Move With Hollie

I had grand plans of keeping my classes going, content flowing and my momentum up here...without realising that packing up your entirely life in under a month and deciding to go travelling kinda require ALLLLLLLL your attention!!!

So for now, this is where all my attention is going. In the day to day of life on the road.

I'm hoping when we reach our next destination where we're staying for a month that I'll have some space to slow down and practice both here and in some other studios.

Until then. How's about some inspiration for a family travel themed instagram name? A space to share all things family, worldschool, travel related? 🤔

📸 taken in Istanbul 🇹🇷 on our short stop over before heading to South Korea 🇰🇷

Our Mantra this week is:

✨ Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo ✨

This mantra is often referred to as the Adi Mantra. (Adi meaning primal or first.)

When and why to chant this mantra?

The Adi Mantra is usually chanted 3 times at the beginning of most Kundalini Yoga classes. A way of tuning in and connecting to our own infinite wisdom, the wisdom of all of creation and the teachers and ones who came before us.

It is considered a high vibration mantra. Said to nourish our intuition, activate our highest self and bring us into a more receptive state of consciousness.

To begin:

- Take yourself to a quiet space where you won't be disturbed.
- Sit in a comfortable upright position.
- Allow your eyes to gentle close and bring your attention to your breath.
- Actively take a few deep breaths - inhaling deeply through the nose and exhaling completely.
- When you feel centred and present begin to recite the manta (either with accompanying music or a capella)
- Pay attention to how you feel as you move through this mantra meditation.

Try it!

🎶 Check out 's version on Spotify. It is a deeply emotive almost ethereal version of this beautiful mantra. The song is called "Ong Namo." 🎶

🌿 B R E A T H E with me 🌿

❓Have you taken a moment to stop, pause and notice how you're breathing this week? Today? In this moment?
❓Can you feel where you're breathing from in your body right now?
❓Have you stopped long enough to notice if you're holding any tension in your body?
❓Have you done anything that feels kind for you body and mind this week?

Join me tomorrow at 10:30am live for a short breathwork practice to take stock of where you're at right now. To stop. To pause. To notice. To B R E A T H E!

I don't know about you but for me I know that life always finds a way of grabbing my attention, my energy, and my time, especially if and when I'm not being mindful in how I spend it. I know for me I can't answer any of the above questions the way I'd like to this week. Which is exactly why I'm gonna be sharing this practice with you tomorrow - because it's what I need too!

Sunday 9th July.
10:30am
Here.
Live.

Hope to see you there 🌿

(Ok, so I know it's Tuesday but this didn't post yesterday so I'm just gonna pretend it's Monday and crack on, k? Cool!)

Every Monday I'm gonna be sharing a new mantra to see and support us through our week. If you're new to mantra it's a great place to start to begin to quieten the endless thoughts cycling your mind. If you find meditation particularly difficult then mantra might be a great place to start.

The repetitive nature of saying/singing/chanting a mantra really helps to calm the mind and transport us (quite literally - see below) into a clearer mental state. Not to mention the power of the words we use and the vibration they carry also has a profound impact on our bodies and on our nervous system.

The word mantra can be broken down into two parts: “man,” which means mind, and “tra,” which means transport or vehicle. In other words, a mantra is an instrument of the mind—a powerful sound or vibration that we can use to transport us into a deeper state of meditation and awareness.

This weeks mantra is:

✨ Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha ✨

This mantra is said to replenish our root charka. The root chakra, located at the base of the spine is responsible for our sense of security, stability and survival.

When balanced we can feel secure, grounded, full of vitality and able to withstand lifes challenges.

When out of balance we can feel insecure, fearful, anxious and unstable.

Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha is one of my favourite mantras when I am feeling challenged, fearful or like I want to hand my stuff over to the universe to handle. Like, "Here...you have it! You deal with it!" 😆 That's the feeling behind this mantra for me.

Try it!

For one week and see how you feel.

🎵 Check out and 's interpretation on Spotify for a dreamy, chilled, mellow beats version of this mantra. The song is called ✨ Om Ganesha ✨ 🎵

Happy Sunday folks!

I've been thinking about this idea of practicing lately and then I stumbled upon this quote from one of my favs . I've been thinking about what it means to practice and more specifically about what I've been practicing lately.

For the last year or so I've been practicing non attachment.

Buddha once said "The root of suffering is attachment."

> Non attachment < is also one of the Yama's as outlined in Patanjali's Eight Limbs of Yoga. (The Yama's are essentially moral guidelines by which to live with regards to our relationship with ourselves, each other and the world around us. )

I sometimes feel that the idea of non attachment is vastly misunderstood. It doesn't mean that we don't care. It isn't the elimination of desire. To me it is the practice of relinquishing control and being actively receptive to life and all it throws our way.

It works with pretty much anything: attachment to feelings, ideologies, careers, things, people, places etc.

