Welcome to Your Yoga Hub - a selection of guided practices to help you develop your own personal yoga practice.
I often get asked, “what can I do to practice between classes?” and I put together these resources to help answer that question! The best way to practice yoga is little and often to help our mind and body feel more open and calm on a regular basis. We don’t always have time (or inclination) for a hour long vinyasa class, but our own yoga practice can take many forms and vary according to our mood or energy level.
Your Yoga Hub includes:
A yoga sequence to practice every day
Mindfulness practices, including a relaxing body scan and calming breath exercise
Guided meditations of varying lengths, using breath awareness and mantra
Guided relaxations to help you prepare for sleep.
Explore the resources and see what your body and mind is calling for today! x
A YOGA SEQUENCE FOR EVERY DAY
Jivamukti ‘Magic 10’ sequence (10 min practice): This sequence of 10 poses held for 10 breaths each opens and stretches the whole body and helps to calm your breath and mind. It’s a lovely practice to start each day.
Childs pose: Let your body settle and sink to the earth. Connect to your breath. 10 breaths.
Downward facing dog: Walk out legs, then come to stillness. 10 breaths.
Walk feet forward to back of wrists. Deep forward fold: Press equal weight into hands and feet. 10 breaths.
Open feet to mat width, toes point out. Sink seat to heels. Yogi squat. 10 breaths.
Come to sit down. Bend knees, wrap arm around. Teepee twist. 5 breaths each side.
Extend one leg, hook foot over thigh. Seated spinal twist: 5 breaths each side.
Table top: Lift seat to sky. 10 breaths.
Come to standing.
Chest stretch. Extend fist behind your seat. 10 breaths.
Side stretch. Arms extended above your head in a fist. 10 breaths.
Roll down for 10 breaths. Lift chest forward to Chair pose, extend legs to stand tall.
A video of this sequence to help you learn it can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq5EWwrPyQM (Note: please omit the handstand, or practice handstand hops against a wall, unless you have a regular handstand practice).
MINDFULNESS PRACTICES
Mindful breathing (10 min video): This simple breathing practice will help to calm your mind and connect to your body and emotions. You will be guided through an exercise to deepen your breath and lengthen your exhale, a technique which can be used at any time to help calm your nervous system. The practice can be done seated or lying down.
Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaqRsWOJgJA
Relaxing body scan (10 min video): This guided mindfulness practice will ground and relax your body from head to toe. You will bring your awareness to points in your body, noticing different sensations as you mentally scan down from head to toe. This practice will help you let go of tension, calm your mind and feel more rested.
Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBeSVn5KLDo&t=47s
guided meditation
Beginner meditation practice (10 min video): Our breath is one of the most overlooked, yet most effective, ways to manage stress and anxiety. Taking some deep intentional breaths can help ground the mind and create space for clearer thinking. This guided meditation follows a simple breathing technique to count your breaths from 1 to 10. This provides a gentle point of focus and helps to make sure your attention doesn’t wander.
Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=705yKj6u248
Meditation using a mantra (10min video): This meditation practice uses the repetition of a mantra to help focus your awareness and settle the mind. A mantra is a syllable, word, or phrase that is repeated during meditation. It works as a point of focus to help quieten your busy mind and allow it to become more calm and centred. In this practice, two mantras are suggested: ‘So ham’, (meaning I am that), or ‘Let go’. You are also welcome to use another personal mantra of your choice.
Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIXJLAtIIM8
Lightness and ease meditation (25min audio): This meditation focuses on creating greater space and ease in the body. This practice incorporates breath awareness and a meditation using a stream of light visualisation. It is guided as a morning practice but can be done anytime you need some extra light in your life!
Kindness meditation (25 min audio): This meditation focuses on boosting our heart energy and kindness towards ourselves. The practice incorporates breath awareness, positive intention, a meditation focused on bringing light and energy into our heart space, and closes with gratitude. It can be practised anytime.
GUIDED RELAXATIONs
Find a warm, comfortable spot where you won’t be disturbed and come to lie down on your back. You can place cushions under the knees if you’d like more support. These are lovely practices for the evening to prepare your body for sleep.
Body scan relaxation and heart-centred meditation (25 min audio): This evening practice includes breath awareness and a mindful body scan to help you wind down before bed. The practice closes with a meditation focused on drawing light and energy into the heart space.
Yoga Nidra for deep rest (25 min audio): Yoga nidra is a practice of yogic sleep that guides you to a deeply relaxed state between waking and sleep. It’s a powerful and nourishing practice for the body and mind. This guided practice incorporates a night sky visualisation and is great for the evening to help prepare the body for sleep, but you can practice anytime you want to feel more rested.
