THIS IS NOT YOGA! Yoga can be ugly; and I want to see it.

If you’ve read any of my other slightly shouty blogs, you’ll know that when it comes to getting on my yoga mat I ain’t exactly always full of love for it. Some days it hurts; some days it brings up all the rubbish things I’m trying to avoid; some days it makes me feel as yogic as an angry wasp trapped inside a fat man’s shirt.

On a bad day it brings up my ‘stuff’ because I am always far too ready to tell myself that I’m rubbish at it. When I’m struggling to get into what would be considered basic poses by lots of teachers, it’s not just the physical stuff I’m fighting with – it’s the mental stuff too. Even if my practice has been bearable, on those there will always be little things I think I should have changed, or tried harder at, or persevered with.  

So the last thing I want to do is then get off my mat and have photographs of people doing everything I can’t do (and looking way more beautiful than me whilst they’re doing it) fired at me 24 hours a day.

Why am I ranting about this today? Well, I finally got myself an Instagram account at the weekend (I know – get me running headlong into the 21st century). It’s great isn’t it? I mean, you make sure that you never miss an opportunity to feel totally insecure about your arse/your kids/your clothes/your diet/your cat/your yoga practice. You can log on to that little site whenever you like and they’re all right there - waiting to make you feel shit about yourself.

Because I’d used a hashtag (yep – I even know the lingo) other yoga accounts have started to follow me. One of them describes themselves as ‘Your daily source of yoga inspiration. The most beautiful yoga photos and quotes. Tag your photos to be featured.’ Sounds nice, right? Wrong. I took a look at their account and whilst I admit that some of the photos are beautifully lit, almost every single one features a ridiculously bendy (and, funnily enough, ‘perfectly’ toned) woman doing poses that most of us won’t get close to in our next lifetime, let alone this one.

It could be just me, but I fail to see how these images are going to do anything for the majority of us who have to drag ourselves on to our mat, but piss us off.

These images are not yoga. Show me a photograph of someone finally getting their heels to the floor in a downward dog, or managing to not hit the foetal position in a forward bend, or finding a bind for the first time without flailing their arms like a dying bird. That is yoga – and it isn’t pretty. But man, it’s powerful. Or – and here’s a controversial thought – a photograph of someone going out into the world, living their best life and not being a d*ck towards other human beings.

For me yoga inspiration is someone pushing up into their final backbend despite feeling that the opening of their heart is about to unleash a whole heap of emotional shit onto them for the rest of the day. It’s about the person who remembers how they found the courage to hold Chair Pose for more breaths than they ever thought possible, the next time they step into a tough meeting at work. I want to see a photograph of the person who is learning that finding compassion for themselves for the 60 minutes they spend on the mat is more valuable than ever getting their leg in the vicinity of their head.

I don’t do yoga because I want my body to look what is promoted by most of the Western World as ‘fit’. (I fully admit now that I do have issues about my body, but I can honestly say that is not the primary reason I get on my mat – the ‘fitness’ is a happy by-product). Despite the fact that I took part in my first Ashtanga class to get arms like Madonna, I’ve recently realised that getting rid of my spare tyre is far less important than getting rid of my emotional baggage.

Some annoying person on a motivational poster once said “what doesn’t challenge you doesn’t change you” and I know that for my own mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing I need to keep on changing. And I think the best way for me to do that is yoga. But I need to remember that I’m never going to change into one of those perfect yogis in the photographs, and that my ugly is actually exactly the same as their beautiful.

If you're not bendy; not thin; not a girl clad only in Lycra; not a kale-lover; not willing to compromise your real life but want to feel happier and healthier - you should *totally* join our gang. Classes for the un-bendy are starting on Saturday 1st July in Crystal Palace, London. Get all the details here.....

Rise and don't whine.

It’s that time of year again. The onesie comes out of storage. The blankets get added to the bed. We start eating our own bodyweight in carbohydrates. Nights draw in, days get shorter and the urge to hibernate is almost irresistible.

If dragging yourself out of bed for an early morning yoga practice was going to feel impossible at any time – it’s now. I’m sure there are people who feel nothing but joy as they fling the duvet off, feel the cold air rush in around their previously toasty-warm nether regions, and skip their way to their mat. They are obviously weirdos.

