Kalimukti Yoga

Empowering you to find freedom through yoga, check out our online yoga classes: www.kalimukti.com

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Practicing Yoga with Children

Family Yoga Trying to practice at home with your little ones around? Escaping to the studio or locking yourself away in a private room to practice? Being bombarded with questions ‘can I come to yoga?’ ‘can we do yoga together?’ ‘what is yoga?’ Practicing yoga together with your children is a lovely way to incorporate them into your practice. They’ll love trying out yoga moves and spending quality time with you at the same time. Children are often super flexible at a young age, starting yoga early helps them maintain that flexibility, as children get older and start playing different sports or get involved in activities or games that use their muscles, they can experience tightness as well as aches and pains, yoga teaches them how to stretch safely and can help to avoid injury. Yoga builds strength and self-awareness, it also helps them to chill out, breath deeply and unwind or go off to a restful sleep. We’ve created three mini sequences for you to practice together safely and so you can have fun trying out different yoga poses together. Benefits of Yoga for Children – Improves posture – Builds Strength – Develops and maintains flexibility – Increases self awareness – Promotes deep breathing and relaxation – Improves confidence – Teaches co-ordination – Encourages team work and co-operation These sequences are suitable from approximately 4 – 9 years old Sun warm up Otherwise known as Sun salutation. Great for mornings, a lovely energiser to get moving and focus energy into poses, improves listening and confidence. Yoga pose (stand with hands in prayer) Big sun (standing stretch up) Touch your toes (forward bend) Lizard (low lunge) Switch legs lizard Snake (cobra) Dog (downward dog) Lizard Switch legs lizard Touch your toes Big sun Yoga pose You can repeat the sequence if you wish to Breathe in reach arms up come to tip toes, breathe out and blow, bring arms to sides and heels down to the mat try to move the breath slowly, repeat breathing four times. Sleepy cat Lovely to practice together at bed time, dim the lights and create a relaxed space ideally once ready for bed so they can roll straight into bed after practice Happy cat – Angry cat (Cat–Cow) Cat drinking milk (Rolling cat – move from cat to cow dipping down towards the floor as you move forward into cow pose) Dancing cat (Roll hips in circles on all fours) Stretching cat (puppy pose) Cat’s friend Dog (downward dog) Sleepy cat (child pose) Lie down on back with hands on your belly, feel your breath move in and out, as you breathe in your belly rises, as you breathe out your belly relaxes (Belly breathing) Our day out Great anytime, a sequence to build patience and self-awareness Begin sitting comfortably in yoga pose (prayer) Stretch over to one side with one arm up, repeat other side Option to start with sun warm up as above for a longer sequence Twists (Energy spiral) Tree variation: hold hands Aeroplane (Warrior 3) variation hold hands Fly a kite (crescent – option to lift leg out to the side) Walk the Dog (downward dog tread heels one at a time) Butt kicks (Sphinx or hands under chin, kick one foot towards bottom at a time) Butterfly (cobblers moving knees gently up and down holding feet) Slide (Reverse plank) Happy Baby

Bumble Bee breathing – cover ears breath in and use the out breath to hum (Humming bee breath), repeat four times.

Sit comfortably, back to back, bring one hand on chest, one hand on belly try to keep still, focus on feeling the other person’s breath.

Talk through your yoga day out, the things you saw and did together, slowly take a stretch and finish with a hug. Enjoy practicing yoga together, as a family or one on one with your children.

For Online Yoga classes with us visit: www.kalimukti.com for your free 15 day trial and free 7 day yoga challenge

