Author Archives: Sarah

Yoga Workshop – Yoga for Health

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With Sarah and Nikki

On Saturday, 21st May 2016, From 9:30am-12:30pm sunburst

At the Umbrella Centre, Westlode Street, Spalding

The aim of this experiential workshop is to explore ways in which yoga can improve overall wellbeing in both the mind and body and throughout the workshop we will use a variety of practices:

  • Asana (posture-work)
  • Pranayama (breath-work)
  • Pratyahara (mindfulness)
  • Svadhyaya (self-reflection)
  • Relaxation

The cost of the workshop is £20.00.

For more information, or to book your place, telephone or text Sarah on 07817623330, email: [email protected], or see me in class!

 

Seasonal Saturday Workshops with Sarah and Nikki – Yin Yoga

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A morning of Yin Yoga with Sarah and Nikki on Saturday, 28th November 2015 at the Umbrella Centre, Westlode Street, Spalding.  From 9:30am – 12.30pm.

The aim of this experiential workshop is to deepen your understanding and experience of the calming and healing practice that is yin yoga.

Throughout the workshop we will employ a variety of practices:

  •  Asana (posture-work)
  •  Pranayama (breath-work)Seated Forward Bend
  •  Pratyahara (mindfulness)
  •  Svadhyaya (self-reflection)
  •  Relaxation

The cost of the workshop is £20.00.

For more information, or to book your place: Telephone or text Sarah on 07817623330, email: [email protected],  contact me, or see me in class!

Charity Yogathon Exceeds All Expectations

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So wonderful to see Irene from Agape, co-ordinator of our local food bank, and Helen and Elaine from Spots looking quite stunned, and then excited, when they received their cheques from the first Spalding Yogathon, which raised a total of £1,920.00.

IMG_20150216_160653467_HDR (2)

When we asked Helen what their money might be spent on, she said that the committee would need to decide, although some of it may well go towards a trip to the theatre for some of their children and young people.

I asked Irene the same question, and she explained that more money in the pot will give them more buying power.  Irene said that now they would be able to order food online in bulk, and get free delivery, as well as saving money on bulk buying.

So a huge thank you to everybody who has been involved in the event: participants, sponsors, donors. You have all made a great difference to two very worthy local charities!

… So who wants to do it all again next year!

For more information or to contact either of the charities go to:

Agape: (http://www.agapecare.org.uk/), and Spots: (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Umbrella/584004308285288).

Saturday Yoga Workshops for 2015

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I am very excited about my yoga workshops this year because they are all about how yoga can help us to aspire to greater health and wellbeing.  Each workshop will reflect a different aspect of yoga philosophy and, whilst they are sepIMG_20150129_113130655arate subjects, throughout the year we will discover how many of the different pieces of the yoga jigsaw fit together.

Although each workshop will include asana (posture practice), there will be so much more to consider, such as pranayama (energy work), the subtle body, and the ancient teachings of Patanjali.  Through discussion, reflection, mindfulness, meditation, visualisation, breathing, working in pairs and groups, and (of course) asana, we will explore the integration of yoga practice as a whole and discover how it can promote greatly improved health and wellbeing within each and every one of us.

If you would like to know more, click here for the Saturday Yoga Workshops webpage.  If you would like to book a place at one of the forthcoming workshops, you can click here to contact me, email me at [email protected] or text/telephone me on 07817623330.

Spalding Sponsored Charity Yogathon

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I have to say that I am so excited about the  Spalding Sponsored Charity Yogathon that will be taking place on Saturday, 24th January!

Yogathon - Agape 3The event is in aid of two Spalding-based charities, who help disadvantaged people in our local community. Agape runs the food bank, which also collects from a radius around Spalding, and serves a lot of the areas in between. The food bank helps people who, usually through no fault of their own, find themselves ‘down on their luck’ and struggling to make ends… meet. Some of our visitors are homeless, with nobody who cares and, again, they never envisioned themselves ending up in that situation.

Yogathon - SpotsSpots helps children from less affluent families, through performing arts, by giving them somewhere to be and something to help them shine.

All 40 places for the event are now sold out (which is fantastic!) and all of our Yogathon participants will now be looking for sponsorship. If you would like to sponsor this event, please contact me. Just £1 will give a homeless person a hot meal at Agape, so if that is all you would like to offer, it will still make a real difference and your support really will be very much appreciated!

If you would like details of future charity events please contact Sarah.

A Date For Your Diary:

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Hi Everybody, a date for your diary:

24th January 2015 will see the first sponsored Yogathon in Spalding.  The day will begin with refreshments from 9:00am, followed by three hours of yoga, and then a shared lunch.

