Here is a short sequence that will be good to do if you have been having a rough time. We’ll start in standing tall like a tree and then come down to the ground for some heart opening moves so you feel grounded yet flexible.
Bend don’t break.
I wish you a peaceful day and evening.
Thank you for joining me. Namaste.
DISCLAIMER: Please consult your doctor or health care professional before starting this workout. If you experience pain or discomfort at any time during this workout, you should stop immediately. By performing these exercises, you do so at your own risk. By using this video, you understand and agree that the creator of this video will not be held responsible or liable for any injury or loss you may suffer as a result of this workout video.
This is a 75 minute yoga workout I filmed especially for a friend of mine. You are welcome to try this out.
If you are after a yoga workout or WORKIN covering a bit of everything (core, leg strengthening, balance and arm balance) this will be nice for you to do. It’s challenging but not impossible, I give alternatives and options so it is a good one for beginners and if you are a pro, well it will feel like a refreshing bit of movement.
Equipment: If you can have a large towel or blanket handy, that will be helpful. I hope you enjoy.
(I’m sorry about the sound, I don’t have a microphone at the moment but will work on sorting sound out for the next video)
DISCLAIMER: Please consult your doctor or health care professional before starting this workout. If you experience pain or discomfort at any time during this workout, you should stop immediately. By performing these exercises, you do so at your own risk. By using this video, you understand and agree that the creator of this video will not be held responsible or liable for any injury or loss you may suffer as a result of this workout video.
This is a 40 minute Pilates workout I filmed for a friend of mine.
If you are after a Pilates workout covering a bit of everything (arms, back, legs, glutes and core) this will be nice for you to do. It’s not too hard so it is a good one for beginners and if you are a pro, well it will feel like a refreshing bit of movement.
I hope you enjoy.
DISCLAIMER: Please consult your doctor or health care professional before starting this workout. If you experience pain or discomfort at any time during this workout, you should stop immediately. By performing these exercises, you do so at your own risk. By using this video, you understand and agree that the creator of this video will not be held responsible or liable for any injury or loss you may suffer as a result of this workout video.
Here is the video I mentioned earlier. You will need a block, or a thick book (do they still make telephone books? I miss them. I used to browse them casually haha.) or a sturdy cushion. If you have none of those then a couple of folded towels/blankets will do the trick.
Remember it is okay to use props in fact using props can help you deepen your experience so don’t feel like you’re going backwards in your practice if you use one.
This is a simple but really effective exercise to learn how to build strength and understand the movement behind transitioning into a seated position from Downward Facing Dog/Plank.
Add this to your regular practice as part of working towards jumping through.
Let me know how you go and thanks so much for watching!
Have an amazing day!
Here is a short video of my FAVOURITE (and coincidentally my clients’ LEAST FAVE) moves to tone the legs and shape the booty. After a few reps, I can always feel my bum and outer thighs getting warmish. Haha, SO GOOD!
All you need is a flat surface and 5 minutes MAXIMUM. That’s 2 minutes per leg and 1 minute to pat yourself on the bum afterwards. Do this 3 times a week and you’re gonna be very pleased with yourself.
I am 29 weeks pregnant in this video. If you are pregnant, you should have already gotten an ok from your doctor to exercise.
Pregnant or not, if something doesn’t feel right, stop and check.
Always listen to your body and be kind to it!
Whilst you’re at it, maybe add a little triceps workout after this? Go on!
Let me know if you try this out and enjoy the rest of your weekend! xx
How was your weekend? We took it really easy, it’s my first weekend back in town so naturally we had loads of laundry and chores to catch up on. The last thing I want is to then have to drag myself out for dinner but I also don’t want to expend my remaining energy on making dinner but I want home food.
It’s all too “I know what I don’t want but I don’t know what I want but I know I want it now.” I KNOW! TIRESOME!
What then?
This Spicy Vegetarian Cous Cous Goreng has been a breakthrough over here. I always have a few random odds and ends hanging out in the veggie drawer of the fridge. When I make cous cous I can never make just the right amount there’s always an extra container of it. I keep a few spare packets of spice paste so all I do is just grab everything and throw it together and dinner is done! It’s so satisfying and warming, best of all you can just make it in the one pot and that’s as good as it gets, washing up wise.
So so easy! It’s my new favourite way to have cous cous. And you can sneak in all those vegetables.
Ingredients:
Your choice of cooked grains: rice, cous cous, quinoa, oats, barley etc
A packet of spice paste (don’t be afraid to try other flavours too! Great ones to use are green/red/yellow curry paste)
Chopped veg (the softer the vegetable, like leaves, the less time it needs to cook)
Bit of oil, I like coconut oil, but use whatever you like
Options: fried egg, shredded meat, or leave out to keep it vegetarian
And yes, I am using my rice cooker to cook dinner. There’s no gas for my stove but I will always find a way hahaha.
