Mukta Yoga

Yoga Workshop The Playhouse 🙌
Whether you're feeling tight in your hips, want to improve your range of movement, need to release stored emotions - or all three, then please join me for a Hip Opening Workshop.

We'll spend two hours exploring key poses that unlock tightness and tension and help you to let go of any unwanted baggage that gets stored in the hips (the big psoas muscle of the hips connect the spine to the femur).

It'll be a healing, rejuvenating and energising morning. Stay for refreshments after. 🪷🫖
WhatsApp me to book and for more info.

What's on my Yoga playlist? I love this song for during savasana (co**se pose) for its beauty, relaxation and upliftment vibes.

Want to hear what else I'm playing during my class? Then join me every Tues morning 7:30AM in Glencairn EAT.SURF.YOGA and/ or every Thursday 5:30PM in Fish Hoek at The Playhouse

Sunrise Shot Tuesday 11 June taken from EAT.SURF.YOGA 7:25am captured by 📷 Gill Edwards Sharwood
One of the amazing reasons to join 7:30am yoga with me every Tuesday at Eat Surf Yoga studio. It's the perfect way to start your day 🌅

Here are my 5 top yoga poses that help with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome); aiding bowel movements and overall digestive health:

1. Wind Releasing Pose aka Energy Releasing Pose (Sanskrit name: Apanasana) pull knees and thighs tight into your belly massaging and stimulating large intestine.

2. Half Wind Release Pose (Sanskrit name: Eka Pada Apanasana), you can rest your head on floor or also lift head to knee (for a double benefit of neck release and helping the digestive system), right knee squeezed into tummy stimulates the ascending colon, left knee in stimulates the descending colon.

3. Any Twist like Half Lord of The Fishes (Sanskrit name: Ardha Matsyendrasana) twist to the right and then to the left. This pose is not only brilliant for the middle back but compresses into the intestines, liver and kidneys - so it encourages digestion and elimination!

4. Locust Pose (Sanskrit name: Salabhasana) this is a great accessible backbend that also massages every digestive organ from the liver to the intestines (as your full body weight is on the abdomen). Come into a Child's Pose afterwards (which btw is also a good pose for digestion).

5. Bow Pose (Sanskrit name: Dhanurasana) - a little bit more of an intensive backbend than Locust, but if you're able to go into it, it also tones the internal organs as you're lying on your tummy. For a boosted massage rock back and forth like a rocking horse while in this pose. Once again you'll need a counter pose like Child's Pose after this backbend.

Join me every Tuesday 7:30 am in Glencairn and Thursday 5:30 pm in Fish Hoek where I incorporate all of these poses.

Visit muktayoga.co.za for more info.

My GSP Lia, who we sadly had to say goodbye to on the 1st of May 💔, used to come and lie in the room where I practise yoga. I think she could feel my relaxed and calm state.

Yoga reduces stress. FACT. Not only does the focus on breathing put a handbrake on the parasympathetic nervous system (the system that controls stress levels).

It also stimulates the vagus nerve (the longest nerve in the body!), stretches your muscles, relieving tension in tissue and as I've previously posted, yoga practice is scientifically proven to increase levels of Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA). GABA has anti-seizure and anti-anxiety effects.

So come practise yoga with me, every Tues morning 7:30 - 8:30 at EAT.SURF.YOGA in Glencairn and every Thursday evening 5:30 - 6:30 at The Playhouse Fish Hoek.

My Vinyasa Flow classes will get you moving, breathing and feeling better 🙌

Contact – Mukta Yoga

I'm teaching Thursdays early evening Vinyasa Yoga classes at The Playhouse in Fish Hoek. Join me from 5:30pm - 6:30pm for a balanced flowing class that helps you let go of your day and will help you sleep better. WhatsApp me 0825192581.

