‘Yin yoga is a natural, healing practice’ Paul Grilley What is Yin Yoga? Yin Yoga is a peaceful, floor-based form of yoga, which works to stimulate the energy meridians in the body in a similar way to acupressure or acupuncture. Each asana (posture) is held for around three to five minutes, making this a particularly […]
Author Archives: Catherine Rolfe
7 ways yoga can help you to get to know your true self
One of my favourite principles of Yoga is Svadhyaya, or self-study. Why? Because what greater investment can there be than getting to know yourself – really, truly, deeply know yourself. Not only is the relationship with oneself the only relationship guaranteed to last a lifetime, but I believe that how we think, respond, our beliefs, […]
Why discipline is your friend and how yoga can help you build it
It seems to me that we live in a time when we require self-discipline more than ever. We are endlessly encouraged to scroll more on our social media feeds, with no real natural end point other than our own will power. There is a proliferation of processed food, some of which is deliberately designed to […]
Want to feel more content? Why practicing yoga is the answer
When was the last time you felt content? Can you remember? And what exactly did it feel like? Often, we find ourselves putting off our contentment. ‘I’ll feel content once I’ve got this out of the way’, we might tell ourselves, ‘this’ being whatever is going on for us which is, in some way, bringing […]
7 ways to connect with your energy in your yoga practice
Yoga helps us to connect to, and work with our energy in lots of different ways. One of the principles of yoga is Brahmacharya, or ‘right use of energy.’ As Hannah Barrett explains so beautifully in her book Yoga Happy, Brahmacharya can be seen as being about cherishing and respecting all life energy, and that […]
7 reasons why practicing self-caring, self-love and self-compassion matters
Self-caring, self-love and self-compassion can sound a bit fluffy or indulgent, but the science behind them and the power of these practices – and they do take practice – is clear and becoming increasingly spoken about. And when we take time to think about it, it makes sense that these practices can only benefit us. […]
Return to the peace within you
Would you like more peace? More moments of your day, your life, where you feel peaceful or at peace? I suspect, that with the tendency of our modern lives to be increasingly busy, with seemingly unending demands for our time and attention, that we all want more peace. But whilst peace can sometimes seem elusive, […]
What does it mean to go on retreat?
If you enjoy a regular practice of Yoga, whether self or teacher led, you may be attracted to the idea of a retreat. And certainly, Yoga and meditation and all other manner of retreats are everywhere right now, so there is plenty of choice! But what does it really mean, to go on a retreat? […]
What Mala beads can bring to your meditation practice
Lockdown 2020 and I’m sat in what has become a familiar spot – on my yoga mat in front of my laptop. I hold the Mala beads aloft in my right hand, and feel their cool, calming shape pass across my finger as I guide each one with my thumb, as instructed by our online […]
Who am I? How redefining yourself by your values can serve you both on + off the mat
Anyone that knows me will know that I am a huge fan of Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s work and his holistic approach to well-being. Since devouring his latest book, Happy Mind, Happy Life, from cover to cover, I am now digesting it more thoroughly, by working my way through the practices that it suggests will help […]
What we water with our attention grows: cultivating friendliness, compassion and happiness through meditation
Have you ever sat quietly long enough to observe your thoughts, perhaps to meditate, and noticed that many of them are negative? Or maybe when you’ve come to be still for long enough you’ve noticed an inner monologue which might be distinctly unfriendly towards you, perhaps judgemental or critical? Knowing that we might encounter negative […]
Learning to stay out of the water: why I practice mindfulness meditation (+ how you can too)
In his book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’, Viktor Frankl says ‘between stimulus and response is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.’ Take a moment to read that again and consider it fully: ‘between stimulus and response is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.’ […]
Head in heaven, feet on earth: Anjaneyasana
‘Have your head in heaven and your feet on earth’, a riding teacher once said to me, I think having once had it said to her by one of her teachers, much like the lineage of passing down knowledge that has, and continues to, disseminate the practice of Yoga. I think of this phrase when […]
The simple power of standing quietly on one leg: Vrksasana (tree pose)
I remember my first Vrksasana fondly. Somewhat careworn and stressed, but having proclaimed myself ‘too busy’ to go to Yoga class, my wise and wonderful friend bought me two private sessions with her Yoga teacher as a birthday present. Balancing in my Vrksasana in the first of those sessions, I felt that wonderful kind of […]
Self-care snacks: 7 powerful 5 minute practices to boost your well-being
We all know how great we feel after that long Yoga class – refreshed, relaxed, restored – but how can we get more of that feeling into our everyday lives? Since the arrival of my son at the end of October, there has been little opportunity for long periods of practice on my mat and […]