So legend has it that when you can’t sleep at night it is because you are awake in someone else’s dream.
Please stop dreaming about me whoever you are.
Aaaaaaaahahahahaha allow me to cackle away merrily whilst you take the time to roll your eyes.
I’ve been struggling to sleep properly and it seems to be some sort of excess nervous energy from prepping to go home for the holidays. This time next week I will be back home and ohmigoshonlyafewmoresleepstogoooooooooooooosomanythingstodosolittletimetodoitin.
You know those jitters?
Verrrrrry similar to the kind a kid gets the night before Christmas. Who could possibly sleep?! It’s just all too exciting. TOO being the keyword. Too much going on. Around us and inside our heads. Without an outlet to channel all the excitement into, those sensations spill over everywhere and amplify existing feelings.
There is a lot happening during holiday season and all that change can be stressful on a body.
Resisting the change causes friction which leaves me restless and kinda twitchy. Then as I lose sleep I become tired and cranky. The cycle continues on a loop. When I was younger I couldn’t figure out how to settle myself down and found myself buffeted along by the things that kept happening TO me no matter how hard I tried to avoid them or take full control. I felt so resentful and frustrated. Did I have a target on my back?
Now I kind of understand it is up to me to decide if I want to struggle and kick my way along or flow through change. But the way is always THROUGH the obstacles or the change. And whilst I can control some aspects there are many others that I can’t. Discerning what I can and can’t change, much like the serenity prayer, are key to giving me the space I need to regain a sense of calm.
Try reading the next two paragraphs out loud slowly and with intent:
I remember that I can control my breathing. I can inhale fully and exhale completely. I can move my body as I breath slowly and deeply. I can give complete attention to moving my body with my breath.
And with that I feel my heart rate calm down, my stomach ceases to twist into knots, my eyebrows unfurrow and my mind quietens and I move into stillness. Then I can sleep soundly and deeply. I wake up feeling joyful and excited about my days. I will nourish my body with fuel so I have energy to go about my day. I will move my body because it feels good to be active. I look forward to anything that comes my way. I feel content with the present moment because it is perfect.
I hope following along to this short video helps equip you with a sense of calm as you go about preparing yourself for this holiday season. Please practice safely and take good care of yourself.
How was your cyber weekend? I tried to get into the sale action but I found myself overwhelmed by all the sale windows popping up on my ‘puter. And also we had some major blackouts so that just felt like a sign from the universe.
“No shopping for you, specifically, you. You means Dominique.“
I didn’t have anything I needed or simply wanted but tried to pass of as needed anyway. And I found myself thinking why don’t we just have everything 20% or 30% or 35% or whatever% off year round and we will buy it when we want to. The sort of “I’ll call you” type of response to an invitation to tender. You too? Yeah.
A girlfriend and I were chatting and figured if groceries had a cyber Monday though, different story. But groceries being groceries and economics working the way they do, that didn’t happen. So instead I saved my pennies and worked on editing a video I filmed just before my trip to Bali.
Oh yeah, haha, I went to Bali for a few days. And all I came back with was a lovely time, great memories, a full tummy and a tan. Tell you all about it another time, I really want to post this video first, if it ever finishes uploading though. A little tricky with all the power blackouts we have been having.
Be with you in 142 minutes. I kid you not five minutes later the little bar said it would take another 183 minutes. What’s with the strange math? hahaha
So let’s chat a bit more about what we’re doing in today’s video whilst this baby loads.
This is a preparatory posture. Some people will know the full version of this pose as Flying Pigeon Pose or One Legged Pigeon Balance. In Sanskrit this pose is called Eka Pada Galavasana. People tend to drop the Eka Pada when referring to the posture and just say Galavasana although B.K.S. Iyengar listed Galavasana and Eka Pada Galavasana as two different postures with the latter being the one we will prep for here.
Gimme a second to squint and count, yep, got the right number of vowels in there. Sometimes one needs to check, you know?
Some Sanskrit here: Eka means one and Pada means leg… soo far so got it. Galavasana is the pose named after the sage Galava. The word for pigeon is Kapota. I know, I know, confusing! When I first started paying attention to the names of postures a lot of them just sounded like Something Something Blah Asana. I just couldn’t get a handle on the front part. And I got a whole lot worse before I got anywhere near better by the time I went for training.
Every second sentence out of me was, “Whaddjyamacallthis?” As soon as I managed to remember one name I’d promptly forget the previous one I had learned.
But a lot of people will know what you are talking about if you happen to mention flying pigeon. But you’d both need to be talking about yoga postures otherwise things just get really confusing obvs. The shape of that front bent leg leaning against your arms is the same as the one-legged version of the posture performed on the floor. Just know that the pose goes by more than one name.