Why you should ‼️‼️NEVER pick up a Tortoise‼️‼️
Tortoises store water in a bursa sac.
This reserve is used for hydration and also to moisture the soil when females want to dig a hole to lay eggs in.
When a tortoise is picked up they can release the storage water and urinate as a deterrent. Due to long distance walks to replenish the water loss, tortoises can die of dehydration.
Tortoises can also stress easily.

If you need to move a tortoise off a road, pick it up gently and keep it low to the ground and move it slowly across.
Put it down gently and move away.

In the wild never pick up a Tortoise, rather wait and see it move off on its own and then continue.

New website is live! Check it out at https://muktayoga.co.za/

Yes! Yoga can help alleviate anxiety and depression! How?

Depression has been linked to low levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (or GABA for short). GABA is a chemical in the brain that's a major neurotransmitter and regulator of the human nervous system.

High levels of GABA lead to a calming, relaxing effect. A study by Dr Chris Streeter and her team was done to see if yoga practice increased levels of GABA in the brain.

The results (published in 2007) were remarkable. The scientists found that the brains of yoga practitioners showed an average GABA rise of 27%! The yoga practitioners with the most experience or regular practice had GABA surges. For instance, one practitioner who had done yoga for a decade experienced a GABA rise of 47%. Another, who practised yoga five times a week had an increase of 80%.

The scientists were so encouraged by the results that they did a second study, this time using subjects who had no significant experience in yoga. The subjects began yoga and practised for three months and the results were still pretty amazing. They showed that even beginner yogis experienced major rises in GABA along with improved moods and less anxiety. The average GABA rise was 13% (compared to the experienced yogis' average of 27%). These novice yogis' GABA increases were still higher than the control group subjects who only walked and didn't do any yoga. To read more on this, visit this link: https://bit.ly/3O6bWz0

Come do a class with me every Tuesday morning
in Glencairn 7:30 am or online 6:30 am and come experience for yourself the contentment, calmness and positivity that yoga practice creates.

I try not to skip yoga practice even if I'm on holiday. Here I am in 2017 at Arrabella on Boosa in Galles (Sri Lanka) in a pose that requires balance, strength, stability, flexibility and focus - Bird of Paradise.

It took me years to flow into this pose with ease (although it obviously still requires determination and effort).
I was unaware that my husband took this photo but I'm pleased he did as it reminds me that yoga practice is in itself a sanctuary for the mind and body.
I'm so grateful for my yoga.

Vinyasa Yoga gets you moving! It gets you fitter and stronger and yes... more flexible.

Of course I start with the fundamentals - a quiet pose, eyes closed with a few minutes of pranayama to connect to the breath and body and to quieten and focus the mind.
Then we will slowly warm up with more fundamental poses and movements (that will protect you from injury).
And then the Vinyasa flow begins - a carefully curated sequence where every pose connects to the next seamlessly, like a dance. It's a moving meditation that improves concentration, and coordination and relieves stress!
Vinyasa Yoga gets the heart rate up and improves your range of motion as it builds strength and stability (Sthira).
If you need another reason to practise Vinyasa - it's energising, relieves fatigue and improves your mood and state of mind.

Join me online (Mondays 6am) or in studio in Glencairn (Tuesdays 7:30am). DM me for more info.

Inhale. Exhale. Focused breath work in yoga not only exercises the diaphragm and intercostal muscles (improving lung function and health), but it also helps to synchronise movements in Vinyasa yoga, helping you to move better, helping you to focus, which leads to meditation. The end result? A calmer, balanced mind, and less stress.
For a yoga practise where you will feel results, DM me for details.

Truth! My favourite yoga-related quote. Feel all the sensations during your yoga practice and connect with your amazing body. There is no perfect posture, that's why it's called a yoga practise.

Inspiration for your week ahead as we head into a new season and towards the end of the year. Breathe in and breathe out, and come to Tuesday Vinyasa Yoga with me at Eat Surf Yoga.

Tuesday 7:30 am classes in Glencairn. Monday online classes 6am. Both classes are pretty strong, but I offer modifications for all yoga levels. My classes will help you build strength and improve your flexibility, balance and concentration. Contact me for more info.

