How to create your own retreat at home

Going on a day, weekend, week or longer retreat can be really beneficial. Depending on the retreat chosen you might have a digital detox, be outdoors on adventures, learning to meditate, deepening your yoga practice, eating home-cooked healthy food, making new friends, spending time alone ... the list could go on. But in the last … Continue reading How to create your own retreat at home

Benefits of yoga infographic

There are many benefits of practising yoga, and increasingly these are being researched and recorded through human studies. Although people practising yoga hundreds or thousands of years ago may have used different terminology, the end result was probably the same - a sense of wellbeing, tranquility and calm. The international day of yoga in 2021 … Continue reading Benefits of yoga infographic

Clear water meditation track

Glass of water with blue liquid swirling in it

Recently I recorded a new 11 minutes guided meditation audio track which you can access here for free. The clear water meditation track seems to resonate with some people as a useful way of approaching mindfulness, clarity, meditation, and accepting that sometimes the mind is cloudy, sometimes it's clear, sometimes it's both. This is a … Continue reading Clear water meditation track

Back pain and new ways of thinking about it

Info graphic with text about pain

Back pain can be frustrating and limiting, especially if it becomes chronic (ongoing) beyond a few weeks. Recently a few people have asked me for advice, often after an incident has triggered back pain. And the good news is, things will generally get better in a few weeks, with some direct action and a helpful … Continue reading Back pain and new ways of thinking about it

Learn how to breathe more slowly with my new audio tracks

I've had a bit more time recently to create some new resources that can help improve your health and wellbeing. I've created a new page on pranayama, what it is (breathing!) and why learning long, slow and deep breathing practices can be beneficial. I've also recorded and uploaded some free audio tracks talking you through … Continue reading Learn how to breathe more slowly with my new audio tracks

Relieving lower back discomfort

Cat doing cat posture

It's very common to experience short bouts of lower back pain or discomfort. Often it might feel like a dull ache, not too painful really, but noticeable when you do certain things like getting up out of a chair. In many cases temporary discomfort may be from lack of movement and too much sitting, and … Continue reading Relieving lower back discomfort

Free mindfulness of breath tracks

Trees

I've uploaded my second mindfulness of breath track for you to listen to for free, to help bring feelings of calm, relaxation and quietness to the mind and body. There's now a 1 minute track and a 3 minute track. Listen to them whenever you want*, maybe before going to bed, or if you wake … Continue reading Free mindfulness of breath tracks

Long term or chronic stress and the relaxation response

Cat asleep in a small bed

Stress is something we all casually mention in conversations, about work, home or general life situations, but what does stress in the body actually do to us? This depends on whether we're talking about a short-lived single stressful incident (road rage, an interview etc), or ongoing stress for days, weeks or months. Recently in the … Continue reading Long term or chronic stress and the relaxation response

Research evidence on yoga and health

For those of you who are interested in modern science's interpretations of the benefits of yoga, I've just come across a recently published collection of evidence reviews on yoga and a range of health issues from back pain, asthma, heart issues, falls by older people, cancer and mental health. This collection of links to research … Continue reading Research evidence on yoga and health