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I was both pleased and humbled to have been asked to take part in the Wellcome Collections ‘Story Of Modern Yoga’, please click here to see it.

Check out this self Massage for migraines/headaches and like, subscribe and share if you like it!
See more videos here.

Dry January is Alcohol Concerns annual event which raises people’s awareness of alcohol and its effects by encouraging them to give up alcohol for the month of January.

Some alcohol facts
According to the Office For National Statistics there were 7327 deaths directly attributable to alcohol misuse last year and more than 1 million hospital admissions due to alcohol misuse in 2014-2015 according to the NHS digital website.
According to Alcohol Concern Alcohol misuse is the biggest risk factor for death, ill health and disability among 15-49 year olds in the UK and the 5th biggest risk factor across all ages, it’s estimated to cost the NHS more than 3.5 billion pounds annually.

Yoga and alcohol
Alcohol is a depressant (depresses the nervous system), it dulls the senses, makes your mind sluggish and is poison to the body.
Yoga brings balance to the nervous system, brightness to the mind, sharpens the senses and promotes a healthy body.
One of the most important texts on Hatha Yoga tells us to avoid alcohol and even if you’re not into yogic philosophy, the inward practices of Yoga give you the ability to reconnect with yourself, yoga takes you back home. The happier you feel in yourself, the more connected you feel to your body, mind and emotions, the less you will want to drink.
Over the years I’ve taught many specialist classes and workshops for people in recovery from alcohol addiction and even brought Yoga into structured day programmes in some London addiction recovery centres.

Please contact me for more information or to book a yoga therapy session on how yoga can help in your bid to manage your alcohol consumption.

Have you been to Back In Action‘s new showroom in Marylebone?
Formerly The Back Shop I’ve been sending clients to them for new pillows, chairs and workstation assessments for years, they really are the best around.
I recently had a wonderful tour of all their excellent products with the very knowledgeable Abbey Kashmiri.
Fully adjustable desks (to standing) are not as expensive as you think and there are desk top solutions if you can’t change your desk. Laptop stands and writing slopes can be hugely important in helping improve symptoms from hours tied to the desk and only cost a decent lunch (for two). Work station assessments are free for individuals and very reasonable for businesses. If you’re suffering with any kind of postural related pain get down there asap but contact me first for a discount code on their products.
I really loved the laptop stands and also the kids desk, fully adjustable (to 6’4″) so will last your llittle treasure well into adulthood.

I use K-tape a lot in my treatments but what is it and what does it do?
K tape is short for Kinesio tape (after it’s inventor), there are many brands such as Rock Tape or the excellent Toro Pro tape but basically it’s a strong, elastic, athletic tape.

K-tape has many functions, I often use it for proprioception (spatial sense of body awareness) for people with postural issues especially those with head forward position, rounded shoulders and symptoms of head/neck/jaw pain. I tape them in a way so that if they do slouch it reminds them not to do it and this then makes the massage treatment longer lasting by allowing the tight muscles to stay in a more relaxed position. Tape also lifts the skin slighty allowing greater blood flow to the taped area and when applied correctly is great to reduce swelling and bruising.
Working in Europes biggest yoga centre for the last ten years I’ve seen many people with hamstring tears or tendonitis that never seem to heal. For these clients I will tape along the length of the hamstring so that if they overstretch the tape will resist and remind them not to go further.
Tape is very useful to help to create stability, improve function and reduce pain as this recent study has shown.
Fifteeen people with unilateral knee pain (patellafomoral syndrome) were examined and compared under taped and untaped conditions. Maximal eccentric and concentric peak torques of quadriceps were measured. Functional performance and pain were evaluated by functional tests and visual analog scale. There were statistically significant increases in peak torque and pain also decreased significantly following application of the tape.
So in the short term at least tape works and this is why you see so many elite athletes using it. If you have poor posture, an injury with needs extra support to help with pain reduction and to help increase performance come and experience it for yourself with one of my myofascial & sports massage treatments at triyoga or Grace Belgravia.

 

I absolutely love restorative yoga!

When my mind is so active and fidgety that I cannot meditate and pranayama just adds extra irritation, restorative yoga is my go to practice.
Simply by placing your body in certain positions you can slow the heart rate, breathe deeper and allow the parasympathetic nervous system (rest & digest) to become dominant.
We can also activate the sympathetic nervous system when we need more energy, check out my NHS Yoga for mental health client in the picture above, her first full inversion!  
I’ve trained with Dr Roger Cole, Judith Lasater and have developed some techniques of my own as over the years it’s been a vital tool for me in rehabilitating my chronic neck condition and the stress that came with it.
In my workshop next Friday the 14th of July 19.30-21.30 @triyoga Chelsea you’ll learn the principles of restorative yoga techniques, how it affects the nervous system and how we can adapt the postures so that we can practice at home without bolsters, brick and belts. 
Click here to book your place.

It’s incredible the amount of people who suffer with them and for many these are debilitating conditions which severely affects quality of life. Many sufferers of migraines and headaches also have issues with TMJ, jaw, neck too.

Did you know that?
90% Of the population have had a headache at some time.
75% Have episodes of headaches.
50% Experience severe headaches.
25% Have severe recurring headaches.
12% Have migraines.
4% Chronic daily headaches.
US figures

The good news is that massage can help and I was fortunate enough to complete an advanced myofascial training on this along with head neck and jaw with Til Luchau over the weekend.
Til is one of he worlds foremost Rolfing and Myofascial Release experts and I’ve trained with him in the past, great to have him back in the U.K..!
Book in with me to experience some of the fantastic techniques I’ve learnt. It’s amazing how much tension we often hold in the face and in the bony structures of the head and neck. How much lighter, freer and happier we can be when they are released.

Click here to book on-line at triyoga or contact me directly for a private treatment.
I’m also available at Grace Belgravia at any time on request.

 The physical aspect of yoga should give us a sense of lightness in the body.  We need flexibility for efficient movement and to prevent or minimise injury. Flexibility allows the tissue to more easily dissipate shock impact and accommodate stress, and is a vital component to general health and physical fitness. As yogis we are all familiar with static stretching where we take a stretch to it’s farthest point and hold for an extended period. In fact many yoga stretches are active stretches where the agonist muscles are employed to stretch the antagonist muscles e.g. the extensors of the back engaging to release the abs and pecs (via reciprocal inhibition) in wheel pose. In yoga we also use passive stretches where there is no effort involved and props are used, this could be the floor in janu-sirsasana or bolsters or other props in a restorative pose. During my workshop @triyoga Chelsea on Friday we’ll also look at PNF stretching and how we can use this in our practice. Click here to book online.