Yoni Shakti

"Be in the world as a womb.

Know the womb as world.

Both are places of nurture and creativity,

Spaces for nourishment and growth.

The wombs in the world are worlds within."

(Uma Dinsmore-Tuli 2012, Womb Yoga Training Manual)

Excerpt: Yoni Shakti 

Lunar

"Yoga and Aromatherapy have physical, mental and spiritual benefits for the practitioner and therefore, it becomes logical to use aromatherapy when practising yoga. Not only are your senses enthralled by the beautiful aromas during your practice, the focus and effects of your practice are intensified by the therapeutic use of the essential oil blends. Healing benefits of aromatherapy oils include releasing old or negative emotions; experiencing a detoxifying or cleansing feeling; soothing tense muscles; helping to balance hormonal fluctuations or even helping to realign the chakras and promote feelings of calm and peace." - Cheryl McDonald (source:Fabafterfifty)

In my Lunar flow classes beginning in January, we'll be burning Jasmine essential oil. Jasmine has antidepressant and antispasmodic properties and is also good for women who have painful or irregular menses - helping to regulate the menstrual cycle. 

In the practice of Lunar Flow, we work through asana that massages the abdominal region and promotes good blood flow to the uterus. This is helpful in alleviating painful periods and PMS...the pranayama that we practice, naturally, focuses the mind and allows us to think more clearly and freely. In turn , this can help us in dealing with hormonal mood swings! Quite frankly, I wish someone had taught me about all of this when I was 13 and it would have saved a whole lot of strife!

Just a very brief glance at the class...there is so much more wonderful-ness that I could go on about but I will save it for the class itself! When we begin, the moon will be in it's New phase- the perfect time to set intentions for the coming cycle....

AI, Gherkins & Me!

So it's been quite along and arduous journey, since I've been diagnosed with Adrenal Insufficiency! 

This past year has been filled with great highs but also massive lows and I've spent most of it very, very sick but now, I am on the correct replacement cortisol medication and it is expected that things are to be on the up!

In fact, over the Christmas period, I caught a cold and managed to stay out of hospital and actually enjoy Christmas with my family! And in the past twenty four hours, I've managed to practice some gentle yoga, on three occasions and I even walked home from the shops.... These are all massive achievements for me and I think I'm starting to see a glimpse of normality on the horizon!

In between my yoga and holistic posts, I'll be chronicling my journey this year and hopefully it will be a positive one....offering an insight to friends and family of AI sufferers, into what living with this condition is like and also to those with the condition themselves - who may gleam some hope or inspiration from my trial and error approach to living with this!

Suffice to say that a trusty bottle of water, a couple of Polish dill gherkins and a smidgen extra hydrocortisone have got me through the more strenuous activities of today! :)

2 Essential Yoga Poses

I couldn't agree more!

"I start every personal yoga practice with a squat and a hang."

"These are power poses — essential poses to do even if you're not going to do anything else; they are the poses that give you the most bang for your buck.

One of the predictors of longevity is how easy it is to sit down on the ground and stand up again without assistance. The squat and hang poses are great ways to practice these important physical movements.

Many yoga poses are simply variations on the squat or the hang. A squat is a compression and the hang is an extension. They are yin and yang movements that complement each other."

Source: Mind. Body. Green

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-16795/the-only-2-yoga-poses-you-need-for-mental-physical-balance.html

New Year!

Here's hoping that 2015 is better than last!