Inspire Yoga

Downward facing dog is a basic pose that is accessible to most beginners, for advanced practitioners this posture is considered a resting pose! In setting up the pose make sure your arms are shoulder distance apart and your knees are hip-distance apart, tuck your toes under and actively push your hands and feet into the mat. Straighten your legs and push your hips upwards as your back cascades downwards. A Relaxing Yoga Positions for Beginners That Increases Stamina There are 3 stages of advancement of reaching the full pose: straight arms, straight back and straight legs. Take each stage as a prerequisite to moving on to the next; there is no point trying to straighten your legs if your elbows are bent and your back is rounded. If you feel tired do not compromise the posture by bending your arms and hunching your shoulders forwards, instead feel free to bend your knees and allow your back to lengthen further. Push your hands down into the mat with your fingers spread apart...

It’s a sad fact that today’s youth are plagued with pressure- high expectations to attain academic success, to excel in sports, hobbies and leadership positions and with the onslaught of social media minute by minute comparisons among peers exacerbates the problem. Isn’t childhood supposed to be the time in our life where we are carefree and adventurous? As a parent it can be a tough time supporting a child who isn’t coping well, instead of simply labelling it as a maladaptive behavior, anxiety or character traits, let’s do what we can to identify the problem and nurture our child in a holistic way so that they feel supported as they learn how to traverse the information overload of the digital age. Stress is epigenetic, it gets passed down as a behavior, then a habit than the normalization of being on high alert. Where do they pick this up from? They model what they see, at home and at school, it’s completely acceptable that adults are stressed on a daily basis, that they deal wit...

Many of us want to be more flexibile but pushing too much and too soon can be dangerous. Here are 5 tips on how to practice  deep stretching  in a safe and controlled manner. Here we explain what it means to respect and listen to your body to ensure your yoga practise does not cause any damage or excessive stretching. Pain in the best indicator of something going wrong This is a primal mechanism that we should not ignore. We know the difference between a gentle pull on the back of our legs during our first forward bend and the pain from a pulled ligament when we are prematurely forcing our head to our knees in a forward bend. If you feel any sharp pain- STOP! Slowly come out of the pose and alert your teacher. Stay in control Be sure to maintain the pose and be able to slowly move into another pose. Don’t jerk from one pose to another, even if you are flowing with your breath be sure your muscles are engaged at all times and are controlling the movement-...

Learning how to relax is fundamental to our physical and mental well-being. After a stressful day our bodies and minds may not be able to relax and when lying down to rest or sleep your muscles may continue to carry a certain amount of residual tension which over time can be a constant drain on your energy resources. Corpse pose, or Sivasana, helps to train our minds to consciously let go of any strain, mental and physical in order for us to reach a state of deep relaxation. When lying in bed tossing and turning to find sleep try lying flat on your back and tense up every muscle in your body, hold it for a few seconds and let it go, feel yourself sinking down into your bed and the tension drifting away. Another exercise you can try is to visualise any tension drifting away as you relax each part of your body from your feet up to your head feeling your whole body heavy and your mind completely calm, taking deep breaths in and long, slow exhalations. If this helps to relax you ...

As we welcome 2018 it is important to prioritize our long term health. It is common knowledge that yoga brings strength and flexibility. The importance of strength that yoga brings is accepted as developing your muscles to take the weight off your bones so your joints stay healthy in the later stages of life, we develop our musculoskeletal structure so we are able age well. However, there is a misconception that the modern man doesn’t need flexibility- that it is only for ballerinas and gymnasts! This article hopes to clear up that misconception once and for all. With flexibility and proper body alignment you will notice that most of your movements feel smoother and can be preformed with ease, with minimal resistance. The yogic ideal of movement encourages the body to move freely and increases your range of motion. By regular practicing asanas you will begin to experience your spine and muscles become more supple thereby preventing joint stiffening and muscle shortening that of...

From the time we enter the world to the time we leave; our breath is with us every moment. Breathing is the critical sign of vitality- however if we are not breathing correctly it can drain our energy. The breath itself can help bring life and energy to the body- that is why in yoga we treat it as the fabric of health and wellness. The human body can go 3 weeks without food, 10 days without water but only 3 minutes without breathing- our breath is our most important source of energy. In yoga, breathwork is called Pranayama, Prana means energy, so these breathing exercises facilitate the movement of energy. Stress causes tension and tightness around the neck and shoulders, affecting our posture to slouch which restricts our breathing. The full contraction and relaxation of muscles is thwarted causing the volume of the chest cavity to increase and decrease to a much smaller proportion than their capacity. The result? The breath becomes shallow and short, to compensate for the small...

