A common mistake in yoga is to keep tension in the shoulders in a lot of the poses. Whilst the focus is elsewhere it can be difficult to remember the shoulders but it is essential if you want to eliminate any stiffness and to combat the aches that come as a knock on effect from shoulder tension, such as a stiff neck and discomfort in the upper back and even facial tension.

A good way to think about the shoulders are to keep them rolling down, away from the ears, especially in poses such as cobra and open leg forward bend. Yet even in poses such as Warrior II and Tadasana (Moutnain Pose) be aware of the shoulders as chances are you will not be relaxing them! In poses where the arms are extended overhead, feel the lift coming through the torso as opposed to through the hands and don’t forget that if you have any shoulder problems the you do not need to go to full extension, keep a bend in the arms. You can also try adding in neck and shoulder rolls at the end of your practice to eliminate any remaining tightness.

This year has gone so quickly! We would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and New Year! We will be filming a Christmas Yoga Baby soon and will rejoin you again in the New Year with a new set-up! I am looking forward to getting into the studio and we are even going to change the title sequence to include Heidi who is now a big part of the show too! Only yesterday when Matthew and I were sitting looking at some paperwork, we looked up and the two rascals were playing together on the rug in the lounge. Miller was in Down Dog, waving through his legs at us with one hand and Heidi was perfecting her Dancer. What have I started?…. Namaste!

Suitable for new mothers (see second variation shown above until ready to progress) and a great pose for everyone!

Lying face down, begin by placing the hands under the shoulders, palm down on the floor or mat. Keep the elbows close in to the body and push down into the hands to gently lift the head and upper body away from the floor.

Keep long in the spine by not just lifting up but also reaching forwards with the spine. Take the shoulders away from the ears and back a touch.

To begin with either keep the elbows on the floor of lift just a little, especially if like in the second picture, your little one is on your back! When you feel ready push up to lift the elbows up. Keep the feet and the legs firmly on the floor.

REASONS TO DO COBRA/BHUJANGASANA:

Strengthens the spine, opens the chest and shoulders, tones the abdominals and massages the internal organs, works the buttock muscles and can be an energising stretch after a busy day!

If you watch babies and toddlers you will see they have flexible bodies and a fluidity of movement. They carry their weight forwards and sit in a variety of positions, always moving from one position to another. They naturally fall into yoga asanas which is why it is wonderful to practice with them, it is ourselves who find the moves more unnatural, to them it is second nature. Yet if fluidity of movement and flexibility come naturally, why teach yoga to little people?

There are many benefits of yoga practice with your children and not just that is is so much fun and that mummy gets a lot out of it too. For children it is a time when they can both move yet also come to a moment or two of stillness, to allow their bodies to stretch, help their digestion and help their bodies and minds relax which is sometimes truly difficult for an excitable child!

When a baby or toddler has tummy ache you can encourage them to join you (or just assist them) into a gentle knees to chest pose (often called ‘wind removing pose’), tummy positions such as cobra (lying tummy down, hands under shoulders and lifting head and shoulders), half plank (holding the start position of a press-up) and downward dog (from plank pose lift the hips into an inverted V shape) all aid strength for crawling, getting down from places they have climbed upto (!) and exploring. As with other poses which you will be doing during the shows, as your little one begins to join you, there are a variety of poses which will help them with sitting and standing. Even if they do not do the yoga, as you do it they will enjoy your movements, especially when you are low to the floor and will likely use you as an aid to sitting, standing and walking!

The best thing to do is have a rough idea of the poses that you can do together, like you in savasana (corpse pose, lying face up on the floor) with your baby in the same pose ontop of you, lying on the floor in happy baby pose or knees to chest pose (and helping your baby follow suit), playing peek a boo in cobra pose and taking bridge position (lying on back, bring knees in towards the sitting bones and lift hips) lying next to each other or with your baby enjoying the ride (if you are strong enough) as you have them sitting or lying with you. After this, just enjoy and adapt. I am sure your child will find some new, unheard of positions that might be fun to try with them as long as you are careful (!) and combined this should make for a loving, fun and extremely beneficial experience for everyone involved.

Easy version is suitable for new mothers but wait at least six months before taking the hands to the feet as it takes the uterus time to return to it’s pre-pregnancy position.

Easy / Beginners version. Sit on the knees as shown, keep the knees and feet hip distance apart. Place the hands on the lower back and gently move the hips forwards a little. Then move the shoulders backwards whilst trying to keep the hips where they are. Lift the chin and open the chest.

Full Version. When you have improved with the back bending poses and feel strong and flexible enough, lower one hand at a time to the ankles as shown in the picture. It is important to keep the hips forwards so if you cannot do this without folding the hips down towards the feet, you must stay with the first version of the pose. If the hands can hold the ankles, drop the head back and try and maximise the back bend. *Note, make sure you are warmed up for this position, never take it first in a routine. It will also help your flexibility if you take a forward bend following this asana.

REASONS TO DO CAMEL POSE / USTRASANA:

Opens the chest (great for nursing mothers) and greatly improves flexibilty of the spine. Another fantastic reason to do Camel pose is it feels fantastic!

Suitable for new mothers. Take the shoulder stretch whilst comfortably sitting cross legged with a straight back or sitting on the knees.