The event will take place at the  Umbrella Centre in Spalding.  Entry cost is £10 and all proceeds will be split between two local charities: Spots, which gives disadvantaged children the opportunity to participate in experiences they would otherwise not be able to take part in, and the Agape food bank which supports families who find themselves in financial crisis.

Our yoga practice will be in the form of three sessions taught by Carole Tovell, Nikki Griffin and myself. Each session will be different from the last as the aim is to give participants a broad experience of yoga asana and it’s many facets.

Places are limited, due to space, so if you would like more information, or to register your place, please contact me.

Joy

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What gives you joy?  When did you last really experience it? Why do you think that was?

Joy may sometimes seem like such a profound feeling and yet we normally find it in the simplest of things.  I remember feeling pure joy when I watched my toddlers playing (many years ago now). Their simple enjoyment of life translated into a feeling of perfect happiness for me. Sometimes I may notice a seemingly perfect view in nature and experience the joy of knowing that everything is just how it should be.

I don’t believe that joy is something that can be chased or looked for, it is just there in the simplicity of the moment or the purity of the experience.  So maybe the answer is not to look, but to feel and experience instead.

And maybe the easiest way to do that, as an adult, is to connect to our inner child.  To most children, life is simply there to be lived.  Children will naturally discover fun and pleasure in the simplest of activities.  Maybe we should take a leaf out of their book, and cast our cares and concerns aside for a time, whilst we engage in the joy of life.

 

 

Yoga Workshop – Saturday, 22nd February 2014 – The Seven Primary Chakras

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So the first of our 2014 Saturday Yoga Workshops is nearing and I am really looking forward to it!  If you have attended before you will already know that the workshops all strike a balance between practising, discovering and evolving.

This workshop will reflect the philosophical nature of the chakras, in that we will be working very meditatively, turning our attention inwards, and reflecting on the where’s, how’s and why’s of each of the seven primary energy centres.

If you only like the physical postures side of yoga, then this workshop is probably not for you as the emphasis is more on reflection and self-awarenes, and not on the physical asana aspect of yoga.  That does not mean that we will not be practising postures. We will, in the light of the work that we are doing, take postures that are specifically aimed at each of the primary chakras.

So if you would like to discover more about the philosophy of yoga, and in particular the unseen energy systems in our bodies and how they affect each of us, emotionally, physically, psychologically and spiritually, then this workshop will probably be of interest to you.  Participants will be given an introduction to the theory of the chakras and a physical asana practice that is designed to balance, heal and integrate the chakras for improved physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual health.

And of course, because it’s yoga, you will probably leave feeling uplifted, positive and inspired!  

I still have some places available, so if you are interested, or would like to book your place, please email: [email protected] or text/ring me on: 07817623330.

I – Into 2014

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A belated “Happy New Year” to you all! 

Whether you visited my site through an interest in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or Yoga Relaxation and Mindfulness, you are very welcome and I hope this site serves to encourage and inspire.

So how do you view January?  As a chilly month in the depths of winter, or as the opportunity to renew, replenish and refresh?

If you are thinking about CBT, then the chances are you are not feeling your happiest and so this month may well be the former. Winter has the effect of keeping us closed in, both in terms of where we are physically, and our emotional and psychological Selves as well. It is all too easy to become enmeshed in any negative feelings. This time of year encourages us to hibernate and take stock. When we are feeling positive and mentally strong, this is good for us.  However, if we are feeling down or dejected, having too much opportunity to contemplate our woes is rarely beneficial.

If you are interested in yoga, then your interpretation of January may be entirely different.  This is because, for a yogi, every day is a new beginning, bringing with it the opportunity to grow and develop all aspects of our Self. From respecting our physical body when we eat and drink healthily, exercise regularly and relax properly, to improving mental strength and focus through mindfulness, meditation and resilience, we yogis seek to improve and develop through every day of our lives.

So how do we move from viewing January as a depressing month, to seeing it as an opportunity to move forward and develop?

It is all a matter of perspective. Firstly consider what it is that is holding you back and causing you to feel whatever negative feelings you have. Then decide if you feel strong enough to tackle these issues on your own. Can you call on support from people around you?  Do you want to tackle your issues at all?  Or is fear of the unknown holding you back?  It takes a brave person to look their life squarely in the face and admit there is a problem!

For more help and advice around these areas, you can click on the links above, read previous blogs, or just email me or give me a call.

 

SO WHY NOT WORK ON ENABLING THIS NEW YEAR

TO BE THE ONE THAT YOU WANT IT TO BE!