Mindful movements provide a productive outlet to release pent up energy that would otherwise make us feel aggressive and anxious, helping us to feel more relaxed and experience better quality sleep. Exercise decreases the risk of developing certain diseases especially high blood pressure and cholesterol. Chronic stress physiologically releases a hormone called adrenaline which contributes to increased risk of heart disease, signs of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, exercise decreases stress levels and regulates adrenaline levels keeping heart disease at bay. The mindful movement is an embodied learning, it releases endorphins but also forces us to pay attention to our breathing that promotes feelings of calm and wellness and frees us from the cycle of negative thought patterns.  The movement paired up with breath awareness releases stress, physiologically the release of hormones from the exercise decreases the risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol  from...

Brain health is intrinsically connected to wellness. Do you feel like your mental sharpness is predetermined? Your intelligence and memory will fade over time? In this workshop we demystify the brain and mind to bring tangible differences in how much you retain, absorb and learn. Discussing diet, lifestyle and awareness we are able to change our state of mind from stressed to active which transforms our ability to think and assimilate information. The takeaways from the workshop you can expect are as follows -The one food that promotes inflammation and decay -The role of stress on the brain -Breathing techniques to balance right and left hemisphere of the brain The first step to making a change is to bring awareness of the problem, these seminars facilitate open discussion and reflection so we are more empowered to direct effort into healthier habits and more sustainable practice. We combine yoga and mindfulness with scientific research and findings for an effective wor...

Have you ever noticed yourself slouching at your desk or during a meeting? For those who sit in front of a computer 8-10 hours a day, it is inevitable that your body suffers from stiffness around the neck, shoulders and back areas. If stiffness is not timely released, the physical stress could eventually lead to other issues, such as chronic pain and potential risk in restricting blood flow. More than often than not, many living and working in this hectic city have limited time on hand to go out of their way to attend yoga classes in a studio; because of this, home practices and private yoga lessons become crucial and beneficial to sustain a healthy work-life balance. Further, spending 15 minutes a day –  whether in the morning, midday before the lunch break, coming out of a dreadful meeting, or late in the evening –  is one of the best ways to release stiffness, improve posture, and foster this lifelong habit. After a long night of sleep, your body needs time to adj...

How does stress affect our breathing? We experience stress as the ‘fight or flight’ response which is rooted in the emotion of fear stimulated it is governed by the limbic brain. This causes a physiological domino effect causing us to hold our breath or hyperventilate, causing muscles to tighten, the heart rate to increase, cortisol levels to raise and sustained periods of this leads to lower immunity, sleep disruption, digestive issues, lower fertility rates, and premature aging. What connects the stimulus on a mental level (stress) to a physical manifestation (deterioration of health)? It’s the breath! By addressing breathing patterns we can reverse engineer the effects of stress to ensure we stave off the adverse health conditions. Setting up the  breathing exercise Long Back, Fluid Breaths A long extended spine allows for maximum lung capacity breathing, fluid breaths. As we breathe in first fill up the abdomen then the rib cage and finally ...

Neck and shoulder stiffness is a common symptom for people in the modern era. Postural habits are the ultimate culprit. Too many corporate warriors and office dwellers spend long hours in front of the computers.  When we are stuck physically idle in the same position for hours with minimal movements, the muscle and connective tissue tend to be dehydrated and weakened. The next most common cause for problematic neck and shoulders is smartphone usage. Since the birth of the smartphone, wifi and unlimited data plan, people of all ages are constantly on their device for a long period of time.  The increased usage of the mobile phone becomes a mindless action during commute; it is so severe that many people are not aware of their poor postural habit. Next time, take a few minutes and observe your train/bus/ferry ride – you will be surprised to see the number of people slouching. Fortunately, this poor postural habit can be corrected consciously. The most natural way to hydrate ...

Feeling a dip in energy in the middle of the day is inevitable, especially when you already had your morning cup of coffee and wanted to limit caffeine is a new years resolution. The great news is that there are many ways to give ourselves a nudge and stay focused for the rest of the day.  Controlled breathing techniques are arguably the most powerful tool; as a quick fix to brain fog, there are different ways to breathe to reach different results. One of the easiest ways is to close your eyes softly, take 10 long deep breaths, and count down in your heart. Stay seated at your desk with your spine neutral, avoid leaning toward the back of your chair.          With your right hand, use the thumb for the right nostril and the ring finger for the left side, and feel free to fold the index and middle fingers down.          To begin, take a full breath with both nostrils first.    ...

There has been a growing trend in Hong Kong’s  wellness industry  towards corporate wellness, is catching o because it is now what is popular or are there actual bottom line results to investing in employee wellbeing? The short answer is yes, investing in employee health and satisfaction has proved with many multinational companies that are making a positive impact on the profitability of the firm. Tech was first to adopt  wellness practices in the workplace , financial institutions and law firms are quickly following suit as they are threatened by high burn out rate due to sustained high-stress levels in the office. Here is the 3 main benefits corporate wellness programs advocate: Increased job satisfaction Learning practical tools in how to release stress, align posture and undo the occupational tension from being in front of the desk all day not only allows employees to feel better in their body, they also feel better in themselves and feel better about being...