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Can yoga bring you peace? Yes. Be still, sit, breathe, and be. Hold a pose, push harder, breathe into it, and feel your body work as you move passed your limits and tightness slowly disappears. Allow your mind to be quiet while you practice. Flow your way through poses in a meditative state, lose yourself to the flow. Thoughts of past and present, noises outside or around you, just noise, all noise, take your focus inward and yoga will do the work for you. Peace seekers, here is your answer. Peaceful poses Yoga poses or asana practice, the physical practice of yoga, certain poses are particularly good for promoting a peaceful, calm state of mind, here are a few choice poses to try out Childs pose A wonderful pose for calming the mind and body, a great pose for just before bed to relax and unwind. Whilst practicing child’s pose ensure your shoulders and elbows are relaxed, rest your head on your mat, the floor, your hands or on a small cushion. Make sure your knees are comfortable and if there is space underneath your thighs, roll a blanket or jumper and tuck it under your bottom for comfort. Once you are comfortable in the position, focus on breathing deeply into your belly, until you feel expansion in the sides of the body and lower back with your inhale. Tree pose A grounding pose that allows your mind to become clear, while you focus on balancing in the pose, drawing the belly in, standing tall and breathing, thoughts cannot so easily crowd your mind. Once you feel stable in the pose with your gaze on a fixed point, bring your full awareness to your breath. Cobblers pose with forward fold Gently come into this pose, feel the connection between the soles of the feet and slowly open the hips by dropping your knees out to the sides, to deepen the pose bring your feet closer to your body. Once your legs are in Cobblers pose, rest each of your knees on a rolled blanket or cushion for comfort, also sit on a cushion to raise your hips, then slowly fold forward until you feel a deeper sense of opening through your hips. Take care not to round or hunch your back, soften your shoulders and ensure that you relax your head by dropping your chin towards your chest. Opening the hips releases tension, anxiety and stress leaving you refreshed and open minded. Savasana The master of poses for relaxing your body and finding peace, despite its potentially ‘easy’ appearance, savasana is not an easy pose at all for most people as we seek to find complete stillness in this pose. Once you are lying on your back, take the time to consider your alignment, open your feet a little wider than your hips, soften your shoulders and allow your arms to rest by your sides with palms facing up. If you experience discomfort in your lower back, lift your knees and place your feet on the mat. Cat pose–Cow pose Flow This is a combination between cat and cow pose, from all fours, use your inhale to move into cow pose (dipping your back and looking forward or up) and on your exhale move to cat pose (lifting your back and tucking your head and pelvis to round the spine). Continue to flow with the pace of your breath between the two poses, focusing on your breath and the movement of your spine. This moving pose is a great way to ease back ache, releasing unwanted tension from the spine and relaxing the muscles of the back. The flow and focus on the breath create a focus for the mind so thoughts do not cause as much of a distraction. Earth Salutation If you enjoy a more flowing practice, moving through salutations can create a meditation through movement, where the focus is on your breath as your body moves through a sequence of poses and the mind is alert, but not thinking, just present and in the moment. Earth salutation is a gentle, grounding sequence recommended for its restorative peaceful qualities. Peaceful breathing Pranayama or movement of the breath is another great way that yoga creates a peaceful mind Belly breathing The calming breath, a good practice for just before bed to help you drift off to sleep, and great for easing away stress or anxiety to help you feel peaceful. Try practicing with your hands on your belly. Humming Bee breathing The soothing breath, feel the vibration through your body and mind as the hum brings you a sense of peace. Alternate Nostril breathing The re-balancing breath, if you’re feeling out of balance and disconnected, the alternate nostril breath can help to restore your balance, creating an even breath through both nostrils. Mindfulness Meditation Meditation helps to quieten the mind. This example is meditation in perhaps its simplest form, a mindful meditation practice focusing on the breath. Sitting or laying in stillness and following the breath is a lovely way to easily find peace. Try placing one hand on your belly and the other on your chest and simply focusing on your breath. Each time you find yourself thinking, come back to following your natural breath without judgement. You can practice for a few minutes, or even an hour. If you prefer to be led in meditation, try one of our guided meditation practices.

For online yoga classes and yoga articles, check out our website: www.kalimukti.com

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Stressed out employees?

Working late (again)?

Too much to do?

Busy head? Can’t relax?

YOGA. Yoga is the answer.

Popularity of corporate yoga

The interest in yoga is booming, organisations everywhere and of every kind are beginning to support yoga more and more, due to its amazing benefits for the body and mind. Healthy, happy employees is what we all want — employers and employees alike.

