baoli

Indian Summer is here and the sun is still shining. Why don’t you make the most of it and get the body feeling more calm and relaxed before the gloomy and cold days of the upcoming season sneak in. It’s great to practice at home or in the garden while the BBQ’s and picnics are still in a full swing.

So what poses does Nisha Gera, a specialised yoga teacher, Reiki practitioner and hypnotherapist, recommends to do when you are busy and haven’t got time to get to a class.

Downward Dog (Adho Murka Svanasana) is one of the best poses to help with digestion, lengthen the spine and release the neck or work the arms and legs. As she likes to say ‘a Down Dog a day keeps the doctor away’.

1. From Childs pose (Balasana) stretch the arms out in front and hands shoulder width apart with the fingers evenly spread.

2. Come onto your hands and knees having the knees directly below your hips and your hands slightly forward of your shoulders. Spread your palms and fingers and turn your toes under.

3. Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor. At first keep the knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the floor. Lift the sitting bones towards the ceiling.

4. Then with another exhalation, push your top thighs back and stretch your heels down toward the floor. Straighten your knees and draw up on the knee caps.

5. Firm the outer arms and press the bases of the index fingers actively into the floor. Firm your shoulder blades against your back then widen them and draw them toward the tail bone. Relax the head and release the muscles around the neck.

Always be aware and use props if you have carpal tunnel syndrome, or bend your knees if you have tight hamstrings.

Another fantastic pose to do on a warm day with a little time on hands is Warrior 1 (Virabhadrasana 1) as it feels great to get off your shoes and feel the grass, stone or sand under your feet.

This pose expands the chest to facilitate with deep breathing, relieves stiffness in shoulders and neck, tones the calf muscles and energises and builds up stamina.

Students with shoulder problems should keep their arms parallel and if you suffer neck problems keep looking straight ahead.

1. Stand with feet hip width apart and step the left foot back approx 1-1,5 leg lengths.

2. Keep the right foot pointing forward and then take the heel to the floor. Keep the left foot pointing forward as much as possible with both feet approx hip width apart.

3. Draw back on the right hip, evening the hips parallel to the front.

4. Bend the right knee and lunge into the right leg.

5. Draw muscles up above the left kneecap and move the outside edge of the left foot towards or onto the floor.

6. Extend up through the arms with the palms either shoulder width apart or together.

7. Gaze up past the hands only if the neck feels totally comfortable.

8. Hold and breath for 8-10 breaths and repeat on the left side.

If you would like to learn other yoga poses to benefit your wellbeing, join Nisha for her Yoga & Wellbeing Weekend in Shoreham, Kent on 7-9 October.

Tags:   exercise · health · wellbeing · wellbeing tips · yoga

Surfing in the Isle of Wight can make you stronger and fitter. It can also inspire you to make a positive impact on the world through fashion. This is exactly how the idea of Rapanui was born.

With £200 in the pocket, two university graduates, brothers Mart and Rob Drake-Knight spotted a business opportunity in the fashion industry in the middle of recession. They started an eco-fashion company that won numerous awards for its outstanding traceability. We quizzed Rob about what Rapanui is all about…

What is Rapanui’s eco-profile?
We make clothing from natural and organic fabrics in a Fair Wear Foundation audited, wind powered factory. We make it easier for people to see where clothing comes from and how it is made so they can make informed choices. It’s called traceability.

What can you find out about the product through traceability?
Think about what you’re wearing, where it came from and how it was made. How much energy went into it? What kind of chemicals? Who sewed it together? You can investigate the complete supply chain of all our products.

Do you think it’s really important to people where their clothes is coming from?
It’s not that people don’t care – they just don’t know. If they know, they will be able to make an informed decision.

What is your mission?
Fashion has a huge power; we want to turn “eco” into a mainstream trend. Through our brand we are trying to inspire people to help them make more eco-friendly lifestyle choices.

