Survival Guide for Beginners Yoga

23rd July 201820th March 2021Posted in Yoga Workshops

Your Survival Guide for Beginners Yoga

Google image search for the word ‘yoga’ and the results are terrifyingly intimidating! Skinny minnie bendy Wendy’s in very little clothing on an exotic beach doing their best pretzel impressions. Trust me if this is what real-life yoga is like so can count me out!! But fortunately, it’s not! Yoga truly is for everyone, all shapes, all ages, all fitness levels, all degrees of flexibility, all genders and all personality types. My Beginners Yoga Courses in Southampton are suitable for all and we love to see a diverse mix of people taking to the yoga mat.

So here’s my Survival Guide for Beginners Yoga

1) You don’t need to be flexible to do yoga. In fact, yoga has nothing to do with touching your toes, but improved flexibility is certainly a by-product of doing yoga. Telling me you’re too stiff to do yoga, is the same as saying you’re too dirty to have a shower. I know the media is full of bendy, skinny people in fancy yoga poses but this isn’t what it looks like in ‘real life’! Beginners Yoga poses are really attainable for all.

2) Nobody cares if you giggle or fart and you can’t make a fool of yourself either. Everyone else is too focused on what they’re doing to even notice what’s happening with you. I promise!

3) Don’t wear Tesco leggings (or other really cheap makes) they’re see-through when you bend over – trust me I’ve seen A LOT! Get someone at home to check for you before attending your first Beginners Yoga class.

4) Take your shoes and socks off, yoga is practised barefoot on a non-slip mat. Your yoga teacher will have a few spare mats, but if you enjoy it then buy your own mat – much more hygienic!

5) If you arrive early to your first Beginners Yoga Class, sit down on your yoga mat, relax and smile at the person next to you. Yoga classes have a really friendly community atmosphere and everyone remembers how daunting being new can be.

6) Wear a couple of layers, like top/t-shirt and a jumper. It’s likely you’ll get pretty hot halfway through and then cold during the relaxation. Ladies remember a sports bra or things may just pop out when you bend forward.

7) You’ll do a yoga pose called Downward Facing Dog a lot, it’s hard when you start as it uses upper body strength and hamstring flexibility but after awhile it’ll get easier. Know it’s OK to put your knees down and use all-fours anytime. If your teacher says ‘Downward Facing Dog is a resting pose’ try and ignore the urge to yell out and curse at them, they’re probably just forgotten how freaking hard this pose is when you’re a Yoga Beginner.

8) It’s OK to rest – yoga is not a boot camp and it’s not about forcing your body to do anything. it’s about listening to and respecting your body. So if you get tired and want to take a little breather, then do it! It’s all about you.

9) It’s OK to be confused – when you attend your beginners yoga class everything is new, so understandably you might feel confused. See this as an exciting reminder that you’ve stepped out of your comfort zone and something good is coming your way. By your 3rd class, you usually feel like you’re getting the hang of it. Although I’ve been practising for 16 years now and I still get confused and often feeling like a yoga beginner!

10) Your life will change! It’s crazy magic, just 1 hour/week of yoga, bending, stretching, strengthening and breathing deeply and everything changes. Your ability to handle stress, the ease in your relationships, the confidence and calmness you feel in yourself, the relationship you have will your body. Quite simply put yoga makes everything better!

Ready to give it a try? Check out my class schedule here for different venues and times throughout the week and register for your first free class.

See you on the mat!

Living Your Yoga

20th January 201820th March 2021Posted in Yoga Workshops

What does it mean to live your yoga? To be a Yogi or Yogini? Is it even possible in the modern Western world? Yogis of old in India often segregated themselves from society, spending much time in isolation living in the mountains and caves in India, meditating for very many hours on a quest to calm the mind and achieve enlightenment.

