Iyengar Yoga With Rachel Lovegrove

6th March 2010 at BALANCE Studio, Northampton

A  big thank you to everyone who came today to the workshop at BALANCE.  We focussed on postures which help to alleviate the symptoms of depression and anxiety.  The morning session looked at gentle ways to open the chest leading into some simple back-bending techniques which had everyone giggling – a quite normal reaction!  After a short lunch break, we looked at postures to combat anxiety such as inversions followed by more introverted forward bends and restorative postures to calm the senses and rest the nervous system.  It was a wonderful day and as we left the studio, the sun shone on a beautiful spring day.

Next workshop dates at BALANCE are 2nd, 3rd & 4th April – check the Classes page for details of a new 7 week class starting on March 15th & 17th plus other workshops around the UK.

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Rachel will be teaching at BALANCE Studio, Northampton a 7 week course of Iyengar Yoga classes from 15th March on Mondays from 7pm to 8.30pm (all levels) and Wednesdays from 11.00am to 12.30pm (“Gentle” Yoga Class for those needing to take things a little more slowly and easier.)

Cost is £10 and all levels including new beginners are welcome.

Pre-booking required – come to any class but let Rachel know first!  Contact her via rachel@orangetreeyoga.com or call 07725120043.

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Friday, Saturday & Sunday 2nd, 3rd and 4th April 2010

Join Rachel for a whole weekend of yoga at BALANCE, Northampton with options for all levels of student including new beginners. For bookings, please contact Rachel on 07725120043 or email her direct at rachel@orangetreeyoga.com

Friday 7pm to 9pm General/Intermediate Class – £15
Saturday 10am to 12.30pm & 1.15pm to 3.45pm All Levels Day – £18 per session or £35 all day
Sunday 10am to 12pm New Students/Beginners Class – £15

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Join Rachel in March for two workshops – one in Northampton and the other in Winchester.

Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th MARCH 2010 – BALANCE Studio, NORTHAMPTON

11am to 1.30pm & 2pm to 4pm Saturday
1pm to 3pm Sunday

How to sequence yoga postures to calm the mind & help alleviate depression

The Saturday morning session is now fully booked so clients are invited to attend the afternoon session (only for students who practice inversions such as headstand and shoulderstand) or the extra all-levels session on Sunday 7th March from 1pm to 3pm.

Prices £18 for each session (suitable for all levels) or £35 for whole day on Saturday.  To book, contact Rachel at rachel@orangetreeyoga.com or call 0207 5588658.

13th MARCH 2010 – WINCHESTER, HAMPSHIRE

10am to 12.30pm, Church Rooms, St Mary’s Church, London Road, Kingsworthy

Yoga Morning for All Levels including Beginners.

£18 or £15 for unwaged – Please bring yoga equipment if you have it or contact Rachel to borrow kit.

Location details to be confirmed. Please contact Rachel to enquire.

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A message from Odanadi – a charity set up to prevent human trafficking throughout the world.

YOGA STOPS TRAFFICK is a one-day global Yoga event to raise awareness about human trafficking in India and arcross the world.

On MARCH 13th 2010 Yogis everywhere will roll out their Yoga mats to take a stand against trafficking and show their support to its millions of victims.

Kicking-off from the grounds of the Mysore Royal Palace, YOGA STOPS TRAFFICK INDIA will be led by a group of young people from local anti-trafficking organisation Odanadi Seva Trust, many of whom are survivors of slavery, domestic abuse and forced prostitution. Over the years Astanga Yoga has come to play a vital role in their rehabilitation program: building their physical and mental strength, restoring a sense of peace, confidence and self-worth.

Get involved by organising your own YOGA STOPS TRAFFICK event at your local yoga centres, living rooms, parks or any other public spaces – just use your imaginations.

To request more information, promotional materials, fundraising suggestions or to find out more about Odanadi please contact Sean Cleere or Sarah Harris at yogastopstraffick@gmail.com. Or just visit our website www.odanadi-uk.org.

