps overstimulated kids, through yoga postures and meditations. Connecting the quiet space inside you which we all have; you can’t relax and focus your mind until you relax your body.

The younger children do a version of yoga postures and breathing exercises as the teacher coordinates the movements to an adventure story. The older children do a more grown-up version of yoga. Many of our classes are incorporated into the school day or after-school programmes. Teachers give us lots of positive feedback saying that they are more focused and able to listen better. Starting the day with a little bit of yoga can make a huge difference to the kids productivity for the rest of the day.

If you have any questions about our Yoga Wellbeing’s programmes in schools then we would love to hear from you.

Ramdev, whose real name is Ramkishan Yadav, was born in 1953 into a farming family in the northern state of Haryana and studied yoga with a local guru after leaving school.

He began his career offering free yoga classes around Haryana and established the Divya Yog Mandir Trust to promote pranayama the art of breath control. Today he is onne of India’s most successful yogi, attracting an estimated 40 million viewers to his daily television shows on the Aastha channel.

Now Ramdev, one of India’s most popular Hindu yogi’s is on a mission to wipe out corruption by forming his own party to contest the next elections in 2014.  Part of his yogic manifesto is to establish a new World Health Organisation through research work on the knowledge base of yogic sages. To establish pranayam (breath control) as a free medicine for the treatment of all diseases. To make the world a peaceful and tranquil place by using yogic techniques. In addition to this he would like to bring yoga to schools to improve concentration and relaxation.

What do you think of Ramdev and his yogic manifesto?

You just can’t escape the beauty in Peru between the desert and the lush expanse of the Amazon rainforest, it can’t help but surprise you. Peruvians honor gods both Christian and indigenous. Ancient ruins let you in on prehistoric secrets. There are stunning lakes to stare into, waves to surf, and cities to get lost in.

It’s a place continuously energized by fresh influences. In Peru, you can find yourself dancing to African music, admire impressive Catholic churches and be amazed indigenous textiles.

Meanwhile, prepare to send your vision into overdrive. Peru is home to snow-capped mountains, giant sand dunes, magestic volcanoes and rocky Pacific outcroppings inhabited by grumpy sea lions.

And let’s not forget the food, a bounty of sublime concoctions made freash and fast. You’ll need weeks to savor the vast selection of delicacies: from rare strains of potato to tasty guinea pig.

Peru will not let your taste buds down.

You’re having a challenging day and your shoulders are up around ears. Something that can help is self massage. When you don’t have time or money for a massage , you can pick up a few props and follow these handy tips. Take a peek below.

Healing Headaches

If pounding headaches visit you all too often, it’s time to learn how to tap into your craniosacral still point—a momentary cessation of the pulse of your cerebrospinal fluid that dissipates tension and pain. “It’s great for headaches,” says Ann Honigman, a chiropractor and craniosacral therapist in Berkeley, California. “It really helps you quiet the nervous system.” The pros do this for clients with their hands, but you can do it for yourself by lying on an easy-to-make still point inducer.

What you need

Two tennis balls and a sock (stuff the balls in the sock and tie a knot at one end to hold them in place side by side)

How to do it

Lie on your back on a comfortable surface with a pillow under your knees. Place the tennis balls under your head, at the base of your skull (in line with the bottom of your ears, as viewed from the side). Rest your head on the inducer, close your eyes, and lie quietly for 10 to 20 minutes. When you’re done, lift your head with one hand and slide the prop away with the other.

Ease your back pain

Massage your own back? It’s much simpler than you’d think. A couple of easy-to-find props can help you open your chest, release tension in your spine, and even work those tight back muscles exactly where they ache.

How to do it

A massage roller or one of those swimming pool foam “noodles” (can be found on Amazon) rolled in a towel or folded sheet. For a deeper massage, you’ll also need two tennis balls or racquetballs tied in a sock.