The normal ones amongst us press ‘snooze’ approximately 17 times before telling ourselves that we’ll practice later/we can’t get up now because the cat looks so comfortable/it won’t do us any harm to have a day off/ we might have a headache coming on if we really think hard about it/we just physically can’t get out of bed.

As a fully paid-up member of Bed Addicts Anonymous, I’ve been there and I’ve used all those excuses (and sometimes still do). But getting up and getting onto your mat really is one of the best ways to start the day for your body AND your mind. Plus you get to wear a smug grin all day, and that should never be underestimated as a benefit.

Try some of these ideas to help you get from slumbering to sun salutations as painlessly as possible…

Start before you sleep.

Commit to your morning practice before you go to bed. If you’re still getting used to early mornings, do yourself a favour and don’t plan to practice after a crazy night out! Obvious but true, getting up is going to be a whole lot harder if you’ve not had enough sleep and are still full from a massive dinner or feeling hungover. So get an early night and eat a light dinner allowing plenty of time for digestion before hitting the hay. Make sure you go to bed hydrated – a tasty mug of herbal tea will help. And yes, it might make you get up for a wee in the night but I’d rather have to do that than feel all dry and parched when I wake up. 

Lay it out.

Before you go to bed the night before, set out everything you’re going to need. And I mean everything. If you’re going to need a hot drink before you start, fill the kettle ready to boil and put the tea bag in the cup. Lay your clothes out so you’re not frantically trying to find clean pants or a warm jumper. Roll out your mat and prepare your practice area. (Mine is right next to my bed so it’s waiting for me when I wake up; it’s strangely motivating – seeing it when I pry my eyes open makes me feel like it will be sad if I don’t get up and spend time with it. No. That’s not odd.) Set out any props you’ll need, blankets, cushions, a bottle of water if you need something to sip whilst you practice.

Don’t be alarmed.

If I have to get straight up the first time my alarm goes off I feel physically sick. No, really. I need it to go off three times before I’m ready to get vertical. But others just need one little chirp from their phone and they can be up and at ‘em straight away. Know what works for you, but set some rules. If you were going to class you’d make sure you were there in good time for it to start, so approach your own practice with the same respect and diligence. Decide what time you want to be on your mat and stick to it.

Ditch the duvet. NOW!

Once you’re awake, it can still feel like actually getting up and out of bed is the equivalent of crossing the Grand Canyon on a pogo stick. You know where you’ve got to go – you might even be able to see it. But you’re warm. And cozy. And you could just….NO! The only way to do this is like ripping off a sticking plaster. Don’t even take a moment to ask yourself if you want to get up and practice because (unless you’re one of those aforementioned weirdos) the answer is always going to be ‘no’. I have a rule which I have set for myself – once I have counted from one to three I have to get out of bed. Immediately. (Yes, I know it sounds like something you’d do with a small child, but that’s an indication of what it takes to cajole my mind and body into working together.)

Stick to the plan.

Your plan needs to be sticky, just like your mat. We’ve talked about setting yourself up with all the things you need so that they’re ready when you wake, but be aware of the things you don’t need too. I keep my phone on flight mode until I’ve finished practicing so I can’t see if any emails have arrived, and taking a “quick” look at Facebook can’t be an autopilot reaction. Do yourself a favour and don’t put potential distractions in your own way.

Quality not quantity.

You’ll be only too aware that the mind can be a tricky little thing, which can flit between being our best friend and our worst enemy quicker than you can say “I love my pyjamas”. If you’re telling yourself that not only do you have to get up way earlier than you want to, but you’ve also got to do a 90 minute challenging, twisting, folding, back-bending, prana-stoking practice, staying in bed is going to feel like the much better option. So whilst you’re getting used to practicing at this time of the day, commit to something that you know you’ll manage – maybe 5 sun salutations, 3 standing postures, 3 seated postures, and some finishing poses. Worst case scenario is you finish feeling great and thinking “ooh I could do a bit more next time”.

Don’t expect exceptional.

These straight-out-of-bed practices are highly unlikely to be the most graceful, delicious, bendy and beautiful times you spend on your mat. Your body will be cold and stiff. Your mind will be telling you all sorts of untruths about how tired you are, how this is never going to go well, and that you should give in right now. But as soon as you accept that place where you’re starting from, all will be well. You learn to come to your mat with the body you’ve got in that moment, and to work with no expectations. As long as you maintain a feeling of curiosity then you’ll never leave your mat disappointed – just a little bit enlightened!

Remember why it’s worth it.