Whether it’s bringing in a Yoga teacher to provide a yoga class in the Workplace or allowing time for employees to escape to the studio, it’s worthwhile.

Why should our employees to come to yoga?

Yoga improves concentration and focus resulting in improved productivity at work, we know what that affects — profitability of course. Quite simply when employees are focused and alert, they get more done and they work more effectively.

The opposite is too often the reality, with tired, overworked, stressed out employees working on everything and nothing, missing deadlines and created a negative vibe. Instead of the usual ‘pull your socks up’ or ‘get it done’ approach, or yet even more overtime and pressure, how about taking your approach to one that nurtures and relaxes employees, improving their overall well-being and giving them a much needed break to restore their energy and get them back on track.

Engaged, happy and relaxed employees create a positive sense of morale and a greater level of engagement. When employees are engaged, they are more likely to work to their full potential and inspire those around them to do the same. When employees are fully engaged at work, they are also more likely to stay put and less likely to be off sick.

We’re in a time where work-life balance is more important than ever, our desire for spare time and to feel well is a high priority. Introducing yoga to your workplace creates balance, encourages a workforce that feel well and supported and allows employees the opportunity to ‘get time back’ from the busy working day.

What you can do?

1. Bring in an instructor into the workplace

Some organisations bring yoga in to the office, creating a yoga space in a conference room or hall, for annual wellness events, or on a regular basis, often during the lunchtime period or before work

2. Support employees attending a nearby studio

Allow time for employees to visit a local studio in their lunch break / before work

3. Arrange Private sessions at a nearby studio

Many studios offer private sessions, these are great for team building and boosting morale

4. Pay or subsidise yoga classes

You can either pay the instructor or studio directly, or organise a fixed rate / discount for an agreed amount of students, so it’s affordable for employees to pay themselves, the most popular option is to subsidise the cost, perhaps working with a sports and social club

Benefits of Yoga for organisations

• Increased productivity and engagement • Improved morale and positive outlook • Higher retention • Lower sickness absence • Reduction in stress and anxiety • Commitment to employee wellbeing

Let’s put this into context — an hour out of the office (usually during an unpaid lunch break) can result in positive, happy, stress-free employees, surely this is a no-brainer?

With the likes of Google, Apple and Nike offering Yoga classes for employees, it’s about time we caught up — trial it, ask your employees how they feel before and after class, check their productivity, retention, engagement, sickness, yoga will prove itself.

Check out our Online Yoga videos, pose library and other articles on our site: www.kalimukti.com

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When you have a pinched sciatic nerve (sciatica), this can cause pain in the buttocks, legs, hips and back, yoga can help to alleviate sciatic nerve pain. How to soothe sciatic nerve pain with yoga Sciatic nerve pain exercises target the muscles and areas of the body associated with sciatic pain Yoga has many benefits which apply to sciatic pain: – Yoga improves posture – lengthening the spine and developing good postural awareness will help to maintain a healthy spine and minimize future pressure of damage to the spine. When experiencing pain, posture can be affected in order to counteract or accommodate the pain which can cause bad posture and long term damage to other parts of the body as a result – Yoga stretches and lengthens muscles – holding poses will deeply stretch the muscles, ligaments and joints in the areas associated with sciatic pain including quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and the muscles of the back offering pain relief – Yoga mobilises and strengthens tight joints – hips can become tight as a result of pain in the back, glutes and legs, keeping the hips mobile and strong will minimize discomfort associated with tight hips and release tension from this area – Yoga improves flexibility and mobility of the spine and develops strong back muscles – lower back stretches for sciatica and twisting poses are great for releasing tension held in the back and building awareness of lengthening the spine – Back bending yoga poses improve the strength of the back muscles – Strong standing yoga poses develop core strength and stability which are key to supporting the lower back and maintaining good posture Sciatica during Pregnancy If you experience sciatic pain during pregnancy, poses 5 – 10 can be practiced safely to ease the pain. Top 10 Yoga Poses to soothe sciatic nerve pain 1. Cobra / Up dog 2. Crescent moon 3. Half lord of the fishes 4. Revolved Side Angle 5. High lunge 6. Warrior III 7. Extended Side Angle 8. Extended Triangle 9. Zig Zag 10. Pigeon

Visit our website for Online Yoga classes and lots of interesting yoga stuff!

