Harrogate Yoga

Heart and Soul is the theme of a morning workshop I’m running on 28th September. We’ll explore the organ system via a somatic approach.

Participants will learn how our organ system can be a means of support in posture and in asana. For example: by experiencing the volume and buoyancy of the lungs, we can find a lightness in our arms in Warrior 1 and Warrior 2.
In the practice of a sitting twist, we can bring awareness to the volume of the organs of the abdomen to initiate the twist from there - with minimal muscular effort.
In forward bends and back bends we can allow the breath to create the feel of a pillow for the heart.
We’ll be reminded how our earliest experiences of movement were not of muscles actively contracting to move bones, instead, more about fluid movements organised around centre - the navel - supported by the organs.
It’ll be an opportunity to practise moving with ease, becoming deeply relaxed through inner inquiry and through engaging with others.

See info via link in bio. Or message me to book, or find out more.

I do seem to like pink in the garden! Especially roses.

Hear about Amanda's upcoming workshops, her latest video and YouTube channel in this newsletter.
http://createsend.com/t/r-24F3763BDB1256EB2540EF23F30FEDED

Enhance your ability to breathe deeply with the help of these mudras!

Begin in a comfortable seated position with hands in Chin Mudra - thumbs and first fingers together, backs of the hands resting on knees. Begin to become aware of your breathing. Allow your diaphragm to release down as your lungs fill, so that in turn your belly expands. Take a few breaths.

Then take Chinmaya Mudra - first fingers and thumbs remain together with the other fingers curled in to the palms of hands. Backs of hands are still resting on knees. Notice how this changes your breathing. You may feel that your breath movement is experienced more readily in the chest now - ‘thoracic breathing.’ Take a few breaths.

Now take Adi Mudra - fingers are curled round the thumbs. Backs of hands still resting on knees. Again notice if this changes how you experience the movement of your breath. You may feel it more readily in your upper chest. Take a few breaths.

Finally, keep your hands in adi mudra with the addition of knuckles pressing together - hands in front of your chest. This is Brahma Mudra. Notice your breath movement now. Brahma Mudra enhances the complete breath. Take a few breaths and notice how it feels for you.

Release your hands out of the mudra, pause and check in with how you feel now.

Being true to oneself:
‘Be yourself, everyone else is taken.’
‘This above all, to thine own self be true.’
‘When an individual has achieved complete understanding of their true self, they will no longer be disturbed by the distracting influences within and around them.’

One of my most favourite quotes is from Maya Angelou : ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’

Take the middle way - act with moderation! As advised by Patanjali, Confucius and Goldilocks.

Yogi from the old photo album! Me on the beach in Guernsey circa 1979.

Yogi from my old photo album! Astanga Vinyasa yoga practitioner and teacher - David Swenson. He was leading a New Year Yoga retreat in Dittisham Devon 1996. Tao Porchon-Lynch was there. My children went too.

Yogi from my old photo album! Astanga Vinyasa Yoga practitioner and teacher - Derek Ireland, on the beach at The Practice Place, Crete, circa 1995.

The dance world mourns and bids farewell to Steve Paxton who passed away on February 21. I’m mourning a little too, and pondering the myriad ways in which Contact Improvisation has influenced my life. From my first encounters with CI in the mid 90s, I learned the importance of touch, of presence, of minutely attending to another. Working with of Touchdown Dance was one of the most fulfilling times in my life. In sessions with Touchdown Dance I moved with both sighted and visually impaired dancers. I also took photographs and made videos leading to drawings and paintings. These photos are from a residency at Yorkshire Dance in 1999 with Lisa Nelson and Karen Nelson - organised by Katy Dymoke. I practised CI/danced, and took photos and made videos. There was an exhibition at the end of the week. My painting is of Katy and Jane - from an earlier Touchdown occasion.

Morning Workshop – Balancing Better Still! 4th May. Well House Yoga Space, HG3 2LN
To book: send a direct message or via link in bio

On the workshop we’ll repeat some of the strategies towards better balance that we explored in January. These included raising awareness of how our habits in movement and posture, foot issues and gaze can influence balance. Then we’ll practise various balancing postures, with easy options for arriving into more complex ones. The morning will include breath awareness, a guided relaxation and a tea break.

Michael Mosley says Stand on One Leg in Just One Thing - we’ll be doing lots of that at my Balancing Better workshop on Saturday!

‎Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley: Stand On One Leg on Apple Podcasts ‎Show Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley, Ep Stand On One Leg - 12 May 2021

I knew my daily 20 minute restorative practice (basically a nap!) must be doing me good!

Regular Napping Linked to Greater Brain Volume Individuals genetically predisposed to regular napping had greater total brain volume, a surrogate of better cognitive health.

“What most people need to learn in life is how to love people and use things, instead of using people and loving things”

Wake Up Feel Warm Inside classes are starting again next Monday 7.00 - 8.00am. Direct message me for info if you’d like to come!

This is what Mike Dobson said about the last series of classes:
“7:00am on a Monday morning in the middle of winter - yoga? Really? That’s what I thought, but it’s definitely worth it. Amanda’s class is such a positive way to start the day. Her many years of experience are so obvious in the care and detail she takes in the structure throughout. Thank you. Xx”

Sea Anemone is practised in almost all the classes I teach. Nearly everyone can do and enjoy these movements - all ages. In fact the sequence is from Movement Ritual, which is the work of Anna Halprin. I named the sequence Sea Anemone. I learned Movement Ritual from Didier Rouchon at Yorkshire Dance back in the 90s.

Merry Christmas everyone and may your yoga practice bring you joy in 2024!

So busy with Christmas it’s making you dizzy? Go with it and get Topsy Turvying! https://pin.it/SxewTcp

We’ve been practising Hridaya Mudra at the end of each early Monday morning Wake Up Feel Warm Inside class. The classes include a focus on arterial blood flow from the heart to the extremities. With hands in heart mudra we can be grateful for the work our hearts are doing!

Just about to teach two classes at aHen Weekend! Barolin Farm Weddings

Just about to teach a couple of classes for a Hen Party weekend! Barolin Farm Weddings

Wake Up Feel Warm Inside Monday morning classes finish like this - with Prana Mudra.

Join me on 20th January if you’d like to balance better. I’m running a morning workshop with a somatic approach at the gorgeous Well House Yoga Space in Felliscliffe HG3 2LN. On the workshop you’ll learn how habits in movement and posture, foot issues and gaze can influence your ability to balance well. After practising supine and prone developmental movement patterns, plus foot exercises, we’ll observe our normal walking, and how stable we feel in yoga asana, including balances. The morning will also include breath awareness and a guided relaxation. Message me for more info