Yoga Therapy Berkhamsted Announcement

We are pleased to announce that our Yoga therapist John Grimes has been Certified by the International Association of Yoga Therapists – IAYT. The IAYT have established an international standard for yoga therapy and John has had to demonstrate a high level of experience, skill and knowledge to be accredited by the association. This is in recognition of John’s experience and knowledge, practising yoga therapy over the last 10 years.

Yoga Therapy provides you with a yoga sequence to practise regularly at home to promote a healthier way of life through a series of personal one to one sessions. It is practised by yoga teachers with specialised training and experience in the therapeutic adaptation and application of yoga, and is regulated by the CNHC (Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council).

Yoga therapy is an adaptation of yoga designed to manage specific problems, be they physical, mental or emotional.

It’s practised by yoga teachers with specialised training. The aim is to help people with a wide range of health concerns, from back ache and migraines to stress and chronic fatigue.

John specialises in lower back pain and breathing difficulties such as Asthma and COPD and has a Yoga Therapy clinic every Thursday afternoon at BAYoga.  If you would like more information please contact John on 07775 531502.

Berkhamsted mum: Ten reasons why we need self-care

Feeling a little burnt out? Here’s some motivation to start practicing self-care.

1. No one is immune from stress, loss, change, or ill health… we all have a fallible human body, we all lose people we love. We need self-care to keep us topped up, giving us a fighting chance in the face of life’s inevitable curveballs.

2. Self-care helps us cope during challenging times. Often, this is when self-care gets dropped from the agenda because we are too time poor and fatigued, but this is precisely the time when we need to nourish ourselves. We just need an evolving toolkit that meets our needs and resources at different times.

3. Self-care helps us heal whether it is a physical, mental or emotional wound. It’s about taking the time to soothe and seek out the help we need to process and move through trauma or injury.

4. Self-care provides a buffer from future stress. Engaging in regular nourishment boosts our resilience and helps us respond with greater resourcefulness and creativity to challenging events.

5. It feels good! Often, self-care is a pleasant and life-giving act and something that we deserve to really savour… Sometimes, the act itself might be uncomfortable, like taking that run when all you want to do is sloth on the sofa, or maybe it’s taking a look at why Scary Mummy is showing up. If it’s not intrinsically pleasurable it is expanding us and helping us grow in some way.

6. Self-care is good for our relationships. When we take the time to engage our heads, hearts and bodies in ways that we find energizing and replenishing, we come together in relationship with lighter hearts and greater generosity. Great things blossom when we encourage each other to do things that make our spirit soar, better still do them together.

7. We need to role model self-care for our kids. Want to raise compassionate and resilient kids? Who doesn’t! Rather than hoping they will pick it up by osmosis, that’s if we have our own self-care practice… teach them the tools of self-care, involve them in your rituals of nourishment.

8. Self-care gives us access to compassion and this can transform the quality of our day in an instant. I can’t think of a quality more needed in this world. Use the mantra ‘I soften into this moment’ and feel how this cultivates greater calm, openness, acceptance, and compassion.

9. Engage in self-care and you tap into your best self – it is the ultimate win win! Take little moments to energise when you’re feeling sluggish, to let off steam when you’re feeling full up, to focus when you’re feeling mentally dissipated, to just drop when you’ve been carrying a heavy burden. When we are kinder to ourselves, we are kinder people! Self-care helps us be a better incarnation of ourselves, and it benefits not only us, but every person our life touches.

10. Without health, what do we have? So give yourself permission to nurture yourself head, heart and body.

Are you a Berkhamsted mum ready to go deeper on your self-care journey? Sign up for our self-care for mums workshop on Sunday 28th Jan

Book now

It’s normal to have some days when you feel down, but if your symptoms recur at the same time each year, you may be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Symptoms, which usually start in the autumn or winter and improve in the spring, can include a persistent low mood, irritability, guilt, worthlessness or anxiety. Sufferers can become less sociable and feel lethargic, needing more sleep and sometimes craving more carbohydrate food leading to weight gain in the process.

Bach Flower Essences are extracts from flowers which can have a positive effect on those struggling with emotional imbalances. The essences are 100% natural, have no side effects and can be used safely in combination with other forms of treatment including homeopathy.

If you find yourself struggling with the Winter Blues, one or more of the following Bach Flower Essences may be worth considering. They can be taken directly by mouth, or often what works best is adding 12 drops to a bottle of mineral water which can then be sipped through the day and repeated daily until the symptoms lift.