I've been practicing letting go. Letting go of any attachment I have to what might have been, could have been, should have been. It doesn't mean I've become passive or jaded but rather that I'm remaining open and enthusiastic to possibilities I might not have envisaged.

It isn't always easy. But I can honestly say that I feel more liberated and free.

And look I know we all like to know what's ahead for us, we like to feel in control, but what about practicing leaning into the unknown a little? Remaining curious. Remain open. Remaining non attached.

To desire without attachment to the outcome is also one of the primary principals of manifestation. So maybe Buddha and Patanjali were onto something. And hey if it's good enough for Oprah right... ?!

What are you practicing this year? This month or this week even?

I'd love to hear about it.

I'm always on a bit of a journey with this book. So today when I reached for it again about to skip to week 4 where I always seem to get to and never past I couldn't help but wonder if anyone else has done the same?

It's the 3rd time I've attempted to do The Artist's Way 's 12 week step by step programme. And as tempting as it was to dive in at week 4 today when I started flicking through its pages I realised how necessary it was to start again fresh. There is so much wisdom and waow moments within these pages that everytime it lands differently for me, deeper even. I love that about it. So even if you've done it before it'll never be the same experience twice.

I decided this time not to do it alone. I love diving into things solo but I also LOVE exploring things in a group setting. I feel like everyone benefits not only from that container for accountability and kinship but in all the ways we grow and expand when we explore things together in shared time and space.

If you want to join me on this wild ride of creative discovery and recovery then DM me and let's get to it. We begin next Monday 24th October at 7:30pm BST.

You'll need a copy of The Artist's Way, a notebook and if it doesn't fill you with terror, a highlighter. I don't highlight books easy but this one really asks for it 💛

remember this?

well it turns out some of you are ready for it again and well we had fun didn't we!?!

so...let's do it!

we gather on the 26th june 2022. the last sunday of the month closest to the new moon.

come to move, breath, reflect, sip, replenish your cup and just be. we've got you. we've got eachother. god knows we need this after these last few years.

held as always at my home in glasgow.

there are only 6 spaces available so if some sunday sisterhood is calling you too then dm me to book your space asap.

26.06.22
11am - 3pm
my home (dm for address)
£25

oh and did I mention there's cacao 🤎

// NEW 6 WEEK PREGNANCY YOGA BLOCKS //

Incase you missed it in my stories of late - I've teamed up with Jenny of and from tomorrow I'll be sharing a New Doula led Birth Prep Yoga Class and a Postnatal Baby and Me one too to follow you through into the 4th trimester.

When I was pregnant with my second daughter I found myself desperately seeking a prenatal yoga class. One I could escape to every week to have some much needed me time. Where I could deepen my connection to myself and to my baby.

The block I found was great, physically, and I'm so grateful that for those 12 weeks I made that precious time for myself but it also lacked the extra pieces I felt drawn to as a woman and mother. The sense of connection, the mother, baby bond, openness about our power to bring life into this world, inspiration and encouragement, specific breathing techniques and birthing positions, recognition of what a crazy, beautiful, messy, sacred ride this all is and more. Maybe my expectations were misaligned but I had a sense that such a thing existed.

They say you often create that which you seek and in sharing this new pre and postnatal yoga block via with you I am endeavouring to do just that. To create a loving, friendly, open, inspiring and safe space for you to come home to each week.

New 6 week block begins Wednesday 26th May and takes place via Zoom.

Postnatal Yoga - 10:30am
Prenatal Birth Prep Yoga - 7:30pm

Classes can be booked via the link in my bio and via too.

I cant wait to connect and share with you as you journey through this wild ride.

📸 by

// NEW CLASS STARTS TONIGHT //

Join me every Monday evening from 8pm - 9pm for a yoga class with a twist.

Mantra, Meditation and Manifestation is a weekly invitation to get clear, connected and aligned.

Expect:

- Powerful breathwork to calm the nervous system, elevate and shift your energy.

- Mantra, meditation and movement to move into alignment with all that is available and flowing to you.

- Journaling to declutter the mind and get clear on your desires, intentions and what you want to attract more of into your life as you move through the week ahead and beyond.

Classes are £7, take place on Zoom and are open to everyone. BOOK BY CLICKING THE LINK BELOW

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=20948613

or DM me for more info.


What you'll need:

- Comfy clothes/pjs.
- A cushion/pillow to sit on.
- A scarf/blanket to keep warm.
- A notebook and pen for journaling.
- Water/ herbal tea.
- Anything else that brings you comfort i.e essential oils, candles, you name it - anything goes!

Let's gather! x

// VIVA LA V***A //

I don't think I'll ever get over how incredible the female body is. I hope I don't. I hope I spend the rest of my life in awe and admiration of it because I've spent far too long walking around in one and being completely unaware of just how miraculous it was and is until I birthed a baby out of it.

