Yoga is so much more than the physical practice. This podcast explores all of yoga; what meditation is and the benefits, the roots, history and philosophy of yoga, how simple concepts can help us live a more peaceful life, and how to approach the physical aspect of yoga in a safe and beneficial way. If youāre brand new to yoga and wondering what itās all about, or youāre an experienced yogi looking to learn more about all of yoga - this podcast is for you.
Come explore how yoga improves interoception - your nervous systemās ability to sense, interpret and respond to signals from inside your body - and how this awareness could help you build more helpful habits, plus:
How yoga gives us opportunities to practise notice, interpret, respond
What research on mindfulness and body awareness could tell us about interoception
Why noticing a sensation without jumping into judging it can - in time- potentially lead to a different response or outcome
How ahimsa, the yogic principle of non-harm, can inform the way we respond to discomfort other than defaulting to coping mechanisms (i see you doom scrolling, online shopping, and more š)
Useful links:Ā
š§ Understanding interoception and yoga ā our introductory episode exploring what interoception is and why it matters, listen here
š Get practising - body scan for noticing sensation, get yours here
āļø Journal prompts for building interoception - Distraction (including doom-scrolling!), can sometimes offer short-term relief, and thereās no need to judge yourself for doing it. But when it takes you away from what matters to you, noticing earlier, might just open up another choice. Thatās the invitation in these gorgeous journal prompts - to notice, pause, respondā¦ Grab yours here
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š work with me
āļø lunchtime yoga resetĀ
Slide away from your desk and release tension, stretch out and find a little calm for the afternoon ahead. Beginners so welcome. Save your spot here
š¤ free challenge: 7 days of yoga nidra
I love Yoga Nidra! Come and practise it with me for seven days. Starts mon 19 October, online & self-paced, save your spot here
š 1:1 therapeutic yoga
Personalised support for anxiety, sleep issues, stress or back pain. Take a look here
Ā
š¦ 200 hour yoga teacher training
A welcoming, practical, neuroscience-informed training for people who want to teach yoga, or just learn more about it. Dive in, here
You've finally finished everything you needed to do. You've got some time to yourself. You've decided: right, now I'm going to relax.
Except... you're not relaxing, your mind is getting busier, you're becoming increasingly aware of how not relaxed you are, and now you're stressed about the fact that you can't seem to switch off.
In this episode of All of Yoga, we're exploring why trying to relax can sometimes become stressful in itself - and what you can do instead of sitting thereĀ trying to think your way to feeling calmer.
We'll explore what happens when relaxation is another task to complete, why thoughts that have been pushed into the background during a busy day become so LOUD when we stop, and the difference between distracting ourselves from those thoughts and actually giving them somewhere to go.
And, most importantly, I'll give you two really solid plans for when you have time to relax, but you're spiralling:
1. Free writing Grab some paper and write whatever is going through your mind. No grammar, no spelling, no making it sound sensible. Just giving those thoughts somewhere to land.
2. Get into your body Rather than trying to solve a busy mind with even more thinking, move your attention towards physical sensation. The accompanying body scan for this episode will help you practise noticing what's happening in your body without needing to judge it, change it or create a story around it.
You can practise sitting, standing or lying down ā when you wake up, when you finish work, when you need a break, or during one of those āI am supposed to be relaxing WHY AM I NOT RELAXED?ā moments.
Practice the Body Scan for Noticing Sensation
67. Wired but tired - why Yoga Nidra is such a powerful practice for deep rest
Youāre exhausted. Your body desperately wants to rest. But somehow, your mind is still going round and round and round.
If you know that wired but tired feeling, Yoga Nidra might be a super duper practice for you. Yoga Nidra has wildly increased in popularity over the last few years, with claims that it can replace hours of sleep, āresetā your nervous system, lower cortisol or activate your vagus nerve.
But what does the research actually tell us?
In this episode, we explore what Yoga Nidra is, what researchers are actually studying, and what the latest evidence tells us about its potential effects on stress, anxiety, mood and sleep.
