Yoga Schmoga.

If you love the hardcore training rituals such as Bootcamp and HIIT, it's not either/or, Yoga is a great addition. If time is precious, there are some excellent shorter classes online. Below are a few of my favourite online (& free) Yoga sessions that I've tried and really enjoyed.

Yes, it's more inclusive these days and Oh My God has it been made 'trendy'. You no longer need to be an Ahimsa vegan, adopting Buddhist-like calmness and 'ohm-ing' your way to enlightenment (albeit, you can be). To some it really is a form of fitness, strength training and an opportunity to chill out or reset yourself. Getting onboard with the increasingly relevant 'Mindfullness' practices we hear so much about to combat stress, anxiety and organising our thoughts for productive energy usage. Sometimes we need to Just Breathe. Quite frankly, being flexible, strong and relaxed never put people at a disadvantage.

A nice introduction to Mindfulness for sceptics is Ruby Wax's book Frazzled. Deliciously funny and yet she actually has a Masters in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy from Oxford no less.

 

 

The kids are even on-board! Yes, they do it in school, meditation too. There are loads of the little blighters Namaste-ing left, right and centre (for about 10 mins a week).

I've been working my way through a plethora of Yoga classes via my new Move GB membership and I've settled on what suits me, but I still like to occasionally dip in to the unknown, Yoga-wise. I'm really starting to appreciate what it gives me and the satisfaction you get from realising how much you've improved is quite fulfilling.

This is a cracking YouTube Yoga session from the lovely guy I see every Monday in the leafy 'burbs of SW London, James Carolan. It suits all levels, leaves you feeling like you have given your body a workout and some TLC. I now crave it. I asked for this clip to see me right when I either have to miss a week or have had a body fuck-up overload.

 

 

From a complete sceptic who found Yoga to be a waste of what could have been an hour's cardio in the gym, to now acquiring a Yoga Diploma. I'm a convert. I really appreciate what it gives me, physically and mentally.

It keeps my postural laziness, back pain and iPad neck the kick it needs each week, which therefore eases my temper. I can actually feel my muscles and joints popping away as the stretches rectify whatever the previous week has done to me, or indeed what I have done to myself. Ooh and yes, there is even Hangover Yoga...

 

 

Although, some days, anything that involves a 20 minute rest as part of a workout is aces in my book. But I'm not great at the meditation part at the end, I do however use the time to rearrange my mental to-do lists, make plans and have time to just order my thoughts. It's not strictly what I should be doing, but it does make me feel good

 

Namaste. Innit.