In the West, Yoga is often something that we do; an interest, or hobby, a class that we attend once a week but soon the benefits of yoga seep into the rest of one’s life. Then with continued dedication and commitment, the practice of yoga can become a way of life. Everyone’s path is different, and although it is common to come across preconceived notions of what a Yogi must and must not do, it is essential that you walk your own path based on intuition, guidance, reflection and self-study. It is a path towards growth, unity and harmony with oneself and the world we live in; for me this is enlightenment.

What is Enlightenment?

The meaning of enlightenment and what happens once one achieves it is open to much debate. For me, it is something we can all experience through the path of yoga. It is the experience of being completely present in the moment, in touch with your true self and free from the suffering imposed by the fluctuations of the mind. Maybe our first such experience lasts for just the tiniest moment, but through continued growth there are more of these moments and they last longer until this becomes your permanent state of awareness.

Suggestions for Living Your Yoga

Here are a few ideas you may wish to consider in exploring how to live your yoga. Don’t worry if you don’t know what all of these practices are just yet, we will study these in detail together. Please note that this is the road less travelled, it is winding and bumpy with many obstacles but a life lived with intention, clarity and an open heart is a life worth living.

A regular home yoga practice in addition to continued guidance from teachers.
A committed meditation practice.
The practice of pranayama to calm the mind and ease through daily challenges.
Journaling as a form of self-study and reflection.
Volunteering and being of service to others – karma yoga.
Intentionally focussing on the qualities of loving kindness; mantra and meditation can support this.
Reading texts such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita and interpreting their being for you.
Exploring bringing the Yamas and Niyamas into everyday life.
Creating your own sadhana, a daily spiritual practice.
Upgrading your diet for optimum health and well-being.
Being part of a satsang, a community of likeminded individuals joining for discussions.
Performing a daily gratitude practice.
Setting intentions, using affirmations and sankalpas to bring clarity to your days.
Working through mental and emotional afflictions and challenges such as samskaras that stand the way of your spiritual growth.

Yoga Immersion Course

If this is the path you wish to travel support and guidance of a teacher and a community is really beneficial. I’d love to walk this path with you and invite you to consider joining the Yoga Immersion Course. A 6-month course for committed yoga students designed to deepen your awareness, knowledge & understanding of yoga in all its dimensions.

Yoga for the Runner

9th October 2017Posted in Yoga for Runners, Yoga WorkshopsTagged Laura Green Yoga, Yoga Southampton

How Yoga gave me my all-round ‘personal best’ as a runner

~ by Gemma Young ~

I have been practicing yoga for many years and as a runner and someone who is fairly competitive, I tend to also have that competitive stance within me, even when on the mat. Not with others but with myself. Always wanting to push myself that little bit more each week, bend that little bit further, breathe that little bit deeper… the same goes for running. I am always striving for my personal best, always wanting to beat my last time.

However, practicing yoga with Laura in Southampton and the family of yogi’s has taught me how it is okay to sometimes enjoy the minimum, not get things perfect, be on the mat not to compete with myself, but to surrender myself to all that yoga has to offer my body, mind and soul. Learning and accepting this has been profound for me. The odd thing about it is that by doing regular yoga practice, learning to breathe deeply and correctly, connecting body and mind, and stretching and strengthening my body, has meant that I now run faster and longer than I ever have done!

The Yoga for Runners workshops comes highly recommended by me to enable runners to learn the basic techniques for breathing and those crucial stretches pre and post runs.

I will be running in the Bournemouth half marathon on Sunday 8th October for the wonderful Children’s charity, the NSPCC. Please feel free to visit my Just Giving page if you wish to make a contribution. Any donations would be very much appreciated and make a difference to this wonderful cause.

Check out my workshop page for details on our regular monthly Runners Workshop or send me an email me to book.

Yoga Relief for Neck & Shoulder Tension

27th September 201729th September 2017Posted in Yoga Postures, Yoga Workshops

As a Yoga Teacher in Southampton the most common grumble I hear from my students is neck and shoulder tension plus referred pain such as headaches. I’m always diving into my yoga tool box for the perfect yoga poses and yoga relief for neck and shoulder tension.

