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Let's get physical

Often a common misconception about yoga is that it makes people purely bendy or you have to be bendy to do it. The physical yoga postures, when practiced in a balanced way, not only allow us to become more flexible but also strong and in balance.

We can begin from any point and any age but we have to physically practice for the allowing and changes to happen. When the body is flexible, strong and in balance, this has a positive effect on the non-physical. We become freer in the way we think, perceive and create. We transform the physical and at the same time transform the non-physical – our minds. It works vice a versa too. If we change the way we think the physical also transforms. They are one of the same!

I attended a day workshop recently with Prem and Heather (advanced practitioners of Ashtanga yoga) at The Yoga Sessions. Prem was saying that the ‘secret’ behind asana (postures) is that they show us how to go beyond the physical but we have to begin there. “Continual presence with our physical yoga practice allows the mind to be on one thing rather than always looking for something new to chew on”.

I find that my posture practice paths the way for the day and days ahead. Being physically aware allows us to be more mindful in the way we think, what we say and how we interact.

So let’s get physical!

On my quest for the freestanding handstand, the posture incorporates all three physical key components of yoga. Flexibility of the wrists (we’ve looked at in recent weeks), balance to stay there and strength of the arms, shoulders, lower bandhas (abdomen and pelvic floor). The stronger we feel, the lighter and more balanced we become.

Two things we’ve been doing this week and to practice over Easter:


1. Physical to non physical
a. Come to down dog facing away from a wall, i.e heels close to the wall and lift one leg up behind until your toes touch the wall, press into your toes and lift the leg off the floor. Let the leg swing from side to side and feel the strength in your arms. Repeat with other leg.
b. take both legs from the floor and feel strength in your arms.
c. come a little close to the wall and repeat (a + b)
d. come to a seated position with your but up against the wall and legs out straight in front. Place a book up against your heels. Keep the book there as you take your feet away and place your finger tips touching the edge of the book. Bring your feet to the wall so body is making a right angle. Much stronger. Also feel how strong the bandhas are (abdomen and pelvic floor drawing in and up - particularly on the out breath).
e. lift one leg away from wall with foot towards ceiling. Repeat with other leg.



These exercises have come from my teacher, Zoe Knott. We regularly do them in class and if you practice them at home, you’ll be amazed at how your body strengthens and your confidence grows.




2. Non physical transforming the physical
When practising balance, focus on the positive moments, i.e. the moments of balance and not on the toppling, wobbling. If we concentrate our minds on the positive glimpses of balance, the glimpses become moments and then the space between the moments become less until we’re balancing – it really works!

“The physical body is not something separate from our mind. The practice of yoga teaches us to live fully – physically and spiritually. There is no progress towards freedom without transformation and this is the key in our lives”. B.K.S Iyengar, Light on Life

P.S Enjoy your Easter chocolate, with love, Deena x

Luca Skywalker at Play

It’s been over two weeks since my last blog. Sounds like a confession but half term got in the way of blog writing.

A lovely week though, making time to have fun with my son Luca. Whilst on one of our days out, in the large sandpit at Godstone Farm, some children were playing handstands.

No fear, hopping up, coming down, sometimes falling down and laughing. Completely absorbed and in the moment.

Have you been in a yoga class where everything seems to flow for you, a kind of brief magical state where you feel strong, flexible, light and flowing at the same time? Perhaps you’ve had a glimpse.

It’s similar for martial artists, dancers, musicians, athletes – where their personal best flows naturally. Researchers call this state “the zone”, children call it play.

As adults, we sometimes have resistance to this flow but becoming a Jedi
Master may be easier than we think, we are the force so lets use it!

This week in yoga I’ve been encouraging students to connect with the child-like qualities we all have.

We’ve been in Adho Muka Svanasana (down dog) and walking up and down the mat, i.e. back and forwards. Try it … as well as looking hilarious, it gives you a sense of freedom around the shoulders and hips which in turn will help to give you freedom in the handstand.

Then bring your mat to the wall. Face the wall in down dog. Bend one leg and come onto the toes. Lift the opposite leg straight up behind pointing the toes. Begin little hops on the standing leg and feel as if the straight leg is floating up into handstand – and it will when you allow it. Eventually, and with practice, the straight leg will float up without the mini hop.

It is not the activity but our relationship to the activity that really counts. The most dynamic energy in the world is love. If you love what you are doing and have fun you'll be in the zone and your personal best will flow.

“There remains a certain childlike quality in all great creative people. It is a return to this quality which brings about the conversion, the Eureka moments, the illumination”, Michael Mendizza

Welcome to my blog

I've decided to write a regular yoga blog so I can share my teaching and practice thoughts, and to help me to reflect and look at ways of keeping my teaching fresh. I hope you find some of it useful.

For each blog entry, I plan to mention something to ponder, something to practice that I've taught in my weekly classes and a little about my own practice. I promise not to go on, be too wordy or self righteous.

If I do, you can let me know …….

So ….. this weekend, I attended a great workshop with Liz Lark. I recommend getting to one of her sessions. She is a precise, positive and thoughtful teacher as well as an inspiring practitioner.

During our session she mentioned "Beginners Mind". Looking at postures with fresh eyes, ears and minds.

She's right, how often do we attend a yoga class and the teacher says we're moving into a posture, say Trikonasana and auto pilot switches on, right foot out left foot in, reach down, reach up an we're there. We might be thinking of the feet active, the muscles drawing up above the knee, and so on but are we really listening with an open mind to the body and being totally present? And if the teacher is approaching it a different way than we're used to, are we being open and receptive or secretly thinking "my way is best", or "my body won't do that", "I'm not strong enough", "my hamstrings are too tight"? There are numerous ways for our mind to get stuck in one way of thinking. I've thought all of the above at some time. If we're able to 'empty the bowl' as they say in Zen or empty the mind to 'allow', look with a beginners' mind, new things do become possible.

Which leads me onto my journey into freestanding handstand (Adho Muka Vrksasana). I say my, only because it's a posture I'm practicing every day and teach regularly. All the tips and stages of teaching I use in my classes I credit to my teachers, particularly Zoe Knott and Tim Steel.

I find it an exhilarating posture that gives an instant charge of energy like a natural cappuccino.

There are many ways to approach handstand, with different stages to suit all. I'm going to share some of the different ways over the coming weeks and keep you posted on my own personal practice.

This week we've been rocking weight forwards into the wrists and hands from Adho Muka Svanasana (dog). This helps to improve upper body strength and increase wrist flexibility and strength.

During the rocking forwards I encourage keeping shoulders down away from the ears (space between shoulders and ears) and aware of lower bandhas being engaged (abs and pelvic floor drawing in and up, particularly on the out breath). Then for those that want to take it further, walking the feet in a little and repeating. Until in Uttanasana (standing forward bend) and doing the same until feet start to lift.

In my personal practice, I've started 'allowing' a very slight lift off with the feet from the floor. At first it felt like I was literally glued to the floor. I've found looking with a beginners' mind really helps.

As you practice the rocking motion forwards into the wrists and hands see what comes up in the mind, then empty your bowl and look with a beginners' mind and have another go. Join me in lift off!

Oops, I think I've broken my promise already.




"Only our ideas block us from realising our true Self and fulfilling our potential as human beings". Dennis Genpo Merzel