Free your mind

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21st century, aced it, anxious, best friend, bigger picture, bottle, brain, breath, breathing, brisk walk, changes, chill out, close friend, count to ten, desk based jobs, destructive, dwell, endorphins, enjoy, every day, face to face, focus, free fall, free your mind, fresh air, fun, harder and harder, harsh, heart beat, ideas, inside, interview, job, jump to conclusions, laugh, Life is short, Live in the moment, living, long hours, look, make a list, manageable chunks, missing out, mode, month, more to life, mum, new job, on the ball, on trend, one step, over worked, partner, positive, quick swim, regroup, Relax, revolves, right now, sit back, situation, social media, step back, stop, stressed, talk, think back, time, tired, tomorrow, under paid, week, work, world, worst-case scenarios, you

Stressed?

Over worked and under paid?

Tired?

Anxious?

Far from being words that are banded around for the sake of it, for many of us this is the reality of 21st century living.

We are expected to be on the ball, on trend and down with the kids 24/7 and sometimes, things can get a bit too much.

We have put together some easy ideas of how to free your mind so you can relax and chill out once in a while rather than constantly having your brain in free fall mode.

Breath
Before you do anything else, sit back, count to ten and breath. Focus on your breathing, feel the air go into your body and out and just stop for a few minutes and regroup.

Talk
After breathing, comes talking. If you bottle everything up, then it is only going to get worse and seem harder and harder to deal with. Open up to your partner, mum or a close friend and they may have ideas about how you can make changes and find a positive way forwards.

Live in the moment
Whatever is making you anxious right now, isn’t going to last. Breakdown what is bothering you into manageable chunks and tackle it one step at a time. For example, if you are moving house you might feel overwhelmed, but step back, make a list, work out what needs to be done and if you can, delegate.

Not this again
If you are worried about an interview, think back and see if was the same the last time you went for a new job? If it was, and you got the job, what are you worried about? You aced it last time and we bet it will be the same the time round too.

It’s not all about you!
Harsh we know, but not everything that happens in this world is about you. Yes we can all feel put upon or have our sensitive days, but thinking every situation revolves around you in some way can be really destructive and you could be missing out on a lot of fun.

Look at the bigger picture
Ask yourself whether the issue that is on your mind right now will still be there tomorrow, in a week or in a month. It is unlikely it will be, so regroup, relax and look at what is going on in the world and see there is more to life than a difficult boss or messy flatmate.

Preparing for the worst
I will lose my job. He is going to dump me. She doesn’t want to be my best friend anymore. We tend to jump to conclusions and dwell on the worst-case scenarios and this can lead to stress and depression. It is far better to talk to the person involved face to face and find out what is really going on before you make yourself ill believing the world is about to end.

Take some exercise
Social media, long hours and desk based jobs mean many of us get less exercise than ever. Try to get some fresh air every day and even if you have a brisk walk or a quick swim, your heart beat will go up and the endorphins will pump good vibes around your body.

Laugh
If nothing else, remember to laugh. Life is short so make the most of it and enjoy every single day you have.

Team Pure Beauty

Yoga for Beginners

Tags

body, breathing, exercise, mind, relaxation, soul, yoga

If you’ve never tried yoga, where have you been?

As well as being a great way of getting that much needed ‘me’ time and zoning out of the everyday pressures life, regular yoga practice can change your physical and mental capacity, whilst preparing the mind and body for long-term health.

We have been speaking with Vicky Holmestock, Results with Lucy Yoga Expert, about just what yoga is and how to get started.

What kinds of yoga are there?
There are several different forms of yoga but all ultimately have the same aim which is to lead the practitioner to enlightenment.

In the west the most popular form of yoga is Hatha yoga, the practice of postures known in Sanscrit as Asanas. The postures are practiced to enable the practitioner to be able to sit comfortably for long periods of meditation. There are several styles of yoga that have been developed around the practice of Asana. The main styles you might come across are;

Hatha is a gentle form of yoga where participants rest between poses. It can be very relaxing but will still work the muscles hard and develop strength. All other forms of physical yoga are developed from the hatha yoga postures.

Astanga Yoga is a stronger practice that uses a set sequence of poses. You jump from one pose to the next making it quite physical. Classes are generally 1.5 to 2 hours.

Vinyasa and Dynamic yoga have been developed as a combination of the two. You flow from posture to posture, the main difference to Astanga is there is no set sequence.

Bikram and Hot Yoga are practised in a room heated to 105 degrees. Essentially hatha yoga poses are practised in the heat, Bikram uses a set sequence of postures. It is said the heat helps the body to detoxify and improves flexibility and potentially increases weight-loss. Although the latter has not been proven.

What is your advice for new beginners looking to incorporate yoga into their lifestyle?Yoga is said to be the only form of exercise that when practised leaves you with more energy than when you started. It is a lovely complement to an existing exercise regime or can be done as the main form of exercise. It will help you to develop flexibility, strength and power and the more dynamic forms also offer a cardio vascular workout. Alongside the physical benefits you will learn to relax and feel energised and balanced.

I highly recommend a twice-weekly practice to really feel the benefits. With online programmes like Results with Lucy it is now possible to enjoy 15 min practices that are easier to fit into your schedule although classes can be an hour long with great benefits. You have the added benefit of being able to work with world-class teachers whose sessions you might not normally be able to get to.

What equipment is needed for new beginners?
The lovely thing about yoga is you don’t need any equipment and very limited space. You can do it anywhere in the world and keep up your practice whilst on holiday, travelling with work or at home.

Ideally you would use yoga mat which has the benefit of being non slip but in the absence of a mat a towel is great too. Yoga mats can be purchased from as little as £5.

How is yoga different to Pilates?
Yoga is quite different to Pilates as it is a spiritual based practice that works on both the mind and body.

There is a strong focus on the breath in yoga, which aids the focusing of the mind and energises the body. The breathing in Pilates is also important but tends to be the opposite to yoga in terms of the inhalations and exhalations and movement of the abdominal wall.

In a physical sense yoga poses tend to be held for 30-90 seconds whilst Pilates utilises short repetitive motions. This difference means the muscles are worked very differently.

How long should you do yoga for at any one time for it to be of benefit?
Any practice is better than none. If you are short on time 15 minutes twice per week will still be great. If you have more time a complete session of an hour will work the whole of the mind and body and give time for a relaxation at the end. The relaxing is as important as the postures.

What are the different types of yoga taught on RWL?
Results with Lucy has a really varied yoga offering, there are relaxations, breathing exercises, dynamic flow sequences, 3D Yoga (a form that incorporates functional movements and is great for injury rehab and prevention) and traditional hatha yoga.

Are there any food types people should avoid before and after doing yoga? If so, why?
It is best to avoid eating 2-3 hours before a class. The postures are designed to massage the internal organs of the body and will aid digestion, on a full stomach it can be uncomfortable to get into some of the forward bends or supine positions.

A lot of yogis follow a vegetarian diet but this is not essential to your practice and is something to explore as you develop.

So what are you waiting for, yoga seems to have something for everyone with some great benefits.