Posts tagged strength
Being Your Biggest Self

Being Your Biggest Self

100ft wave

What are you like when you are your most expansive? Courageous, creative, playful, funny, considered, patient, adventurous?  What are you like to be around when you are your smallest?.......

Here are two examples of folk being their most expansive and living their best lives:

On the 28th January 2013 Garrett McNamara was on holiday in Portugal. He looked out of his window and the weather was awful and he knew it was going to be a great day.... His two friends jet skied him out to sea so that he could surf an incredible 100 ft wave. Fishermen from the town had abandoned the sea as weather as it was too rough, for him it was a chance to be his biggest self....To see this incredible achievement click here

Arthur Boorman had been a paratrooper in the Gulf War and too many jumps had left him wearing back and knee braces. For 15 years he was told this is it and he accepted it. Then he found a yoga teacher who did not know him but believed in him and he then believed in his biggest self........Be your biggest self, whatever it takes.

Arthur

 

Thank you to Pilar and Simone for sharing this inspiring clip:  Click here to see Arthur overcome 15 years of disability

Inspiring workshops at Camyoga

MindfulnessHannah Elliscambridge yoga, flexibility, healing, health, practice, retreat, strength, yogaComment
Get to Know Camyoga Teacher and Teacher Trainer, Louise Lloyd
Louise Lloyd photo

Name: louise lloyd Age: 41 Hometown: cambridge Training Background: BWY Foundation Course with Tara Fraser. BSY teaching diploma. Camyoga teaching diploma. (Distinction Ed.) How long have you practiced yoga? 10 years

One Yoga Philosophy that means a great deal to you and why?

Mmmm hard to choose one, I would say that both satya (truth) and ahimsa (non harm) are both something that we could all spend our entire lives learning. If we all worked on just those two the world would be a far better place.

What brought you to yoga? 

Crazy as it sounds, I used to meditate regularly and around 2002 every time I sat to meditate I just kept getting 'teach yoga.' After quite a bit of resistance, and the fact i didn't even practice asana at that time, I eventually gave in and went to my first yoga class and here I am!

What does teaching on the Foundation and Diploma course mean to you?

I love teaching on these days.  Seeing students deepen their own enquiry into yoga is so inspiring whether they are doing the courses for their own interest or to go on to be amazing teachers.

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What do you do when you are not doing yoga?

I love spending time with family and friends - usually involving eating nice food and drinking nice wine. I also love being outside, occasionally running (have entered the cambridge half marathon so better be a bit more regular now!) and I have just come back from skiing which I really loved!

What is your favourite yoga pose and why?

Ardha Chandrasana - I love the feeling of being grounded, centered and open and in this pose I feel all of these and truly expanded beyond the physical body.

What is your least favourite yoga pose and why?

I can honestly say I don't have a least favourite pose - there are loads of poses I can't do myself but I get to enjoy them anyway by seeing students practice them with ease.

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

Self enquiry - the more I learn about myself the more I can make better choices to become more loving, open and generous. I try to see my own insecurities in life where I may act from a place of fear rather than love - it is a working progress of course! ;-)

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

Before yoga I rode horses for a living and hold my HGV driving licence as I used to drive a 40ft horse box to competitions - this skill definitely helps parking in the central centre's carpark!

As well as classes and teaching on the Diploma and Foundation Courses Louise also leads workshops and retreats for Camyoga

Louise's Classes

Diploma Courses

Apply Now For Diploma Course

Foundation Course

Apply Now For Foundation Course

Retreats

Workshops

Q&A, YogaHannah Elliscambridge, cambridge yoga, detox, energy, flexibility, flow, louise lloyd, retreat, strength, sun salutation, teacher training, vinyasa, yoga, Yoga ClassesComment
Yogitoes Prism

We now have in stock the Yogitoes Prism skidless towel.  It is made from 50% recycled polyester and has beautiful brilliant colors to radiate and represent the chakras. This towel aims to be about an elevated state of consciousness. So yes, it is good to sweat on and it is also good for the environment. And at the forefront of this campaign is Yogi, Brock Cahill.  Looks like it will not only work for hot yoga but just about anywhere. We still have in an assortment of other colors in the Yogitoes Skidless towel.  Check the Prism out next time you are in the cafe...

Yogapilarcarrillodetox, energy, fun, hot yoga, joy, life, strength, yogaComment
Handy Handstand Wall Tricks

Adho Mukha Vrksasana (downward facing tree) is most often known to us as handstand. There are some clues for us in this image of the tree to bring us into handstand. Imagine growing strong roots down into the ground and lengthening up through the body with a strong core. Handstand in the middle of a room can be a bit daunting.  Find your footing first at the wall. Going upside down can be an empowering experience as you build strength and confidence.  In order to move your Handstand away from the wall, practice engaging the core and taking the sway out of the low back.  With all things yoga...practice, practice, practice.

Take a look at the video below for some tips on kicking to the wall and then building strength once you are there.  Enjoy and have fun!!

http://youtu.be/GwXKKdLUcL4

Yogapilarcarrillofun, handstand, life, pose, practice, strength, video, vinyasa, yogaComment
Pilates Bootcamp

Are you ready to kick start a real body transformation? Are you looking for some extra core power in your yoga practice?

Pilates Bootcamp aims to increase strength and endurance and total body conditioning. The exercises focus on core training, body alignment and balance, using your own body weight and Pilates small equipment.

The class also includes a series of deep stretches and yoga asanas to improve posture, increase flexibilty and to aid relaxation at the end of the class.

Pilates Bootcamp with Lucy starts Wednesdays at 10:00 and Thursdays with Howard at 1:00.

Yogapilarcarrilloalignment, core, pilates, strength, yogaComment
How to avoid the dreaded Cobra Dog

Cobra (bhujangasana) and updog (urdhva mukha svanasana) are two distinct postures.  A blurring of the line between these two poses might be uncomfortable for the low back or shoulders. Also, learning to move with intention and precision will keep you present in your body. In the second of Louise Lloyd's sun salutation series, she covers the key differences between the two poses.  Cobra and updog both look and feel different.

Don't be caught in the cobra dog pose!  Check out more in this video

Stay tuned for more videos on the transitions in and out of these two poses.

http://youtu.be/yf8ZgtpyJKs

Yogapilarcarrilloflexibility, flow, spine, strength, sun salutation, video, vinyasa, yogaComment
Get more out of practice with a uStrap

Yogitoes has designed a strap that offers some stretch and an adjustable band.  It is slightly wider than the classic yoga belt and no longer has the fiddly buckle.

It has loads of different uses as it offers gentle support with its giving nature.  In bridge and wheel it keeps the legs from splaying out.

Try it around the arms for support in forearm balance or handstand.  I used it to learn the transition bakasana (crow) to handstand.  It encourages proper alignment to support the shoulder girdle, making more challenging postures possible.

http://youtu.be/bzZRaFy8lsU

It even comes in handy for restorative poses, such as supta baddha konasana.  No need to think of props as training wheels, they are useful tools that can really aid a yoga practice. Check the uStrap out in the cafe. Or feel free to try mine.

Yogapilarcarrilloalignment, handstand, pose, practice, props, strength, yogaComment