Tips for better balance in yoga postures

When I'm teaching, particularly during balancing postures, I sometimes see people getting frustrated when they can't maintain their balance and end up falling over. I absolutely understand, It can be so frustrating when others in the class can balance and you can’t-especially when you could do it last week. But balance really is a strange thing - it can really vary day to day, and some people naturally have better balance (just like some people have curly hair). So don’t get frustrated, be willing to wobble and fall out of the pose with a smile, that’s really what yoga balances can teach you. Remember, being able to stand on one leg for five minutes really won’t change your quality of life! But practice will help to improve your balance, so here are some tips to try when coming into a yoga balance.

Yoga posesSusan BradleyFebruary 9, 2017balance, Yoga posesComment

Pose Guide - Triangle

Triangle is a standing pose we often do in yoga classes, but it is deceptively challenging. Here are some tips so you can reap maximum benefit from your triangle pose practice. As you incorporate these tips into your practice, finding length and strength in your triangle pose, I hope you'll find greater steadiness and ease on the mat overall.

Yoga posesSusan BradleyNovember 12, 2016triangle, asana, Yoga posesComment

Childs Pose - beauty in simplicity

This is Childs Pose. It's a beautifully simple pose, and it feels great. We often use it as a resting pose in yoga classes, but it's a great stretch for your lower back too and helps you to breathe into the back of the lungs. Also a deeply nourishing pose, it’s very calming, grounding and releasing and it helps you to bring your attention inward.

There are many different ways you can place the arms and hands, and each one uses your muscles slightly differently. Here I take you through some of the options.

Yoga posesSusan BradleyAugust 13, 2016Yoga poses, child pose, simpleComment

Yoga for better sleep

So many people in the modern world suffer from insomnia or poor sleep quality. Our minds race all day long, we use screens right up until the moment we try to fall asleep…and then we can’t!

A simple yoga routine can be very effective in preparing the body for deep, restful sleep and even a short practice before bed can be really helpful. I've created a simple routine of just four postures that will help you to unplug and unwind, calming the body and the mind ready for a good nights sleep.

Yoga poses, Yoga sequencesSusan BradleyJuly 30, 2016Yoga poses, sleep, relaxComment

Why do we always do Savasana at the end of a class?

Resting in Savasana (which means Corpse Pose in Sanskrit), for five or ten minutes at the end of a yoga session works powerfully on many levels.

Yoga posesSusan BradleyJuly 22, 2016savasana, yoga, relax Comments

Twisting it out

The twisting poses we practice in yoga have a number of great benefits. Not only do they flex and tone our abdominal muscles, twists massage the abdominal organs and aid digestion. Twists also help us to focus mentally. When we are focused, we let our minds quiet and we can let stress go.

Here are are some twisting postures to try out. Let me know how you get on.

Yoga posesSusan BradleyJuly 9, 2016twist, Yoga posesComment

Friday tension release

We seem to spend most of our lives sitting at a desk, being hunched over a smart phone, driving for long periods or lugging children and heavy bags around. All of this can mean your neck and shoulders feel really tight and tense by the end of each day, and even more so by the end of the week. It’s not your fault. It’s modern life’s fault. Here are a some simple yoga poses that I often use to release the muscles in my shoulders, neck and back.

Yoga posesSusan BradleyJuly 1, 2016Yoga posesComment