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.

A Mindful Month

January, a new start. Welcome to the new year.

If you’ve read my blogs before, you know that I am not one for new years resolutions. Why add more pressure to your life?

Instead I like to think of intentions. Intentions feel more gentle, they offer less chance for failure if we don’t ‘stick’ to them like resolutions. Intentions are a way to offer some direction, but with space for curiosity and time to explore the journey we we make our way towards them.

This year I’ve created a ‘Mindful Month’ to start the year. A little prompt for each day to find a mindful moment to re-connect to yourself, to take a pause, to do something that brings you some joy and as a result will bring you into the present moment. More happiness, less stress.

Read the blog here and access your free download to stick on your fridge…

Yoga and Wellbeing, Yoga PracticeSarah CloverJanuary 1, 2024yoga tips, mental health, top tips

Yoga Gives Back - 10 years of Fundraising

As the tenth anniversary year of Breathing Space Yoga draws to a close, this blog post is a celebration of all of the students that have joined me in class over the past 10 years, and a celebration of some fantastic charities that we have supported in that time.

Every year since 2013 I have organised annual fundraising classes. It has been really important to me to be able to give back to important causes through the yoga that I love to teach. I carefully choose the charity that we support each year.

Over the ten years my fantastic students have generously raised over £4,500. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking part and to these amazing charities who do such essential work supporting people.

Read on for a little summary of each of the charities we’ve supported, and of course if you have a few spare pennies maybe you can click ‘donate’ on one of their webpages…

Ten Years, Yoga philosophySarah CloverDecember 7, 2023Ten Years

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 Teacher Trainings

When you choose to train as a yoga teacher, there is a huge range of training that you can access. In the Western World you usually choose a 200 hour yoga course, or similar, to begin with, and then from there the world’s your oyster!

Read about some of my favourite teacher trainings over the past ten years and why my students are my biggest teachers…

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

10 Benefits of Baby Massage

Baby Massage is a simple and accessible skill to learn as a new parent. It takes no special equipment and costs nothing other than an initial course to learn how to do it. You can continue to use your massage skills as your baby grows into a toddler and childhood.

In this blog I share 10 benefits of Baby Massage for both your baby and you…

Ten Years, Yoga Practice, Postnatal YogaSarah CloverJuly 3, 2023yoga tips, yoga class, Ten Years

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

Celebrating Ten Years of Mum and Baby Classes

Ten years ago I trained to teach mum and baby yoga with the wonderful Marion O’Connor at Birthlight, it was the birth of Breathing Space Yoga.

On 7th May 2013 I taught my first Mum and Baby Yoga class with these gorgeous mums and babies at Weaverham Children’s Centre. It was the start of my yoga teaching career and what a lovely way to start!

In this blog post I revisit the last ten years of Mum and Baby Yoga and Massage classes with photos from each year – can you spot yourself and your baby?

Occasional Thoughts Blog

07977093373• sarah@breathingspace-yoga.com