Pranayama as an essential daily support system
Pranayama An Essential Daily Support System “When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace” Unknown Prana can be translated as energy, breath, and life force. Yama is control and Ayama is expansion. So, Pranayama is a practice of controlling breath and through that increasing and purifying our energy. It is part of the […]
Yoga Nidra and awareness of opposites
Yoga Nidra and Awareness of Opposites “The world is full of paradoxes and opposites. The art is to embrace the opposites, embrace the paradoxes and live with a smile“ – Sri Ravi Shankar Part of the purpose of yoga is to create a union within the self. This aim is facilitated by the pursuit of […]
Introducing Charli Van Ness
Charli Van Ness How did you first become interested in yoga? This is a lifelong career starting from the tender age of 2 1/2 with my 1st tap & ballet lesson followed by acrobatics at 5yrs. Music, dance, flexibility ran through my veins, my daily life force. This provided a great foundation for my body-mind-spirit […]
5 Benefits of expanding your Level 1 Teacher Training
5 Benefits of expanding your Level 1 Teacher Training The yoga world has changed in many ways in the last five years. As a studio and training centre we see these differences evolve over time. Students have been introduced to a wider variety of styles of yoga and utilise classes for more than the physical […]
What is nidra and how can it help me?
What is Yoga Nidra and how can it help me? By Rina Modi teacher training Manager at the Shala Over the last few years I have heard more and more yogi’s talk about Yoga Nidra, with an increasing number of teachers offering this practice as well as the demand for teacher trainings in this area. […]
What is Yoga?
What is Yoga? Yoga is many things to many people. When we ask this question on our teacher training programmes we usually end up with many words scrawled all over a huge whiteboard. Yoga is hard to define as it is so expansive and all-encompassing. Here we have chosen 8 words we associate with yoga. […]
Pregnancy yoga – Benefits for prenatal wellness and birth
Pregnancy Yoga – Benefits for Pre-Natal Wellness & Birth “Whenever and however you give birth, your experience will impact your emotions, your mind, your body and spirit for the rest of your life” Ina May Gaskin Designer Pregnancy and birth is a multi-faceted time in a woman’s life. Whatever the journey, there are for sure […]
Is Chair Yoga just a Gimmick?
Yoga has an undeniable transformative effect on physical, mental, and emotional well-being. However, the image often associated with yoga – flexible, toned individuals bending and stretching on a mat – can be a deterrent for many who could benefit from its practice. Enter Chair Yoga, a practice that challenges preconceived notions and makes yoga accessible […]
Yoga Philosophy – Know Your Own What, How and Why
Yoga Philosophy – Know Your Own What, How and Why The practical benefits of yoga philosophy training by Daniel Simpson What exactly is yoga and what is it for? There are many different answers in ancient texts, and few of them apply to modern life without being reframed. Teachers often do that without even realising, then […]
Stress | Wellness Series
Yoga for Stress The word stress often has negative connotations to it. However, in truth, stress is a double-edged sword. Too much stress can be unhealthy, but we need some stress to create a healthy level of motivation and a push to resolve inevitable challenges and issues that are essential to our growth. Stress can […]
Burnout | Wellness Series
Yoga for Burnout What is burnout? It is a term we often refer to, particularly interchangeably with stress, but what does it actually mean? As a wellbeing coach working with adults and young people, burnout often presents in a plethora of ways with one common factor – exhaustion. Recently the World Health Organisation classified burnout […]
Anxiety | Wellness Series
Yoga for Anxiety As a wellness coach, one of the most common features I see in people with anxiety is an overwhelming incapacity to cope with day-to-day life. Daily tasks that were once manageable become insurmountable, decision-making becomes almost impossible, and overthinking takes over. Worries about the future increase in frequency and intensity, alongside physical […]
Low Cost Yoga
SUBSIDISED DROP-IN CLASSES at The Shala Subsidised | Low-Cost Drop-In Rates As an independent yoga studio, the Shala focuses on creating positive change and providing a sanctuary for our community; a place of healing and nurturing for all who come through our door. In keeping with this, we are committed to fostering inclusivity, diversity and […]
Coaching + Reiki | Discovering more of who you are
Daniela Vanasco Studio Manager | Wellbeing, Life & Leadership Coach | Reiki Master This is my inspiration – seeing the beauty and potential emerge in those I work with in whatever capacity that is; to extend an invitation of self-discovery. Originally from America, I have been involved in the entertainment and wellness industries for many […]
How yoga saved my life
I have been suffering from various mental illnesses (Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder) since my teenage years but in 2017, I reached crisis point. I found myself in the deepest, darkest pit of existence and was plagued with self-hatred. I had stopped getting out of bed, showering and eating. I couldn’t leave the house […]
Yoga in 2021 and beyond…
Yoga as a practise is on the rise – there is no doubt about that. In 2016 a Yoga Journal report found that people practising yoga in the US had gone from 20.4 million in 2012 to 36.7 million in 2016. Imagine what the numbers are now! In the UK, yoga was one of the […]
Practice while you can
This is a mantra I’ve repeated hundreds of thousands of times over the years when I was too hungover, depressed, heartbroken, anxious, sad or just couldn’t be arsed to get to the yoga studio. It’s also what I’ve told many people I’ve taught. Not just the able-bodied ones, but especially the less able, older people, […]
What is low pressure fitness?
How would you sum up what Low Pressure Fitness is? It is a new approach to true core training, which includes the pelvic floor. It is based on hypopressives which is a manoeuvre that reduces pressure in the pelvic and abdominal cavities. This lifts the pelvic organs and consequently the core muscle activity increases. In […]
Derek Ireland
Derek was larger than life. He was the sort of person who walked into a crowded room and everyone there would turn to notice and gravitate towards him. Of course he understood this. He held court like any royalty or rockstar. Unabashed and loving the attention like a child. He would have everyone joining him, […]
Yoga nidra as a journey through the brain waves
Yoga Nidra as a journey through the brain waves by Melanie Cooper . Like yoga itself, Yoga Nidra is both a process and state. It is a set of techniques to help people get into the state of consciousness between waking and sleeping. Yoga Nidra literally means “Yogic Sleep”, but it’s not really about sleeping, it’s […]
Grief, love & loss
Growing up I was always drawn to the bittersweet, the if only’s, the missed moments because in a strange way there is a sort of loveliness there. Hindsight offers us a chance to find meaning behind the ‘why it didn’t quite work out’, but most of the time we end up getting lost in regret […]
Maintain a healthy back with bodyrolling
Bring peace, space, and strength to your body and acquire a deep relationship to your self. Your back is beautiful… The spine gives us form and function. Energy flows through our spine. When the spine is healthy, upright and free our vital energy brings us to our mental and physical optimum. In fact every cell […]
Open your voice, open your heart
Mantras are a powerful tool to calm the mind, reduce incessant thinking, and create focus and empowerment in our lives. They work on the principle of sound vibrations affecting our subtle, spiritual and physical bodies in a specific way. Mantras originate not only from India but also from cultures and traditions all around the world. […]