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Training hard?

Breaking down boundaries and pushing limits? Marathon training can be hugely rewarding, but are you also taking care of your body? Adding Yoga to your training ensures you maintain a healthy body and mind, by stretching and strengthening the joints and muscles. Yoga not only improves flexibility and lengthens aching or tight muscles, it also strengthens the core, mobilises hips and knees and improves body awareness which develops better posture and a better running stance. You can choose the poses that support your training, or your aching body and practice these before or after your run, or practice the full sequence after training or on rest days for the maximum benefits. It’s best to practice this sequence two to three times a week if you can, or ideally every time your finish a run / training. Want to try adding mindfulness meditation to your training? Try focusing just on your breath whilst running, if thoughts come into your mind, bring your full awareness back to your breath, enjoy the present moment and simply breathe. 8 Yoga poses for marathon runners Hold each pose for the count of ten breaths Core strength – Boat pose Posture – Tree pose Hip mobility – Garland pose Quadriceps and hip mobility – Lizard pose (Keep back knee on the ground, lift back leg to stretch quad) Knees – Lotus pose Hamstrings – Standing Forward Bend pose Glutes, hips and Quadriceps – One legged King Pigeon pose (Leave back leg extended for a more restful variation) Calves and hamstrings – Downward Facing Dog pose (try treading the heels one at a time in this pose)  

Read all of our articles on our website

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Many people come to yoga in the hope of relieving back ache, particularly in the lower back. More and more doctors, chiropractors and physiotherapists are recommending Yoga which is an amazing movement towards us working together to improve overall health. Whether it’s down to bad posture, lifting, fitness training, weak abs, or post-pregnancy, yoga CAN help to ease back pain and even better, it can help you to improve the health of your back for good. Unlike many sports, yoga is not competitive, it’s not about touching your toes, how flexible you are, or who has the best downward dog. Yoga is about taking time for yourself and feeling the benefits of each and every pose for your body and mind. Benefits of Yoga for the back • Improves posture • Increase flexibility of the spine • Strengthens back muscles • Opens hips • Stabilises core muscles • Develops body awareness • Reduces stress and anxiety that may be associated with or caused by back pain Short Yoga sequence for Back Relief Here’s a quick fix sequence to help out with lower back aches and pains 1. Hand under foot 2. Standing Crescent 3. Bridge Rolls 4. Revolved Abdomen Online Yoga for Back Relief Try out our Online Yoga classes for guided sequences of yoga poses designed specifically to improve back health and relieve back ache.

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Bhramari Pranayama 

Calm your mind and ease away anxieties

A common questions amongst students is how to do pranayama. The Humming Bee Breath is a form of Pranayama, which translates into ‘energy flow’ this totally. A yoga breathing exercise that uses the breath to promote positive energy in your body and release unwanted negative energy..

THE breath to come to when your thoughts are all over the place, out of control and draining — let’s call it BUSY HEAD.

Find peace, quickly. If you’re feeling anxious or your thoughts are non-stop, this is where to turn. It’s also pretty simple to master so you can enjoy the benefits straight away.

The beautiful humming bee breath creates a vibration which glides through the chest, throat and head. The vibration creates a sense of calm and a feeling of comfort, it soothes and massages the mind, moving down through the throat and deeply through the chest. Best of all it takes away whatever tension or frustrations you may have and allows us to think clearly.

When practicing Humming Bee Breath, no thinking takes place as you just hum your way to a peaceful, calmer version of yourself. If you’re naturally a thinker, someone who loves to analyse, plan, think ahead, reflect, or over-think things, Humming Bee breath will keep you in check.

After only eight rounds of humming bee breathing, the chatterbox voice in your head becomes quiet, you can breathe deeply and RELAX.

How do I do the Humming Bee breath?

