Jasmine Yoga UK

Bracing walk today at and for my connection with nature.
Can’t believe a man was paddle boarding - very brave! 😬
Very lucky to have this nearby 🥰

New Year - new intention! Find out why I've decided to do things differently this year.

My New Year intention – to be kinder to myself and live in harmony with the seasons January is the traditional time to kick off new resolutions and start the year how we mean to go on. This year I’ve decided to reframe how I look at this and try something different. It all started…

Picking tomatoes and reflecting on their diversity! My homegrown ones are not all perfect either but they taste amazing. Why then do we strive to make all our yoga poses look the same - despite us all being beautifully diverse human beings? Nature loves diversity because it makes life stronger. When you next practice, reflect on your own unique yoga poses and embrace them 🥰💜🙏🏼

It’s been a bit of a wet day today so I wanted to revisit a bit of colour! These beautiful hydrangeas grow everywhere in Cornwall - even by the sides of the road! Lanhydrock House has a fantastic collection of them spanning all their glorious colours 💜🌺🌸🌼

Just back from a trip to beautiful North Cornwall and wanted to share some peaceful serenity this Wednesday evening 🥰🙏🏼

Can’t help it - I just love 💜💕

Amazing colours in the woods today with - new, bright green blades of grass and delicate blue Bluebells

It might seem impossible to slow down, but if you try to quit the rushing around (just sometimes) you get to notice more and enjoy the act of doing something, as opposed to just focusing on the end results 😊

It’s ok to take your time. Things are often better done calmly than in a rush

Image: https://instagram.com/hello.shannon

This is why I teach - even though my life is busy, I make time to share what I can bring. This helps others but also builds more light and power for me to share 💜

When you have found your light and your power, you have to share it, because that is contagious.

~ Xiye Bastida

I absolutely love spinal flossing - it feels amazing as a follow up to Cat and Cow poses! Give it a go next time you practice 🥰

Spinal Flossing (aka: neurodynamics) | Yin Yoga (An excerpt from Your Spine, Your Yoga.) Spinal nerves are mobile and dynamic. This is a good thing because as we flex, extend and twist the spine during our yoga practice, the spinal canal through which the spinal cord runs is constantly changing its length. While the spinal cord has some ability t...

Finally managed a Flying Lizard pose! This is what I love about Yoga - there is always something else to discover 💜So having managed to do that I mixed it up into a combo with my old favourite - Crow pose, for a Lizard Crow 😂

Sirsansana (Headstand) is described as King of the Asanas. An absolute essential for the serious Yoga practitioner. Is this really the case or should we take a more cautious approach to this inversion? At some point everyone who has practiced Yoga reaches their nemesis. Mine is Supported Headstand (Salamba Sirsasana). I can’t do Padmasana (Lotus Pose) but Supported Headstand is the only pose which has ever actually made me cry with frustration (in the middle of my teacher training)!...

Headstand is King of the Asanas – but is it for everyone? Sirsansana (Headstand) is described as King of the Asanas. An absolute essential for the serious Yoga practitioner. Is this really the case or should we take a more cautious approach to this invers…

This thought really resonates with me today as I’m feeling tired after a busy few months. I am doing more than just surviving now - but that hasn’t always been the case. As a carer I spent many years putting my career on hold. Others couldn’t understand why. I had to do this in order to survive - it was the only way I could preserve my energy. It turned out that Yoga was to provide my alternative growth opportunity. Teacher training was tough but gave me focus and strength to develop a different path. If you’re feeling this way - firstly look after yourself. Then when you’re ready, look at different opportunities. Find something you love to do and see if that helps you thrive 💜

Interesting article about Gomukhasana and hips 😊

Shoelace/Cowface/Gomukhasana: is it internal or external rotation of hips?

This is a question that comes up rather frequently. Are the femurs in Gomukhasana (aka Cowface or in Yin Yoga called Shoelace) internally or externally rotated in the hip sockets? The correct answer is — external rotation. Read this explanation in the Forum to find out why.

https://yinyoga.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2357

I love to eat seasonally, so this time of year is fantastic for earthy root veg, squashes and leafy greens. I especially love beetroot - a wonderful Sattvic (calming) food. For more on Sattvic foods and what they are, check out my blog post - https://jasmineyogauk.co.uk/2018/09/22/yoga-diet-modern-life-part-2/

Always time for Yoga - practicing Natarajasana at made me feel uplifted today!

