December Newsletter

Dear Yogis and Yoginis,

I recently came across a wonderful reminder of how our body truly works:

Finally, some real anatomy! Can you name all the parts? These lovely organs and bones coming together brought to my mind the question of how to create a space of comfort and stability within oneself. As winter approaches, with temperatures dropping and light hours decreasing, what can we do to keep ourselves warm and supported from the inside?

Over the years, my yoga practice has become a real anchor for stability and comfort. Whenever I come to my mat, my breath slows down, my awareness spreads throughout the body, and I can finally pay attention to how I am feeling and how to take care of myself.

How do you cultivate comfort within yourself? Do you have a daily practice that keeps you feeling good? (I would love to hear from you. You can also share any thoughts on my FB page: beatriceyoga).

As an incentive to look to yoga as a practice of self-care, I am offering a 20% discount on first time single private classes booked throughout December - you can find more details below. This could be your chance to try a class out or a great gift for someone you care for. Private classes can be fully restorative, therapeutic, or simply a way to get to know your body and feel more comfortable with yourself. Just get in touch with me if you have any questions.

Sending you all my best wishes for the holidays and the start of the New Year. 

An organic hug, 

Beatrice

www.beatriceyoga.com

November Newsletter

Dear Yogis and Yoginis,

As many of you know, I am learning to teach yoga to pregnant women, and I wanted to share a question that came up during my last training. Several of the women in the course are pregnant, and one of them brought up her fear of exposing her baby to "negative emotions", such as anger and sadness. How could she prevent her baby from being affected by these tough emotional experiences? 

With clarity and compassion, Ayala, the teacher on that day, reminded us that the worse thing you can do for a child (or, in fact, any other human being) is send the message that it is not OK to experience difficult emotions. Any child will one day experience anger or sadness, just as they will experience compassion and joy. Rather than teaching avoidance, what tools can you share with them so that they may better understand what they live through and cope with the inevitable challenges? What tools can you cultivate within yourself for the same reasons?

As a practitioner of yoga, the task is not to avoid suffering, but rather to find a way to hold it, to give it space so that the ensuing emotions are not pushed away, but rather observed and understood so that they don't continue to haunt us.

Which brings me to this month's practice: how can we create space within us to hold those things that are difficult?  Throughout November, we will explore how to remain mindful  in our practice, especially when we notice our mind becoming distracted and avoiding the challenge at hand.  Indeed, learning how to stay present with oneself at challenging times is probably one of the most advanced practices we can aim to. Sometimes the challenge is physical, sometimes emotional or intellectual. Can we still breath through it? Is there still space to relax the eyes and soften in the jaw? And what happens when we make room for the experience and become a witness to the fluctuations of our awareness?

November can be a busy time of the year, and it's even more important to take care of ourselves so that we can keep going. So this month, make a little space. Make space for a yoga practice, for a nap, or for a walk. Create a space of comfort and support, where even the scary things can come up without overwhelming us. And, if anything else, try a slow exhalation.

Beatrice

www.beatriceyoga.com

October Newsletter

Dear Yogis and Yoginis,

Have you ever held a small infant in your arms? Recently I have had the opportunity to hold and hang out with several small children and have been re-inspired to focus on a key aspect of yoga: the breath. 

Independently of whether you like young ones or not, there is a lot you can learn from a baby's breathing.  Most importantly, infants still breath with their whole body, their movements always initiating from the breath.  Quick experiment: watch how a baby's ribcage and abdomen expand and condense with each inhalation and exhalation. 

As we become adults, however, different parts of our body and our breath inevitably become constricted by habits, experiences, shocks, and, well...life! How can we restore some  comfort to the most fundamental and supportive pattern within us?

In the West we often practice yoga postures to improve strength and flexibility, to feel more fit, or to deal with injury, yet the main focus of all the different shapes and transitions we move through is much simpler: to make breathing easier.

Imagine the feeling of openness and curiosity you might experience when approaching a rose bud for a quick inhalation. What if you could carry some of that openness and relaxation with you throughout the day? How would that change your perception and day to day experiences?

This October, classes will focus on developing and maintaing a greater awareness of how the breath supports both our asana practice and our day to day mindfulness. We will experiment with "conscious breathing" to  ground our practice in the beneficial effects of an easy, long, smooth breath.

May the flower in this Newsletter serve as a reminder to breath and reach you with my best wishes for a good beginning of term  - I am happy and grateful to be back.

Beatrice

www.beatriceyoga.com

June Newsletter

Dear Yogis and Yoginis,

In Oxford, June is a period of great change. Many are completing their studies, leaving for the summer, moving homes, or preparing for the next step along their path. And those who are staying are also responding to the changes: saying goodbyes, planning future encounters, dealing with the emotions that all the change inevitably stirs up within. 

I have said goodbye to many students  and friends who are off to new adventures in different parts of the world,  and already I can feel the anticipation for the term to come and the experiences it will bring!

As an offer to all of you in this period of transitions, I would like to share a poem/meditation that has helped me feel more grounded and centered in the midst of all of the emotions that have arisen in the past few weeks.

May my feet rest firmly on the ground
May my head touch the sky
May I see clearly
May I have the capacity to listen
May I be free to touch
May my words be true
May my heart and mind be open
May my hands be empty to fill the need
May my arms be open to others
May my gifts be revealed to me so I may return that which has been given completing the great circle.

– Terma Collective

I have come back to this meditation several times, sometimes resting on one line, each time hearing something different in the words before me. I hope it can speak to you in some way and be a reminder of the beautiful qualities that we can cultivate within ourselves.

I also invite you to come out and practice, practice and practice!Especially when so much is changing, maintaining a regular yoga practice has helped me take better care of myself and feel more grounded - try it, even if just for a week.