Neck and shoulder tension can be a source of much frustration for many of us. So often, especially at the end of a long hard day we really “feel” our neck and shoulders and this is just the time to get yourself to a yoga class in Southampton. The most common cause of neck and shoulder pain is stress, either emotional or physical stress, or sometimes just a combination of both. With hectic lifestyles and the constant strain of stress our physical bodies often pay the price.

The trapezius muscle group, which runs from your neck to shoulders, carries the most stress of anywhere in your body but what causes this tension?

Common Causes for Shoulder and Neck Pain

Stress

We often carry emotional stress which manifests itself in our physical bodies as muscular pain

Pulled muscles

Moving too quickly, or placing undue physical stress on the muscle can cause tears and pain

Bad Posture

Sitting or standing, with the head slightly forward, can cause stress on the trapezius muscle group. We call this the computer chin which juts forward.

Pressure

Carrying an object that puts strain on the muscle can result in aches and pains. Examples are bras, backpacks, or shoulder bags.

Holding positions

Positions that are held for a period, consistently, can cause stress in the trapezius muscle group, computer monitors in the wrong position or sleeping in the wrong position, are a few of the most common reasons.

Yoga Poses to relieve Shoulder and Neck Pain

Using Yoga as tool to relieve physical and emotional stress is just one of the many ways we can heal ourselves. Taking the time to relieve the stress of shoulder and neck pain can help to feel rejuvenated in the whole body.

Try this short video with yoga poses from Neck & Shoulder Tension. This video is just 6 mins long, try doing it daily for a week and see what happens . . .

If you’d like to learn and experience more I’m teaching a 2 Hour Yoga Workshop for Neck and Shoulder Tension in Southampton on Saturday 7^th October at 10am. More information here.

The Quest for Equilibrium – Yin Yoga Southampton

25th September 2017Posted in Poems & Quotes, Yoga Workshops

What is Yin Yoga – by Laura Green | Yin Yoga Southampton

As human beings we are hard wired to instinctively seek out equilibrium; through either the involuntary responses of the body or voluntary actions of the mind. You feel too hot – your body’s involuntary response is perspiration whilst the voluntary action of the mind tells you to open a window; you feel too cold – your body shivers and your mind tells you to get a jumper. This is an essential necessity for survival. Yet we are finding more ways to override this wisdom of the body for temporary gain with little regard for the long term consequences. Read on to learn more about how yin yoga can help or attend a yin yoga in Southampton with Laura.

Example: you’re working long hours under the pressure of deadlines, you feel very tired, involuntarily the sleeping centre of the brain kicks in, your eye lids get heavy, your reactions slow down, your concentration dwindles etc; the voluntary mind should make you go to bed and sleep but instead you get a strong cup of coffee. The caffeine kicks in and overpowers the body’s involuntary response. Short term result – we bravely soldier on and complete the task. This becomes a rinse and repeat cycle of always wanting, doing and achieving more – this is the yang cycle.

Yang without Yin leads stress, adrenal fatigue, anxiety, burnout, heart attacks, fertility issues, digestive issues etc. Equally Yin without Yang leads to lethargy, depression, isolation, weight gain etc.

Yoga teaches that equilibrium comes from balancing opposites. Yet we live in a world with preferences, likes and dislikes and have lost any sense of equanimity. So time and again we are drawn to the things we like, prioritise, or value highly and disregard the rest, taking us further out of balance. Generally speaking, both society and we as individuals value the Yang over the Yin, the Active over the Passive and the Masculine over the Feminine. Whereas we need to balance these opposites, we need both the Yin and the Yang. It is the practise of embracing equanimity in search of equilibrium.

How Yin Yoga Works to Balance the Body

‘Yin Yoga’ is slow-paced with postures that are held for long periods of time. These long held postures are done when the body is cold and not warmed up.