If you prefer an individually tailored approach, a kinesiology consultation will use muscle testing to identify which flower essences, homeopathic remedies or nutritional supplements are most likely to improve your wellbeing. Get in touch with our resident kinesiologist.

Watch our 1 minute video on our Cathy, our ashtanga yoga teacher, went from being a stiff marathon running to an ashtanga yogi. Be inspired!

Sign up to our beginners courses and workshops today.

I treat many ladies who say ‘I am late for my due date’ or ‘the baby was early’ and this leads to so much pressure for that particular date, when in fact, what would be more accurate would be a due month or even six weeks.

The baby and mother will not give birth until they are ready and nature takes it’s natural course.

I hear the scare stories and yet, interestingly enough, the stats according to a study done by Cotzias published in British Medical Journal show that still births are as high a risk at 37 weeks as they are at 43 weeks. I cannot begin to imagine how that pressure feels when you are being told this but I am here to lessen the stress.

I have assisted many mother’s into a natural labour – allowing them to start their contractions, a day after and some even just hours after our appointments.

They all came to see me for a course of Shiatsu sessions with me using the appropriate acupoints to induce labour along with preparing you for the journey ahead.

Are you out there stressing about your due date/month?

Do feel free to get in touch and let’s get working together very soon.

For those that do not know of Shiatsu, it’s an eclectic mix of physiotherapy, osteopathy, acupressure with the same acupoints used in acupuncture and is an anicent oriental bodywork technique.

For more information or to book, email jan@bayoga.cuk

Jan (resident shiatsu massage therapist)

We wanted to ask our students about their journey with their practice, so we spoken to Kevin, an ashtanga yogi about his experience.

What attracted you to try ashtanga yoga?

I found Ashtanga by accident in 1996 when The Lifecentre opened in London, I went along to the beginners yoga class with Liz Lark, not knowing what I was letting myself in for and having no idea about ashtanga.

When did you first start and how regularly do you practice?

Between 1996 and 2000 my practice was sporadic, then in 2000 I went to France with Liz and practised daily for the first time, I’ve been a regular practitioner since then. I first met Dena Kingsberg at the Lifecentre in 1997, she changed my perceptions of yoga and has been my most influential teacher over the last 20 years. Currently I practice 5 or 6 days per week.

What were you expecting from it?

I started yoga after a tennis injury, I just hoped it would help, though I was skeptical. I was surprised at how much it helped in my recovery and realised there was more too it than people sitting in lotus position (cross legged) chanting ommmmm.

What have the the actual benefits been for you?

Once I started to practice Ashtanga properly, although it was physically very challenging I realised that I left the class with a mental stillness and equilibrium I had never experienced before. I’m now in my 50’s and have far more flexibility than I did in my 20’s tennis playing days.

When you started what were the challenges and how did you begin to overcome them?

When I started there were only a couple of places in London that were actual yoga studios, as opposed to gyms that offered the odd yoga class. The challenge was getting to a class that fitted in with work, life and transport. On the way home I used to try and write down the asanas (postures) we had done, this would form the basis of what passed for a practice at home on a bedroom carpet. I didn’t even have a mat until The Lifecentre started selling them! I still have that mat, though it’s got holes where my hands and feet go!
What do you specifically love about BAYoga studio?

I like how BAYoga has gradually become a community of people who share a passion for the practice. I can only comment on the ashtanga teaching but this is excellent – Cathy and Caroline are both good for newbies and the more experienced practitioners. Over the years Cathy has managed to bring internationally acclaimed teachers to BAYoga including David Garrigues and Lucy Crawford.

What advice would you give to a newbie to yoga (and perhaps specifically ashtanga yoga)?

I would say to a newbie don’t be intimidated coming into a Mysore room and seeing what some of the students are doing. Many have practised for years. Take it slowly. Ashtanga yoga takes time to build strength and stamina as well as flexibility. Try and repeat the postures at home, a little every day is much better than an hour once a week.

What do you think people get wrong about ashtanga yoga/yoga in general?

People think you have to be flexible to do it.  Except for students who have come from a dance or gymnastics background I would say a mysore ashtanga room is full of students who have worked, in many cases for years to do their postures. Dena Kingsberg always says “show up every day and do the work”.

How does your practice help you in every day life?