For the June schedule, please check out the classes below. I will be in Oxford until July 20th, after which classes will be suspended until the first week of October.

As usual, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions (practice or class related) or if you would like to set up a private individual or small group class.

With best wishes, 

Beatrice

www.beatriceyoga.com

May Newsletter

Dear Yogis and Yoginis,

Inspired by this joyful parenthesis of sunlight, I am sitting down to write and reach out to all of you on this fine May Friday afternoon. Namaste!

This month we’ll explore how to create more space and support from the inside out. One pose which I find stimulates this exploration is Bhujangasana, or Cobra Pose. Often treated as a quick transition, Cobra Pose can easily be underestimated in its challenges and benefits. Yet Bhujangasana provides a perfect opportunity to check in with our body and our breath in each Sun Salutation: are we lengthening throughout our centre? Are we supporting the asana with our breath? Where can we soften? Where can expand? Can we root more clearly in order to extend and create more space within? So many questions, and luckily so many classes to explore them with!

(Thank you to Accolay for the wonderful drawing).

Indeed, I am pleased to announce that three of my weekly classes are now open to all members of Oxford University - Mondays at St. Cross, Tuesdays at Pembroke and Wednesdays at University. Look on my website for more details and get in touch if you would like to attend.

As usual, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions (practice or class related) or if you would like to set up a private individual or small group class. 

Hurray for May,

Beatrice

www.beatriceyoga.com

April Newsletter

Dear Yogis and Yoginis,

After a much appreciated break, I am happy to be back and teaching! Classes are going to be more or less back to normal starting this week (with a few of the college classes starting on First Week, check out the website for up to date information).

In order to get back into our bodies, this month we'll focus on Downward Facing Dog, looking at how we can find more support, stability and freedom in the pose.

Down Dog is one of the foundational poses in yoga asana practice: it's at once strengthening and lengthening, balancing the action of the upper and lower body. As many of you have experienced at the end of a long standing sequence, Down Dog can also be restorative as it brings the head lower than the heart.

Yet listing all the benefits of Down Dog doesn't make up for how challenging it can be to become comfortable or skilled in practicing this asana! In fact, for many people it can be difficult to lengthen through the hamstrings, lift through the thighs, keep the shoulders spacious, the hands and arms active, and all this while BREATHING!

So this month, come to class to learn how to cultivate your own Down Dog.We'll play with props, modifications and partner work to find new ways to experience the pose and create more ease within it.

As usual, please don’t hesitate to be in touch if you have any questions or would like to set up a private individual or small group class.

With good wishes,

Beatrice

www.beatriceyoga.com

March Newsletter

Dear Yogis and Yoginis,

Did I leave any of you in a bit of suspense last month, with the enigmatic "I will be off until..."?! If so, please hold your breath no longer! I will be off on March 23d and will start teaching again on April 9th.

On the topic of suspense, the last few days of sunshine and petal- like snowflakes have been stirring my hopes for the Spring.When I remember the feeling of being outside without so many layers on, my heart and skin actually relax a little. It's a great visualization for Savasana. In celebration of the official start of Spring and the return of so many birds to the Meadows, this month we will be practicing Bakasana, or Crane pose. (I found the image below online - it really gives the idea, no? Thank you to Accolay).

In Bakasana we let our arms support us as we suspend our weight away from the floor through our center. In order to balance, we need to shift our weight forward and play with our edge - although the floor is not too far from our

head, the fall can certainly appear scary.Yet when you find that balance, you can experience a lightness that is close to flying!

As usual, please don’t hesitate to be in touch if you have any questions or would like to set up a private individual or small group class.

With good wishes,

Beatrice

www.beatriceyoga.com 

February Newsletter

Dear Yogis and Yoginis,

I hope this email finds you warm and in good health. When I returned to Oxford after the holidays a month ago, I remember feeling the winter was almost over, with bulbs sprouting in our back yard and the days getting longer. Yet suddenly... it’s freezing! With such cold weather, taking the time to practice yoga becomes crucial to maintain good circulation and build heat in the body.

The cold and cloudy weather also has powerful effects on our mood and emotions. While the warmth and the sun ahead will invite us to become more playful and active, in the colder months we can practice active standing poses to promote endorphin production in the brain and lift our spirits.

To support a healthy body and a lighter mind, this month we’ll focus on Virabhadrasana II, or Warrior II.

In Warrior II we root our intention through our legs and feet, activating powerfully throughout our foundation in order to expand and grow lighter through the rest of our body. With the right alignment and supportive breathing, practicing Warrior II can be an elating experience. I particularly love this picture of yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar practicing the pose: his legs, arms and head seem to radiate energy like a star.

So, a little advice for February: don’t let the cooler temperatures and cloudier skies take you off track- now is the time, be a yoga warrior and continue with your practice!

As usual, please don’t hesitate to be in touch if you have any questions or would like to set up a private individual or small group class (more aout that on my website).

With warm wishes,

Beatrice

www.beatriceyoga.com

January Newsletter

Dear Yogis and Yoginis,

Greetings for the New Year! A short and sweet Newsletter to let you know about my new class schedule (so many new classes!) and to invite you to my Friday Foundations Course - there is a lovely group already signed up and a few more spots available. Did I mention we have a whole new set of props for the course?!

If you’re feeling a little lethargic from the holiday celebrations and feasting, this month’s pose is bound to stir you up. We’ll practice Ustrasana - a pose so popular it even made it onto Indian stamps!

For more information about classes, check out the schedule below. Please don’t hesitate to be in touch if you have any questions or would like to set up aprivate individual or small group class (more aout that on my website).

With warm wishes,

Beatrice

www.beatriceyoga.com