Ep 124 70 mins Gentle Winter Yoga for a Body in Midlife and Beyond

Hello and happy solstice.  This is a deeply restful restorative yoga practice for you.  The breath, our travelling companion for life, can take us into deep states of relaxation and peace. I hope you enjoy this practice 🙏 Blessings of the longest night to you. Here's a poem to guide you into the coming journey towards the light.    Blessing for the Longest Night by Jan Richardson DECEMBER 21, 2022 / JANFALLS All throughout these months as the shadows have lengthened, this blessing has been gathering itself, making ready, preparing for this night. It has practiced walking in the dark, traveling with its eyes closed, feeling its way by memory by touch by the pull of the moon even as it wanes. So believe me when I tell you this blessing will reach you even if you have not light enough to read it; it will find you even though you cannot see it coming. You will know the moment of its arriving by your release of the breath you have held so long; a loosening of the clenching in your hands, of the clutch around your heart; a thinning of the darkness that had drawn itself around you. This blessing does not mean to take the night away but it knows its hidden roads, knows the resting spots along the path, knows what it means to travel in the company of a friend. So when this blessing comes, take its hand. Get up. Set out on the road you cannot see. This is the night when you can trust that any direction you go, you will be walking toward the dawn.

This is a yoga nidra that I wrote for the Embodiment Restorative Yoga series. Every Autumn I run a series of workshops which progressively take you on an inner journey and a celebration of rich inner life. This Nidra uses a visualisation of stars to illuminate the inner body. Apparently this year, Wintering is in, so this is an absolute essential for any budding Winterers out there, or anyone who, like me, relishes any opportunity to introvert 🌚 Join me for the final workshop in the Embodiment series 22nd December 7 - 9pm online - a special Solstice practice.  www.yogabynature.org [email protected]

Here's part two. A live class I recorded at my Gentle Yoga class on a Thursday morning. You can come live to this one on Zoom if you like! I wanted to share it because it's focused on joint freedom and the class participants loved it so much I thought you might too.  The cold can creep into our joints and make movement feel uncomfortable. This can happen at any age but those of us in our forties and beyond, especially us menopausal women can really feel it. This class shows you thay you don't have to feel uncomfortable - there is pleasure and ease to be found in the body, whatever your condition.  Have your usual yoga props around you and be near a chair or wall if that helps you balance. If you have a resistance band and a massage ball or a dowel, have that around too.  Lots of love, Morven x www.yogabynature.org Get in touch! [email protected]  

Hello,  This is a yoga practice especially for anyone who is feeling the cold 🥶  and who wants to prepare the body for coping with the icy weather.  We start with warming breath work, then we free the joints, move gently through standing poses, build our bone and muscle mass and do some pelvic floor awareness and strengthening. This class also includes some fall-prevention, teaching the muscle memory to react quickly in fall positions like slipping back or forward.  Find me at www.yogabynature.org. I love to hear your questions and comments - [email protected] I hope you enjoy the class!

A guided relaxation which will soothe your nervous system and help you to rest. We do a visualisation which will help you to find the sense of belonging which is innate within you and which helps you to feel grounded and calm.  Visit me online: www.yogabynature.org Share your thoughts: [email protected] Namaste, Morven 🙏

This meditation practice is a recording of the live group session that takes place on Tuesday mornings. It's free to join, so if you are looking for a community of like-minded people to meditate with then please join us! You can book via the Yoga by Nature website here: https://www.yogabynature.org/classes-all The sessions are guided by Morven and include some movement to get into the body, followed by 10 -1 5 mins of stillness. Morven guides you into your meditation then gives you a period of silence to be with yourself.  Questions and comments to [email protected] 

I love this yoga nidra from our restorative yoga teacher Lucy Saunders. Sadly, Lucy has to take a break for a while from YBN while she restores her own health. This podcast is a yoga nidra she guided us through originally in October when there was a lot of movement in the air. I thought it would be a beautiful practice to lead us into Spring also, as exuberance begins to bubble under the surface.  Join us for online classes, in-depth yoga courses, teacher training or a retreat. Find out more at yogabynature.org Questions and comments [email protected] Namaste 🙏🙏

This is a no frills episode - just the nidra and no chat. I wanted to get this out to you so you can have it over Christmas week and beyond, any time you need to rest. This nidra leads you into a felt sense of the richness of the darkening time of the year as the world turns in to grow the seeds of next year.  I hope you enjoy it! Any questions and comments to [email protected]. And find me on socials! @yogabynatureuk www.yogabynature.org

How to have a great Christmas against the backdrop of peri-menopause, with myself and nutritionist Amy Payne. In case you missed it on Insta, Amy and I share nutrition, yoga, mindfulness and lifestyle tips so you can join in with all the fun of Christmas without exacerbating your peri-menopause symptoms.   Erratic blood sugar levels, heightened stress hormones and little opportunity to move our bodies are a recipe for poor sleep, anxiety, hot flushes, sweats and poor digestion. We hope you benefit from these really easy, small adjustments to help you manage your symptoms without missing out on all the treats.   Join us in-person in Weston for our Peri|Menopause Wellness Day 15th January.    Find me on socials @yogabynatureuk or get in touch [email protected] ❤️

Happy Winter everyone! This is a recording of a live class I taught last week. It's called Sparkle and Shine because it's dark outside and we need to search for the sparkles within.  If you have equipment, have 2 blocks, a belt and a blanket handy but don't worry if you don't have them.  Look out for a special solstice inner sparkle Nidra coming up next week.  Check us out at www.yogabynature.org , & find @yogabynatureuk on socials for competitions, interviews and all sorts.  Questions and comments to [email protected] Thank you!!! 🙏