Are you determined to make a world a better place?
If we can inspire people to make wider lifestyle choices in going green, and to spark a change in the industry then I think we have done our job in making a contribution towards sustainability.

Where do you think the future of fashion lies in terms of sustainability?
It’s all about being really open with your customer and giving them the chance to make an informed decision.

What have you got coming up?
We have just launched a new women wear collection: tops, shoes, hoodies and leggings. We are using eucalyptus in it – a fully sustainable raw material.

Do you live eco-friendly live outside of work?
I cycle to work couple of times a week – it’s a 30 mile round trip! I do all the normal stuff like recycling and energy saving. Martin and I are both into sustainable fishing, hunting, we like growing our own food. We are very much into surfing too.

What does wellbeing mean to you?
It’s about the right work-life balance and enjoying every day.

For more information on Rapanui’s traceability and their latest collection, please go to: www.rapanuiclothing.com

Tags:   ethical clothing · sustainability · wellbeing

There isn’t a weekend now I would miss out on the warm invitation of the late summer sunshine and get out to enjoy the nature whether it’s a stroll along the river or a picnic in the ever changing Kew Gardens. Lately, however, I have become to enjoy getting more physical and involve my family too…

My most favourite thing at the moment must be putting the roller blades on and do a few laps inside the Richmond Park while giving my 10 months old baby girl a fun ride in her buggy. We both love it and we even entertain the passers-by who it seems have never seen anything like this before. I find it very strange though because London with its many parks and flat surface offers some of the best locations for this mum & baby fun exercise that has been so popular around Prague where I originally come from for years. Hey, London mums (and dads), it’s time to join in!

You don’t need to be a huge yoga fan to enjoy some of its basic principals whenever and wherever you feel like it. But trust me that taking your shoes off, feeling the fresh grass under your feet and grounding yourself while taking deep breaths, watching the beauty of green trees and blue sky around you and letting your thoughts pass by will do you more good than you may want to admit…standing on one foot or not!

Tags:   exercise · health · personal · wellbeing · wellbeing tips · yoga

By Lucia Cockcroft of www.yoga-abode.com and www.ya-retreats.co.uk

“Oh, I have had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I’d have more of them. In fact, I’d try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day.” Nadine Stair, 85 years old, quoted in Jon Kabat-Zinn’s seminal Full Catastrophe Living.

A cornerstone of Buddhist philosophy, the ancient practice of mindfulness meditation has been practised in the East for thousands of years.

Yet in recent years – as science has rubber-stamped the manifold benefits of meditation – this simple, challenging, transformational practice has attracted rapidly-growing interest in the West.

On a clinical level, mindfulness meditation is now taught to those coping with depression, anxiety and addiction (note the highly recommended eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course), and practised by anyone seeking greater calmness and clarity. Potentially, isn’t this everyone?

Essentially, mindfulness is the practice of becoming fully aware of the present moment, in a non-judgmental way. It is the Art of noticing, and being with, whatever is arising.

Most of us (normally without knowing it) dwell more-or-less continually in the past or future – re-living experiences we can no longer change, or projecting into an unknown future.

Without mindfulness (awareness), all this mental mulling over can lead to unhelpful habits of ruminating, and dwelling. We can, if we are not careful, unintentionally tie ourselves up in mental knots, with no apparent escape route, and no relief from our own minds.

In many cases, these destructive mental habits can lead to high levels of anxiety, stress and depression – not to mention the increasingly common roll-call of symptoms that go with these conditions (insomnia, high blood pressure, panic attacks are a few).

The practice of mindfulness brings us into the ‘here and now’, using simple meditation techniques to foster a non-judgemental, moment-by-moment awareness of the present. And so we begin to see thoughts for what they are: just thoughts.

Unless we are careful, we have an unquestioning tendency to believe our thoughts. We mistake them for reality. And so, a casual thought observation such as ‘he or she doesn’t like me any more’, becomes mistaken for the absolute truth.