Lie on the roller with your knees bent and your feet on the floor, so the roller extends along your spine from your sitting bones to the top of your head. You can either relax on the roller without moving (which opens your chest laterally) or roll gently from side to side to massage the muscles along your spine. Try it for at least 20 seconds or until your chest begins to relax and open.

The Bhagavad Gita message of letting go of the fruits of one’s actions is just as relevant today as it was when it was first written.

The Gita is the sixth book of the Mahabharata, one of India’s most famous epic poems. It’s unclear exactly when the Gita was composed, but a number of scholars suggest it was completed around 200 CE and then inserted into the larger work; many see it as the first fully realized yogic scripture. Curious though it may seem that such an ancient text from a foreign culture has been so enthusiastically received by Westerners, the Gita, like all truly great works of literature, can be read on many levels.

For those who haven’t had the pleasure of reading it, the Gita recounts a dialogue between Arjuna, one of five Pandava princes, and the Hindu deity Krishna, who in this epic serves as Arjuna’s charioteer. Arjuna and his brothers have been exiled from the kingdom of Kurukshetra for 13 years and cut off from their rightful heritage by another faction of the family; the Gita takes up their struggle to reclaim the throne, which requires that Arjuna wage war against his own kinsmen.

A poetic tale

A work of luminous  intensity. While no single thread has been picked up and woven into Western culture by the various thinkers, poets, songwriters, yoga teachers, and philosophers who have been drawn to the Gita, three main themes seem to have intrigued its readers: the nature of divinity; yoga, or the various ways of making contact with this divinity; and finally, the resolution of the perennial conflict between a renunciation of the world—often considered the quickest path to spiritual enlightenment—and action.

Yoga teachers have drawn so much inspiration from the Gita over more than a century is a testament to this scripture’s power. That they have pulled out different strands and woven them into their lives and our culture is even more remarkable.

When life gets busy and you don’t pay attention to yoga like you should, you can get stuck in a rut. You need always to be working to bring new energy to keep it interesting. Find the things you really love about your practice, and explore them. Do you feel like you need to add a bit of energy into your practice?

Set an intention

More than anything it’s important to appreciate the simplicity of your breath. There is always the option of adding a simple intention to your practice. You might want to see more flexibility in your body and mind, and set an intention to work toward that goal. Or something more practical, like riding your bike to work.

Focusing on the anatomy

When you have a fundamental grasp of anatomy it will help you understand your own yoga practice. With practice, you may even be able to visualize the  cause-and-effect events that each muscular action sets into motion. This insight can infuse your practice with a new level of curiosity.

Find a yoga partner

Practicing together may provide inspiration, feedback and reinforcement. Other yogi’s/yogini’s can provide you with an honest insight into your practice. All you need is space and a good friend and your practice could take a whole different direction.

Why not download

Why not try downloading a video for home practice inbetween your lessons. They can inform your practice and make you feel like there is not so much of a gap inbetween your weekly yoga class.

Aloo Gobi (potato and cauliflower curry)

In ode to my brother venturing over to India in a week I thought I would include a classic Indian curry. We ate this dish at least once a day sometimes even for the odd breakfast. If you like spice then just throw in a couple more chillis. Yum.

Ingredients

• 2 lb potatoes, diced

• 1 large cauliflower, broken into small
  flowerettes the same size as the potato pieces

• 1 onion

• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

• 1 piece of ginger, finely chopped

• 1 pinch ground coriander

• 1 small pinch chilli powder

• 2tablespoons sunflower oil

Method

Heat up the ghee or oil in a heavy bottom pan and add the cumin and mustard seeds. When the seeds start popping, add the onion and the ginger and stir fry for a minute on medium heat. Add the potatoes stir fry for five minutes, then add the cauliflower, 1 glass of water and the remaining spices and stir. Turn the heat down to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally.Until the potatoes are soft (about 25 minutes). Serve with rice or chapatis.

This asanas mini obstacle is a natural fear of falling. Make sure you keep your walls clear and give it a try against a wall to start to build your confidence.

