The 8 Limbs of Yoga is integral to deepening your yoga journey and is the centrepiece of a truly yogic lifestyle. One of the key breathing techniques of Pranayama, the fourth limb of yoga, is the Ujjayi breath. Performed properly, Ujjayi can be both energizing yet calming to the mind…
Breathing during yoga practice What makes yoga what it is, and not gymnastics or any other workout, is the synchronization of breath and movement. I never understood this philosophy in the early days of doing yoga until the day I was introduced to ujjayi breathing in Ashtanga Yoga and realised…
Uddiyana means “to rise up” or “fly.” Uddiyana bandha, also known as the abdominal lock, creates tension in the core, resulting in a natural upward flow of energy that is required to support the abdominal organs and spine. This is opposite to the Mula Bandha (root) lock which brings the…
Jalandhara Bandha, or the throat lock, is one of the three energetic "locks" used in asana and pranayama (controlled breath) practice to control and harness the flow of energy through the body. For many, the practice of Jalandhara Bandha tends to be less frequent than the other two key locks…
If you’ve struggled with arm balancing yoga poses, you’re not alone. It took more than a few face planting before I finally floated and fly into my first crow pose (and another few years before I could do more advanced poses such as Koundinyasana 1 or Koundinyasana 2). You’ve probably…
For many beginner yogis, the important thing in a yoga class will probably to follow the teacher’s cues and to survive the class if it’s one of the tougher styles of yoga. As you progress in your yoga journey, you’ll start to learn about proper alignment, yoga breathing or synchronising…
Many of us like to be able to do yoga at home through online yoga classes when we are not able to attend a studio class. These online yoga classes are usually video-based and are a great way to keep your yoga at home sessions fresh while allowing you control…