Exhaling to reduce stress

Our breath is a pretty powerful tool to support our mental and physical wellbeing. It’s fundamental to our yoga practice, and it’s often said that without the breath there is no yoga; the asanas become just shapes. However, when thinking about the breath it’s the exhale that plays a major role in how we feel and it can be really helpful for us to focus on it!

When we inhale the intercostal muscles contract to expand the ribcage, the diaphragm contracts to move down, and the lung cavity increases. Air moves in due to the change in pressure. This is an ‘active’ part of the breath and it’s linked to the sympathetic nervous system and our stress response.

In contrast, when we exhale the intercostal muscles relax and the ribcage moves back in, the diaphragm relaxes and recoils, the lung cavity decreases and air is pushed out. This part of the breath is usually ‘passive’, the body is relaxing and it is linked to the parasympathetic nervous system. So, when we focus on this exhale we are tuning into the rest and digest response.

When we’re under stress our breathing rate increases and there is an emphasis on short sharp inhales. However when we’re calm our breathing rate decreases and we usually breathe more fully and deeply, with longer exhales. When we do breathing practices that focus on the exhale and lengthening it, we can essentially ‘trick’ our nervous system into thinking we’re calm. Our sympathetic nervous system begins to dial down and we start to relax. Research also shows that breathing out for a bit longer than we breathe in helps to tone the vagus nerve, which supports how we manage stress.

During times of stress, or even during exercise, shallow breathing can lead to more residual carbon dioxide in the lungs. A build up of this can make us feel agitated, and it’s why we often sigh; to release all the residual waste gasses and make space for more oxygen to enter the lungs. The oxygen is then transported to the cells in our body and brain, helping us to function better, feel calmer and think more clearly.

Focusing on the exhale is a great way to use the breath to support your body and mind. A simple way to start is to just notice the breath, and begin to see if you can breathe out for a bit longer. Begin to breathe, noticing the length of each inhale and exhale. You can count in your head if this feels ok for you, but some people find that counting actually stresses them out!

Once you’ve noticed your breath you can work towards using a 2:1 ratio, so you're breathing out for twice as long as you're breathing in, if this feels comfortable for you. A few other ways to extend your exhale include blowing through pursed lips or sighing the breath out. You could even have a go at interrupted inhale, where you breathe in a little then pause, then breathe in a bit more, and then breathe out fully (2 sips of breath in, 1 full breath out). This is a technique I use when running to prevent my heart rate spiking, although I’m not sure how well I’ve mastered it!

We cover all of this and more on my new Restorative Yoga Teacher Training, which focuses on using yoga and the breath, mindfulness and meditation to support the nervous system and help people to rest and restore. The course can be taken:

• Self paced, start any time OR

• This September with two weekend training days live on Zoom

You can find out more about this course by following the link below, or get in touch!

Embracing change and growing older

One of my favourite Hindu goddesses is Akilhandeshwari, the goddess of ‘never not broken’ (or in other words, always broken). I’m sure I’ve written about her before; she rides a crocodile, harnessing the fears and challenges of life and using them to propel her forward. She’s a reminder that life is constantly in flux, and that it’s in the moments when things fall apart that we have an opportunity to grow, encouraging us to embrace those moments.

I turn 40 in a few days and I feel like the page has most definitely turned on one chapter of my life over the last year (#divorce!) This new decade is about something quite different to the last one, although I’m not completely sure what that is yet. But again I come back to Akilhandeswari; the flux of life, of breaking and rebuilding, harnessing our fear and riding it. And I come back to the idea of growth as we move from where we’ve come from to where we’re going. It might be a new chapter, but it’s the same book!

Whether it’s a change of circumstances, location, job, there are so many things that shift as we move through life; nothing ever stays the same. We can chose to live in the past, trying to hold on to the old chapters (which I’ve definitely been guilty of at times!) or we can turn the page and start to write the new one. When things feel like they’re falling apart, we can resist it or we can ride it. Either way, I’m not sure we can stop things changing.

Yoga gives us a lot to draw from during these times. From observing some incredible teachers who are quite a bit older than me, I know that yoga helps us to move through life with more physical ease and strength, which no doubt serves us in later years. It gives us mental flexibility which hopefully helps us to navigate changes more calmly. But there is also a lot to learn from the deities, rituals and the lessons they have to offer. Sometimes simple stories like that of Akhilandeshwari remind me that what I’m experiencing is normal, in fact so normal it was written about hundreds and hundreds of years ago and still relevant today! Whether you’re facing a new chapter yourself or reflecting back on how you’ve managed the turning of pages in your own life, perhaps there’s something you can also gain from this.