I'm fresh back from another beautiful homebirth so my awe levels are HIGH! I've also realised I love the smell of birth. That may sound odd and maybe now you're wondering what birth smells like but to me its strength, surrender and love. Which I think smells something like iron, blood and babies heads.

Its taken me over 3 decades to fully comprehend the magic of the female form in all its glory. And with every birth I attend and woman I see rebirth herself and reclaim that connection to her power I cant help but wonder what it would have been like if, as little girls, we were told we had superpowers. I wonder about the hours we could save on trying desperately to work on a new narrative pre birth if the one already surrounding us was that our yoni was our powerhouse and miracle maker in more ways than one. What if our experience was that in cultivating that early connection we find our voice, our courage, our creativity and our non negotiables and allow shame, misalignment, staying small and people pleasing to melt and fade away.

Aren't you just a bit curious about what not only birth but LIFE could look like for all those little girls and women?!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

📸 of some v***a art I made last week after watching air dry clay video and forby gushing over the beauty of and 's love (the way they look at eachother though) I knew I needed to get my hands, quite literally, on some air dry clay.

In typical flow state what started as a trinket dish ended up as a V***a. (Of course it did!)

VIVA LA V***A! ❤

// SAMHAIN, CEREMONY AND CACAO //

This was my first proper samhain ceremony of drawing attention to and acknowledging the passing from harvest season into the beginning of winter and the darker half of the year. It was held and guided lovingly by through the magic portal of zoom 😁✨

Although this is the first time I've marked it in this way with such conscious reflection I had already been drawn towards the darkness of the closing year.

I don't rebel against the invitation to slow and go inward. I'm so here for the hot cacao, cosy days at home fostering more closeness with my little brood and cutting ourselves some slack with watching more tv and autumn inspired cooking programmes and movies. Autumn and Winter for me always bring with them a deeper sense of gratitude at having a roof over our heads when the weather gets colder, food in our cupboards when we need warm nourishment and love in our hearts to hunker down and get us through.

Today was a slightly different invitation. A much deeper invitation to ground into the wisdom of our bodies and the messages it has for us as we move into the darkness of winter. Of what needs to die and be released and how we can support this with loving kindness.

In these times of distance and lack of inperson gatherings making time for todays coming together felt paramount. We may not be able to meet in the physical but great things can be birthed from this online space. Connection is connection is connection. Right?! This invitation today to connect more deeply with myself and the cycles of the seasons and earth was potent and full of quiet, cosy, fire and whole bodied potential.

Happy Samhain 🍁🍂🌲

Still time to book in for some Yoga this morning. We kick off in 30minutes, head to events here to book your space. We have a super charged breathwork class this morning designed to awaken and energise you for the day and weekend ahead. Its super powerful whilst also being easeful. Come feel it to know it. 🌿

/ BIRTH STORIES //

I met Fiona Sears 💕 over 4 years ago at a womens circle hosted by Clare Wilds 💕 and we've been connected ever since. She is one of the gentlest, fiercest and most joy spreading souls I have the pleasure of being able to call a friend.

We're going live tomorrow evening to chat about her experience of bringing her second little being earthside.

If you’d like to hear a beautiful (and I'm told not very PG 😆) home birth story, gather yourself and a cuppa and join us over on Instagram tomorrow at 7pm.

// AUTUMN READS + BIRTHING FIELDS //

Picked this beauty up in yesterday on our fortnightly visit to see what preloved wonders we can rehome.

You know when you want a book to be easeful, insightful and inspiring? I'm delighted to say it delivers on all fronts. I started it late lastnight and decided to bring it with me today whilst the kids tagteamed their weekly sports club. I'll do a proper review when I'm done but until then I wanted to share with you the opening quote from Part 1 - The Birth Of A Field - because it feels relevant for now and for always.

🌿

"Out beyond ideas of
wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field.
I'll meet you there."

Rumi

🌿

I hope to meet you there with curiosity and courage, until then let's be kind to one another ey!?

📚 by Yoga & Psyche

// NOMADIC MEMORIES + SOUL MEDICINE //

Yesterday I woke up to ‘s photos of life in the French Alps and it took me straight back to this moment and everything that life in the mountains does for my heart.

In 2015, with a 4 week old newborn and an almost 3 year old (see curly haired beauty above) we left our beautiful flat in Edinburgh. Our landlord sold it and after a quick but disheartening search for a new abode we learned that we’d finally been priced out of living in that beautiful city.

We then proceeded to do the following…

> Sold our stuff.
> Moved in with my folks for 2 weeks.
> Packed our car full of enough clothes etc to last us a few seasons.
> Decided to go visit Jamie’s family in Northern Ireland.
> Drove to Cork to visit my family who were also on holiday in Ireland.
> Realised there was a ferry leaving for France in 4 days and thought, “Shall we…?”
> Proceeded to galavant around Europe for the next 5.5 months with our growing family of little adventurers.
> Lived spontaneously, ate way too much bread and found our souls medicine in mountains, lakes and coastline.

