Predicting the weather..? August/September 2016 Yoga News
A good friend recently told me about a website called ‘RainToday’, a rain radar of the UK that allows fairly accurate prediction of oncoming drizzle (or downpours!) I seem to be referring to it rather a lot at the moment, the swirling patterns of bright orange rain an excellent tool for timing trips outdoors.
A myriad of variables mean that forecasting the weather is a tricky business, but predicting our own internal ‘weather’, or how we will feel each day, is often harder still.
Sometimes we are happy and full of beans, other times sad and sluggish, and most of the time somewhere in the middle.
Working out why we feel the way we do can be far from straightforward, but yoga is here to help!
As regular students will know, all classes start with ‘checking in’ and noticing what kind of state our physical body is in and if our brain is busy with thoughts or feeling a little slow. This means that as the class progresses we can approach the breathing techniques and postures in a way that suit us best.
Sometimes this means taking a few extra resting poses, such as Balasana or child’s pose, whilst at other times it’s a question of choosing more advanced options to provide more of a challenge.
As a result, we walk out of class feeling more physically and mentally balanced.
Classes over the summer have followed a variety of themes. We have focused on twists to release tension, downward dog to help balance and ground, and, when the weather was really hot, we had a special cooling practice including restorative inverted poses and the cooling Sitali breath.
The rain radar is likely to look very different again by the pre-winter yoga afternoon on Saturday 19th November in Primrose Hill. Everyone is welcome. We will practice some flowing sequences to help us ground, centre and mentally prepare for the hectic Christmas season before enjoying tea, cakes and conversation. The afternoon will run from 4-6pm and cost £22 if booked before 1 October*. Please let me know if you would like a space.
Meanwhile, enjoy the remainder of the summer and hope to see you soon!
Caroline