A little guide

1. Perform with your fingertips an inch or two away from a wall, hands shoulder-width. If your shoulders are tight, turn your index fingers out slightly; otherwise arrange them parallel to each other. If you’re uneasy about this pose, you’re not alone. To ready yourself for and secure yourself in this inversion, firm your shoulder blades against your back torso and pull them toward your tailbone. Then rotate your upper arms outward, to keep the shoulder blades broad, and hug your outer arms inward. Finally spread your palms and press the bases of the index fingers firmly against the floor.

2. Now bend one knee and step the foot in, closer to the wall (we’ll say it’s the left leg), but keep the other (i.e. right) leg active by extending through the heel. Then take a few practice hops before you try to launch yourself upside down. Sweep your right leg through a wide arc toward the wall and kick your left foot off the floor, immediately pushing through the heel to straighten the left knee. As both legs come off the ground, engage your deep core abdominal muscles to help lift your hips over your shoulders. Hop up and down like this several times, each time pushing off the floor a little higher. Exhale deeply each time you hop.

3. Hopping up and down like this may be all you can manage for now. Regularly practice strengthening poses, like Adho Mukha Svanasana and Plank Pose. Eventually you’ll be able to kick all the way into the pose. At first your heels may crash into the wall, but again with more practice you’ll be able to swing your heels up lightly to the wall.

4. If your armpits and groins are tight, your lower back may be deeply arched. To lengthen this area, draw your front ribs into your torso, reach your tailbone toward your heels, and slide your heels higher up the wall. Squeeze the outer legs together and roll the thighs in. Hang your head from a spot between your shoulder blades and gaze out into the center of the room.

5. To start stay in the pose 10 to 15 seconds, breathing deeply. Gradually work your way up to 1 minute. When you come down, be sure not to sink onto the shoulders. Keep your shoulder blades lifted and broad, and take one foot down at a time, each time with an exhalation. Stand in Uttanasana for 30 seconds to 1 minute. We tend to kick up with the same leg all the time: be sure to alternate your kicking leg, one day right, next day left.

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?

We’ve all been there at the weekend, too tired to do anything. Feeling tired and wired happens more often than many of us would like, and it can be hard to know what kind of practice is best to do when you feel this way.

The beauty of a yoga practice is that it’s specifically designed to bring the body and mind into balance. The first step is to rest the body. Even if your job is not physical work your body is tired at the end of the day because the mind uses a lot of glucose, which leaves you feeling depleted.

A short restorative session of different postures that combines forward folds to calm the nervous system and simple twists to revitalize the body and move stagnant blood, rebalancing your energy. Once your body starts to relax, Boccio says, you can bring your mind into balance with it by doing a simple breath-awareness practice. Start by exhaling completely, with long and steady breaths, as if the receding waves are drawing with them the accumulated detritus of the day; then take deep inhalations that feel like waves coming in with great force. Finally, be aware of how much you reactivate the mind with television or computer before going to bed.

To unwind just before going to sleep, try a foot massage: Coat the sole of your foot with raw sesame oil (you can add a few drops of a calming essential 
oil like lavender), and massage for a few minutes. This brings the energy down in the body.

Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Begin by feeling the support of the earth 
beneath you. Mentally scan your body and 
notice your level of fatigue or overstimulation. As you move through the following sequence, hold each pose as long as feels right to you.

Apanasana (Knees-to-Chest Pose)

Bring one knee into your chest, keeping the other leg straight on 
the ground. Switch knees, and then bring both knees into your chest. This pose helps release the kidney area, where fatigue is often felt.

Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved Abdomen Pose)

Extend your arms. Bring your knees over to your right side and hold; switch sides. 
Twists like these lift your 
energy and bring new 
blood to your 
internal organs 
and kidney area.

Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose)

This calming inversion takes pressure off the lower part of your body.

Janu Sirasana (Head-of-the-Knee Pose)

Come into the pose and hold; 
then switch sides. This forward bend helps calm the nervous system.