Hot news, our Great Shelford studio will open on Friday 19th October! In celebration of the new opening, we are giving away three 30 day unlimited passes for the Shelford studio. There are 16 classes a week to choose from, in every style from beginners to Jivamukti.

This competition was also featured on Star radio today. Competition closes on Sun 9th Oct at midnight.

All you need to do is answer this very simple question: Where does yoga originate from? Is it: a. Africa b. India c. Russia

Please email your answer along with your name and phone number to: info@camyoga.co.uk And you could win 30 days of free yoga!

If you find yourself always coming to the same classes and therefore not checking in with the schedule much, take a look at it this week and the weeks to come.  We have more classes cropping up all over the place in response to your need for more yoga options.  Check it out here We have added classes in time slots such as 07:30 - 08:30 before you go to work, 13:00 - 14:00 yoga for lunch, and 17:00 - 18:15 so you can be home for dinner.  But we are also adding in the evenings to alleviate some of our very popular classes!

We are hoping that our extra classes allow you to practice more and get more out of what you do.  Also check out our rotating masterclasses on Saturdays. These 2 hour classes are free to members and allow you to delve deeper.

New classes starting this week:

Tuesdays 17.00-18.00 Ashtanga Express with Howard Daly

Wednesdays 15.00-16.00 Yoga Open Level with Carole Bodalbhai This is available as a normal drop in, or free for members, and also available as a community class for £3 for unwaged people.

Thursdays 07.30-08.30 (note the later start time) Yoga Flow Open Level with Molly Altenburg

Thursdays 20.00-21.15 Iyengar Level 1 (beginners) with Michael Balshaw

Fridays 17.00-18.00 Hot Yoga Express with Jennifer Hersch.

Saturdays 12.00-14.00 from 24th Sept New Mastercasses every week....

There have also been a few time changes from this week: Weds Detox flow moves to 18.30-19.45 Weds Pilates moves to 20.00-21.15 Fri Jivamukti moves to 18.30-20.00

New classes starting in October:

Mondays 20.00-21.15 from Oct 10th Yoga Open Level with Louise Lloyd

Wednesdays 17.00-18.15 from Oct 5th Yoga Open Level with Louise Lloyd

Thursdays 13.00-14.00 from Oct 4th Yoga Flow Open Level with Nikki Davies

Wednesday September 7 is our first kid's acro yoga class for ages 8 - 15.  This weekly class will be taught by Howard from 4:30 to 5:30.  Learn balances, tricks, and fun yoga postures.  This fun form of yoga is perfect for children, as they gain confidence, balance, fitness, and trust.  Children will engage in spotting and support as well as learning playfully challenging postures.

Kids of all levels and abilities welcome.  If you feel like your missing all the fun, come along to our adult acrobatic/partnering yoga class on Saturdays with Howard from 16:00 to 17:30.  Feel like a kid again. Sure to make you smile.

Bring a partner or fly solo.  This class will blend yoga, acrobatics, and some therapeutic thai massage. Partnering in yoga can build trust, playfulness, and fun.  Find support in inversions, backbends, and stretches.  Also learn to spot, assist, and fly someone yourself.  Through alignment and technique flying can be comfortable and therapeutic for both parties.  Our resident man of steel, Howard, will be teaching you the ropes every Saturday at 16:00 starting July 30.

If you are curious, come check it out!  Many people will be new to this fun and exciting practice. Be prepared to play...

Every month we will have a "get to know section" of the blog where we find out a little bit more about a student or teacher.  It's a way to learn more about the people you see in the studio and on the mat next to you.  This month we get to know Marion Poerio, a new student to Camyoga, who has found her way to us after discovering yoga at LaFitness.



Name: Marion Age: 24 Occupation: Teacher

What brought you to yoga?

I ‘found’ yoga about five months ago after going through a pretty bad time in my life. Like most people, I found myself living in the fast lane without pausing for breath and inevitably burned myself out. Yoga was always something I had wanted to try, perhaps for the wrong reasons (“I want to do the splits”, “I want to lose weight and not have to put too much effort in”, “I want to be one of those cool people that ‘do yoga’”), so I seized the day and went to a class. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, that day was a massive turning point.