And the more we dwell on this thought, the more ingrained it becomes in our minds. Before we know it, we have convinced ourselves that this thought is the truth. In yoga philosophy, these habitual ‘groves’ of thinking are called Samskaras.

The good news is that science has recently discovered the concept of ‘neuroplasticity’: the capacity of the brain and nervous system to change (only 30 years ago, it was assumed that this was not possible), according to experience and/or environment.

Through the practice of meditation, we can train the mind to find new – more helpful – ways of working, and carve out new neural pathways.

On a practical level, by practising mindfulness, we are giving ourselves the space to become in tune with our own thought patterns, or ‘conditioning’. In time, with much practice and patience, we can foster great mental clarity, focus and perspective.

At the same time, by becoming more accepting of our experiences, we can become more open-hearted and less reactive – leaving room for compassion towards ourselves, and others.

It is tempting to wonder how different the world would be if every person – including (or particularly!) politicians – practised mindfulness daily.

Try the following simple mindfulness practice: Mindful walking

Mindfulness can be practised at any time, anywhere: the point is to be present as possible as you go about everyday living. Walking meditation is a great way of practising – and often easier than sitting still. The length and route of walk is irrelevant. In fact, true mindful walking is without agenda.

– Leave your mobile phone and iPad at home.
– Begin walking with a tall posture, shoulders relaxed and walk slowly.
– With every step, be aware of the tread of your foot on the ground: toes, ball of foot, heel. Also be present to the touch of the breeze against your skin.
– Be aware of sensations – sights, sounds, smells. Let everything into your field of awareness, with reacting to anything. Simply be in the moment.
- Let go of any fixed route. Simply walk for walking’s sake, noticing whatever arises.

If you would like to learn more about this technique, try Lucia’s mindfulness retreat in rural Suffolk over the weekend of March 10-12th, 2012 where she will be co-teaching. See www.ya-retreats.co.uk for more details.

You may also wish to grab one of the following books:

- The Mindful Manifesto: How doing less and noticing more can help us thrive in a stressed-out world. By Dr Jonty Heaversedge and Ed Halliwell
- Wherever You Go, There You Are. By Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Mindfulness in Plain English. By Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Tags:   exercise · health · wellbeing · wellbeing tips

For Dr Deepa Apté, working 7 days a week without a break - teaching, healing, speaking at events, travelling, running a business, looking after the family – and staying balanced and calm at the same time - is a natural thing. It’s all thanks to Ayurveda, which is her business, philosophy and lifestyle. Ayurveda has been part of Deepa’s everyday life since childhood back home in India. Today, she is one of the UK’s top Ayurvedic practitioners. She is a leading doctor and a lecturer at Ayurveda Pura Spa & Academy.

Can Ayurveda cure any disease?
There are many diseases that can be treated with Ayurveda. For example, while modern allopathic medicine considers stage 4 of Cancer incurable, Ayurveda teaches that any disease can be treated, and is able to offer a range of approaches. However, Ayurveda is far more about prevention of a disease in the first instance, through right diet, lifestyle, yoga and balance of the body’s various living systems.

Is Ayurveda very popular in the UK?
It is picking up. When I first started my practice 7 years ago I only had clients for yoga; now we are fully booked for ayurvedic treatments. A lot of celebrities follow Ayurveda - Michelle Obama is a big fan.

What are the most common ailments that people come to you with?
It varies from anxiety and stress to kidney failure and heart problems. We design a bespoke programme of treatments for each person based on their needs. If it’s a serious ailment people will start seeing improvements after 2-3 weeks.

What are your most popular Spa treatments?
Shirodhara, full body massage and abdominal massage. The latter is especially popular - it helps stimulate digestive fire and lose weight; it’s also highly recommended in the post-natal period.