I’m also reminded of these two poems by Rupi Kaur, which sum up how I feel about another decade…!

Why is it so beneficial for teenagers to practice yoga... and how can you help?

Why is it so beneficial for teenagers to practice yoga and how can you help?

We know yoga helps us, right? That's why we practice it! Some of us may have been lucky enough to get into yoga at a young age, but for me (and most of my students) I found yoga in my 20's, after quite a stressful time as a teenager.

During adolescence I felt a lot of feelings, but I didn't really understand them very well. I remember commenting that my chest felt tight and it was hard to breathe, but I had no idea that this was stress or anxiety. I also struggled a lot with confidence in my body, and it wasn't really until I found yoga that this changed and I began to accept it, and myself. My story isn't unique, it's the same for so many of my students.

For young people, yoga can offer a chance to reconnect with their bodies at a time when they are rapidly changing. 

As they re-connect, they are able to hear their bodies more clearly. This is so important because often our bodies send us signals about how we are feeling that are easily missed if we aren't able to hear them!

Being able to notice and take control of our breathing is also hugely powerful. When teenagers are coping with stress on some level the breath can be an amazing tool. It's something that can be used anywhere, any time, whether sitting at a desk in school or on a bus. Much like simple mindfulness practices, breathing techniques can really help to give young people a bit of control in situations that may be leaving them feeling very out of control.

Yoga teaches us more than simply to move our bodies and breathe, though. The life lessons can be literally life changing! The ethical guidelines of the yamas and niyamas provide a framework for us to follow. For me personally, I carried the concept of Ahimsa (non-harming), which is the first yama, through so much of my life when I first started to practice yoga, and it helped me to be kinder to myself. This was a huge shift for me and it's something I've noticed when I teach teenagers.

So how can you help? 

A friend recently suggested to me that I place a mat next to mine when I practice yoga, leaving an invitation for my daughter to join me if she wants to. I thought this was such a nice way to leave it in her hands... But my daughter's 4, not 14 (although sometimes I do wonder!) If you have teenagers you can talk to them about yoga, explain what it is, why you practice and what you get from it. You can then invite them to join you, or find a class or tutorial online for them to try.

Some teenagers will be happy to join in or be led by you as their parent, but some will prefer to learn from someone else. This is natural and part of the process of being a teenager! Doing yoga together can be a great way to bond, but if it's not working for you both then there are lots of ways you can support your child to practice yoga themselves.

Learning to teach yoga and mindfulness to teenagers is a great option for those of you who want to share the practice with your children, with your student's children, or with children you currently work with.

I will be running another Youth Yoga and Mindfulness online training this Summer. I also have a self paced course that you can start any time, and work through as it suits you.

Both courses cover everything you will need in order to share yoga with young people. Topics include:

• physical and emotional development during adolescence

• neuroscience and the developing teenage brain

• asana for young people

• pranayama and it's benefits

• simple mindfulness practices

• how to introduce yoga philosophy into class

• planning and sequencing classes for specific groups and needs

• managing behaviour

• setting up and running a business

If you'd like to find out more about training to teach yoga to teens, or you simply want a little advice and guidance about how to share yoga, please get in touch! The summer is a great time for kids to switch off from school, but as September rolls around I know these practices will be more and more beneficial for them.

The benefits of studying online

Before the pandemic most of us had never heard of Zoom, but we now seem to have been catapulted into a totally new way of working, learning and living. For some people it still feels alien, and that’s ok, but for many of us the freedom of being able to do so much more online has opened up lots of possibilities we’d never thought of before.

Online learning is one of those possibilities; whilst they have been around for a long time, there have never been so many distance learning courses as there are today. This is largely as a result of us all having to move online in 2020. Zoom (and similar programmes) have enabled us to make our classrooms virtual and therefore take them out to a wider audience, across the globe. So, whilst we may have felt cut off and isolated during the pandemic, paradoxically we have also become more connected in different ways.

Yoga is all about connection, at least it is for me, and I know that nothing beats being in a room with people, feeling, hearing, seeing, touching them. We are sensory animals and we thrive on this stimulation. However, with the best will in the world, it isn’t always possible to get to a training course for so many reasons. These may be logistical, financial, emotional to name a few. The world of online learning has given us more choices and made learning far, far more accessible for so many people. This is something that’s hugely important to me; there are lots of barriers to learning to teach yoga, yet I know how incredibly powerful it is as a practice for so many people.