Yoga has changed my life. It has helped me to re-balance and centre myself, to become more accepting and forgiving, to reacquaint my mind and body, to be gentle and kind to myself, to smile through the pain, to make friends with my inner critic, to discover the power of the breath. And these are just some of benefits it has had on my mind. The physical benefits are also miraculous. If I continue I’ll never stop…

What do you do when you are not doing yoga?

As I’m still in the process of recovery, I’m not currently working as a Primary school teacher like I was beforehand. So on the rare occasion that I’m not immersed body, mind and soul in yoga, I am either nose deep in a good book (so many books, so little time), working on my proofreading course or trying (I repeat; trying) to write a novel. I also practice mindfulness meditation on a daily basis which ties in perfectly with yoga.

What is your favorite yoga pose and why?

This is like asking a mother which of her children is her favourite. I couldn’t possibly choose. However, I find both the mountain pose (Tadasana) and greeting pose (Namaste) incredibly powerful. Standing in Tadasana creates such a stable energy that roots you to the earth, while Namaste channels grace and gratitude and encourages a sense of inner peace that is truly uplifting.

What is your least favorite yoga pose and why?

I try not to dislike any yoga pose; negative energy really doesn’t have a place in the ethos of yoga. Of course, there are those poses which are more challenging (some actually seem impossible) but these poses more than any, need to be the ones that I embrace and learn to love. It is so tempting to dislike the yoga poses you find difficult but I am trying to silence my inner critic, listen to my body, and let it ease itself into those poses when the time is right. Smiling always helps too!

What is one quality you have taken off the mat and incorporated into your daily life?

Balance. Love. Lots of love. Sorry, that’s two.

An interesting fact about me that you may not know is…

... I can make roses out of paper napkins. Not quite on a par with turning water into wine but at least it looks pretty.

Beverley has been working as a yoga teacher and somatic movement therapist for years in the Cambridge area.  Her deep understanding of anatomy and the human body creates a very healing and informative environment in her Hatha and restorative classes.

Restorative poses are all about letting go of the need to be doing something so the body can feel renewed with energy rather than drained.  In today's world our nervous systems are always on "go" mode with our compulsive need to be accomplishing or acquiring.  What happens when the muscles don'y have to work, the mind lets go, and even the cells of the body are allowed to release? Take a look at the video below to see what supta baddha konasana can be like. Then, experience for yourself in a restorative class.

Beverley is one of our teachers' teachers. She is a part of the Camyoga teacher training program. Come learn from the best.  Try restorative, Hatha, and meditation with Beverley.

http://youtu.be/QCVOy7dopBk

Like most people, I usually stick with what I like. Life gives us a sea of options and we are quite good at eliminating most of them. I step into a yoga class and take my mat to the same corner of the room (sound familiar?) I eat the caramel filled chocolates out of the box first. What I don't naturally do is step outside of my box. I find comfortable habits.

As we embrace spring, let's give ourselves permission to try new things and let go of the resistance that holds us back in life. Variety is the spice of life. Life is like a box of chocolates. You get the idea.

Try something new this week. Add some spice to your yoga practice and step into a new class. Maybe even put your mat down in an unfamiliar spot. When you are seated cross legged, cross the other way. Whoah...

Unleash yourself, perhaps not on a box of chocolates, but in other tantalizing ways.

Spring is here and the sun is shining. Days like today make me feel like having a sweatier practice. I don't feel the need to be buried under layers of clothing and my skin is ready to breathe again! Back when I began my practice, I did Bikram (hot) yoga in Los Angeles. There wasn't much difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures actually. But even in my regular flow classes, the air was warm and sweating was natural. I used a Yogitoes skidless towel over my mat.

Sweating detoxifies the body and gives you that body glow. It can also make your hands and feet slippery. Down dog can feel even harder than normal as your hands and feet slide away from each other. Call it the ultimate bandha workout. The yogitoes towel is made to fit on your yoga mat (perfect length) and then stick to your mat with these useful little silicone nubs. Slippage no more.

In Flow classes and Ashtanga classes we generate heat within the body during the sun salutations. Sweating ensues. But you don't need to be sweating to get use out of this towel. It also acts as a hygienic layer between you and whatever yoga mat you happen to be using. This means you don't have to put your cheek where your hands and feet (or someone else's) have gone 500 times before. After class you just roll it up with your mat. Get home and throw it in the wash if you got it sweaty. Ahhh, sweaty practice, clean and fresh feeling. It can also act as a travel mat. It packs lighter and can be put on just about any surface.

