Yoga Video - RSI and Wrist Rehabilitation

Emily Collins demonstrates some techniques to prevent yoga practice from harming the wrists and in fact to help make the wrists more open. This is particularly useful for those who suffer from RSI and carpal tunnel syndrome.

This is a great detail to accompany any exercise that involves placing your weight on your wrists, but it is particularly good for exercises such as the Yoga Video - Sun Salutation B or Surya Namaskara B and Yoga Video - Sun Salutation A

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Yoga Keeps Ryan Giggs in the Game

Despite playing for Manchester United, the club that opposition fans love to hate, you will be hard pushed to find anyone who doesn’t offer Ryan Giggs grudging respect. Unlike Cristiano Ronaldo, his current teammate, or David Beckham, with whom he learnt his trade as one of United’s young starlets in the 1990s, Giggsy, as he is universally known, does not attract vitriolic hatred from the stands. He is that rare thing in football parlance, a “good lad”. Read more

Yoga Video - Headstand Posture - Sirasana

Emily Collins demonstrates Headstand Posture, or Sirasana. This sometimes referred to as the king of asanas. It is an extremely important posture that can bring vitality and clarity to the body and the mind. Studies have shown that it can increase the hemoglobin content of the blood and can convey increased blood supply to the pituitary and pineal glands in the brain. This is a posture that is really recommended for intermediate to advanced practitioners of yoga. It is important to support the weight equally with the wrists, forearms and elbows only, not with the head. This develops strength in the arms and the shoulders, keeps the body centered, keeps weight off the head and avoids injury to the neck and spine.

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Exercises for Stress Relief

Most people deal with stress in a vareity of ways. Some are healthy, like taking a day off or getting a massage, and some are not so healthy, like eating junk food or drinking too much. It’s a good idea to have a variety of ways to reduce tension so you always have something to reach for (besides sweets or a bottle of wine) that offers relief. Exercise is a great way to ease stress and anxiety while giving you a sense of confidence and empowerment when other parts of your life feel they are out of your control. Here are some workouts that offer you a variety of healthy ways to reduce your stress levels.

Walking

When you’re stressed, or overbooked, the last thing you need is a workout that requires packing a bag, driving to the gym and slogging through a routine you’re not enjoying.
Walking is a great way to enjoy your surroundings, simplify your workouts and reduce stress. You can get away from your problems, breathe fresh air, and move your body all at the same time.

How to do it:

1. Put on a comfortable pair of athletic, or walking shoes
2. Put on appropriate clothes for the time of year and weather
3. Go outside and begin walking briskly
4. Relax your shoulders, let your arms move in a natural rhythm and breathe deeply
5. Keep walking for as long as you can
6. Don’t forget to allow time (and energy) for your return trip back home

Office (At Work) Stretches

When you’re at the office listening to a client complaining, or having to deal with hard drive that has just crashed and lost a days worth of work, you might feel like strangling someone, especially when the idea of calming down seems out of reach. But taking the time to stretch may be just what you need to relax your mind and body.

How to do it:
Find a few minutes of time and try each of the At Work video exercises below, follow the instructions and remember to breath deeply. Focus on what you’re doing and enjoy how the exercises feel.

1. Hamstring Stretch
2. Foot Circles
3. Balancing Exercise
4. Centering with the Breath
5. Hand and Wrist Excercises

Yoga

While sweating it out is great for stress, slowing down with yoga is another option simply because it combines so many stress-reduction techniques in one activity. Yoga is relaxing, like stretching workouts, but it takes you further with a focus on breathing, mind-body connection, meditating and, of course, stretching tight muscles. All you need is a few minutes and a few basic exercises.

How to do it:
Perform one, or all of our Yoga videos listed below.

1. Sun Salutation A
2. Sun Salutation B
3. Hero and Reclining Hero
4. Bridge and Upward Bow Posture
5. Introduction to Yogic Breathing

Pilates

Pilates helps you to focus on your breathing, connect you to your body and improve your posture, making it a great choice for stress relief. Pilates also strengthens the core and the pelvic floor, which makes you stronger for other activities in your busy day. Just a few minutes with some fundamental exercises offers a distraction from daily worries and a chance to focus on your body.

How to do it:
Start with these basic Pilates moves from our selection of Pilates Videos. Mastering these moves will strengthen your core and give you a strong foundation for more difficult exercises:

1. Eight Principles of Pilates
2. Pilates Beginners Class 1
3. Pilates Beginners Class 2
4. The Oyster (The Clam)
5. Pilates Essential Core
6. Pilates Essential Core 2 - The Obliques

Tai Chi

Tai Chi is often described as “meditation in motion” because it promotes serenity through gentle movements helping to connect the mind and body.

How to do it:
Start with these basic Tai Chi moves from our selection of Tai Chi Videos. Tai chi emphasizes technique over strength and it is by concentrating on form that the mind finds relaxation:

1. Tai Chi Warmup
2. Seated Tai Chi

Energy Healing

Bring your own body into balance by working with your own energy system. Energy medicine works with the subtle energies that have a direct effect on our health and happiness.