This photo was taken in Le Gets. We stayed just outside Morzine in a little chalet nestled in the hills for almost 2 weeks, listening to Jazz, meandered in nature and my bestie even flew out to stay with us for a few of those precious days. My memories of that time and this trip are some of my most treasured.

This photo was taken at the top of Mont Chéry looking out towards Mont Blanc. We travelled 1826m on foot and in cable cars, with a toddler in hand and a baby strapped to my chest - I felt like we touched heaven on earth that day.

The moral of the story:

1. Turn sh*tty times into opportunities for growth and adventure.

2. We can do hard and wonderful things with kids and babies in tow.

3. Being spontaneous is fun, freeing and a total privilege if we can make it work.

4. Recognising what feeds our body, mind and soul and being able to do it is one of life's greatest gifts.

5. Trips down memory lane are awesome opportunities to reflect and be in deep gratitude for all that came before. (Especially right now.)

📸 by me.
no filter cos...nature!

// NOTICING //

Take a moment today to notice. Just notice. Without direction, without judgement, without shame about where you're at compared to where you want to be at. There's enough of that already so go ahead and give yourself permission to just notice, that’s all.

I dunno about you but with so much going on outside affecting what's happening inside right now; whether in our homes, relationships, work, families, body and mind I’ve found myself practicing the art of noticing more. Noticing where I’m at on a given day and moment in time, noticing the simple things, noticing what I can and can’t affect and change. Noticing free from distraction, noise, scrolling and fear based governance. Just being and noticing seems like such a small act of self care right now but it's one that breeds massive rewards.

It takes awareness, presence and reflection aswell as practice and trust. You might even be tempted to lead and direct - don’t! Sit back and let your inner guidance do the work.

Just. Notice.

> How does your breath feel in your body? Is it shallow, laboured, deep, strong? Where do you feel it come and go, enter and escape? What message does it have for you today? (notice.)

> Where is your attention and focus right now? Where is your headspace at? Where and what are you giving your attention to and how does that feel? Anxious? Exciting? Heavy? Confusing? (notice.)

> Where is your energy at? What does it feel like in your body? Is it life giving or depleted? Are you in flow state or floundering or maybe somewhere in between? Where your thoughts go your energy flows. Where is your energy at right now? (notice.)

> How are you being? How are you living? Human being or human doing? Don’t judge. Don't answer. Just notice. Who are you being? Who are you becoming? (notice.)

Try it.

Go ahead and notice where you’re at right now. Our bodies are excellent communicators - so stop, listen and feel. What is your body’s message for you today?

I'm off to listen closely to mine.

I've been reflecting on this all week.

What is it that yoga does for and to me? What makes me return to it? How does it actually impact my day?

I wrote this piece two nights ago as I was journalling and reflecting on these questions. Then I felt it worth sharing incase its something that resonates or invites you in too - so I've turned it into a proper list.

If you're curious to test it for yourself join me tomorrow (Saturday 17th October) at 10am on zoom for Rooted and Rising Yoga.

Tomorrow's class is all about nourishment, practicing self love and coming home to yourself.

Head to Rooted + Rising events to book your space.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGZpo1XgIMj/?igshid=4nqn05re0k12

//10 TANGIBLE WAYS THAT PRACTICING YOGA HELPS IMPACT AND ELEVATE MY DAY// I found my way back to my mat and practice recently in a new way as the result of a much required shift and I've noticed once again how much it changes and impacts almost everything in my life. I've been reflecting on it this week and wanted to share with you some of my top findings. Fyi when I can add: #11. Helps me keep my home clean, tidy and a beautiful minimalist space to live in I think I might feel like I've unlocked the key to life or found some sort of spiritual enlightenment (waits with bated breath.) Until then, if you'd like to test it for yourself I'm holding 'Rooted and Rising' every Saturday at 10am starting tomorrow (17th October). It's a yoga class with an invitation to come home to yourself and your innate power. Expect 60 minutes of mindful movement, meditation, a little bit of mantra and lots of powerful breathwork. Classes take place online via Zoom from the comfort of your own home. Pj's are most welcome. To book just hit 'Book Now' above. Can you relate to any of my "10 tangible ways..." ⬆️ Let me know by sharing the number or numbers that most resonate with you. I'd love to know what brings you back to your practice and how it impacts your day/life. #wearerootedandrising

//DOULA TESTIMONIAL + BIRTH MEMORIES//

Rereading your words again and reminiscing about your birth has been such sweet medicine.

This was a special one.

Hollie.Doula.Yoga updated their website address.