We all know why it’s so good for us to get our asana’s up and onto a mat at the start of the day, but it’s very easy to forget when we feel like our duvet has taken us hostage.  As you stumble to the mat remember that you’re not alone. Allow the fact that there are literally millions of other yogis across the world who are doing the very same thing give you a feeling of support. Folks have been doing it for generations before us, and will continue to do so after us. Each and every one of us is getting out of bed and onto a sticky mat to become the happiest and healthiest versions of ourselves – for our own benefit and that of the whole world.  Hitting the snooze button will never feel as good as that.

Down Dogs at your Desk: Working nava to pancha.*

(*'Nava' is sanskrit for 9 and 'pancha' is sanskrit for 5. So this headline is 'Working 9 to 5' but in sanskrit. Sort of. And I know a headline you have to explain is a rubbish headline - but I was proud of it. So there.)

Just because we've all had to finally put on some real clothes, stop eating Ferrero Rocher for breakfast, and desperately try to remember what the new password for our office PC was, there's still some reasons to be happy….And whilst you try to remember what they are, how about doing some breathing and bending at your desk?

Remember to do these moves gently – you won’t be warmed up so focus on your breathing, with balanced inhales and exhales. Stop if you feel pain or extreme discomfort. Also, if you’re using a chair which has wheels, ensure it’s not going to unexpectedly roll across the floor. This may end in much hilarity for your colleagues (depending on how nice they are), but an awkward trip to A&E for you. 

Folding not filing

Put your bum on the edge of the chair and place feet flat on the floor, wider than hip width apart. Inhale – lift and lengthen your spine. On an exhale, fold from your hips and take your hands to the floor in between your feet. Inhale once more to get even more length in your spine, then fold down between your knees. If your hands won’t reach to the floor, you can place them on some books, or rest them on your shins. To juice it up a bit and throw in a shoulder release too, interlace your hands behind you with straight arms, and take the hands up and behind your head. Stay here for as many breaths as feel good. Come up slowly on an inhale. If anyone is giving you a strange look, smile sweetly at them before going down again, just to confuse them.

Happy Hips

Bring your bum to the edge of your chair. With your right foot flat on the floor, bend your left knee and lift it up towards your chest. Flex your left foot, and carefully place the knobbly bit of your left ankle on the top of your right knee. Keep your hand on the left knee to support it. Inhale, and sit up as tall as you can. On an exhale see if you can allow the left knee to drop down towards the floor. If it’s comfortable to sit here, and if your shin is parallel to the floor you can take a gentle forward fold to add a bit more ‘ooomph’ to the release. Stay here for as many breaths as feel good, and don’t forget to do the other side.

Getting Twisted

Place your left foot up on your seat, with the knee up against the back of the chair. Rest your left hand on your left hip and your right hand on the back of the chair. Inhale, lift and lengthen your spine – a golden thread is lifting you up through the top of your head. On an exhale imagine that you have a light shining from your belly button. Begin to twist your torso, shining this imaginary light as far round to the left as possible. You can use your hand on the back of the chair as gentle encouragement to take the twist a bit deeper. With each inhale lift and lengthen a bit more, and see if you can twist deeper with each exhale. Feel all your organs getting a lovely squeeze, and your spine waking up, before doing it all over again on the other side.

Stretch it Out

A simple one but a delicious one! Stand up, and cross your left leg over your right. Stand equally on both feet. (If this makes you wobble, you can also leave your legs uncrossed.) Inhale and lift your left palm up to the ceiling, keeping the left shoulder down and away from your ear. Hold your left wrist with your right hand. Inhale –get lovely and long, then exhale and arch to the right. Try not to collapse down through the right side – imagine both sides of your torso keeping lovely and long. Ground down evenly through both feet. Stay here, breathing evenly, for as long as you like. Now do the other side so that you’re not all wonky.

Armed not Dangerous

A great one to freak out your co-workers as it looks like you’ve put your arms on the wrong way round. Stand in front of your desk. Put both hands flat on the desk, shoulder width apart, with the fingers spread. Now gently turn both hands so that the fingers on your right hand turn clockwise, and the fingers on your left hand turn anti-clockwise. Turn them both around as far as you comfortably can, without losing connection to the desk. Once you’ve turned so that the middle fingers of both hands are now pointing towards you, very gently lean away, keeping the heal of each hand in contact with the desk, to make the stretch down your forearms a little more intense. Don’t forget to breathe.

