Emerging

Our way of emerging from Covid restrictions is all so dependent on our individual circumstances, how Covid has affected our working and family lives and our daily activities over the past 18 months. Our health and mental well-being has been tested sometimes to extremes.

For me personally, I've taken a slow and steady approach to the lifting of restrictions in July and August. We've seen family, finally had grandparents staying over again and met a few friends. We've been to a few events, camping, to a family wedding and more recently on holiday to our family cottage in Scotland. I'll be honest the amount of people at a few events and places was a little overwhelming at first, even outside. But I'm slowly getting used to being closer to more people I don't know.

In this blog post, I talk about what I've been doing these past few weeks, how I'm preparing for classes from September and what you can expect to find if you join us this September as I ensure that our yoga community feels safe and comfortable in class as we move forwards together, enjoy reconnecting to our weekly yoga class and minimise the risk of spreading infection as best we can.

Yoga and WellbeingSarah CloverAugust 30, 2021mental health, yoga class

My Meditation Journey

Today, 22nd May , is World Meditation Day. I wanted to share with you my meditation journey, how meditation is simple and effective and maybe inspire you to try it!

15 years ago in a California yoga studio, a shift in my yoga practice happened. One day on the mat I experienced a deep resonance as I moved in a sun salutation, like I had become one with the movement and the space around me. It felt amazing and I realised that yoga was not just a physical movement experience.

As I journeyed through my practice, widened my knowledge and trained to teach yoga I came to realise that what I had experienced in that California yoga studio was a meditative state through movement.

Meditation was something I was intrigued by, had sat and done guided by teachers and using recordings. But I didn't really understand what meditation was supposed to feel like, where it was supposed to take me or if I was doing it right. Recordings were lovely and relaxing, but there must be more to it than just following them and feeling rested. I wanted to really know how to meditate.

Four years ago I joined a meditation teacher training with Mick Timpson at Beanddo, Manchester. I didn't plan to teach meditation, just deepen my understanding of it. The accessible meditation tools I learned underpin every meditation I do, and actually everything I do in daily life. Read on to find out more about my meditation journey, why I teach meditation and how meditation might help you too.

Transition

This time last year in the UK we celebrated Spring Equinox with a sense of being pulled back from blossoming and outward growth, and being pushed inward, into our home spaces and losing freedoms we had taken for granted.

This year I am celebrating a year of teaching classes online, all that it has taught me and the students who’ve joined me. I’m celebrating the teaching of the Steady Centre that yoga brings us. How coming back to centre and spending more time with our ‘self’, has been one of the things we’ve been thrown into, has most challenged us and possible has taught us the most.

We are no longer the world we thought we were, the world of ‘normal’ and we are not yet a new world emerging. We are still in transition. We are still navigating change and always will be.

Read on for my reflections on our year of change...

Yoga and Wellbeing, Yoga philosophySarah CloverMarch 18, 2021yoga philosophy, yoga practice

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

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.

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:

New Year, New Moments, New Beginnings

Everyday has possibility for change and growth. Every day is a new start, or can be. Each moment is also a new beginning. Remind yourself of this each day, not just at New Year.

For some of you new year may be a great time to make resolutions, or intentions, to make positive changes big or small. But maybe the time is not right for you, it feels too pressured, or your heart is not in it. Either way, here’s a couple of little ways to start the year with lightness and joy. They cost nothing, require no equipment and you can use them daily with no pressure, judgement or failure if you don’t do them, but lots of added well being if you do.

Yoga and Wellbeing, Yoga PracticeSarah CloverJanuary 2, 2020yoga practice

Occasional Thoughts Blog

07977093373• sarah@breathingspace-yoga.com