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Please find below a link to the newly launched Curracloe House Yoga Centre website, where we will be hosting our first of I’m sure many Iyengar Yoga holidays in Wexford, Southern Ireland.  The Centre is run by the wonderful Iyengar teacher, Christine  Fisk, who has turned her beautiful space into a retreat for yoga and nature lovers.  Here is a small extract from her new website:

Curracloe House Yoga Centre

Curracloe House Yoga Centre is situated at the rear of an Irish Georgian Farmhouse and has wooded grounds and farm environment. The estate is situated at the edge of an area of great natural beauty and is habitat to one of the largest migrant bird populations in the world.

Curracloe Beach & Raven Wood

There is a 12-mile long sandy beach 5 minutes walk from the front gate, excellent for walking and swimming. The Centre is adjacent to Raven Wood, 300 acres of forest planted on the sand dunes about eighty years ago to stabilise the dunes at the point.

Time at Curracloe House Yoga Centre is quiet, peaceful and refreshing. As Gibran notes:

“In the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.”

www.curracloehouse.com

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One of our favourite brunch recipes from the Quinta Mimosa (Portugal) kitchen.  Thanks to Carol for this GORGEOUS chocolate cake which contains NO WHEAT but ACRES OF CHOCOLATE and is best served with fresh fruit & crème fraîche or alternatively lashings of cream/ice cream/chocolate sauce – well, why not?  After an invigorating morning class of backbends, holiday guests were very appreciative of this healthy-ish treat.  Enjoy.

200 gms butter

1 cup sugar (white or brown or mixed)

400 gms dark chocolate

grated peel of 1 orange

half cup of coarsely chopped hazlenuts

2 tbsp finely ground hazlenuts (you can also use walnuts, almonds or chopped cherries or a combination)

6 eggs whisked together

Set over to 150°c.  Line a 12″ (approx) tin with greaseproof paper.

Melt butter, sugar and chocolate and stir in the orange.  Leave to cool for 5 mins.

Add chopped and ground nuts and eggs.  Whisk well.

Pour into tin and cook for 12 mins.  The cake will puff up high and the surface will crack.

To test if cooked (other than eating it), insert a sker and it should come out clean.

Eat and enjoy!

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Forthcoming workshops at BALANCE Yoga Studio in Northampton, East Midlands Iyengar Group, Milton Keynes, Masonic Hall in Lyme Regis and many other events are planned from 30th January 2010 onwards.  Please visit the main Classes and Events page for more information and bookings.

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Saturday 28th November 2009

BALANCE Yoga & Pilates Studio, Northampton

We had a wonderful yoga day today in Northampton with the studio full to capacity for the morning session and an enthusiastic group staying for the afternoon session.  The theme this month was Inversions & Backbends.  We spent the morning studying different preparatory postures building strength, flexibility and understanding for the more advanced inversions such as Headstand, Handstand and Elbow Balance.  One lady was able to achieve a headstand for the first time in her 47 years, even though she had been practising yoga for around 30!

In the afternoon we looked at a variety of back-bending postures such as upward facing dog (urdhva mukha svanasana), camel pose (ustrasana) and upward facing bow pose (urdhva dhanurasana).  Lots of preparatory work was done to stretch the thighs and open the groins as well as opening the upper body and strengthening the arms and shoulders.  We finished with a lifted back arch to help those who had trouble lifting up and straightening their arms.

Thanks to everyone for coming, it was a wonderful day and I look forward to seeing you all again in February.

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We enjoyed a great morning of yoga at the lovely Yoga Akasha Yoga Studio in East Grinstead, West Sussex.  I hope to return there next year for more of the same!  When we arrived the early morning class were just leaving and everyone looked very calm and relaxed – so we began the morning with a lovely atmosphere left to us by the previous class.

My mother accompanied us and as always, inspired all the younger students to carry on with their yoga – although in her late 70’s she is still fit and active and puts it down to her years of yoga practice, swimming and walking.

The morning began with a few moments of quiet reflection, shoulder and chest opening poses followed by standing postures supported at the wall to give focus on the back body, postural alignment and opening across the pelvis.  The two pregnant ladies appreciated the wall support too especially when it came to the balancing posture, Ardha Chandrasana!   The last third of the morning consisted of extended supine and recuperative postures with deep awareness of the connection of the body and breath to still the mind and deeply relax the body.

Yoga Akasha is a wonderful city centre yoga space and I look forward to returning there next year for more workshops.

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