I am calling this version we are attempting Itty Bitty Pigeon Pose because that back leg is not yet stretched out as in the full expression of the posture, it’s still tucked in close to the body. This makes it a little easier to focus on locating that exact tipping point you need to get the balance going. And here we thought we’d never see the likes of Physics again after high school.
The video is pretty straight forward, but make sure you are warmed up before you launch. For example you can go for a 20 minute march around the block, or you can do a few rounds of Sun Salutations, or a few cycles of my easy to do 2 minute yoga sequence (here).
Yoga is all about expressing curiosity and learning new things. So once you are up, try stretching out that floating leg and see what happens! Fly, birdie, fly!
[gasp] I’m flying, Jack!
C’mon, if I didn’t say it someone else would have. What a line. And they totally could have both fit on that door. Move over Rose, blimey.
IMPORTANT: Please be aware that if you are not yet comfortable in a plank position, you may still need a little more time before you visit this. Don’t rush! In the Ashtanga practice for instance, this posture is in the third series. THIRD! There are people (cough, me included) who may or may not just stay in Primary for the rest of our lives. B.K.S. Iyengar rated the intensity of this posture as 21, the most difficult posture being 60. So take it easy, slow and steady. Taking the time now to develop a strong foundation, smelling the roses along the way, will save you the heartache of hurrying before you are ready and perhaps even hurting yourself. You need to be careful and practice safely. Be kind! Enjoy the scenic route! How often do we get the luxury of taking things slow?
Happy workshopping!
Questions? Holla! Feel free to discuss down below any of the following:
Who B.K.S. Iyengar?
What Ashtanga?
Kapota what?
Is this still yoga?
What does Galavasana look like then?
What does it take to rate a 60?
Who Jack? (Where have you been…)
What door? (See above re: Jack)
Does anyone else feel terrified when they see flying pigeons IRL?
And I’m getting through that pile of videos to edit. *pow pow* If you had read what I wrote last week about procrastinating you would nod and be like *high fives screen* and then I would high-five you back and be like, “Thanks!”.
So there is an old story about a rich man who goes to the zen master asking how to become enlightened. He’s got the money, no sum is too big, how much.
Hmm, free. Plus two years, if you meditate everyday for one hour so says the master.
Whuuuuuuuuuuuuut. Okay, okay. How about if I meditate everyday for five hours? How long then, huh?
Oh yes, that will be very good. Twenty years.
HUH!$*&%#@$?!
That isn’t exactly how the story goes, there are a few variations. That’s my take on it.
And how about this expression:
“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes each day. If you are too busy then sit for an hour.”
I love the humour in these stories and sayings. A person can interpret these stories in so many different ways. I’ll have to share with you some of the comments a few people made about one particular zen story I came across sometime, remind me?
In the meantime, I have a meditation video for you! It is thirteen minutes long but if you want you can skip through the introduction and chat straight into the practice portion. But it’ll take you twenty years.
Kidding!!!
I’m a big fan of the two minute format. Here’s the link to my two minute yoga video Hurrah for Yoga in Pyjamas. Big fan of anything I can do in pyjamas too.
If you’re all “Nah, I got time to hang” then stay tuned for the outtakes. There are many. I was waiting for my washing machine to finish before I started recording and it kept whirring promisingly as though it was wrapping up. And then I’d hit record and the washing machine was all “Haha no.” But it ended eventually.
Ready? Here we go:
Here is a quick starting point for people who want to get into meditation and have been meaning to but always say they don’t have enough time. One day, I will get around to meditating. Ha! Today is that day!! After my washing machine finished spinning hahaha.
If you’re anything like me, your daily to do list can stretch as long as your arm and then some. When it comes to actually tackling things you start to wonder where exactly to start. Too much happening so many feelings! This is the BEST time to meditate so that you can resume (or start) work feeling focused and calm.
A lot of us think we need hours set aside to get meditation right but sometimes a minute here a minute there and just quiet breathing is all we need to notice a huge difference. This is where we start today, the breathing, which is the most important part. If we can turn all our attention to our breathing, there is nothing else for our mind to do and everything becomes oh so still.
You can repeat this short breathing exercise as many times as you like, be sure to keep the body and face as relaxed and tension free as possible to really get the benefits. Anytime you feel as though things are getting too much during the course of your day, you can turn to this breathing exercise. I hope this makes a difference!
The exercise starts at 5:32 if you want to jump ahead, please do so. We finish with a very light bit of self massage to our brow area. When we first wake up the area can often feel quite heavy and puffy. This is also an area that often remains tense throughout the day without our realising. If you’ve been worrying about something this will be especially helpful in helping you to feel energised and ready to face the day.
Thanks so much for watching. Please let me know if you enjoyed that and if you have any special requests, comment down below. X
Our Zenaissance 