Weāll explore: - what Yoga Nidra is - why falling asleep during Yoga Nidra isn't something you're doing āwrongā - findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis examining Yoga Nidra for stress, anxiety and depression - what anotherĀ systematic review tells us about Yoga Nidra for poor sleep and insomnia - research into physiological measures including blood pressure, heart rate and heart rate variability - the important limitations within the current Yoga Nidra evidence base - why Yoga Nidra might be particularly useful when you're physically exhausted but your mind won't settle
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š¤ free challenge: 7 days of yoga nidra š¤
I love Yoga Nidra! Come and practise it with me for seven days.Ā
Each day, I'll send you a guided Yoga Nidra to practise - different lengths, different focuses, different intentions.Ā
You don't need to know anything about Yoga Nidra, nor be "good at meditation", you don't even need to be able to clear your mind! You just need to get comfortable and let me guide you.Ā
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š work with me
āļø lunchtime yoga resetĀ
Slide away from your desk and release tension, stretch out and find a little calm for the afternoon ahead. Beginners so welcome. Save your spot
Interoception is a term that came up in last week's episode about understanding what slow breathing actually does to brain and body.
Interoception is your nervous system sensing, interpreting, and responding to signals coming from inside your body.Ā
For example, this can be as simple as knowing that you're hungry, that that sensation in your tummy is your digestive system communicating that it's time for some more food.Ā
So why is this a thing? Why is it relevant?Ā
Well, if you have the ability, the available time, and the mental bandwidth to pay attention to these signals and to understand what they mean, then you can do something about them.Ā
Maybe you notice, hmm, my shoulders are tense and tight. Hmm. This might then lead you to realise you've actually been pretty tense about this impending deadline, and so then you can take action. Maybe you go for a calming walk or even just do some mindful shoulder rolls at your desk.Ā
Ultimately it allows you to do something about improving the situation š
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š«¶ Your free resources
āļø Journal prompts for building interoception
Distraction (including doom-scrolling!), can sometimes offer short-term relief, and thereās no need to judge yourself for doing it. But when it takes you away from what matters to you, noticing earlier, might just open up another choice.Ā
Thatās the invitation in these gorgeous journal prompts - to notice, pause, respondā¦ Grab yours here
65. What slow breathing actually does to your brain and body
It's one of the most common pieces of advice we're given when we're stressed. AndĀ so, intuitively,Ā we know that changing the way we breathe can change the way we feel.
But why does slowing your breathing actually calm you down?
Breathing is unusual because most of the time your nervous system takes care of it without any conscious effort from you. But unlike many other automatic processes in the body, you can also deliberately change it - which gives us an interesting way of influencing some of the physiological processes associated with stress and regulation.
In this episode, we'll explore:
why breathing is both automatic and under voluntary control
what happens to your heart rate as you breathe in and out
respiratory sinus arrhythmia and why your heart doesn't beat at one perfectly steady rate
what the baroreflex has to do with breathing and blood pressure
why "a long exhale activates the vagus nerve" doesn't tell the whole story
why slower breathing isn't always better
what to do if breathwork makes you feel anxious or uncomfortable
interoception, your ability to sense what's happening inside your body
why practising with your breath when you're already relatively calm can help you develop a skill to draw upon when you're stressed
Most importantly, this isn't an invitation to breathe as slowly as you possibly can. Your breathing rate *should* change. You *need* to breathe faster when your metabolic demands increase, such as during exercise. And different breathing practices will suit different people at different times.
Ok, so why can slow breathing feel calming?
When you deliberately slow your breathing, you're affecting much more than the movement of air into and out of your lungs - breathing interacts with your heart rate, blood-pressure and the flow of information between your brain and body.
And when you consciously pay attention to your breath, you're also practising interoception: noticing and interpreting signals coming from inside your body.
Ok, so this is where we are. You've spent all day thinking, "Well, I can't wait to get home. I can't wait to sit down. I can't wait until everyone just stops needing things from me."
And then finally, nobody needs anything from you. You sit down, you choose something to watch (or to read or to listen to), but then two seconds later, you're up and doing a task, or you've got hold of your phone and you're scrolling, or you're tapping your foot, and you just cannot seem to switch off.
This podcast episode explores why itās so hard to switch off, and what we can do to make it (much) easier.Ā
We cover:
Why stopping what youāre doing doesnāt automatically switch off the stress response
What might be happening when you feel "wired but tired"
Why scrolling, watching TV or replaying your day might not give your brain the cues you hoped they would
Why lying down and trying to relax can sometimes leave you feeling even more restless
How movement after a stressful day may help you transition out of a period of activation
Why your yoga practice doesnāt always need to start with being still
A simple question to ask yourself when you notice you canāt switch off: do I need to move first?
Iāve recorded a short practice specifically for *that* moment when the doing is finished, but your brain and body havenāt got the flipping message, called Switching Off - Your Transition Into Rest, on Insight Timer, listen here
It combines movement, breath and mindfulness to help you make the transition from doing to switching off.