Thigh and mighty

If you’re a bit wobbly when on one leg, you can rest a hand on the desk so that you don’t end up face down in the recycling bin. Simply shift your weight into your left foot, bend your right knee and take hold of your right foot with your right hand, gently drawing the heel towards your right bum cheek. Keep your tail bone gently tucked under to encourage a feeling of releasing through the front of your right hip and thigh. If holding your foot with your hand is going to be so intense you let out a little yelp, don’t do it. Loop a scarf around your foot and hold that instead. Again, stay here for as many breaths as feel good then do the other side.

Desk Downward Dog

Ok – so this does involve a little bit of sticking your bum in the air, but if you can get away with it, I highly recommend it. Put both hands on your desk, shoulder width apart, fingers wide. Feel the base of each finger gently pushing down into the desk. Slowly walk your feet back until your torso is parallel to the floor. Feet should be hip width apart. Roll your shoulders down away from your ears and feel your shoulder blades spread wide. Draw your belly button up towards your spine, and feel long from the backs of your heels all the way up to the tips of your fingertips. Let your gaze rest on the floor, or to the space between your knees if that’s comfortable. Breathe, smile, and pay no attention to the awkward throat-clearing noises of your colleagues.

 Chaturanga Desk-asana

If you’ve had the courage to bust out a Desk Downward Dog, you might as well go for it and get your whole body working with this chaturanga variation. From your Desk Downward Dog, lift your torso up away from the floor. For extra grip I suggest you move your hands so you’re gripping the edge of the desk. Take an inhale. On an exhale, slowly lower your torso as one flat plank, bending your elbows at 90 degrees. Keep the belly button drawn up and keep breathing. To generate maximum commotion in the office, you can keep moving between your Down Dog and Chaturanga. Or not. Depending on when your next appraisal is. 

Sofa - so good.

If you’ve read any of my other blogs (and if you haven’t – why the flippity flip not?) you’ll have probably worked out that whilst I think yoga is all-kinds-of-amazing, and has very real life-changing potential, I am not the ‘you must spend 90 minutes on a mat every day or you’re a rubbish yogi’ kinda’ girl.

Of course, in an ideal world we’d all spend some quality time with our favourite flat friend every day. And if you want your practice (and your self) to significantly develop then the more you can do the better.

But we ain’t in an ideal world. If the only opportunity you can find to bend and stretch is whilst indulging in your favourite televised guilty pleasure, then I think you should take it. And here are some ideas how…

Before you start, remember that your body won’ t be warmed up so move carefully. Use your breath. Maybe turn the volume down (in the ad break, obviously!) so that you can have a little more focus on what you’re doing.

Cow Face on the Couch

Tuck your right heel up towards your left bum cheek. Take your left heel to the outside your right bum cheek. See if you can allow the two knees to stack on top of each other. Sometimes you might need to wiggle a little bit so that you can get your heels equally aligned on both sides. Allow the knees to nestle together, and rest your hands on the top of your feet. Lift up through the spine and sit as tall as you can. Don’t forget to do it on the other side.

Hips at home

Sit with your back supported by the cushions on the sofa. Bring the soles of your feet together, heels as close to your pubic bone as you comfortably can. Be very aware of any strain in the knees. If you feel any tension there, support the stretch by placing a cushion under each knee. Keep thinking of sitting up tall with each inhale, and perhaps taking your torso forwards with each exhale. Breathe and smile. If you can only do one of these things, breathe!

Lounging Locust

Lie along the sofa on your belly, with your upper chest resting on the arm of the sofa. Use a big cushion wedged up against it to help support your torso. Without clenching your bum cheeks, and keeping a feeling of being long through your lower back, gently lift your gaze up to the ceiling. Reach your arms up and forwards, keeping the shoulder blades wide and with a feeling of them sliding down your back. If reaching the arms forwards is too much, you can gently prop yourself on your elbows by resting them on the arm of the sofa. Breathe and remain there for as long as is comfortable.

Pyjama Paschimottanasana

Leave the cushion next to the arm of the chair, and sit so that your heels are resting up on the arm of the chair and the sofa is supporting the backs of your legs. Ensure you’re not locking the knee joints – think of keeping a very tiny bend in both joints. Inhale to life and lengthen the spine, and exhale reach for your toes. If you can’t reach your toes, let the hands rest on the legs instead. Allow each exhale to take your torso a little closer to the legs, without rounding the back. Are you breathing? Good!

