10 Ways to Use a Blanket

This blog is about using a Blanket to support your yoga. You can buy specific yoga blankets, but any firm blanket will work.

BKS Iyengar was credited with popularising the use of yoga props through his school of yoga. Over the years many yoga props and supports have been developed to support the spectrum of yoga poses but you can’t go wrong with the basics. Simple yoga props include: belts, bricks, blocks, blankets, chairs, bolsters, cushions and using a wall.

A blanket can be a useful support for any yoga student. In this blog I share a few ideas on how to use your blanket to support you in ten common yoga poses.

Yoga and Wellbeing, Yoga Practice, Yoga TipsSarah CloverNovember 8, 2024yoga tips, yoga class

3 ways for new parents to use a muslin to stretch your shoulders

As new parents there are muslins everywhere - now you can add another use for them - to ease out those achy shoulders, that spend a lot more time rounded forward as we hold, feed, lift and carry our little ones.

My ten minute video will show you 3 simple ways to get a lovely shoulder stretch using your muslin or a belt or scarf.

Our shoulders get tight and scrunchy all the time, so this post is not just for new parents, anyone can benefit.

Postnatal Yoga, Yoga Tips, Yoga PracticeSarah CloverAugust 13, 2024Postnatal Yoga, Baby Yoga

N.O.U.R.I.S.H. yourself by creating a 'To Be' list

Lots of us have ‘To Do’ lists – but do you have a ‘To Be’ list?

I came across this idea recently and thought it was brilliant. Ensuring that you have time to just ‘be’ is so important in our busy world. It’s more important for our health and wellbeing than all the stuff we have ‘to do’.

In this blog is a little inspiration to create your own ‘To be’ list, using the acronym N.O.U.R.I.S.H.

There’s also a PDF you can download to help you.

Going Upside Down

When we think of yoga poses that take our body upside down, headstand and shoulderstand probably spring to mind first.

But there are lots of yoga poses that take our head lower than our heart that are much more accessible, and provide the same benefits.

In this blog post I show you 5 simple and accessible inversions and explain the benefits of going upside down.

10 Ways to Use a Belt

This blog is about using a Yoga Belt. You can buy specific yoga belts, but any soft, non stretchy, belt will work or even a long scarf.

A belt can be a useful support for any yoga student to help you to support a yoga pose; find your way into a yoga pose more fully; and in restorative yoga, belts can be really helpful to help hold parts of the body so that the body can rest and enjoy the benefits of the pose without the effort of holding the pose

In this blog I share a few ideas on how to use your belt to support you in ten common yoga poses.

Ten Years, Yoga and Wellbeing, Yoga Practice, Yoga TipsSarah CloverMarch 19, 2024yoga tips, yoga class, Ten Years

B.R.A.I.N.

In this blog post I explain the acronym B.R.A.I.N.

It is a really useful tool to use when making choices, and is especially well known in the world of Pregnancy, Labour and Birth, when having to make choices can come quickly and without much warning. I’ve included a free B.R.A.I.N. card to print out to use at antenatal appointments, through labour, birth and postnatally.

B.R.A.I.N. can also be used by anyone for day to day, and more complex decisions. I invite you to have a read and see if this tool could be helpful for you.

10 Books for your Christmas List

I’m a big fan of books. Any kind of book- fiction, non-fiction, hard back, paper back, kindle. I thought I’d share 10 books with you that I’ve loved over the past 12 months or so. There’s a variety, but they are all focused on yoga and mindfulness, and cover the breadth of my classes from pregnancy to meditation to menopause.

Whether you add them to your Christmas list, or are looking for a gift for a friend, you can find all of them (and lots more recommendations) on my https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Breathingspaceyoga pages – if you buy from there you support local bookshops and also a little tiny commission comes to me. Otherwise they are available from most of your usual booksellers.

Let me know if you read any of them…

10 Ways to Use a Chair for Yoga

In this blog post I continue to celebrate 10 years of teaching with the first in a series of ‘Ten Ways to use...’

This blog is about using a chair. You can buy specific yoga chairs, but any sturdy dining room style chair without arms will work just as well.

In this blog I share a few ideas on how to use your chair to support you in ten common yoga poses.

Ten Years, Yoga and Wellbeing, Yoga Practice, Yoga TipsSarah CloverSeptember 11, 2023yoga tips, yoga class, Ten Years

10 Ten Minute Practices

In this blog post I continue to celebrate 10 years of teaching with 10 ten minute practices suitable for all (except pregnancy).

You can watch the 10 minute videos direct from the blog - great for beginners to get a feel for yoga movement and practice. Good for experienced yoga students to get ten minutes of breathing space in your day.

Do one or more of the practices to suit what your body needs. Enjoy!

Ten Years, Yoga TipsSarah CloverAugust 9, 2023yoga tips, yoga class, Ten Years, yoga practice, yoga for menopause

Ten active birth positions to help you and your baby through labour and birth

In this blog post I share ten active birth positions, which are just some of infinite variations you may discover as you labour and birth your baby in your own unique way. You can use them at home or in hospital, and even when you are being monitored.

They are a far cry from the usual way we imagine birth – lying on our backs with our legs wide. TV, film and the now more medicalised labour and birth system we have, often promote lying on our backs as the way to give birth. They have somehow forgotten about the natural process of birthing, using gravity and tapping into instinct which can be shorter and offer less discomfort.

Whatever position you and your body want to be in is ok, your professional support whether at home or hospital can work with you and around you in the way that you want to. Everything is your choice – it’s your body, your baby and your decision – including the positions you take to labour and birth in the best way for you and your baby.

Try these positions out during pregnancy – it will help prepare you for your labour and birth and then have them in your toolkit when the time comes to meet your baby.

Yoga Tips, Yoga for PregnancySarah CloverJune 6, 2023Pregnancy Yoga, top tips

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