At first this can seem very unusual but it serves the intention which is to focus less on stretching the muscles and more on working into the joints, ligaments, tendons and fascia of the body. It is less about ‘stretching’ these tissues as they don’t have the same elasticity as muscles, but more about ‘stressing’ them through holding them under tension for longer periods which overtime will improve the length, strength and thickness of the tissues.

Just like Thai Yoga Massage there is a focus on stimulating the movement of prana along the Meridian lines and a close connection to Tradition Chinese Medicine. The golden rule of Yin Yoga through the eyes of Patanjali is sthira sukham asanam – the postures must be steady and comfortable. Yin Yoga also draws inspiration from Daoism and applies one of its key philosophies ‘Live in harmony with the way and you will benefit. Struggle against the way things are and you will suffer’.

Yin Yoga generally targets the lower body with only around 26 official postures, but the principles can be applied to a variety of postures. It is a deeply healing practise both mentally and physically.
Why not try a Yin Yoga class to experience full balancing effects for yourself?

For Full Class Timetable Click Here

For Workshops Click Here

Best Yoga Stretches for Runners

24th May 201724th May 2017Posted in Yoga for Runners, Yoga Postures, Yoga Workshops

Top 4 Yoga Stretches for Runners

Perfect for Injury Prevention, Improved Running Form and Recovery

These are post run yoga stretches or rest day stretches to add to your training regime. Running, even with the most efficient style, does put load, stress and strain on the body – but I get it you love it! So just make sure to add rejuvenating and injury preventing yoga postures and yoga stretches to your training at least once/week (ideally more). If you want to learn even more check out our Monthly Yoga for Runners Workshops in Southampton or the Online 7 Week Yoga for Runners Course.

Shin / Ankle Yoga Stretch for Runners

Sitting back on your heels, bring your hands to the ground behind you
Lean back and lift your knees up and as much of your shins as possible
If you are tight in your ankles don’t worry if you don’t get much lift, it’ll improve over time

Runners Lunge – a Yoga Stretch

A stretch for both the hamstrings and the hip flexors perfect for runners
From kneeling step one leg forward, straighten the leg as much as possible (it’s ok to keep a little bend in the knee whilst your flexibility improves)
Lift up the foot and toes of the front leg to also stretch your calf
Keeping your spine long fold your chest forwards over the straight leg

Hip Flexor / Psoas Yoga Stretch for Runners

From the above posture, bend your knee and place your foot on the floor
Your knee is exactly above your ankle in the front leg
Bring both hands to the floor on the inside of the front leg
Slowly start to drop your back hip flexor lower to the ground as you lower your chest a little closer to the ground as well.
Over time you can progress to placing your elbows on the floor

Quad / Hip Flexor Yoga Stretch for Runners

From seated, carefully bend one leg back behind you and plant the other foot flat on the floor with your knee bent.
As much as possible try to have even weight on both buttocks
Bring first your hands to the ground behind you and gently lean back
Over time lower down onto your elbow
You must keep the bent knee on the floor
Any pain in your knee come straight out of the posture

I hope that you give this yoga stretches for runners ago and enjoy incorporating them into your running training for less injuries, improved running form and recovery. We’d love to teach you more at either the Yoga for Runners Workshops on our Online Yoga for Runners Course.

Is Yoga for You? 5 Surprising Fact for Yoga for Beginners

13th February 201713th February 2017Posted in Events & Retreats, Yoga Workshops

Thinking about starting yoga but not sure it’s for you? Read our Teacher, Gemma Witcomb’s advice.

There are loads of misconceptions about yoga that stop people giving it a go and they are all just that, MISCONCEPTIONS!

These are not really helped by the world of social media, size 4 models in eye-watering poses that make the average person feel somewhat intimidated and self-conscious.

It gets easier once you realise that these are not a representation of real life. It’s advertising! Most people in a yoga class are just normal people, with busy lives, busy minds and bodies that have a whole range of aches and pains. Just like YOU!

People also worry about the spiritual side of yoga, the chanting, meditating etc. That might not be your thing! It’s true it is a big part of yoga, in fact the goal of yoga in its traditional form is to reach spiritual enlightenment. However, that was yoga studied with gurus over years of exclusive practice and in one class a week, reaching enlightenment might be more of a stretch than splits!