What is the connection between yoga and Ayurveda?
They are sister sciences complementing each other. In Ayurveda there are 5 components of healthy life: food, herbs, yoga, massages and lifestyle routine. We tailor yoga according to a person’s Ayurveda body type – everything is individual.

Can you give us some daily Ayurvedic tips?
- Drink a glass of warm water or herbal tea in the morning;
- Avoid certain foods and food combinations based on your body type, e.g. don’t combine fruit and yoghurt it creates toxins in the body;
- Give yourself a 5-min foot massage with hot oil and then keep feet in warm water before going to bed – it helps to calm down the mind;
- Little bits and pieces make a big difference!

What is a key to our wellbeing?
Mind over matter. Being in a state of ease, not disease. If you feel happy in your mind you will feel happy in your body.

How do you stay fit and balanced?
I enjoy everything I do; I take certain herbs regularly. I try not to forget doing basic things, which are very important for mental health – e.g. I do hand writing regularly. I also practice yoga every couple of days.

What’s coming up in Ayurveda Pura?
We do free talks every month on practical aspects of Ayurveda. In Ayurveda Pura Academy, we are starting some new courses, e.g. Marma Therapy and Pulse Diagnosis. We are also about to launch a new full range of hand-made, organic natural skin care products and cosmetics.

For more information about Ayurveda Pura, their treatments, workshops and products please go to: www.ayurvedapura.com

Tags:   ayurveda · health · natural cosmetics · wellbeing · wellbeing tips · yoga

1 Wellness Spa: Adlon
Enjoy a great variety of exceptional facial and body treatments and beauty rituals based on the five elements of Chinese medicine in one of Adlon’s three spa suites, 13 treatment rooms, a yoga room or the unique Watsu pool to get your balance right.

2 Eco-hotel: Bleibtreu
With an intimate atmosphere, charm and a mix of art, design and homely comfort, Hotel Bleibtreu Berlin uses only natural materials and products across their individually designed ecological and allergy-friendly rooms as well as their wellness centre and deli.

3 Holistic Clinic: Surya Villa
From Ayurveda and Shiatsu to cranio-sacral therapy and Reiki, Surya Villa focuses on holistic therapies that treat a man as a whole, helping you realize your true potential by balancing your physical, emotional and spiritual level.

4 Ethical Shop: Schoener Waers
This wonderful concept store for sustainable design is a must-stop during your stay in Berlin. Not only does it offer an amazing array of eco-products, gifts and accessories, you can also enjoy their organic espresso in one of the fastest developing areas of the city.

5 Farmer’s Market: Winterfeld Market
By far one of the best farmer’s markets in Berlin where you can eat your way around market stalls offering incredible local produce from fresh vegetables, fruit, bread and pastries or even get an interesting mix of clothing, jewellery and flowers.

6 Vegetarian Restaurant: Seerose
Popular with the locals, Seerose specialises in vegetarian cuisine and offers healthy and delicious food in a cozy and stylish atmosphere. Their menu is changed daily and includes fresh, raw or organic dishes, juice bar and at least two meals for vegans.

7 Organic Café: Vux
Delicious fairtrade organic coffee or hot chocolate with homemade lavender syrup or a pinch of chilli and a variety of tea specialities served with a selection of vegan fancy cakes, homemade cookies, cupcakes or waffles should be a good enough reason to visit this lovely organic cafe…

8 Yoga & Pilates: Spirit Yoga
Since 2004, Spirit Yoga has evolved into a spiritual sanctuary combining a great variety of yoga styles and breathing techniques, Pilates, teacher’s training courses as well as an extensive range of services and facilities to benefit body, mind and soul in their adjoining spa.

9 Health Club: Meridian Spa
You have to travel out of the city centre to indulge in Meridian Spa’s fitness and spa facilities but you will be spoilt for choice with their wide range of exercise studios and fitness classes complemented with a relaxing spa zone and state of the art swimming pool.

With many thanks to Connie Werner, our Berlin’s guest wellbeing editor, for her personal recommendations!