1. Begin in Easy Pose (crossed legs) 2. Lift the knees and place the feet on the mat in front of you bringing plenty of space between the feet 3. Rest the elbows on the knees and drop your head into your hands 4. Take the thumbs onto the cartilage of the ears, pushing very gently to block the ears 5. Inhale deeply through the nose and for the full exhale hum loudly keeping the lips closed

Repeat for 8 breaths

You can also practice sitting in a comfortable position of your choice, without resting the elbows if you prefer.

Find a quiet space, close your eyes and hum your way to freedom and peace of mind.

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Suffering with tight hips or recovering from Hip surgery?

Getting back into the swing of things after hip surgery or getting tight hips to loosen up can be really tough.

Where do I begin? What stretches are right? What really works?

You don’t need to have practiced yoga before, in fact, it’s a great time to get started if you haven’t tried yoga before.

You may already be seeing a physiotherapist or occupational therapist to help you recover from hip surgery and give you exercises to try out, these exercises can be practiced together with yoga. These yoga poses are also effective to use as hip replacement recovery exercises and can often help with sleeping after hip replacement.

Here are our top five poses for getting back in action after hip surgery or getting your hips swinging again if you have tight hips, these poses are gentle enough to practice in bed.

Getting started

Lay down and make yourself comfortable on the bed or on a flat surface

It's great to do these poses when you first wake up or just before you go to bed once you're comfortable

Ensure that you only have a small pillow or cushion underneath your head, you want your neck to be pretty much straight

Make sure that there is nothing to obstruct your legs so you to move your legs freely to each side

You’ll need 10 – 15 minutes for this sequence

Yoga Poses for hip rehabilitation

Hold each of the following poses for a count of eight to ten breaths, breathe slowly and deeply, in and out through your nose, counting your out breath

You may like to practice the poses with your eyes closed

Keep your focus on your breath

 1.       Revolved Abdomen Pose

From laying flat, Lift your knees and step your feet up towards your body, rest your feet on the bed

Bring your feet and knees together and keep your feet touching

Gently drop both knees over to one side and hold the pose

After eight breaths, slowly bring both knees back to the centre, then repeat on the other side

You may like to rest the knees on a pillow if they do not touch the bed

 2. Reclined Cobblers Pose

 Lift your knees and step your feet up towards your body, rest your feet on the bed

Bring your feet together so the soles of the feet are touching, and slowly allow the knees to fall out to the sides, opening the hips

For extra comfort, support each knee with pillows

3. Glute Stretch

Keeping your feet on the bed, open your feet to about hip distance apart, keeping your knees raised

Gently lift one foot onto the opposite side knee, opening the hip, in the position you should be able to easily see the inside of your lower leg

Make sure your head is resting so there is no strain in your neck

Lift your legs towards you so your foot comes off the bed - if you can reach, gently guide your legs towards you using your hands to pull the legs into a hug

You should feel the stretch along the glute of the top leg

You may wish to place the bottom foot onto a pillow or stack of pillows rather than pull the legs in

 4. Happy Baby Pose

Gently hug your knees into your chest and open the legs wide

Pull your knees down towards the sides of your body and gently rock from side to side

You can practice this pose holding the backs of your thighs, or the soles of your feet

5. Cobra Pose

Gently roll on to your stomach

Place your hands by your chest and open your feet

Gently lift your chest from the bed, keeping your shoulders back and down so your neck is long

Open your chest as much as you can and squeeze your glutes

Press your hips down gently into the bed

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We've all been there, we all know there's that pose where you hold the breath - next time - BLOW! #breathe #yoga #yoga #breathe #yogaeverydamnday #yogi #asana #yogaeverywhere #yogalife #namaste #allyoucanyoga #yogainspiration #yogapractice #stopdropandyoga #yogafam #igyoga #yogisofinstagram #instayoga #yogateacher #yogatip

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Whatever the question, YOGA is the answer.

