Inspire Yoga

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...

We are all conscious beings, but how many of us live in consciousness? Are you aware of your own thoughts? Do you get carried away with your emotions? Are you present to your surroundings or lost in your inner world? Our minds are so sophisticated we tend to go along with the ebb and flow of our stream of thought not realizing that we are greater than this current. When we are just with ourselves, our breath, our energy we feel a deep sense of connection and vitality, this is the point that yoga is reaching. We do poses and breathing exercises to eventually silence the mind and connect with our innermost energy, our life force, this brings us the peace and fulfillment that we go on searching in the outside world. But somehow we get stuck, fixating on the benefits yoga has on the body many of us aren’t able to explore deeper and access is deeper value. Our  breathing and meditation program  is designed to bring you to a state where you are functionally optimally in every ...

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...

When we are in stressful situations and in toxic relationships, we can’t help but feel helpless, our thoughts get stuck replaying a negative feedback loop, reliving difficult experiences and feeling the hurtful emotions associated to the events. How do we move from feeling victimized to empowered? When we try to control our outside environments we soon realize that there is only a limited amount of force we can exert and actually we don’t have a say in how others think or act. However, when we move from blaming others as the source of our problem to reflecting within, it is how we are affected, how we respond and how we come across that govern our frame of mind and yet we relinquish total control of our inner environment to the ebb and flow of the external environment.   Can you change? Don’t you feel lost and insecure when you are stressed? And when you are peaceful isn’t it easy to feel loving, generous and kind? Our negative emotions are grouped together, fear, anger,...

Are you constantly watching air pollution to determine whether or not it’s a good idea to be outside with the kids? When PM 2.5 measure is high it’s said to be dangerous were going for an outdoor run may be more harm than good to your lungs, that’s a lot of chemical particles we are exposed to in Hong Kong.  We usually look to air purifiers to at least maintain clean air when we are indoors, do you have one at home? I do believe living in a highly sterilized environment thwarts our immune function as exposure to free radicals allows the body to metabolize the waste however if we are constantly breathing in polluted air when doing our lungs get a break, the body is so busy sorting out the dirt in the air that it puts vital functioning like energy directed to repairing the lungs on hold. Children  are especially susceptible to respiratory problems aggravated by the pollution, of course, adults are not spared either! Wouldn’t it be amazing if there was an air filtration s...

The Importance Of Sleep To know the importance of sleep we have to discuss the restorative benefits of sleep. According to the study of Stanford University sleep has 4 stages. Every stage of sleep has different benefits. Let discuss one by one 1.  Light Sleep —  Often defined by the presence of slow eye movements, this drowsy sleep stage can be easily disrupted causing awakenings or arousals. It’s a stage of light sleeping. 2.   Onset Of Sleep —  This is a stage in which muscle relaxes, body temperatures drop, heart rate slows and breathing rates slows. 3.   Restorative Sleep —  In this stage   of sleep, nervous system repairs and recover, new memory and information is processed, energy restored, blood pressure decrease, circulatory system repairs and recovers, blood flow muscles increases and growth hormones release and repair muscles, bones and internal system. 4.   REM Sleep  — It‘s also known as Rapid Eye Movement sleep, is most commonly k...

Yoga Postures to release Tight Hips - From an anatomical perspective, the hips are the site of coordination between movement in the back and legs. Our bodies are made to move, when we are waking we are biologically designed to have our muscles active, either by running, walking, standing or squatting. Or all these movements require fluid hip joints. However, what happens when we spend most of your lives slouched in a chair, either at our desks, in front of the TV, in the car or at a meal? The last 50 years have dramatically changed our lifestyle, due to automation very little physical labour is required causing a predominantly sedentary lifestyle. This is certainly less energy consuming and more comfortable in the short term but the inactivity is causing our muscles to waste away resulting in long term health ramification for the entire population. The first sign that you are sitting for too long is that you will feel a tightness in around your hips, this is due to a co...

Corporate & Workplace Yoga Benefits Would you like to feel more relaxed in the office? Is sitting at your desk all day making you feel tight and tense? Inspire Yoga is a pioneer provider in  Corporate Yoga programs in Hong Kong . Typically we offer an expert yoga teacher to host weekly classes held in the convenience of your workplace shared among colleagues or exclusive yoga training clinics for executives. The practice is open for all levels and aimed to relieve occupational tension and release stress. Yoga postures focus on freeing the neck, shoulders, back, and hips from stiffness and gentle mobilizations to improve circulation. Mindful meditations and breathing techniques help to restore balance, bring clarity of mind and elevate energy levels. Each practice concludes with a guided relaxation to feel refreshed and energized for renewed motivation throughout your team. Gain From Corporate Yoga & Mindfulness Practices ✓ Increase in job satisfaction ...

We have all heard that its good to meditate , but do you know why? If you are convinced by the scientific facts behind meditation chances are you are more likely to dedicate consistent time towards the practice. Let’s start with a reflection, are you truly happy? Would your life to be more joyful and peaceful? In the modern day, we are plagued with the notion that more is better. That if we emulate a certain lifestyle, acquire certain possessions, embody a certain fashion it will lead us to happiness. Living in a fast-paced city of Hong Kong, with a sensory overload of stimulus and advertisements we are bombarded with a value that we need ‘x’ to feel better. That somehow right now, as we are, we are not enough. This sense of unworthiness is deep-rooted in our society, take a look at the rising rates of anxiety and suicide amidst the climb in the standard of living, the amenities, the healthcare, the education, the availability of food and water. With more the basic needs provide...

Before we can solve the problem, first we have to understand what stress is and why we urgently need to learn about its role in our society. The Oxford dictionary definition of stress is: a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. Dating back to our caveman ancestors, stress was a survival mechanism to physically respond to danger. When stressed, the body thinks it’s under attack and adopts a ‘fight or flight’ mode releasing a complex mix of hormones and chemicals into the bloodstream such as cortisol and adrenaline. The rush of energy from increased levels of cortisol causes an agitated or aggressive response when stressed. Adrenaline primes the body for action, blood flow is redirected to the muscles in preparation to run away from danger, but now that the threat is more the thought of a deadline rather than an approaching tiger the lack of physical activity sustains the stress levels over time and causes muscle stiffnes...