Use it after work, before bed, after a night shift, or anytime youāve stopped doing all the doing, but you still feel switched on.
š“ I love Yoga Nidra! Join my free 7-day Yoga Nidra challenge, starting 19 October. A different guided practice each day, in your own time. Save your spot hereĀ
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Cortisol is a baddy of the wellness world.
"Lower your cortisolā¦ Balance your cortisolā¦ Avoid foods that spike your cortisol." But cortisol isn't simply a "stress hormone" that we need to get rid of. It's an essential hormone involved in energy availability, metabolism, immune and inflammatory activity, and it follows its own daily circadian rhythm.
So what should cortisol be doing at bedtime? And if you're lying awake at 1am with a racing mind, does that mean your cortisol is 'too high'?
In this episode, we'll explore:
what cortisol actually is and what the HPA axis has to do with it
why high cortisol isn't automatically a sign that something is wrong
the natural daily rhythm of cortisol
fascinating newer research suggesting that the morning rise in cortisol begins before we wake up
why cortisol would normally be lower towards bedtime
what disrupted cortisol rhythms may have to do with sleep
why trying to "control your cortisol" can be an unhelpful way to approach sleep
how yoga can help create a deliberate transition from doing to resting
Rather than being a health metric measure (or worry about), I want to take some of the pressure off - if better sleep is the goal, you don't need to lie in bed wondering whether you've successfully lowered your cortisol. Instead, you can work with your brain and body to tell them:
The day is over. I don't need to keep doing. It's time to rest. š¤ š¤š¤Ā
From the outside, everything in your life 'looks fine'. But on the inside, your tummy is tense, you're gripping your jaw, and you've got this feeling that you've forgotten something... or that something is about to go wrong.Ā
This episode explores all of that through the lens of allostatic load... which is like this:Ā
š Homeostasis - stable internal environment
Allostasis - maintaining that stability through change
Allostatic load - getting towards the end of the ability to adapt.Ā
All your systems work through allostasis, including your nervous system. And when life just keeps on coming; even if there's nothing dramatically wrong (everything is fine!) if your systems don't have time to recover after adapting, it can take effect.Ā
So, give this episode a listen to understand more deeply, and then, ideally, take a moment to work out what your brain and body need to help recovery.Ā
In this episode I mention about how yoga philosophy has a similar view on this, too: The five layers (koshas) of you. Listen here or be guided through a yummy Yoga Nidra for the 5 layers of you here š
You've got this!Ā
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š work with me
āļø lunchtime yoga resetĀ
Slide away from your desk and release tension, stretch out and find a little calm for the afternoon ahead. Beginners so welcome. Save your spot
You're whizzing around the supermarket, ātense and I'm silently swearing at this slow person in front of you. Rushingāto get home, to cook, to get on the phone, then to get off the phone, to put the laundry away.
Except... there isn't actually any urgency.
I've had several conversations recently, both personally and professionally, with people whose lives have become less busy because they've retired, changed jobs or deliberately created more space in their lives.
But. They still always feel like they're in a rush.
Sometimes our old habits take a minute to catch up with our shiny new circumstances. So, if you're used to whizzing about, thinking about the next task and always squeezing more into the day - slowing down doesn't automatically happen when life is a little more spacious.
That phrase "old habits die hard" is popular because it's true, it describes this quite brilliantly.
If you'd like to be guided through taking a beat to stop rushing, I have a two-minute meditation on Insight Timer to guide you to slow down. Bookmark it and pop it on whenever you feel that temptation to rush. You can find it here šØĀ
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š work with me
āļø lunchtime yoga resetĀ
Slide away from your desk and release tension, stretch out and find a little calm for the afternoon ahead. Beginners so welcome. Save your spot here
š¤ free challenge: 7 days of yoga nidra
I love Yoga Nidra! Come and practise it with me for seven days. Starts mon 19 October, online & self-paced, save your spot
When life is life-y, it's common (and human) for our attention to be more on 'what's wrong'.Ā
The brain becomes busy scanning for problems, looking for what needs fixing and preparing for what might happen next. It's a normal part of being human, but, because the brain is so busy with this, it means we often overlook the small moments of joyfulness that exist in-and-amongst the challenges.
This gentle meditation is a step to undoing that a little.
Not to try to pretend 'everything is perfect!', but to take a moment to notice the small moments of something lovely, that's already there.
