Two years ago I not only featured in OM Yoga magazine, I was teaching eight classes plus private 1-2-1 sessions a week and they were all in person rather than online. Times flies and how things change. I teach almost as many now classes (and far more specialist 1-2-1 sessions) now although all from home and all through a screen.
Read moreIntroducing Chair Yoga
Enjoy all the benefits of yoga from the comfort of a chair. Chair Yoga is a great way to release tension and improve flexibility whatever your age or stage of life. It’s also great when you have limited space available or reduced opportunity to get up and move around. This 30 minute, introductory class is fun and informal. You simply sit, stretch and strengthen your way to a happier, healthier you.
Read moreThe 7 Benefits of Dru Yoga
More and more people around the globe are enjoying the benefits of Dru Yoga. This therapeutic and trauma sensitive style of yoga has been shown to offer a wide variety of benefits for your body, mind and emotions.
As you would expect, Dru Yoga can help reduce physical tension in the body, bring greater flexibility, improve posture, build strength and increase agility. But it can also help to increase positive thinking and give you the tools to transform your life in a way that ripples out to benefit all of those around you.
Read moreWhat’s so funny about Laughter Yoga?
We all know laughter makes us feel good but there is also a growing body of evidence that shows that is also does us good. Laughter Yoga is so called because it combines simple and enjoyable Laughter Exercises with the deep, restorative breathing techniques of yoga. It’s not just great fun, it’s seriously good for you too. Who’s laughing now?
Read moreGetting the most from your live, online yoga class
Having taught live, online Dru Yoga for almost a fortnight I wanted to share some tips on getting the most out of your Zoom classes. Some may seem obvious and others something you hadn’t even thought about.
Read moreDru it online with TOBY YOGA
All the benefits of your weekly Dru Yoga class, live from the comfort of your own home. This class is suitable for all ages and abilities, and is the perfect way to relax, relieve tension and reduce stress. Now more than ever we need our yoga practice to help us cope, build resilience and find balance. I want to ensure that everyone is able to take part, regardless of their financial circumstances, which is why I’m running these classes on a ‘Pay What You Can’ basis.
Read moreEnergy Release Block (EBR1)
Develop your home yoga practice by enjoying a free, 10 minute class with one of my lovely Dru teachers, Nanna. In it she expertly takes you through the first of Dru’s signature Energy Block Release (EBR) sequences, EBR1. Not only will this sequence provide a full body warm-up but will also help balance mind and emotions. It’s a lovely way to get energy moving and bring you to a place of deep inner stillness.
Read morePowerful poses: From worrier to warrior
So many of us are dealing with stressful situation at home or work that it’s good to use ‘power postures’ to help us step from worriers into warriors. These dynamic triangle postures can be performed individually or combined into a flowing sequence. Physically they build strength and stamina, whilst emotionally they give an increased sense of vigour, courage and resilience.
Read moreHow to make resolutions that work
Getting in shape, finding a new job, sorting out your life: for millions of us the start of a new year is a time to make resolutions for the year ahead. Unfortunately, more than half of us reach the end of the year without achieving our goals. So, here’s how you can increase your chances of staying committed and really breathing life into your intentions.
Read moreA Guide to Developing a Home Yoga Practice
My students often tell me that whilst they would like to practice yoga outside of our lessons, they find it hard to start and harder to stay committed. In this article, I’m going to look at the benefits, challenges and solutions to starting your home yoga practice. We’ll be exploring: What is a daily yoga practice? Why do we need one? Why do we sometimes find it so hard to keep it up? How do we encourage ourselves to improve our practice?
Read moreYoga on Prescription
I’m marking International Day of Yoga, on Friday 21 June, by spearheading an initiative to see yoga offered on prescription as part of the NHS social prescribing initiative. The campaign will see me join yoga teachers across the UK offering free yoga classes at GP surgeries, hospitals and community centres in South Yorkshire and across the UK.
Read moreLess Back Pain, More Confidence
I’ve recently qualified to teach the specialist Dru Back Care Programme. The approach of this course is perfectly in-line with current medical opinion and based on extensive research. This proves that yoga - especially gently, flowing therapeutic yoga like Dru - performed with awareness is an ideal treatment.
Read moreTreat Yourself to One-to-One Dru Yoga
Do you want to take your Dru Yoga practice deeper? Would you like the chance to discover a home Dru Yoga practice that’s right for you? Why not treat yourself to a bespoke yoga class? Now that my home studio is finished I’m pleased to offer one-to-one targeted Dru Yoga consultations.
Read moreFloating Down to Earth
When times are fraught and emotions are running high, we can find our emotions like dark clouds racing across a stormy sky. This is when Privthvi Namsaskara (the salutation to the earth) comes into its own. This unique Dru Yoga sequence is the perfect way bring yourself gently back down to earth.
Read moreOne snake you don't need to be afraid of!
We’ve been working with the special Dru Yoga version of Bhujangasana, the Four Stage Cobra. This a stretching and strengthening pose for the back. Done in four stage, it allows you to warm up gracefully into the full lift or to stop at the level that feels right for your back. This is one snake, that you don’t need to be afraid of.
Read moreIt's a Dog's Life
Taking a look at one of yoga’s best known postures, Adho Mukha Svanasana - the downward facing dog. Why it can help put a spring in your step and set your tail wagging.
Read moreThe Wonderful Windmill Breath
The ancient Yogis talked about the importance of practicing extension or control of the breath, believing that life is measured not by the number of our years but by the number of our breaths. On a basic level we practice pranayama to increase both the capacity of our lungs and to help them work more efficiently. Here we look at the Dru Yoga Windmill Breath.
Read moreWhat is Core Stability?
Watch this video to find out where your core muscles are are and how to find them - and then use them!
The concept of core stability is very important in the practice of Dru Yoga. And in this article I’m going to look a little more closely at what exactly I mean when I talk about your core muscles.
Read moreThe Moon in the Man
In our non-stop, keep going, going busy, keep doing, doing, doing culture the fiery Sun Salutation is a firm favourite feature of many Yoga classes. However, we need balance. We need to be able to ‘get up and go’ but we also need to be able to ‘rest and digest’. We need the heat and dynamism of the sun salutation and we need the cool and calm of moon sequence.
Read moreRead All About It!
I’m featured in the latest, new-look St Luke’s Clifford House What’s On Magazine. On page five talking about the graceful power of Dru Yoga, alongside Martin Young who teaches Hatha Yoga at Clifford House on a Tuesday.
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