Happy Fall

Crisp air and colorful trees are on the horizon. Along with pumpkins, apples and warm scarfs, the fall season calls for some immune boosting yoga. This is the time to make your immune system stronger before the really cold dry air and holiday chaos comes.

Below you will find some great tools to boost your immune system!

Yoga mudra pose, Cobra pose, Sphinx pose are 3 wonderful poses that helps boost our immune system. You can practice just these 3 poses or weave them into your sequences. 

Yoga Mudra Pose

Strengthens the immune system

Stretches the legs, back and shoulders

Opens the third eye

Releases serotonin to the brain

Balances the hormones

Cobra Pose

Strengthens the immune system
Strengthens the back
Opens the chest
Releases tension and anxiety
Tones the ovaries and uterus

Sphinx Pose

Strengthens the immune system
Calms the nervous system
Releases pent-up emotions
Balancing hormones by compressing the ovaries
Releases serotonin to the brain

Bhastrika pranayama is closely related to kapalabhati/fire breath. In bhastrika pranayama both the out-breath and in-breath are forceful and vigorous. In kapalabhati/fire breath it is only the out-breath that is forceful and vigorous.

Take a comfortable seat. Sit up tall and take a few long deep breaths to center yourself. Place your hands on your lower abdominals and as you inhale through your nose you fill up your belly and as you exhale through your nose you move your belly in. Do a few of these in a slow steady pace. You can gradually begin to pick the speed up just slightly. One inhale and one exhale is a cycle. Do 8-10 cycles and then come back to your natural breath. Repeat this two more times. If you feel any discomfort, stop immediately.

Don’t do this breathing exercise if your are pregnant, if you are in your menstrual cycle, high blood pressure, lung or heart problems.

Plus a bonus tips from my cats Deedou and Derius: Take daily naps! Naps are great for you. When the days get shorter and darker the body and mind really needs that time to rejuvenate. After your nap, do a few stretches. You will feel great:)

Peace & Love,

Helén + D&D

How do you feel after your practice?

Hello & Happy Thursday!

Do you sometimes feel that you need to fight really hard against your excuses to not do a practice? Some days I can come up with hundreds of reasons and excuses to not do my practice...today was one of those days. 

How do we deal with that...? The way I deal with it is the WHY!! Why do I practice yoga? How is it going to make me feel, am I going to feel better than I’m feeling right now? Have I ever regretted a practice? So when I answer these questions to myself my answers are much more reasonable than my excuses. Every time I finished a practice I feel so much better. I feel stronger, lighter and more myself. How do you feel after your practice? Take a moment after every practice to just sit in stillness and notice the shift in body, mind and breath. And thank yourself for standing up against your excuses. 

I just uploaded a calming chakra flow sequence on Youtube. So if you are in need of some peace and harmony try it out. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOzGGW-9I9I

Peace & Namaste,

Helén 

Listen to your body + Feel calm and relaxed in 5 minutes

The last couple of days my yoga practice has been slightly different than what I had planned. Instead of a strong vinyasa flow or a yogini workout I’ve been doing a calming and rejuvenating practice. Sometimes a short practice, a calming flow, a restorative practice or just sitting down to breathe deeply is enough. We don’t always have to push ourselves. Forcing ourselves to do a strong vigorous practice for the feeling of accomplishment is not always so wise. Sometimes we just need to let ourselves be. Be with what is and know that we are enough.

Nadi Shodhana also called alternate nostril breathing is the breathing exercise for relaxation and harmony. It calms your nervous system and balances the opposites (solar-lunar, yin-yang, male-female) within the body. 

Sit up tall. Bring your left hand in to Jnana mudra (circle left thumb and index finger) and place your hand on your thigh. With your right hand, bend your right index and middle finger to touch the fleshy part of your palm. Bring you right hand up to your nose. Close your right nostril with your thumb, inhale through left nostril, close left nostril with your right ring finger, lift thumb and exhale through right nostril, inhale through right nostril, close with thumb, exhale through left nostril. Continue with this in your own rhythm 3-5 minutes. Before you start you might want to put some lavender oil on your right wrist.

This breathing exercise is wonderful to practice before going to bed or when you wish to feel calm and relaxed. You will feel a shift right away!

Love,

Helén

September Theme & Yoga Video

Happy September!

I hope you are well and that you had a wonderful start of the month. Many of us go through a lot of changes and transitions at this time of the year and it can be slightly stressful from time to time. During times like this I always try to stay on top of my practice as much as possible because it will help me feel grounded, calm and in control. 

Let this yoga sequence help you to de-stress, feel calm and clear. Click on the link below to watch the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC5ULwNDibo

This month on LBY the theme is balance. We will focus on establishing a nourishing routine so it becomes a habit. I believe that balance lies in our daily routine and habits. It is the sum of our daily choices that makes us feel balanced and at ease. Creating new routines and habits are not easy. Change is hard and sometimes uncomfortable. But with great planning, clear intention and focused commitment it is possible. We all lead very busy lives, however it is important to not neglect our practice, not only for the health of our body but also for our mind and soul.

If you’re not a Living Bliss Yoga member yet you can sign up at; http://www.livingblissyoga.com

You won’t regret it! Having a home yoga practice is empowering and it brings us nourishment on all levels. When we take action and practice consistently there is a powerful shift that happens within. 

Namaste,

Helén

4-week Yoga Series Coming Up

Join me for a 4-week Beginners yoga series at Brookville Healing Arts in Chevy Chase, MD starting September 9

This 4-week series is designed for those who wish to explore yoga’s amazing benefits. Each week covers a different theme that will bring you nourishment on all levels. Get ready to build strength, become more flexible and increase your energy level. 

Week 1; Ground & Connect, improve your balance and strengthen your lower body 

Week 2; Open & Release, open your hips and free up tension and tightness

Week 3; Fire & Flow, strengthening your core and enjoy the benefits of twisting asanas

Week 4; Heart Opening, stimulate and open your heart center, strengthen your upper body to improve your posture 

Dates: Tuesdays; September 9, 16, 23 and 30

Time: 9-10:15AM

Cost: $110 for all 4 classes

Where: Brookville Healing Arts, 7019 Brookville Rd, Chevy Chase

Registration: email me at annahelenapril@me.com to sign up. Spot is not secure until payment is received

                                       

Namaste,

Helén

Short & Effective Meditation

Look into your own heart.

Who looks outside, dreams;

Who looks inside, awakes.

~Carl Jung

I hope you are savoring these late summer days!

Wherever we are, vacation or not, it is so important to pause, enjoy the moment and really connect to our core. It’s in these reflective moments we can find clarity. For me it’s when I get my best ideas.

I encourage you to take a moment and just pause, breathe and connect with yourself. I’ve created a short and effective meditation that will make you feel grounded and connected. We start the meditation with a mudra that is very powerful. Mudras are yoga in your hands that can create a healing quality from within.  Anyone can enjoy these healing mysterious gestures while sitting, standing, lying down or walking. Meditation is a wonderful tool to recharge, refocus and reconnect to your inner self.

When to meditate? 

Best time is to meditate first thing in the morning, after your asana practice or before going to bed. 

Click here to view the meditation video.

Namaste,

Helén

A Chakra Flow Video

Wake up the energies in your sacral chakra with this sequence and get an overall feeling of balance and harmony.

Click here to view the video.