These moments may seem small, or insignificant in the face of the business of a modern life, but intentionally bringing your attention to them can help broaden your awareness beyond threat alone.Ā
I hope this short meditation is, in itself, a small moment of joy in your day.Ā
Enjoy.Ā
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š work with me
āļø lunchtime yoga resetĀ
Slide away from your desk and release tension, stretch out and find a little calm for the afternoon ahead. Beginners so welcome. Save your spot here
š¤ free challenge: 7 days of yoga nidra
I love Yoga Nidra! Come and practise it with me for seven days. Starts mon 19 October, online & self-paced, save your spot here
š 1:1 therapeutic yoga
Personalised support for anxiety, sleep issues, stress or back pain. Take a look
I love Yoga Nidra! Come and practise it with me for seven days. Starts mon 19 October, online & self-paced, save your spot here
š 1:1 therapeutic yoga
Personalised support for anxiety, sleep issues, stress or back pain. Take a look here
Ā
š¦ 200 hour yoga teacher training
A welcoming, practical, neuroscience-informed training for people who want to teach yoga, or just learn more about it. Dive in, here
š§Nervous System Regulation: A Practice of Listening
If youād like to practise rather than just learn about interoception, this free guided practice on Insight Timer invites you to notice signals of activation and settling without trying to force yourself into a particular state.
Slide away from your desk and release tension, stretch out and find a little calm for the afternoon ahead. Beginners so welcome. Save your spot here
š¤ free challenge: 7 days of yoga nidra
I love Yoga Nidra! Come and practise it with me for seven days. Starts mon 19 October, online & self-paced, save your spot here
š 1:1 therapeutic yoga
Personalised support for anxiety, sleep issues, stress or back pain. Take a look here
Ā
š¦ 200 hour yoga teacher training
A welcoming, practical, neuroscience-informed training for people who want to teach yoga, or just learn more about it. Dive in, here
Over time, that may help you become better at noticing how you're actually doing before you reach the point where your head feels ready to explode.
Try it yourself...
If you'd like to practise listening to your body rather than immediately trying to change it, try my free Nervous System Regulation: A Practice of Listening meditation on Insight Timer - a short practice designed to help you check in with what's happening internally and begin developing that ability to listen. Try it here
As always, happy practising.
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š work with me
āļø lunchtime yoga resetĀ
Slide away from your desk and release tension, stretch out and find a little calm for the afternoon ahead. Beginners so welcome. Save your spot here
š¤ free challenge: 7 days of yoga nidra
I love Yoga Nidra! Come and practise it with me for seven days. Starts mon 19 October, online & self-paced, save your spot here
š 1:1 therapeutic yoga
Personalised support for anxiety, sleep issues, stress or back pain. Take a look here
Ā
š¦ 200 hour yoga teacher training
A welcoming, practical, neuroscience-informed training for people who want to teach yoga, or just learn more about it. Dive in, here
Enjoy!
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š work with me
āļø lunchtime yoga resetĀ
Slide away from your desk and release tension, stretch out and find a little calm for the afternoon ahead. Beginners so welcome. Save your spot here
š¤ free challenge: 7 days of yoga nidra
I love Yoga Nidra! Come and practise it with me for seven days. Starts mon 19 October, online & self-paced, save your spot here
š 1:1 therapeutic yoga
Personalised support for anxiety, sleep issues, stress or back pain. Take a look here
Ā
š¦ 200 hour yoga teacher training
A welcoming, practical, neuroscience-informed training for people who want to teach yoga, or just learn more about it. Dive in, here
It's a long sleep practice designed to be played when you're already tucked up in bed. I'll guide you through breathing, body awareness and nervous system relaxation, and there's absolutely no need to stay awake until the end. Listen here. Simply get snuggled up, press play and let me do the rest.
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š work with me
āļø lunchtime yoga resetĀ
Slide away from your desk and release tension, stretch out and find a little calm for the afternoon ahead. Beginners so welcome. Save your spot here
š¤ free challenge: 7 days of yoga nidra
I love Yoga Nidra! Come and practise it with me for seven days. Starts mon 19 October, online & self-paced, save your spot here
š 1:1 therapeutic yoga
Personalised support for anxiety, sleep issues, stress or back pain. Take a look here
Ā
š¦ 200 hour yoga teacher training
A welcoming, practical, neuroscience-informed training for people who want to teach yoga, or just learn more about it. Dive in, here
