International Yoga Day

Yoga has been a big part of my life for 20 years, being introduced to it in New York in 2000 by Blanche Manago – a brilliant teacher and practitioner who equipped me to travel many times around the world flourishing because of yoga and the improvements to my mind and body. I could often be seen doing yoga at airport waiting gates and in my airline seat!As we moved back to Oxford and began lockdown, finding the best online program for my husband and I at different levels was a challenge. Our friends and brilliant teachers Jacqueline Mangold and James Pritchard introduced us to Lin and Leo's YouTube channel (https://lnkd.in/dPEp3Xb) which gives a brilliant intro to Iyengar yoga practised before your eyes – at two distinct levels with positive tuition and learnings for all!Why is this so powerful online? You can repeat at will, practise, work at your own pace and really get deep into the foundations of yoga - which enhances your breathing, improves posture and flexibility, and in my case helps my daily balance in every sense!This International Yoga Day I would like to share my favourite Yoga pose: ‘Halsana’ or ‘Plough pose’.Why? This relatively simple pose totally opens up the neck, shoulders and back where I personally seem to store a lot of my tension. I do the pose everyday as it seems to calm me down and apparently restores strength in my nervous system!This pose also allows me to collect my thoughts thus improving my memory and concentration. It really feels as if the pose nourishes my spine and seems to rejuvenate my entire body; relieving stress and fatigue too!My tip: Take 10 mins of yoga each day for you to "Inhale the future and exhale the past."