Want to see one in action? Check out the video below. Krista Cahill, who you will see gracing the cover of Om Yoga & Lifestyle Magazine this month, flows on her Yogitoes towel. We sell them at Camyoga in a variety of colors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFBIsCyI0PA

Louise Lloyd wanted to share some thoughts on keeping your yoga practice as part of a balanced life, in tune with your daily energy. Here are her thoughts... So we don't always have the energy or motivation for a full on dynamic class but that doesn't mean that we should lose the benefits of a daily practice. The centre has gentle yoga, level 1, restorative yoga, and meditation classes that are all worth a visit whatever your practice level. A practice that works with our varying energy levels is much more sustainable and it is often useful to slow down and check in with your alignment or deepen your awareness of breath. After all, yoga is the ability to direct the mind to a given object and sustain it there, whether it is a challenging pose or not. Often teaching the mind to focus in a simple practice can be far more challenging for both mind and ego! So on the days that you don't have the energy for a dynamic practice instead of flopping on the sofa with some carbs get down to the centre for a more gentle class and some nurturing soup and feel the benefit on all levels. Thank you, Louise, for sharing this post!

The word yoga stirs up many images: the meditating guru, the tree-hugging hippie, and various other bendy types. Not often included in this list are: software engineer, university fellow, and domain architect. However, those are just the kinds of people adding regular yoga practice to their daily routine, at Camyoga, Cambridge's premier dedicated yoga centre. The mental and physical benefits of regular yoga practice are increasingly well documented. Doctors from the American College of Sports Medicine conducted research on yoga students, and found that 'yoga can dramatically heighten concentration, improve motivation, and alleviate stress and anxiety in as little as eight weeks' (ACSM 2007). Those who practice yoga regularly at Camyoga agree that by energising their minds and having a tool for stress relief, they are getting more out of their day. For these time-constrained working professionals, daily yoga gives them the mental edge.

Morning yoga gives you lasting physical and mental energy. Gunveer Mahandru, Domain architect for Cambridge Assessment, says this of his morning yoga practice, it is "An injection of super energy yet incredible calm, all at the same time, it equips me for whatever the day brings, good or bad." Of his morning yoga practice, Magnus Therning, software engineer at Citrix Systems says, "It means my mind gets time to wake up, without being immediately thrust from sleeping into the stress of work, while my body gets a full workout that not only increases the blood flow but also opens the joints. The end result seems to be that my mind is more still and more awake, while my body is comfortable in itself and relaxed."

Daily yoga increases confidence and relieves stress. Elizabeth Shermer, fellow at the University of Cambridge says, "I make it a point to have a daily practice because it ensures that I have a moment of solace in my very hectic days. I can think of no greater gift to myself because it allows me to step back, breathe, and let go. Practice always leaves me refreshed, empowered, and ready to get back to work."

The influence of yoga in Mahandru's life should not be understated. He uses it as a tool both professionally and personally. When asked why he makes time for yoga in his busy day, Mahandru says, "My way of handling it, all of it, the not getting fat, handling emotional challenges, using my brain to achieve professional excellence, finding happiness, all of it, I use yoga."

Why take the time to add yoga into your daily routine? Simply put, for those who practice, yoga gives them back even more time and productivity in their day. They are alert, calm, and ready to embrace the many challenges and gifts of life. Camyoga offers daily classes starting at 6:30.

This past weekend students turned their worlds‚ upside down...literally.  Beverley Nolan gave a master class on this master pose, headstand (salamba sirsasana). While the health benefits are vast, the pose can be daunting. Don't worry you are not the only one! Beverley broke down the alignment points and techniques needed for going upside down safely and with confidence.

Looking at the body's alignment before coming up in the pose is important to having a safe headstand. Beverley had students lying on the floor looking at the alignment of the body and the natural imbalances unique to each person. Students helped each other make small but crucial adjustments to their body's alignment. After some preparatory work, students were ready to engage their cores and come up into headstand with legs together.

Some Benefits of headstand are:

• Calms the nervous system (relieves stress)
• Regulates the pituitary and pineal glands (balances hormones)
• Stimulates the brain with fresh oxygenated blood
• Improves digestion
• Builds strength in the arms, legs, and core

Headstand is a pose that takes time and practice to develop. If you missed the workshop, check out one of Beverley's Friday classes and fine tune your practice.

Namaste!