Tags:   city guide · wellbeing tips

Last month, I had a unique opportunity to participate in Summer Solstice Workshop led by the world renowned yoga teacher and my own personal yoga guru Shiva Rea. Organised by Body in Balance at the beautiful setting of London’s Regent’s Park ZOO, over 150 fellow yoga practitioners got together for the earthly transition at this sacred time of year when we praise the great power of the sun.

I was ready and set on my yoga mat flowing into the four hour afternoon session with a heart opening chanting and through a vigorous set of countless Sun Salutations even my body let go and started opening not only my joints but also my chakras (energy centres within our body) so the solar energy could freely flow through.

While I was gasping for air in the first few rounds, I began feeling fantastic once I established a rhythm of my breath and body movement and got to appreciate all the warriors, downward-dogs and arm balances that followed soon after as part of Shiva’s Mandala Vinyasa Salutation I first came across on her Fluid Power DVD and discovered how creative you can be with your sun salutes and incorporated asanas.

The final meditation and relaxation was to complete this amazing yogic event but what really inspired me personally was when Shiva compared the yoga practice to an organic garden or a growing tree at the end of the program and suggested you allow yourself to grow whatever direction your true self needs to be at the present time and space even if it means you skip your practice here and there because we should all ‘live’ yoga from the first moment we wake up in the morning and enjoy our yoga journey without being too serious.

Tags:   events · exercise · health · personal · wellbeing · wellbeing tips · yoga

Katy Appleton literally danced her way into the world of yoga. Having spent 8 years dancing professionally with some of the major ballet companies, Katy was looking for the next challenge and made what seemed like a very natural step to become a yoga teacher. She felt as if she was sitting on a great secret that she wanted to share with everyone though, and she did. Today, her company appleyoga offers a variety of yoga classes, courses, teacher trainings, workshops, retreats and things like yoga birth rehearsals!

When and how did you first discover yoga for yourself?
My beautiful mum practiced yoga when she was pregnant with me and so when I discovered yoga in my early 20’s it was like finally coming home. I was with English National Ballet at the time, and yoga offered me a way of dealing with the physical and mental stresses of being a professional dancer.

What do dance and yoga have in common? Do you miss dancing?
Both dance and yoga offer me the opportunity to reconnect with the energies of the heart.  Of course, I still love to dance – mostly in my living room with my husband these days!

What is appleyoga approach all about?
appleyoga’s style includes dynamic flowing vinyasa, working to balance strength & flexibility throughout the whole body. Rather than being a specific system of yoga, we offer inspiring, accessible, fun, and transformative classes, taking advantage of new insight and knowledge as it becomes available.

Who is the foundation course for and what will people get out of it?
apple Foundations are a great introduction if you’re considering any of the appleyoga teacher training courses or simply that you want to dive deeper into yoga.

You regularly run several retreats throughout the year. What can we expect from your retreat in Turkey this July?
The summer retreat in the beautiful Huzur Vadisi centre in Turkey will offer a mix of vinyasa flow and hatha yoga, yoga nidra, nada yoga, liberating creative dance, pilates, relaxing massage, pranayama, meditation, and mantra. We will also have daily kirtan sessions - I’m delighted to be joined by Nikki Slade on this retreat who is an awesome musician and really gets the yoga groove on!

Is doing a teacher training course enough to become a great yoga teacher and have a successful career out of it?
An intelligently structured teacher training course that delivers the most up to date information, in a style of yoga that inspires you, is the best start, and then the yogic world is your oyster! Of course there’s a lot that has to happen “off the mat” too; you’ll find yourself not only class planning and teaching, but being an administrator, an accountant, a salesperson, a graphic designer and maybe even a printer!

What is your personal wellbeing recipe?
My personal recipe to wellbeing includes: eat well, get enough sleep and rest, step onto my yoga mat every day, and take time to hang out with my husband and friends.

