Monthly Archives: January 2015

Want to Teach Yoga or Deepen Your Yoga Practice? Laxmi Yoga 200hr Teacher Training starts in February

Want to Teach Yoga or Deepen Your Yoga Practice? Laxmi Yoga 200hr Teacher Training starts in February

Laxmi Yoga 200hr Teacher Training with Sally Parkes

Laxmi Yoga 200hr Teacher Training with Sally Parkes

If you want to teach yoga or would like to deepen your practice then you still
have time to sign up for the next Laxmi Yoga 200hr Teacher Training with Sally Parkes.

Taking place over weekends in London plus a residential week in Spain this recognised Yoga Alliance UK and Independent Yoga Network course allows you to teach internationally.

The first of the London weekends is 28th February-1st March. I’m looking forward to meeting all the new teacher trainees in April when I’ll be introducing the group to teaching Restorative Yoga and Yoga for Back Care.

For full details, plus to hear from past graduates click here to visit Sally’s website.

NEW Yoga Basics Course

NEW Yoga Basics Course

NEW Yoga Basics Course at evolve, South Kensington starts 12th February

NEW Yoga Basics Course at evolve, South Kensington starts 12th February

6-Week Yoga Basics Course – From Thursday 12th February 6.15-7.15pm at evolve, South Kensington

Would you like to experience and appreciate some of the many benefits yoga has to offer but feel nervous about joining a drop-in class? Join me on this 6-week course at evolve which is aimed at complete yoga beginners, but those with some yoga experience who would like to go back to basics are also welcome.

There are a maximum of 6 places available on this course to ensure that everyone receives individual guidance and tuition.

Over the duration of the course you will be guided through the fundamental yoga postures and practices in a warm, friendly environment. There will be an emphasis on breathing techniques and safe alignment along the way as we explore standing poses, forward and backward-bending, twists, seated and balancing poses and inversions. You will become aware of how your body feels and moves in each pose and learn how and where to modify to suit your body if or where necessary.

By the end of the course you should feel confident to attend open level classes or even practice at home, further exploring yoga at your own pace.

To register please click here or call evolve on 020 7581 4090.

1-2-1 Yoga

1-2-1 Yoga
1-2-1 Yoga

“I have one-to-one classes with Paula and I thoroughly enjoy them. Highly recommended!” – C. Dunning

1-2-1 Yoga in London – Hatha, Flow, Pregnancy & Restorative

Is one of your goals to begin a yoga practice in 2015? Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced practitioner you can benefit from private one-to-one yoga sessions. If you’ve never done yoga before this can be a great way to explore whether it is for you or to gain some confidence in your practice before joining a class.

One-to-one yoga lessons can take place at Embody Wellness in SW8 or evolve in SW7, with easy access to Central London, or another convenient venue at times to fit your schedule.

For more details and to get in touch about 1-2-1 Yoga please click here.

Make Your Own Raw Fruit & Nut Bars

Make Your Own Raw Fruit & Nut Bars

Homemade Cashew, Date, Chia & Cacao Snack Bars - Here's a few I made earlier

Homemade Cashew, Date, Chia & Cacao Snack Bars -Here’s a few I made earlier

Cashew, Date, Chia & Cacao Snack Bars

As I spend a lot of my time out about for work and therefore having no choice but to eat on-the-go I am always looking out for portable snacks. If I can make them myself then that’s all the better and usually cheaper too.

One of my current favourites is these Cashew, Date, Chia & Cacao Bars. I had a look at one of my favourite shop bought brands recently and decided to have a go at making my own. The result was a success! The joy of this is you can play with your own ingredient combinations (I’ve tried versions using coconut, linseeds and hemp protein, for instance). I use a high-speed blender to make mine, but a good food processor should also work though would take slightly longer.

Ingredients:
(Makes about 8 bars)
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup cashews
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup chia seeds
¼ cup cacao powder
¼ cup water*

(*NB – you may want to add more water as you go, depending on your desired consistency for your bars but I’ve found it is best to start with less to avoid a soggy mix that won’t hold together!)

Getting the ingredients together

Getting the ingredients together

Method:

Add all the ingredients to your blender – I chopped my dates beforehand and pulsed in the blender a few times to break up the nuts and dates a bit more.

Blend until all the ingredients have combined and formed into a ball. (Gauge whether you want to add more water or not as you go along.)

Place your blended ball onto a sheet of greaseproof paper (large enough to wrap). Shape and press into a big square.

Wrap your square up and put in the fridge for 1 hour (minimum).

Cut into bars – I wrap mine individually and store in the fridge, ready to eat!

Enjoy :)

Hand Wash Cold

Hand Wash Cold

Over the course of 2013 and 2014 on my U Can Yoga website I featured (mostly) yoga related books that I’ve really enjoyed and wanted to share with you. Book of the Month took a bit of a sabbatical in the latter half of 2014, but I am happy to say it has returned for 2015 and you’ll be able to find a new book recommendation each month on the dedicated Book of the Month page over at U Can Yoga. For anyone who has missed the titles featured so far, I will be including some my previous ‘Books of the Month’ here on this blog over the course of the year. In the meantime, here is the Book of the Month for January 2015 – Hand Wash Cold by Karen Maezen MIiller. I hope you enjoy:

Book of the Month - Hand Wash Cold by Karen Maezen Miller

Book of the Month – Hand Wash Cold by Karen Maezen Miller

Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions For An Ordinary Life by Karen Maezen Miller

“Happiness is simple. Everything we do to find it is complicated.” – Karen Maezen Miller

Could you imagine that the simplicity of household chores can become
opportunities for life lessons, self-examination and selflessness?

A friend lent me Hand Wash Cold last year and it turned out to be one of the best books I read in 2014. The author, Karen Maezen Miller is a Zen Buddhist priest and here, via a mix of personal anecdotes, insights and Zen wisdom, she writes about how changing our perceptions can help us find joy in the lives we already have, rather than thinking that fulfilment and bliss are somewhere ‘out there’. I admired the author’s openness about some of the difficult times in her past and acknowledging the self-absorption and ambition of her youth on the way to her finding steadiness in the life she has now. A wonderful read which manages to be both profound and playful. A great reminder that true happiness really comes from within and that it is possible to fall in love with the life you have today.