Get down, Dog!

Drape yourself face down over the arm of the sofa, feeling it across the front of your hips. Reach for the floor. (If you can’t comfortably get your hands flat on the floor, use some blocks or make some secure stacks with books.) Place your hands shoulder width apart, ensuring you push down at the base of the thumb and first finger. Walk your hands away from the sofa so that you make a diagonal line from wrist, through elbow, all the way through your torso and up to your sitting bones. Activate the legs, pushing back through the heels. Let the head drop, and get long from the tip of your tail-bone up to the top of your head. Don’t forget to breathe.

Upside (not) down

One to make you feel like you’re 6 again. (Creating a Blanket Fort to follow in future editions!) Sit sideways on the sofa so the outside of your bum cheek is up against the back cushion. Turn and swing your legs up so that your feet are either hanging over the back of the sofa, or resting on a wall, with the back of both thighs resting on the cushion. As long as it’s comfortable for your neck, let your head hang off the front of the sofa. Either let your hands rest on your chest, or for an extra opening let your hands reach behind you towards the floor. Stay there for as long as you feel comfortable, and slide yourself back up on to the sofa once you’re done. Move slowly as you may feel a bit wobbly!

A better bedtime.

Thomas Dekker said “sleep is the golden chain that binds health and our bodies together”. Words of such wisdom can only come from abloke who has experienced his fair share of nights spent staring at the ceiling in the desperate wait for sleep to arrive, followed by a day feeling like the walking dead.

But we can’t always blame our bodies for not giving us the best bedtime. Quite often we don’t exactly do ourselves any favors by flinging ourselves under the duvet whilst still wired from our day, or totally absorbed in thoughts of tomorrow.

Here are a few ideas to help you find the least stressful way to slide into slumber….!

The right note.

I love making lists. So much so that my helpful brain tries to do them just as I’m trying to go to sleep. And because they’re in my mind I have to keep thinking of them. Again and again. So whether it’s things I need to do the following day, or even things that happened today which I need to think about tomorrow (yes that sounds crazy, but as soon as it’s written down I no longer need to hold it in my head) I write them all down before I start getting ready for bed. It really works. And it’s an excuse to buy new stationery.

Mindful multi-tasking.

Need to hang out the washing? Tidy up toys? Clean your teeth? Of course you do – but do it all mindfully. It’s inevitable there are jobs you need to do before you go to bed. So do them during your device-free 30 minutes, but make them into a little meditation time. Totally focus on the job you’re doing. Be aware of your breathing, every movement you make, the textures in your hands, the things you can smell or hear. Whenever your mind wanders, without criticism or frustration gently bring it back to the present moment. And if you can remain in this state whilst stepping on a Legos brick in bare feet, you are an enlightened being. Say hi to Buddha for me. Your work here is done.

Pajama posing.

You’ve got to get undressed, right? (If you’re going to bed fully clothed we need to talk.) So use this time to slow things down and get off auto-pilot. If you haven’t got the time (or the inclination) to do asana before bed, there’s still an opportunity to help your body begin to unwind. When you bend over to take your socks off, pause there for a moment in a soft forward fold; allowing your body to gently hang over your legs. When you pull your jumper off over your head, take the time to get a lovely long side stretch through the side of your waist and up into your ribs. When you take your jewellery off, gently massage each of your fingers and rotate your wrists. With mindfulness, turn every movement into your own little asana practice.

Bed is the best.

I’ll let you into a little secret. I talk to my bed. Ok – I don’t actually have a conversation with it. It’s more of the strong silent type, for a start. But when I get into it I say a little statement of gratitude for the fact that it’s there, it’s comfortable and warm, and I’m so fortunate to be climbing into it at the end of the day. When I’m settled I’ll then run through a list of other things I’m grateful for that have happened since I was last there. It feels like a nice way to bring the day to a close and get my mind into the space where I can let it all go. Try just doing a top 5 if it encourages you to think too much.

Going…going…gone.

If your mind is still refusing to give up, use it to do a really slow scan of your body. Do it systematically in a way that works for you. Maybe start with the back of your left heel, back of your left calf, back of your left knee and so on all the way up to your head, then up the front of the body, and repeat the whole thing on the back then front of the right hand side. Place your full awareness in each bit, noticing it how it feels and releasing any tension that might be there (if you can’t let the tension go, see if you can imagine how it would feel to let it go). When you’re done, let your attention rest on the rise and fall of your belly with each inhale and exhale. You might like to associate words with each breath. I like to silently repeat ‘let’ on the inhale, and ‘go’ on the exhale.