If you are keen to find out more about Katy’s yoga classes and retreats, please visit www.appleyoga.com

You can also enjoy appleyoga practice through Body In Balance TV Channel at www.bodyinbalance.tv

Tags:   exercise · health · holidays · wellbeing · yoga

Holistic therapy for me is about understanding and caring for yourself on all levels; not just viewing health as a physical functional state but as a multi-dimensional concept. The somewhat overused yet seldom lived phrase ‘care for your mind, body and soul’ when put into practice, really encompasses the modern day trinity of health, happiness and well being.

We’ve all been there: that Monday morning feeling when wake up feeling more tired than when you went to bed. Your lack of energy starts your thought processes down a reluctant pathway: thoughts of getting out of the warm bed to start a day you’re not looking forward to. These thoughts effect your emotions, as you experience negative reactions to the mental pictures you build up in your mind of a day you don’t want to start. The body hears these signals and reacts accordingly, making you feel more tired, achy and depressed. Yes, we all experience a blue Monday from time to time but if you are finding your blue Monday is turning into a blue Tuesday, Wednesday and so on, your mental, emotional and physical health may be at risk. Thankfully, there are some little changes that you could be making to your day that could make a huge difference to your life; reducing stress, lifting the cloud of depression, boosting your immune system and improving physical energy levels.

Ask yourself are you happy? Do you enjoy the job you have? Are you getting up in the morning to go and do something rewarding and fulfilling? Or do you merely perform a function to pay the bills? Are you experiencing positive relationships? Do you enjoy the time you spend with friends and family? Or are you finding you are constantly being let down by others which leads to tiffs and ill feeling? Are you happy with your physical appearance? Or do you find that when you look in the mirror you become a schoolyard bully, picking fault with the poor soul looking back at you?

It’s amazing to think that on average, we have more negative thoughts towards ourselves and others in a day than positive ones. Don’t believe me? Then take a mental note next time you’re driving in rush hour traffic. How many negative thoughts or comments do you make without even knowing why you’re doing it? Imagine just for a second if we all had a portrait just like Oscar Wild’s Dorian Gray, a picture which alters in appearance to show how beautiful we are, dependant on our thoughts and deeds. On average day, how would you look?

Of course there are limitless situations and circumstances that affect all of us everyday but the good news is there really is only two ways of dealing with them: positively or negatively. What’s even better than that is, you only have responsibility for one person’s actions and that’s your own! Equally, no one else is responsible for your happiness. If you truly embrace this idea and stop setting unachievable goals for yourself and others, you will experience a feeling of emotional freedom that will allow you to choose your emotional response to situations in life. Do I hold this in, take it personally, allow it to effect my whole day, allow it to eat away at me or do I merely let it go, accepting that I do not control what others do or say and they do not control my right to a positive living experience?

So what are my top ten tips to a holistic lifestyle? Well, yes I could give you a well versed list of natural remedies, herbal teas, lotions potions and superfoods. Of course, these are all important and have their part to play, in the mind, body and soul trinity but these only really maintain outwardly what you have achieved inwardly first.

Guest post by Nanette Mercer at Steps To Wellness

Tags:   wellbeing · wellbeing tips

This is a lovely simple way to cook oily fish and nice to enjoy the contrasts of flavours and textures of mackerel or salmon as well as all those good omega 3s. It can also be eaten cold the next day as a salad.

Serves 2

Bunch of green onions, chopped
Large knob of fresh ginger, chopped
3 tbsps fish sauce
4 tbsps brown sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 red chilli, chopped
500 mls water
2 fillets of either salmon or mackerel

Put onions, ginger, fish sauce, sugar, chilli, lime juice and water in a large shallow pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Add fish and poach till just cooked, remove and keep warm. Boil to reduce liquid till it becomes a dark syrup and serve on top of fish with udon noodles and some green veggie.

Tags:   diet · food · recipes