The ‘flexible ribbon’ – and the power of visualisation
The spine model in the Harrogate Yoga studio is currently adorned with pink tape – all along and around the front surfaces of the vertebral bodies. The pink tape represents the ALL (Anterior Longitudinal Ligament) – an important mid-line structure in the body. There are fo
Slow…Slow…Quick Quick Slow..
‘This may look like a heap of bodies on the floor‘ – was how I began a post on Facebook about the first day of Yogacampus Teaching Training York. In fact we were acting out Autonomic Nervous System responses to gain some experiential understanding. The scenario for &
July 28, 2017
Yoga Blues – what to do when your practice becomes mechanical
“I feel I don’t need to do regular self-practice at the moment” a student was telling me recently. “I think I try to stay mindful and follow my breathing as much as I can. I try to be attuned to what’s going on. I do massively believe in Thich Nhat Hanh&#
May 09, 2017
The Inchworm Story – movement antics at Harrogate Yoga
The Inchworm Story – movement antics at Harrogate Yoga Is that an apple stalk on my kitchen floor I wondered? Or could it be ….ALIVE? I slid some kitchen paper under the ‘apple stalk’ and placed it on my kitchen table for a closer inspection. I gave it a little poke – this
How to give the best hugs
Did you know that there’s an art to hugging? Some people have the ‘hugging art’ naturally. Everyone can learn skills to hug better. My first tip is that aiming to give a hug is a much more successful approach than aiming to receive one. ‘Success’ will ari
‘crawling back to baby’
“Here we are – a group of middle-class, middle-aged women, CRAWLING around the room!” said a student in class recently. It’s true that we often practise crawling and other developmental movement patterns in my classes. The reason we practise the patterns is bot
How to find support from the core for a healthy spine
‘Build core strength’, ‘tone your abs’, or as my son would say ‘get a God Bod’! These exhortations are usually aimed at strengthening the superficial abdominal muscles – the ‘six pack’. A common way to achieve these objectiv
How to have beautiful, healthy feet – banish bunions and other abominations!
‘Amanda you’re obsessed with feet’, one of my students said to me the other day. It’s true I am fascinated by feet – every day I spend time feeling how weight travels into and through my own feet. I do this as I go about my daily activities – not ju
Getting the Dragon to Fly!
Finding optimal ways of taking weight into our hands, was a theme on a morning workshop here at Harrogate Yoga a few days ago. Ultimately our aim was to have integrity of alignment in poses such as Ardha Vasisthasana, Vasisthasana and ‘Belly of the Dragon.’ The morning beg
Footwork – how to align the feet
A really special part of my week since January has been online Embodied Anatomy study with Amy Matthews. “I love the feet!” she said as we began the first of three classes on the bones and ligaments of the foot. “I do too“, I wanted to shout out at my ipad, &#
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