A yoga class will help you quiet the mind, deepen your breath, and begin to introduce you to some of the concepts of the traditional texts, but we are not here to preach. If you want to find out more, you can take a workshop, read a book and your teacher can guide you. It’s up to you where you take it, it’s not going to be forced on you.

Still not convinced? Have a look at my 5 Things Yoga Beginners Should Know to see if I can change your mind.

1) You don’t need to be flexible to do yoga. Lack of flexibility is the most common reason people give for not starting yoga. Whilst practising yoga will develop your flexibility, yoga is a just that, a practice. We practice the stretches to improve flexibility and strength. Everyone is different in different areas of their bodies and flexibility is not the goal, it’s a bonus!

2) A yoga class is a really friendly place. I know it can be daunting starting a new class but yoga is non-competitive, non-judgmental and encourages more openness and acceptance, both of yourself and others. You will find a real community of like-minded people within the yoga world. We are generally a super friendly bunch!

3) You don’t need specialist equipment. So you don’t have the latest brightly coloured leggings…who cares?! Yoga is not about what you look like, it’s about what’s going on inside. All you need are comfortable clothes you can move freely in, some layers to make sure you are warm during the relaxation at the end and that’s it! You may eventually want to purchase your own mat but your teacher will have some you can use to begin with.

4) You will always be able to modify the poses. Everybody is different and at the beginning you may need a modified posture to allow you to feel comfortable in the poses. That’s ok! When you first start yoga there can be challenges, you spend a lot of time putting weight on the hands, kneeling and doing things with your body that you haven’t done for years. You will always be encouraged to work with your body, to listen to it and modify poses. Like anything, it takes regular repetition to get stronger, more flexible and more in tune with yourself – it will come, be patient.

5) Your life will change! It’s a big claim, but if I didn’t believe it, I wouldn’t be teaching this amazing practice. It’s not just an exercise class. The ability to deepen and control your breath, find mental clarity and focus, freedom and ease in your body will spill over into your life. You will find it easier to deal with stress, have a restful night’s sleep, be more present, be kinder to yourself and more aware of what you really need to be the best possible version of yourself.

Have I convinced you?
If so try my 6-Week Beginners Yoga Course for the perfect way in, introducing you to all the basics and giving you the confidence you need. I can’t wait to start this journey with you. This Course is 09:30am Thursdays in Hedge End, starts Thurs 2nd March – email laura@lauragreenyoga.co.uk to book.

The Art of Relaxation – Yoga Workshop Southampton

12th August 201522nd August 2016Posted in Yoga WorkshopsTagged Laura Green Yoga, Mindfulness, Yoga, Yoga Southampton, Yoga Workshop

‘REST in Every Moment’ – this was the instruction given to me by a wonderful and inspiring teacher I was blessed to train with, Judith Hanson Lasater. I thought it was an odd request but nonetheless it struck me as important and has stayed with me over the years. Judith started every session chanting ‘Stirum Sukham Asanam’ – a yoga sutra that translates as ‘a steady and comfortable posture’. Through the practise of poses, breathing and meditation, yoga has taught me just this – how to be steady and comfortable in my life, how to be at rest and at ease in every moment, how to stay calm and relaxed despite the events and circumstances that are unfolding. This for me is Mastering The Art of Relaxation. With two workshops this week on Friday and Saturday we’re going to delve deep into the yoga tool box for tension taming and stress prevention as together we Master the Art of Relaxation (details below). Don’t worry if you can’t make it, here are some tools to get you started:

Top Tips for Mastering the Art of Relaxation
1) Explore Stillness: Take 5 minutes every day, preferably in the morning, to sit and be still. There is a great strength in stillness. It encourages us to slow down, to not react to everything immediately, to buy our time and choose wisely how to respond to events in the day.
2) Cultivate Your Breath: When you meet challenges in your day connect back to your stillness and find the quiet place of inner strength by focusing on your breath. Try the Double Time Breath. Inhale for the count of 4 and exhale for the count of 4. Then breath by breath increase the length of your exhale whilst keeping the inhale at a count of 4. Continue until your exhale is double the length of your inhale. Take 10 more breaths inhaling for 4 and exhaling for 8 before returning to your day focussed and connected to your inner strength.
3) Let Go of Worry: Worry is totally wrapped up in the future. Focus on the present moment and what is within your control. Don’t waste precious time and energy on things outside of your control and things that have not yet manifested.