Nothing like a few tea lights on a warm evening to evoke faraway places - even in Hertfordshire! Some Nag Champa incense is the finishing touch for a relaxing evening 🌴

It’s the last day of my challenge so here’s a few Side Crow pose variations! Squat with legs together and twist (top left) is stage 1, followed by placing hands on the floor and leaning over them (top right). This enables you to create the required twist of your spine and get the feel for supporting your body in your hands. The easiest way to lift off is to position your elbows on the outside of the knee and hip(second row). This enables both forearms to act as supports without too much effort. It’s a good option if you need to work on strength a bit more or want to feel more secure in the pose. The pose on the right here has the arm on the side you are twisting towards, away from the body. This is more challenging but does allow greater lift and then progression onto other variations. Third row left shows the legs extended - another option is to transition into Eka Pada Koundinyasana 2 from here. If balancing on your hands isn’t an option then you can try seated, reclining or chair versions. For these, keep the abs active to get the most from the pose!

I’ve done a lovely standing sequence using my feet up trainer today and will soon doing a meditation and relaxation to music. I find that music really helps me focus and relax - I’m going to make time later this week to do a sound bath at home. I’d love to do one in person but don’t have that option at the moment. If like me you can only do this at home, I’m sharing my tips on how to create your own sound bath experience 🥰 https://jasmineyogauk.co.uk/2022/01/05/create-your-own-sound-bath-experience-at-home/

I couldn’t decide what to teach for my Power Yoga class tonight so spent ages practicing 😂
Anyway I ended up teaching Side Crow but practicing Eka Pada Koundinyasana 1 as well. I love this hand balance which is an evolution of Side Crow. I’ll post my tips on how to practice Side Crow later this week but for now here’s a link to a post I wrote a while ago on EPK 1 💜
https://jasmineyogauk.co.uk/2019/04/28/exploring-epk-1

A lovely Yin practice for legs after lots of planting on the allotment 🥰 Butterfly, Straddle, Caterpillar, Swan, Sleeping Swan, Shoelace, Saddle, Bananasana and single leg twist followed by Savasana 💜 I’m nearly at my total but would love to reach it for Please donate if you can to https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/claires-yoga-challenge-giving-page-12

Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) is a wonderful Vinyasa (flow) which prepares the body for the practice of Asana (poses) and is also a great practice in its own right. But what if you can't or don't want to practice it? Firstly, there is no mandatory element to yoga practice. Different styles each have their own poses and intent for practice. Some practice types do not include Vinyasa at all....

http://jasmineyogauk.co.uk/2022/06/25/four-part-daoist-breath-an-accessible-alternative-to-sun-salutations/

Some thoughts on props for day 24 with 2 lovely classes taught as well 🥰 https://jasmineyogauk.co.uk/2022/06/24/to-prop-or-not/

Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) is a wonderful Vinyasa (flow) which prepares the body for the practice of Asana (poses) and is also a great practice in its own right. But what if you can't or don't want to practice it? Firstly, there is no mandatory element to yoga practice. Different styles each have their own poses and intent for practice. Some practice types do not include Vinyasa at all....

http://jasmineyogauk.co.uk/2022/06/25/four-part-daoist-breath-an-accessible-alternative-to-sun-salutations/

Four Part Daoist Breath – an accessible alternative to Sun Salutations Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) is a wonderful Vinyasa (flow) which prepares the body for the practice of Asana (poses) and is also a great practice in its own right. But what if you can’t o…

Today I had a bit of a revelation! It’s not that I’d avoided thinking about this, but it wasn’t really front of mind. I don’t know if I could actually practice Yoga Asana without the use of props - over and above my mat of course! When I first started on my Yoga journey about 18 years ago, I didn’t know that props existed....

http://jasmineyogauk.co.uk/2022/06/24/to-prop-or-not/

To prop or not? Today I had a bit of a revelation! It’s not that I’d avoided thinking about this, but it wasn’t really front of mind. I don’t know if I could actually practice Yoga Asana without the use of props &…

I’m loving Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar) on Day 23 - must be due to the Summer Solstice! Anyway for those who have been practising this beautiful flow, I thought I could share a little background on it 🙂
Surya is a Sanskrit word meaning The Supreme Light or Sun. Namaskar means Salutation and refers to the bowing down or prostrating of Self to the symbol of life, the energy-giving Sun.
Many versions of the Sun Salutation are taught so the Asana (poses) practiced do vary. It is often done to prepare the body for practice of other poses. It increases the heart rate, through the action of the breath whilst moving through the flow and this helps warm up the muscles. This also helps produce Agni - inner fire within the body. https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/claires-yoga-challenge-giving-page-12

Day 22 and a very busy day today so I finished it off with a very relaxing Yin Yoga practice 🥰
I'm sharing another pose I love to practice today! Side Plank pose (Vasisthasana) is named after the Sage Vasistha and is a fantastic pose for strengthening the sides of the body - as well as creating a different perspective on the world.
https://jasmineyogauk.co.uk/2020/02/08/taking-a-sideways-look-at-life-in-side-plank-pose/
https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/claires-yoga-challenge-giving-page-12

Fantastic mindful walk around on day 21 - celebrating the health benefits that nature brings on