Inhale and raise one arm above the head. Exhale and let the shoulder relax whilst the arm stays lifted. Inhale again and raise the arm and shoulder whilst looking up towards the hand. As you exhale again, let the elbow bend. The hand will slowly lower behind the head as the elbow remains high. Keep your breathing slow and under your conscious control as you take and hold the stretch as follows: Move the other arm so that the hand is holding the lifted elbow. Try and walk the fingers down the back a little to maximise the stretch. Note the placement of the head. It is likely that you will have tilted the head forwards or sideways. Try as best as you can to bring the head back to the centre without too much strain on the neck. If you can move the supporting hand and the hand stays in place lighting touching the back, lower the support arm, bend it and move it behind the back, reaching up with the hand to try and reach the hand that is touching the upper back (see picture). Your hands will probably not meet to begin with and it is important not to overstretch, just allow the body time to open and with practice you will get closer and finally together. Watch the breathing, without conscious control you may hold the breath here. If you prefer, you can use a yoga strap (or belt or tie…) to place between the hands but don’t force anything. Hold the stretch as long as you feel is comfortable. When you release, inhale and separate the hands away from each other, the lower hand comes back to its starting point and the upper arms lifts straight up. As you exhale, lower the extended arm. Take a breath and repeat on the other side.

REASONS TO DO SHOULDER STRETCH:

Opens the chest, straightens and strenthens the spine, moves the shoulders back to allow more flexibility and counteract the stoop we often acquire. A great release movement if you have aches from carrying a baby (especially if you wear a sling or baby carrier) and relief from any nursing related discomfort..

Suitable for new mothers (when keeping the supporting leg bent and leg not taken too far) if not recovering from an episiotomy, otherwise wait until all healing has taken place.

Lie on the floor on your back. Take a few deep breaths and focus on trying to get the whole back in contact with the floor. Try also to minimise the gap under the back of the neck by lengthening the head and tilting the chin very slightly towards the chest. Bend both knees and place the feet hip distance apart on the mat. Take one leg and draw the knee into the body (very gently to begin with). Tighten the pelvic floor muscles (all new moms, this is good advise at any time of the day!) and begin to extend the lifted leg. Hold under the leg for support . The idea is not to get the leg perfectly straight but to maimise the stretch in the hamstrings and improve overall flexibility.

As you gain strength, draw the leg further up, thinking of taking it past the head instead of pulling it down towards the chest. You can then begin to straighten the supporting leg (wait at least 3 months after the birth and do not worry of you don’t feel like taking this extention until the body has fully recovered from birth, which incidentally takes around 9 months and always remember those pelvic floor muscles!).

REASONS TO DO LYING LEG LIFT:

Improves flexibility, lengthens the spine and will give a good basis for open leg and splits poses later on.

Suitable for new mothers if taken gently. Keep pelvic floor muscles held whilst in the pose.

Begin in a centred standing position at the top of your mat. Take one foot back, increasing the step as you gain confidence. Turn the back foot out  around 45 degrees to balance the body. Inhale and raise the arms up the sides of the body to reach above the head. Arms can be parallel or the hands can meet, palms together, middle finger lifting the arms. The arms position you choose will vary on how your shoulders are feeling. Exhale and bend the front leg, moving the body forwards. Just come down as far as you feel you can without overstretching at first. When you become more accomplished, the knee will bend to a right angle.

Pull the tummy in and stretch the spine. To lenghten the spine further, drop the hips, tucking the pelvis under, adding a stretch for the lower back. Keep breathing steady. The head position is looking forward or slightly upwards. To exit the pose, let the arms lift the body back, straightening the leg, exhale and lower the arms before stepping back to your starting position ready to take the other side.

REASONS TO DO WARRIOR I/VIRABHADRASANA I:

Gives the body a full stretch, improves strength in the arms, shoulders and legs, flexes the ankles, tones the waist and improves balance and focus.

Suitable for new mothers. Tighten the pelvic floor muscles during the lift.

Stand in a centred position with the spine lifted and head tall. Tighten and lift the tummy muscles. Lift one leg and try and raise to a right angle with the knee bent. Cross the opposite arm across the lifted leg and hold the leg on the outside. Do not pull the leg over but keep the knee pointing forwards. Place the other hand on the lower back and gently twist the upper body towards the side. Feel the movement moving through the waist and shoulders. Look to the side or gently behind but do not strain the neck. Keep control of the breath. Return slowly, bringing the upper body back to the front and lowereing the leg before repeating on the other side.

REASONS TO DO LEG LIFT & TWIST:

Helps regain balance (Pregnancy affects balance due to the change in the centre of gravity), tones thighs, buttocks and waist. Flexes the spine and releases the shoulder (especially great if you have been carrying a baby!)

Suitable for new mothers when hands supporting under the thighs and feet lifted just off the mat.

When strength has built, progress to the pictured pose, with kness bent and legs parallel to the floor. Try and keep the back in a natural line without sinking down too much and lift the chin slightly to keep the neck in alignment with the spine. The you can try and let go of the legs and let the hands extend towards the toes. At first just try and hold the hands out for a few seconds until you feel confident enough to hold the pose for longer.

As you regain your flexibility and stamina, you can extend the legs out fully, lifting the feet. Aim to get the feet level or a litle higher than the head, this may mean moving the upper body a little lower.

REASONS TO DO BOAT POSE/NAVASANA:

Strengthens the stomach muscles, improves balance and aids digestion