Cautious or Can't Wait?

It's almost time for yoga classes to return to in-person. We await the next level of restrictions lifting on 17th May, and government confirmation that we can get back to practicing in a room together in England.

But how are you feeling about this? The reality is that we're not all ready to plunge back into closer proximity to others, and that's ok.

I spent a lot of time last autumn, working out a comprehensive covid policy and procedure for in-person classes. When we were not in lockdown, we came together safely and I felt confident hosting and teaching classes because this was in place and we all adhered to it. We could still chat, make social connections and enjoy being together. Mums and babies, and pregnant ladies could make those important networks and share experiences. Students commented that they felt safe and it was joyful to practice together.

In this blog post I talk about how I am feeling as we go back to class and how my covid policy and procedures can help you feel reassured. Whatever the individual journey we have had to navigate and wherever we are on the scale of cautious to can't wait I welcome you to class whenever you feel ready.

Taking up Yoga in Lockdown

If you are looking for an activity to support your physical and mental well-being during lockdown, yoga might be just the thing. More and more teachers are taking their classes online for their students, and there's a wealth of free online offerings to access as well.

There is a lot more to yoga than physical movement and the positive benefits that brings. Yoga is for everyone, no matter your age, gender, size, shape, flexibility etc. There are no requirements to practice yoga, there is always a style to suit you.

Read on to find out more about the benefits of yoga and how to find the best class for you.

Yoga and Wellbeing, Yoga PracticeSarah CloverFebruary 14, 2021yoga practice

The Wall

The past week has been tough for me. I hit a wall. Low energy, emotions running high, a definite sense of falling down a hole.

Usually my yoga practice, time and hugs with my family, taking the dogs out, teaching always lifts me up.

But this week I was depleted, how did I dig myself out?

Yoga and Wellbeing, Yoga PracticeSarah CloverOctober 16, 2020yoga practice

Change

We can all agree that the last few months have been the type of change to mostly instigate a sense of fear, anxiety, overwhelm and deep challenge. But we have navigated the changes. In one way or another we find ourselves here, now, emerging into... more change.

Perhaps this time change may be at a pace more of our own choosing. There is still plenty of unknown ahead of course, changes we may not be able to anticipate, changes that happen quickly. But at least we now have the benefit of some knowledge and we know that we have come this far and somehow we can navigate the hurdles.

So now we begin to make choices about how we deal with the next changes, what will the next few months look like for us? How will we navigate the next round of change as we emerge from lockdown?

Yoga and Wellbeing, Yoga PracticeSarah CloverAugust 5, 2020yoga quotes, yoga practice

Yoga Class Online

Teaching on-line has been a great journey over the last few months. It has its challenges and benefits - both for me teaching and for students.

I am loving seeing everyone in their own space, and meeting pets and family. Dads have been joining my baby classes because they are not working or working from home - such a joy!

So while we ease out of lockdown I am delighted to be able to keep online teaching going until we can be face to face again.

Yoga Practice, Yoga and WellbeingSarah CloverJune 24, 2020yoga practice

Love and Listening

Over the last week, I have been overwhelmed by the death of George Floyd and the response worldwide to not only his death but so many others. Responses I see daily on email and social media from yoga teachers, friends, strangers.

I hope that this is a time of great change, of love, listening and unity. That this time around we move forward.

I have been reflecting deeply and am very aware that where I thought I was I am not. In this post I share my feelings and intentions to make change as #blacklivesmatter

Yoga philosophy, Yoga PracticeSarah CloverJune 8, 2020yoga philosophy, yoga practice

Pause

In yoga and meditation, we learn various techniques and tools to help calm the body and the mind, to re-balance, to find ease and to find 'a pause'.

These last few weeks have in many ways been 'a pause' for all of us. Whether our daily lives and activities have changed a little, a lot, or perhaps not at all. We have all been given an opportunity to stop and reflect. This in itself is a practice of yoga.

Waiting

"Waiting is a state of mind. Basically, it means that you want the future; you don't want the present. You don't want what you've got, and you want what you haven't got. With every kind of waiting, you unconsciously create inner conflict between your here and now, where you don't want to be, and the projected future, where you want to be. This greatly reduces the quality of your life by making you lose the present.” Ekhart Tolle

We all find ourselves waiting. Waiting for this phase in human history to be over, for the solution, for the answer. When we project ourselves forward into a future we cannot know, we are missing what is happening NOW.

So how do we get to the now?

How Yoga and Meditation help us in times of worry

We all carry worry around with us. It’s a part of being human. We worry about things we can change and things we can’t change. Some of us worry more than others. It is ok that we worry. We all do it.

The tools and practices of yoga and meditation help us to calm the swirling thoughts of our mind by helping us to bring our awareness inwards, by helping us connect to the peace of the present moment. From this space we are able to take a moment to step back, view the world with more perspective, even change our perspective and then deal with the challenges in a calmer more responsive way.

Whether you practice yoga or meditation or not here are some simple ways to help you calm your mind and your worries and give yourself some space through being more present:

Anjali Mudra and the meaning of Namaste

Every week we bring our hands together at our hearts and say “Namaste” to end the class. It is a gesture to close the class and to enable our class community to thank each other for our practice together. Like all aspects of our yoga practice there is much to study, learn and enjoy in these simple practices as part of our yoga journey. There are deeper meanings to these gestures which I share with you here.

Yoga philosophy, Yoga PracticeSarah CloverFebruary 13, 2020yoga quotes, yoga philosophy, yoga practice

Occasional Thoughts Blog

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