Feel Good Friday
Friday 14th August – 18:00 – 19:15
Taunton’s College, Southampton

Relax, unwind and de-stress before the weekend. We’ll slow things down, stretch deeply, breathe and meditate to ease away all tension from the week. This monthly class is a combination of Hatha Yoga and Yin Yoga with slow stretches to release areas of the body that have become tense and tight throughout the week – think shoulders, upper back, neck and hips. You’ll learn pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation techniques for stress relief and enjoy a guided relaxation. You’ll leave with a feeling of deep relaxation and ready to ease into your weekend.

Master the Art of Relaxation: Tension Taming and Stress Relief
Saturday 15th August – 14:00 – 16:00
Taunton’s College, Southampton

Would you like to learn how to relax, unwind and chill out? Seems crazy that we need to learn how to relax, right? But it is a fact of life that most of us live such busy, pressured lives that at the end of the day we don’t know how to step off the trend mill, slow down and relax. This 2 hour workshop will look at a vast range of relaxation approaches including: Yoga, Meditation, Mantras, Self Myofascial Massage, Mindfulness, Yoga Nidra, Aromatherapy, Diet & Nutrition. By the end of 2 hours you’ll have a tool box so vast that with work and practise you’ll be able to stay calm and relaxed in any situation!

Teaching Yoga at Festivals

22nd July 20155th July 2016Posted in Yoga WorkshopsTagged Camp Bestival, Laura Green Yoga, Yoga Festival, Yoga Workshop

Festivals & Camping?? I never thought I’d see my name at a Festival Line Up.

I’m off to teach yoga at Camp Bestival 29th July – 2nd August. I’ve never been camping or to a festival (mainly because the toilets terrify me). I think the ‘I’ve Got This’ mantra might be needed when it comes to putting up my tent (thank you again Michelle aka Yoga Bunny for the tent!). Let me know if you’re going and come check out the yoga scene! My classes on Wednesday 29th and Thursday 30th July will still be running again thanks to our marvelous cover teachers. Check out the Southampton yoga classes timetable here.

Saturday 17th Sept – Chakra Vinyasa Yoga Workshop

11th August 2011Posted in Yoga WorkshopsTagged Chakras, Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Yoga Southampton, Yoga Workshop

Fancy a fun, challenging and inspiring morning with lots of Yoga?? Join me for a 3 hour Chakra Vinyasa Yoga Workshop at Tauntons College, Southampton on Saturday 17^th Sept from 9:45 to 12:45. This will be a creative morning filled with movement and music as we explore the practise of yoga through different eyes.

To energise the body and spark curiosity we will begin with a short creative yoga flow. This will be followed by an introduction to the 7 chakras / core energy centres in the body and the specific elements they relate to. After this it is time to experience, to let go and trust the body to be your teacher as we take a full 90 minute yoga practise experiencing the flow up the chakras and the journey through the contrasting elements of earth, water, fire and space. To conclude the morning we will ease into the deep relaxation of Yoga Nidra (yogic sleep) and a simple, yet effective Chakra meditation.

Places are limited so booking and payment in advance is essential. The 3 hour yoga workshop is 20 pounds, which includes an introduction to the chakras handout, a chakra meditation to take home and a cup of yoga tea. To book please contact me via email or phone.

See you on the mat.

Laura x
laura@lauragreenyoga.co.uk
07866 459208

Category: Yoga Workshops