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Soulful Question... how would you live? Inspired by @daniellelaporte

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Cat Pose align your spine, release tension from your back #catpose #yoga #focuspose #yogapose #yogatip #yogateacher #newtoyoga #instayoga

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What are you truly grateful for? When did you last stop and think about what you are truly grateful for? Too busy, too much to do.. yeah yeah we all have busy lives. Make a little time, I mean 60 seconds will do, and ask yourself: ‘What am I truly grateful for?’ You can take this as a ‘right now’, ‘today’, ‘this year’ kind of questions, or just as the full question. See how it lands. I’ve been asking myself this question for 5 days, yes since the beginning of this year. My answer has changed everyday, my mindset changes each day, but I realise one major factor – I really am very grateful and I never stopped to notice before. I’m grateful for my life, my husband, my family, true friends, my career, my freedom, my health, my home, my dog, the love that surrounds me and that’s just today. Having a bad day? Not feeling very grateful? That’s the best time to do this – you’ll always find something to be grateful for. Since taking the time, I mean a tiny bit of time to be grateful, I’ve notice I feel generally more grateful, about everything. I’m noticing things to be grateful for, all around me, I’m seeing moments that mean something and feeling things a little deeper than before, it’s made a huge impact already, and it’s only been five days. So, here’s your bit… what are you truly grateful for? Write it down, say it out loud, add it to your day, you won’t regret it. Being grateful brings you, and those around you positive vibes and it’s free! Written by @yogi_geek #yoga #grateful #yogablog #blog #yogisofinstagram #yogaeverydamnday

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Take care of your neck #yogatip # yoga #teachertip # tuesdaytip #yogateacher

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Belly Breathing, the calming breath. Inhale belly rises, exhale belly falls, little effort, full concentration, as the out breath takes away any tension and allows you to let go, don’t think, just let go of your breath. Belly breathing is simple but powerful. Of all the many breathing practicing I’ve learnt through Yoga, this is the one I practice and teach the most. I often practice belly breathing before bed, especially if I’ve had a busy day and I’ve got a zillion thoughts racing through my head. If I get comfortable, lie still and focus on my belly… belly rise, belly fall, the thoughts are no longer my focus and I very quickly find myself drifting off to sleep. Belly breathing encourages us to be mindful, present. As we focus on the movement of the belly, we don’t think, we can just be. A beautiful practice. If you’re feeling busy, stressed out… or just need a moment of calm, try it! Belly rise, belly fall… also, you can do it anywhere, anytime… eyes open, eyes closed, you decide. #blog #bellybreathing #practiceyogachangeyourworld #onebreathatatime #yoga #breathe #yogaeverydamnday #yogi #asana #yogaeverywhere #yogalove #yogaeveryday #yogalife #namaste #allyoucanyoga #feeltheyogahigh #peaceloveyoga #yogagirl #yogapose #yogainspiration #yogapractice #stopdropandyoga #yogafam #igyoga #yogisofinstagram #instayoga

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Balancing Table Pose - stabilise your core and lengthen your spine #‎fridayfocus‬ ‪#‎focuspose‬ #yogapose ‪#‎practiceyogachangeyourworld‬ ‪#‎onebreathatatime‬ ‪#‎yoga‬ ‪#‎breathe‬ ‪#‎yogaeverydamnday‬ ‪#‎yogi‬ ‪#‎asana‬ ‪#‎yogaeverywhere‬ ‪#‎yogalove‬ ‪#‎yogaeveryday‬ ‪#‎yogalife‬ ‪#‎namaste‬ ‪#‎allyoucanyoga‬ ‪#‎feeltheyogahigh‬ ‪#‎peaceloveyoga‬ ‪#‎yogagirl‬ #yogapose ‪#‎yogainspiration‬ ‪#‎yogapractice‬ ‪#‎stopdropandyoga‬ ‪#‎yogafam‬ #balancingtable #instayoga yogisofinstagram #igyoga

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We all crave LOVE. Find love on your mat, love yourself, love your practice. Yoga creates space to love fully, wholly and openly. Yoga gives us the opportunity to love and express ourselves, however we come, without judgement. #rumi #mondaymantra #quote #inspiration (at Jersey, Channel Islands)