How to do it:
Try this Hands On Healing Video. Energy healing restores our natural flow of energy increasing the ability of the body to heal itself and allowing the mind to relax:

1. Hands On Healing

Interval Training

Higher intensity cardio is great for stress reduction because your body releases endorphins, feel-good hormones that boost your energy and mood. Interval training helps relieve stress by allowing you to work at higher intensities for shorter periods of time, making the workout effective and efficient.

How to do it:

1. Choose any activity you like (running, walking, etc.)
2. Warm up for 5-10 minutes
3. Increase intensity (adding hills, incline, resistance and/or speed) so that you’re working at Level 7-8 on this perceived exertion scale for 30-60 seconds.
4. Reduce intensity and recover for 2 or more minutes
5. Repeat intervals for 20 or more minutes

Circuit Training

What’s the one thing that causes the most stress in your life? Okay, maybe your mother-in-law is on your list, but being too busy is probably at the top.
Circuit training can help you save time in your workouts. By combining exercises and moving quickly, you get fit and get more done in less time. As a bonus, the variety of exercises keeps your mind and body engaged, making your workouts more fun.

How to do it:

1. Choose 8-10 exercises, mixing compound moves, like squats and pushups with cardio moves, like jogging in place or power jacks
2. Perform each exercise, one after the other, for 30-60 seconds
3. Repeat for 1-3 circuits
4. End with a Cool down

Strength Training

Lifting weights may not seem like the ideal way to reduce stress, but it’s another form of exercise that gives you an outlet for a buildup of tension and stress. When you lift weights, you not only strengthen your body, you build confidence and self-worth. That mental and physical strength makes life easier and that alone eases stress.

How to do it:

1. Choose about 8-10 exercises (one per muscle group
2. Choose a weight you can lift 10-16 times for each exercise
3. Do each exercise for 1-2 sets of 10-16 reps, focusing on your form
4. Lift weights at least twice a week for best results

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Yoga Video - Sun Salutation B - Surya Namaskara B

Emily Collins demonstrates Sun Salutation B, or Surya Namaskara B. This is the second variation of the classic Yoga warm-up which should be practiced before any Yoga routine so that your body is fully warmed up before you practice. It is a complete workout in itself, loosening and heating up every joint and corner of the body.

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Yoga Video - Bridge Posture and Upward Bow Posture

A Yoga video by Emily Collins demonstrating a series of back bend poses, Bridge Posture - Setu Bandhasana then into Upward Bow Posture - Urdhva Dhanurasana. These are very good especially if you work at a computer and you feel tight in your chest, shoulders and wrists. Wonderful for elasticity of the spine, and opening the chest and the heart area.

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Yoga Video - Hero and Reclining Hero Posture

This is a great Yoga video by Emily Collins demonstrating Hero Posture or Virasana, great for stretching for the thighs and ankles. Emily then goes into Reclining Hero Posture, or Supta Virasana, great for opening the chest and shoulders. A particularly good exercise for all you out there who work on a computer, which can cause your chest and shoulders to get very tight indeed.

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Holistic Holidays

We are launching a new healthy holiday service called Holistic Holidays. The holidays aim to provide plenty of Yoga and Pilates mixed in with the kind of relaxed, enjoyable holiday activities that you might enjoy on any holiday. The teachers are Emily Collins ( Yoga Alliance ) and Kay Hunter Saber ( Body Control Pilates and Physical Mind Institute, U.S.A ). They invite you to spend a week with them, working hard and playing hard! The holidays include six full days of yoga and pilates classes and hikes in the surrounding countryside which is over 4 hours of exercise a day.

There are currently two weeks available: 31st May - 7th June 2008 and 21st June - 28th June 2008.

The cost of the 1 week holiday, not including flights, or transfers is £600 to £650 (depending on room type).

Each days program will consist of breakfast on the terrace by the pool if you are staying at the villa, then a morning Yoga, or Pilates class. Freshly made juice between classes and a healthy lunch ( prepared by a fantastic Spanish chef ). You are then free after lunch to relax by the pool or explore all the delights of the Costa del Sol. The hikes are optional, so if you want to go to the beach, shops, or exploring in the afternoon, you have no pressure to rush back. Alternatively, after lunch you can stay by the pool or have a massage ( we will be able to offer body-workers to come to the villa ) and then join us on the hike before dining in any of the 30 restaurants that are all within 5 to10 minutes walk down into village.

The Daily Program

Breakfast at Villa Armonia.
Help yourself to a selection of fruits, yoghurts, cereals, juices, teas and coffees.

10am to 11.15   Pilates or Yoga

11.30  Freshly juiced vegetables/ fruit juices

12.15 to 1.30    Pilates or Yoga

2pm Lunch on the terrace at Villa Armonia.
All prepred by our Spanish chef, including soups, a selection of salads, quiches, tortillas and other healthy delights all using products sourced locally.

On site at masseur and therapists available between 3pm to 7pm.

6pm to 7/ 7.30pm  Early evening hikes around the surrounding countryside and estates.

You can read more information and make a booking a booking for this fantastic Holistic Yoga and Pilates Holiday in beautiful southern Spain at the web site Holistic-Holidays.net

Yoga Video - Sun Salutation A

A great way to start the day.

Teachers: Kay Hunter Saber and Wendy Wardell

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