Yoga - It's a walk in the park.

There’s something about taking your yoga practice outside which gives it a whole new feeling. And no, it’s not because you spend your time avoiding stepping on pointy things, frantically wafting your hands at woozy wasps, and wondering if a small dog is going to wee up your leg. Whether you’re in a little inner-city oasis, your own back garden, or somewhere wild and wonderful, have a go going all al fresco with these poses. Do a few sun salutations to warm up first, then resolve to not give a toss about what anyone thinks you’re doing, smile, feel the sunshine…and breathe…!

Tree-konasana

Align the outside of your right foot with the base of the tree, and raise both arms up to shoulder height. Step the left foot back, so that the two feet are around wrist-distance apart. Take an inhale. Exhale and reach out over your right leg, keeping it straight but with a little softness behind the knee. Allow the right hand to come down your right foot or wherever it can comfortably reach. Open through the chest, working towards both arms and shoulder blades lying against the trunk of the tree. Take the gaze up to your right thumb (or to the moving branches if you fancy an extra challenge against wobbling). Stay here for at least 5 breaths before repeating on the other side.

Hello sunshine

Stand with your back against the helpful tree. Carefully slide your bum down the trunk (mindful moving is your friend here – otherwise it’s really tricky to explain how you got the splinters). At the same time walk your feet away from it, so that the thighs and knees come close to a 90 degree angle. Keep the knees gently pressing together. Allow the back of the head to rest against the trunk and if it’s comfortable for your neck, gaze up to the sky. Arch your back, and lift your heart up to the sun. For an extra dose of opening, take your arms up over your head and grasp the trunk. Close your eyes; and breathe.

Warriors in the woods

Stand in front of the tree and step your left foot back. Bend your right knee to as close to 90 degrees as you comfortably can. Take your arms up to shoulder height, with the right hand reaching towards the tree and the left one reaching behind you. Look lovingly at your new best friend; the tree. Grasp the trunk with your right hand, and root down strongly through both feet. Play around with pushing the tree away from you (without hurting its feelings) and pulling it towards you; feel how that changes the activity in your legs, and the shift in where you need to find grounding and strength.

Repeat with both hands on the tree, allowing the back hip to roll forwards into your warrior 2 position. Make sure you do the two poses on both sides, and apologise to the tree for confusing it.

The Tree Hugger

Sit at the base of the tree, with the trunk up against the outside of your left bum cheek. Bend your left leg, so that your left foot is flat on the ground. Activate your right leg and point all 5 toes up to the sky. Hook your right arm around your left knee, grasping the trunk of the tree with your hand. Let the left hand gently rest on the ground behind you. Lift and lengthen your spine with an inhale, and exhale gently twist to look over your left shoulder. You can use your grip on the tree to help find a deeper twist – but remember to be gentle with yourself and the tree. Stay here for at least 5 breaths and repeat on the other side. And maybe with another tree.

Barking up the right tree.

Sit at the base of the tree, with the trunk between your legs. (Remember that there’s probably no insect who wants your bum to be the last thing they see before they die, so sit down mindfully. Also beware of thistles; it’s not a fun way to find your mula bandha.) Shuffle yourself back so the tree is arms-length away from you and take your legs wide apart, with all ten toes pointing upwards to the sun. With an inhale, sit up tall to lengthen your spine and at the same time feel like you’re actively rolling your thighs backwards. Take hold of the trunk, and with each exhale see if you can walk your hands a little further down the trunk, so you’re taking your torso closer to the ground. Play around with using the arms to draw your torso gently closer to the tree, but at the same time keeping the thighs grounded and rolling backwards.

Climbing high

I admit that this is by far the most fun one to do! Getting used to being upside down whilst you’re outside seems to make the whole thing a little less scary. Plus the ground is softer should you make an unscheduled exit from the pose. Stand with your back to the tree, and put your hands on the ground. Walk them away from you (again – be mindful of insects and thistles and anything else you wouldn’t want squishing through your fingers). One at a time, begin to ‘walk’ your feet up the trunk of the tree. Keep strongly grounding down through your hands, particularly the base of your thumb and first finger, and be aware of how the texture of the bark feels beneath your feet. If you can, get to where your legs are parallel to the earth. Pause here and get used to seeing the world from a whole new point of view.