It’s often the people who might find it difficult to get to a yoga studio to do a teacher training who need the course the most!

If you’re wondering why learning online is such a great option, below are just a few benefits:

• being able to study from anywhere, including your home

• fitting learning around your routine

• feeling safer and more relaxed by in your own space

• being able to set your own pace of learning, watch things back and go over content

• courses are often cheaper, and take out cost of travel

Personally, I love learning online from the comfort of my own home, often at my own pace. I’m not great in a classroom as a student (ironically!) and I like to be able to study when I want, which is often in the evenings when my daughter is in bed or during the day when she’s at school. Life is busy and unpredictable, so I like to be able to set my own timetable to an extent, and I’m self motivated enough to be able to stick to it. A bit of support and accountability from a teacher is also really helpful when I need it.

During the pandemic I moved my yoga teacher training course onto Zoom. I also created a lot of online content that my students can access to help support their learning journey through self paced study. I’m really excited to be launching a fully online yoga teacher training course this Autumn, with scholarship places also available. If, like me, you find learning online suits you better, simply follow the link below to find out more.

Why train to teach yoga?

enquire about yoga teacher training

New Form

For those of us who practice yoga regularly, we feel it’s benefits; that’s why we practice. Some of us reach a point where we want to deepen our understanding of yoga, perhaps sharing it with other people so they too can experience all the positives it has to offer. This is where the Yoga Teacher Training comes in.

Training to become a yoga teacher is about more than gaining a qualification or a new career. Yoga is a way of life, and the more we practice it the more we start to realise this. For me personally, I know that what began as a purely physical practice quickly grew into a way to:

• honour my body

• cultivate self worth

• self acceptance

• balance my nervous system

• help me to feel connected to myself and the world around me… the list goes on.

Yes I learned how to do some fancy yoga poses, but I discovered, and continue to discover, so much more.

If you’ve reached a point where you, too, are recognising all these other facets of yoga and noticing the positive impact it’s having on your life, the next step may be to join a yoga teacher training course. Plenty of people do the trainings with no intention of teaching, at least not initially. A yoga teacher training gives you time and space to delve deeper into yoga as a whole practice, lifestyle and philosophy, and this is often hugely transformational on a personal level.

One of my recent graduates commented:

‘I don’t know exactly what’s changed for me, but something has’

and many have told me what a life changing experience the course has been.

Personal growth is one of the outcomes of a sustained yoga practice, and the more we learn about it the more we grow. It is also an incredible gift to be able to share with other people, and this is why so many trainees end up teaching yoga even if they had no intention to when they signed up to the course. Yoga is empowering, it’s something you can do on your own, anywhere, without any equipment. It’s accessible to everyone; you can challenge yourself physically with asanas or focus on breathing and meditation (which arguably challenge many of us more!)

Most importantly, yoga works!

Yoga has been well documented to have a powerful effect on our nervous system and mental health as well as improving strength and flexibility. The philosophical element of yoga can help improve people’s self worth, self confidence and feelings of being connected, both to themselves and the world around them. This connection is our yoga.

To be able to share all of this with other people is a privilege but it’s also something that’s much needed. The world needs as much yoga as it can get right now, at least in my opinion! This is why I’ve created two teacher training courses this year.

The in person teacher training is:

• based in Worthing, West Sussex,

• gives you the opportunity to learn in person with other students

• one weekend a month, allowing you to fit the training into your work and family life.

The online teacher training offers:

• flexibility as you can join us from anywhere!

• runs one day a week, during school hours and term time only

• perfect for people, like myself, who are juggling the school run and a busy life!

Whichever option suits you best, there is a course out there for you, whether it’s one of mine or a different school. Taking the plunge can be daunting but I know from seeing so many trainees do it, it is an experience that will not only change your life but the lives of all the people you go on to teach.

Below are some comments from a few more of my graduates:

“A really well paced course, I never once felt under pressure to complete anything. Lovely nurturing , interesting and informative teaching style.”

— Karen Warland

“The course has definitely helped and although i can’t put it in words very easily, I feel a different person after the course than before. ”

— Katrina Perkinson

“The environment that has been created within the course has been amazing! The course is really well set out, I found everything really interesting and liked that we got to practice teaching from the first weekend.”

— Nicola Simmons