Ashtanga has become integral to my life. In 2011 I got Sepsis and MRSA, months after surgery I wasn’t recovering well and my GP said I should have a break, so I quit a job that was making me ill and headed to Mysore in India, the home of Ashtanga for 3 months to study the practice at the source, an amazing way to rehabilitate. I broke my shoulder soon after I returned from Mysore, 4 years and 4 operations later my practice was what got me through both physically and mentally. I was unexpectedly able to return to Mysore in 2015 where I was interviewed by Ekaminhale about my practice and how it helped in my recovery.

My video interviews with Ekaminhale

The Neom Organics stress audit results are in and it is pretty staggering. A whopping big 9 out of 10 women in the UK are stressed, with 36% agreeing that they were stressed every day. On an encouraging note over half of respondents state that taking time to look after their health and wellbeing is a priority. Hooray! People are finally giving themselves permission to put self-care on the agenda. However, it seems we have a way to go before this is a daily occurrence, with 49% of women feeling they don’t have enough time to look after themselves.

Why can’t we ignore stress?

• Stress isn’t going to go away – it is a normal part of everyday life. In fact life would be pretty boring without some stress to keep us on our toes, evolving and growing. It’s no good saying “I’ll be happy when…” The day when there is no stress is the day we are pushing up daisies. We need to get on with reclaiming our vitality now.
• Stress has a cumulative effect. Putting out heads in the sand and attempting to deal with it later wreaks havoc with our health and takes a toll on our relationships, work life and family life.
• Too much stress is dangerous. Stress lies at the heart of myriad of physical and mental health conditions. Quite simply the evidence is overwhelming that too much stress (either in intensity or in duration) makes us fat and ill. We just can’t afford to be complacent about our stress levels. It goes beyond our health and wellbeing – too much stress greatly diminishes our ability to enjoy life and can put the kibosh on happiness. We have to take action now.

Significantly, the audit revealed the greatest antidote to feeling stressed was ‘more time’… now what if I told you that you actually don’t need more time to destress?! Sounds good? It is totally do-able without requiring any more time in your day. It’s about doing those everyday things with a different focus, a different perspective, a fresh pair of eyes. Here’s how…

10 ways to de-stress in no extra time:

1. Meditative shower – hop in and be fully alive to the sensations of having a shower. Don’t let your mind wander to worries or what needs doing, just be present and let the water unwind you. Immerse yourself in the sensation of the water against your skin, connect with the cleansing properties of it, feeling your troubles slide off your shoulders with the water droplets, enjoy the scent of the shower gel, and enjoy the warmth of the experience.
2. Look up – When you’re out and about, simply look up rather than down at your feet. Research has demonstrated a significant link between our posture, mood and subjective energy levels. Be on the lookout for beauty in the nature or architecture around you. Don’t let your mind sink into worry or rumination.
3. Music – Listen to something uplifting or soothing. Try out some classical. Couple music with an activity you don’t love so much or that you find stressful. Music can transform the way you feel about it.
4. Celebrate the wins – the next time a friend of loved one is telling you about some success, use ‘Active and Constructive Responding’. This is when you demonstrate a genuine interest, ask lots of questions, encourage your loved one to relive the event with you, and reflect back to them that you share their joy. At the other end of the continuum there is “passive-destructive” and “active-destructive” responding where respectively the good news is ignored or the response given is openly critical or dismissive. Boosting our relationships is a sure fire way to increase happiness and beat the ravages of stress.
5. Curb your self-talk – only talk to yourself as you would your best friend. So much of the way we feel is amplified by what we are saying to ourselves. Cultivate a little self-love and compassion and feel your stress levels drop. If you wouldn’t say it to your best mate, don’t say it to yourself.
6. Give a hug – loving touch is a potent destresser so don’t skimp on cuddles. Notice I said ‘give’, not ‘have’. There’s much joy and replenishment to be found in kindness. Sometimes it’s less about you and your needs and more about how you can help out others. Everyone wins.
7. Savour a meal, snack or treat – when you are eating, savour the flavour of the food, the sensation in your mouth as you chew and the effects it has on you. Don’t let a moment of joy escape you. You might find that one square of chocolate eaten like this is enough!
8. Feel your breathing. Don’t do anything to change your breathing and don’t try to breathe a certain way. Just feel the sensations of your breath. Notice the inhalation, the pause after you breathe in, the exhalation and the pause after you breathe out. Do this at any time in your day and your breath will tend to smooth itself out. In my experience it is impossible to feel stressed when you are breathing well. My mantra: spacious breath, spacious mind. If you’d like a guided meditation on the breath, check out this one here: https://youtu.be/AdfV5eEFHgM
9. Take a gratitude walk – the next time you are out walking, count your blessings. Think of all the things in your life right now for which you are thankful. Think of small things in your day that have gone well. Think of events in your life that have opened doors. Think of ways that you are growing and cultivate a deep feeling of gratitude for what is, what has been and what might be.
10. Exercise your right to CHOOSE – give yourself permission to say no, to say yes, and to take the action that your health and wellbeing is crying out for. Be selective, minimise or avoid anything that depletes you. Don’t watch the evening news, skip getting together with the friend that steals your sunshine, or stay in if you need an early night! Choose your company, choose your activities and take ownership for your health and wellbeing.