Bee and breathe.

After all that excitement, bring yourself to a comfortable seated position. You can rest your back up against the trunk of the tree if that makes it more comfortable. Take a few deep breaths to bring your energy down a little, and settle yourself. Brahmari (or ‘Bee Breath’) is a great way to find instant relaxation and outside is a great place to practice. Take another inhale through the nose, and as you exhale make an ‘mmmmm’ sound with your lips gently closed. Make the sound for as long as your exhale lasts, then inhale and repeat. The sound should be a very soft and gentle ‘mmm’ (think lovely, big and fluffy bumble bee rather than annoyed wasp) so that you can feel the soothing vibrations moving up into your forehead and around your eyes. Repeat for as many breaths as feels good.

Yoga doesn't have to be your sole workout - but it can always be your soul workout.

Yoga. It’s awesome, isn’t it?! I know – shocker. But recently I’ve been having a little play with taking some of the tools that my yoga practice has taught me into the other ways I move my body. Sometimes it’s cycling, sometimes it’s running, but when the going gets tough (yeah, you’ve got the song in your head now, haven’t you?) I’ve found that dipping into my yoga toolkit has been really handy.

Read on and find out how yoga need not be your sole workout – but it can always be your soul workout.

Awesome awareness (svadhyaya)

One of the most important elements of creating your yogic life is to take on some serious self-studying. Understanding why you do what you do, how you do it, and whether there are better ways to go about it, can be intriguing and illuminating. I’ve been trying to do this literally when I’m out pounding the pavements with a full body scan, in my mind, as I run. Am I holding tension in my shoulders? Are my arms swinging arms too much? Do I feel like one of my legs is more dominant than the other? (Often easier to spot in running because you’ll be going around in a circle!) Can I try noticing every stride; how each foot lifts, rolls, pushes? The good thing about this one is usually by the time you’ve reached your feet, your shoulders are up around your ears again so repetition is key.

Burning through the barriers (tapas)

In this case, tapas sadly doesn’t relate to a delicious plate of patatas bravas. It’srelating to practices and behaviours which help us get rid of those negative things holding us back on our yogic journey towards the ultimate destination of enlightenment (or even the first stop of ‘Not being an eejit’). For me, this definitely includes the little voice in my brain which says things like “if you go this route, you’ll never get up that hill” before I’ve even tried. But it’s important to remember that to use tapas in the true yogic sense, you are not setting about to destroy yourself. The challenge is finding that perfect balance where you’re pushing yourself to see what you can achieve, and building yourself up to be even stronger than you were before.

But - be kind to yourself (ahimsa)

It’s possibly the most important principle of yoga which we try and live by. Its meaning? Basically – cause less harm through our actions and thoughts, to ourselves and to other people. It’s an oldie but such a goodie.

It is possible to still be compassionate to self while challenging self (so it is not contradictory to tapas). As with many of these things it’s all about the intention. It’s important to me that I do a little checking-in with myself every so often and take an honest look at why I think I should go for a run, despite the fact that my ankle is a little sore and could do with a rest. Or why I’m gnashing my teeth in frustration at a laid-back walker temporarily slowing me down on a narrow path. Or why in my mind I am calling myself a shockingly obscene range of bullying names, just because I didn’t manage to run quite as fast as I did the day before. These things we do are meant to be good for us, but that will only happen if we’re good to ourselves first.

Keeping it steady, strong, light and sweet – ‘Sthira Sukhan Asanam’

One of every teachers Top Five phrases from good ole Patanjali’s yoga sutras (probably because it’s one of the most pertinent and possibly because it’s the easiest one to remember), this is his short-but-sweet advice for what our asana practice should be. ‘Sthira’ can be translated as steady or strong, and ‘Sukh’ as light or sweet. But I think this could be applied to many things we do off the mat, and especially anything physical. He’s not saying keep going ‘til you want to vomit; it’s really important you look good whilst you’re doing it; or anything about being the very best at it. If we can find that sweet spot of steadiness of action, strength of movement, lightness of effort, and sweetness of feeling just so darn good after it, then on and off the mat our efforts will never be in vain.