So many of my students tell me that yoga is the best way to start the day. And it's true. It puts you in an instantly good mood, makes you feel energised, clear-headed, calm and content.
Join me for a dynamic, fun and flowing Vinyasa Yoga class. DM me for details.

Just a little reminder that I now have two in-studio classes in the week EAT.SURF.YOGA 🙌🧘🏻‍♀️
It's such a beautiful studio and you can grab a coffee, smoothie or delicious veggie or vegan brekkie at Blended after a Tuesday morning class.
Drop-in classes are R100 and I also offer class packages (the more classes you take the more money you save 🤙).
Hope to see you on the mat!

This is beautiful.

I sometimes forget that
I was created for joy
My mind is too busy
My heart is too heavy
Heavy for me to remember
that I have been
called to dance
the sacred dance for life
I was created to smile
to love
to be lifted up
and lift others up
O sacred one
Untangle my feet
from all that ensnares
Free my soul
That we might
Dance
and that our dancing
might be contagious.~

~Hafiz

art: Phil Jones

Vinyasa Yoga online or
in studio.
Your choice. DM me for deets.

There are so many reasons to practise yoga.
I have spoken to so many people who have told me it changed their life for the better.
Yoga keeps me sane, fit, strong, and in shape.
I currently offer a Monday online class 6-7am and I teach in-studio at Eat Surf Yoga in Glencairn Tuesdays 7-8am.
DM me if you'd like to join either of these classes. I teach a vibrant Vinyasa flow style.

Need to de-stress? Come try my Tuesday Vinyasa Yoga class 7-8am at the studio at Eat Surf Yoga (13 Glen Rd Glencairn).
Vinyasa is a flowing yoga style, so it gets the heart rate up and strengthens and stretches. In a chaotic world, yoga is a solid solution. Classes are R100 and yoga students can enjoy a 10% discount at Blended cafe.

Open up, stretch. Breathe. And get moving. Get fitter, stronger & feel more energised for your day. Grab a coffee or smoothie at Blended straight after (10% off coffee for ESY students). DM me for more info.

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Hi, I'm Toni if you don't already know me :)
I've been teaching yoga for 10 years and have been practicing for 19, and every time I get on the mat I learn something new.

Over the years I've learned to not be hard on myself if I'm feeling weak or have no energy. The point is to show up and breathe.

I love this saying (can't remember who said it) "It's not about being able to touch your toes, it's what you learn on the journey on the way down."

I teach every Monday morning online 6am-7am
And in Glencairn at Eat Surf Yoga Tues morning 7-8am

Tuesday mornings are made to Flow! Join me at 7am at Eat Surf Yoga for 60 minutes of Vinyasa yoga to make you fitter, stronger, and happier.

I'll be teaching Tuesday 7:00 am morning classes at Eat Surf Yoga in Glencairn from 8 February 2022. Please join me for 60 minutes of fun, flowing and fabulous Vinyasa Yoga. Contact me for prices and other information.

Our yoga practise deepens our connection to ourselves and in the process to other beings we share this beautiful earth with. Today is Nelson Mandela's birthday, and it's a good day to donate 67 minutes to charity, but every day should be a day of doing little random acts of kindness. Donate your time, money or food to those who need it. So open your heart chakra - anahata - visualise the colour green, and practise kindness, compassion and openness. You can also get on your 67 minutes of yoga today 🥰

I've been a bit absent from this page. Sorry for that :( like most of you I've been dealing with the effects of lockdown, trying to juggle work and still teach yoga on the side (I have a Tuesday 5:15pm class with two spaces left, DM me if you're interested in joining). What has got me through this unpredictable, scary and sometimes lonely time is my yoga practice. I do feel better afterwards and I feel like everything is okay. Yoga brings balance and unleashes our inner joy. Hope your practise brings you much needed solace and comfort during this time.