At the heart of these suggestions lie the skills of mindfulness, savouring, gratitude, kindness and compassion. These skills don’t take much effort or energy to employ and certainly don’t eat up your precious time. In fact the more you do them, the more your energy grows, the more capable you feel in taking action, the more creative and resourceful you become in response to stress and the greater the buffer you build against future stress. You are building your inner reserves, your resilience to weather stress and your ability to recover from it. Look for more ways to put these life-giving skills to use and you will feel your stress levels plummet and your health and happiness soar! Don’t wait, get stuck in today.

-Suzy (BAYoga Viniyasa Flow teacher)

P.S. Want to learn more about self-care and how to reclaim time for you? Come along to one of Suzy’s regular workshops.

Have you got Netflix? If you have, I highly recommend a film on there called ‘On Yoga: The Architecture of Peace’. It’s about a bloke called Michael O’Neill who used to photograph Hollywood stars. In a nutshell: he got injured, was told he’d never use his arm again, found yoga and meditation, his arm recovered.

As a result, he decided to devote his time photographing yogis. The film features interviews with teachers talking about yoga philosophy. They are wonderful. The kundalini teacher Gurmukh talking about fear of death, Eddie Stern on community and peace. Swamis explaining how we are not our body and how yoga is every minute of the day. I particularly remember one teacher saying that we’ll only be happy when we let go of desire. It’s the wanting that makes us unhappy.

Not so great are the clips of him taking photos of young yogis doing extreme poses in front of beautiful scenery – silhouetted against a sunset, a grafitti’d wall, the New York skyline. Skimpy clothes. Why do it? Why conform to a yoga stereotype? If these teachers are saying yoga is so much more than the physical body, why bring it back to that?

Anyway, it was good to watch. He visited the Kumbh Mela – the massive Hindu pilgrimage that takes place at different locations along sacred rivers. I had the honour of being part of the Kumbh on Ma Ganga in Haridwar, India, in 2010 – something I’ll never forget.

I finished the film and took a moment to consider my current life with a one-year old baby and how my life has changed since I took my dip in the Ganga eight years ago. I felt that I had drifted away from yoga somewhat. I’m struggling to get on my mat and there are a lot of pooey nappies.

But then I thought a little more: this is my yoga at the moment. It’s not the beautiful asanas but it’s the day-to-day grittiness of life. One Swami in the film explained Bhakti yoga – the yoga of devotion. I’d also say it’s Karma yoga – giving without any expectation of reward. I am devoting myself to my son and my family.

Can I care for him in a way that is kind and caring? We do our gratitude practice while he has his bedtime milk. We chant along to Swami Vishnudevananda in the car on the way to the local soft play centre.

And while I haven’t managed an unaided headstand for over a year now, it’ll come back at some point. I’m happy if I manage a few sun salutations and standing poses.

So if you have Netflix, watch it. But please pay more attention to the words of wisdom than the cliched contortions…

Have you seen it? What are you thoughts?

Don’t forget to check out my monthly yin yoga workshop on the first Saturday of every month

Here are 7 tips from our resident self-care yoga instructor, Suzy Reading.

1. Repeat after me: self-care isn’t selfish
2. Give yourself permission to take time out for you
3. Make an appointment with yourself and don’t quibble about it. It’s important. Don’t just wait for a good moment – they rarely come and bitterness about it at 9pm on Sunday isn’t good for anyone.
4. Plan your time and fill it with something that nurtures head, heart and body. Need ideas? Get in touch, I have plenty to share.
5. ENJOY with reckless abandon! Enjoy the anticipation of it too and see how it helps you manage even before you’ve had your ‘me time’.
6. Observe the upward spiral you’ve set in motion: your vitality and happiness makes you more resourceful in response to the inevitable stresses of life. Self-care helps you to be a more compassionate, effective human being. Win win.
7. Now get on it!

Interested in self-care? Come and try one of Suzy’s classes at the studio. Check out the timetable for more details.