A Calm Commute

Most of us have to do it every day. And if you have to do it one way, you’re probably going to have to do it the other way too. Whether you’re doing it by yourself, or up close and personal with a bunch of strangers, even your commute to work can give you an opportunity to bring a bit of yoga into your day. (Wait – what did you think I was talking about?) Anyway, here are some ideas you might like to try.

Walking and Wondering

Try to make your walk to the station or bus stop more mindful than moan-ful. For a start, try to leave home with a little time to spare so you’re not under pressure to break a land speed record. As you’re walking see if you can repeat a simple mantra with each step to help you keep your mind in that moment, rather than rushing off to thoughts of the day to come. You might try “lifting, moving, placing” as your foot moves through the air with each step. Or perhaps just “walking, walking, walking” is enough to keep you present. But please remember to look both ways before crossing any roads. I believe getting run over is a sure fire way to bring you out of your bliss.

From top to toes.

If you’ve successfully wrestled fellow passengers to the ground and got yourself a seat (only joking – obviously) or if you’re sitting in your car then there’s a chance to find calmness here too.

Ultimately you want to build up your mental stamina so you can remain in a state of bliss for the whole journey. But you need to create this capacity over time. To begin with, every time the train pulls into a station, the bus pauses at a stop, or your car is stationary at some lights, take a moment to do this simple body scan. (If you’re in charge of driving heavy machinery, please note that we don’t want you too blissed out and you really should keep your eyes open for this one.)

Close your eyes. (Not if you’re behind the wheel!). With your awareness starting at the top of your head, scan your whole body. Imagine it moving over your face and jaw, through your neck, shoulders, chest, abdominals, buttocks, hips, thighs, knees, calves, feet and toes and see if, as you scan, you can spot any areas where you might be holding tension. When you find one, see if you can send an exhale into that bit of you and allow the breath to release it. If you can’t release it, see if you can imagine how it would feel to release it. When you reach your toes, pause. Breathe. Smile. Gently open your eyes.

Don’t worry if next time you do it, the same awkward spot is just as it was, or if the tension has moved somewhere else. That’s all part of the experience.

Stop seeing red.

Depending on how comfortable you are with other commuters thinking you’re a bit weird, this might be one that the car drivers (and passengers) amongst you want to use. But if you’re happy busting out some moves on the Northern Line, or the number 249 bus, don’t let me stop you.

You can do some or all of these whenever it’s safe to do so (and if you’re not sure what that means you probably shouldn’t be in charge of a motor vehicle) to keep those niggly tight spots from taking hold:

·      Neck rolls: take your chin to chest, then let your left ear slowly move to your left shoulder. Now roll the chin across the front of your body and let the right ear move to your right shoulder. Repeat a few times.

·      Shrug it off: lift shoulders up towards ears, then let them drop down. Let shoulders make big circles one way, then the other. Feel broad across the collar bones and shoulder blades.

·      Take a wrist: circle both hands to release tension in forearms and wrists. Put fingertips on the bottom of the steering wheel and gently push the bottom of the hand forward, so that you feel a stretch through the underneath of the forearm. Use right hand to gently push on the back of your left hand, as if you were trying to get the left fingertips to touch the left wrist. WARNING – THEY WON’T SO DON’T TRY TO MAKE THEM! This will help to release tension across the back of the hand and into the forearm. Repeat on the other hand.

·      Flubber lips: Take an inhale then ‘flubber’ the lips with an exhale to release any tension in mouth. This also reminds me of doing an impression of a snorting horse. But that might just be me.

·      Chew it over: Move your mouth and lips as if you were eating a massive marshmallow. Move your jaw around, move your lips. For added entertainment imagine you’re in one of those really badly dubbed Kung Fu movies.

·      Stamp it out: Make circles with your feet to release tension in the ankles. Waggle your feet up and down. To give your mind a little workout too, see if you can make a clockwise circle with your right foot whilst making a counter-clockwise circle with your right hand. Have a go on the other side. Wiggle your toes.

Brilliant breathing.

If you haven’t been doing this since you left home, I doubt the journey has gone well. Using your breath is the quickest way to get a sense of calm. See if you can balance your breath – gently encouraging the inhale and exhale to be the same length, the same effort and the same volume. If the inhale lasts for a count of 3, the exhale is the same – or 4, or 7; whatever your count is allow it to feel effortless. Counting the breath can also give the mind a useful anchor to keep coming back to when it wanders off to wondering who in the carriage smells like a wet dog. And it’s not even raining.