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Why do I hold courses about breath work and pranayama?

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One of the first yoga books I ever read was “Hatha Yoga Pradipika” by Svātmārāma. It was in this book, that I read about pranayama for the first time. I read about it with interest but, alas, I stop paying attention to the breath and instead, I got completely hooked by the physical side of yoga. At the time, no one, mentor or teacher, could explain to me the importance of properly including pranayama in my yoga practice.

It was only when I started practicing Ashtanga, that I started understanding the strong relationship between asanas and the breath. Still, at this stage I was only using Ujjayi breath (Ashtanga way) or Nadi shodana without really understanding why. I knew it was supporting my asanas and my sun salutations by creating heat in my body or calming my lively and busy mind, but that was all. No one taught me the foundation to perform these advance breathing techniques safely and I was using them a bit blindly, without being told the why and the how. Something was missing, I needed to know more, and I decided to explore several classical and less classical methods of breath control.

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Using the Niyamas in our life: Saucha, Santosha, Svadhyaya & Tapas.

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On Sunday 22nd April 2018, I decided to begin 90 days of alcohol-free living. I am not a heavy drinker but like most people I like a glass of wine with my dinner. The thing is, at this stage in my life, I’d like to see what cutting alcohol out of my diet can do to make me feel better in my body and my mind.

I decided to use the Niyamas as support and guidance for my decision. The niyamas are the second limb of the “Eight limbs of yoga” taken from the yoga sutras, texts written by the sage and scholar Patanjali. They refer to our own duties to ourselves to be able to serve better the others.

Over the next few weeks I will be keeping a journal to follow the process and maybe inspire anyone out there who would like to try this challenge with me.

Let’s embark on this journey together and support each other!

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Breathing techniques to calm the mind, for challenging times and for life.

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breathing techniques to calm the mind
Some breathing techniques increase the relaxation response, allowing you to be more present, aware, calmer, and attentive to your thoughts, feelings and experiences and more resilient to life stress.

I would like to offer you a couple of simple techniques that I use during my breathing classes and, which proved to be very efficient in most demanding situations and challenging moments. There are many more other techniques, but I find that less is more and the simplest the exercises, the more effective they are. Those breathing practices can be used anywhere and at any time. At your work, at home or during travels.

Please note that they are not cures of any sorts. They can be considered as your own personal “quick fix” tools for every day-to-day life challenges. If you continue to feel unwell, I highly recommend that you seek advice from your doctor.

They can also be used for general well-being or if you are planning to develop a pranayama or meditation practice. Breathing exercises are a great starting point to bring the mind inward and to develop a profound sense of awareness. In my own self- practice, I will be using the “Breath awareness” technique as the first exercise of the day to awaken my senses, body and mind.

Enjoy and happy breathing.

To experience breath work and Pranayama, join me on my workshops, courses and retreats in the UK or around the world.
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B.K.S Iyengar explains the importance of inversions and demonstrates Sirsasana, headstand.

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I’ve always regretted not meeting or learning from B.K.S Iyengar, Guruji. His brilliance ripples through my teachers teachings who were lucky enough to meet this great man and learned from him. His knowledge, generosity, sense of humor and wisdom will be felt with generations of yogis.

I wanted to share with you two videos about one of the most practiced asanas in the modern yoga, the inversions.

In classes, we never really hear about the deep effects of the yoga inversions on our body and mind. In this first video, Guruji explains the impact of the inversions (here, Sirsana or head stand), on our nervous system and with our energy network.

In the second video, you can experience a 30 mins long live session on how to do a  correct head stand.

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Eight powerful mudras (symbolic gestures) I use during my Yoga and Pranayama classes

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Mudra means ‘seal’, ‘gesture’ or ‘mark’. They are special movements that are incorporated into our yoga practice. They are often practiced with the hands and fingers but also can be done with the feet. They facilitate the flow of energy through one’s body and enhance the effectivity of one’s practice.

For many years, the concept of using mudras during my yoga practice was a little confusing and blurry. To be honest, I used them constantly without really knowing or understanding their energetic and connective power. It is only when I started the practice of pranayama taught by Swami Gitananda, that I started understanding and feeling the subtle connections created by those simple gestures, from one side of my body to the other or in a specific area of my anatomy. I must say that an effective and transformative use of mudras is not something that you can grasp the first time and you might not feel very much for a while. This is normal and to be expected. With perseverance, soft practice, patience and open mindedness you might be able draw yourself inward through the practice of the mudras.

There are hundreds of mudras that have been developed over the centuries, but here I will focus on my eight favourites that I regularly use during postures, pranayama or meditation.

Through my own practice and through my teachings, I have personally experienced their efficiency in providing health, empowerment and serenity. They are great for our wellbeing, so don’t be afraid to try them out!
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