Abergavenny Soul Yoga with Ciara

21/06/2025

This is a really interesting article about two women who were pivotal in bringing yoga to Britain in the 20th century but have been sadly forgotten:

Two women were largely responsible for popularising yoga in Britain in the 1960s.

30/05/2025

"The goal is not to tie ourselves in knots. We are already in knots. The aim is to untie the knots in our hearts." Max Strom

30/05/2025

Yoga classes re-start on Monday, for six weeks! Thank-you to everyone who has paid already - I have been able to donate £163 to Tree Aid, as a result. Classes are looking full, so please do make sure you have booked your place.

In the Monday Gentle class, we will be exploring the Yamas, the ethical principles that guide our practice and can also help us take yoga off our mats and into our day to day lives. The movements will be gentle, but it is when we take yoga off our mats that we know we are really advancing in our practice.

The Monday Intermediate class will be breaking down and working with one of my favourite poses, Uttitha Parvritta Hasta Padangustasana - sometimes translated as Dancing Shiva or Revolved Hand to Foot Pose. It's a fantastic combination of balance, hamstring stretch and twist.

The Wednesday Beginners class will be breaking down sun salutations and then flowing on the breath, a really energising practice for summer, and a good stepping stone to the intermediate classes.

The Wednesday Intermediate class will be continuing our exploration of the energy body with chakra themed classes, exploring how we can use yoga to balance our different energy centres.

Please do make sure you have booked, as all the classes look full, and I'm setting up waiting lists for new students now.

18/04/2025

4 Spaces - Beginners Yoga Wednesday 6pm St Michael's Centre Abergavenny - £21 for 3 classes

This is great class for people who are fairly new to yoga, as we go through all the basics, including good breathing habits, moving on the breath, working with awareness, and moving the body in ways that help us build strength and flexibility. We always finish with relaxation (a favourite part for most people).

I always offer alternatives and variations, so it's suitable for all ages and physical abilities.

More details here: https://ciarabomford.wixsite.com/mysite

14/04/2025

The Power of the Breath

The breath is very important in yoga, as it is our most direct route into controlling our nervous system - how stressed or relaxed we feel, heart rate, digestion, immune system, sleepiness etc. The breath is really the only part of our nervous system that we can directly control, and it influences all the other parts.

Many of us have developed breathing habits that switch on the sympathetic nervous system - our get ready for action and feel stressed side. Those breathing patterns include:
- Shallow breathing in the upper chest
- Over breathing with big rapid inhales
- Fast breathing, even when resting (12+ breaths per minute)
- Reverse breathing where our tummy comes out as we exhale, and goes in when we inhale.

It is not so hard though, to train yourself to use breathing patterns that switch on the parasympathetic nervous system - our rest and digest system that digests stress, lets us sleep or relax, helps us digest food and boosts our immune system:
- Deep breathing into the belly
- Extending the exhalation
- Slow breathing (down to 5 or 6 breaths per minute)
- Developing a natural pause between breaths
- Only breathing as much as we need to

Yoga helps us to develop strength and flexibility in the muscles we use for breathing and the fascia around the lungs, and it helps us to be more conscious of how we are breathing, and then change and control the the breath.

I've had yoga students say to me that as soon as they learnt to focus on the exhalation, they felt less stressed and anxious. Another student who is a runner, said her running times improved dramatically as she learnt to breath better!

We will be focusing on the breath this term (and every term!) with some new activities to bring more conscious awareness and control to the breath.

Of course, we will also be moving as well, and integrating breath with our movement.

I have a few places in the Beginners class, St Michael's Centre, Wednesdays, 6-7pm, so if you would like to get more in touch with your breath and body, drop me a message: https://ciarabomford.wixsite.com/mysite/yoga-classes

08/03/2025

I've currently got one space in the Gentle Mixed Level class, Mondays 5.30pm in Llanfoist Village Halll, and two spaces in the Active Beginners class, Wednesdays, 6pm, in the St Michael's Centre. More details: https://ciarabomford.wixsite.com/mysite/yoga-classes

03/03/2025

Looking forward to starting a new block of classes this week, and I've got one space left in the Gentle Mixed Level class, Mondays 5.30pm - 6.30pm in Llanfoist Village Hall It's a very friendly class, suitable for all levels of ability and experience, ideal for those who want a more gentle practice (seniors, injuries, health conditions, pregnancy etc). First class is tonight, more details here: https://ciarabomford.wixsite.com/mysite/yoga-classes

10/02/2025

I can't remember where I came across this story, but it has really stuck with me as it illustrates one of the key benefits of yoga practice.

A man has been working with a counsellor to overcome his depression. The counsellor encourages him to take a week on retreat, practising yoga and meditation, and says it will help him feel better. The man goes off on the retreat. When he returns, he says to the counsellor, "You were totally wrong. Now, I feel really sad that my Dad has died, I feel guilty about how I treated my wife and kids, I feel angry with my boss and I feel worried about the state of the world." The counsellor replies, "So, now you are feeling. Better."

I can't remember where I came across this story, but it has really stuck with me as it illustrates one of the key benefits of yoga practice. A man has been working with a counsellor to overcome his depression. The counsellor encourages him to take a week on retreat, practising yoga and meditation, a...

05/01/2025

Thanks to everyone who paid for their yoga classes on time, I have been able to donate £200 to the Welsh Refugee Council.

Karma yoga (service) and ahimsa (compassion and non-violence) are key principles of yoga, and I try to live this by donating 10% of the class takings to good causes.

Refugees often leave their countries in really difficult circumstances - war or persecution - and then travel a difficult journey to arrive in a country where they may not speak the language, understand the culture or the system. They are often traumatised by what they have experienced and need a lot of support.

03/01/2025

Good article on how to start meditating from the Guardian here:

Meditation isn’t about perfectionism or blocking thoughts, experts say – the goal is to develop ‘a balanced awareness’

02/01/2025

Happy new year to all in our yoga community. The sun is shining today and we are on the threshold of a new year, longer days and fresh energy. With so much craziness going on the world and adult children leaving the nest and older parents, I'm actually hoping for a quiet and uneventful year, with time for friends and family, for dancing, for fun and of course, yoga!

Of course, it may not turn out like that, and for me, yoga is the thing that gets me through the difficult times, helping me to come back to calm and balance and reduce the feeling of overwhelm.

I have two spaces left in the Gentle Mixed Level class, Mondays 5.30pm in Llanfoist, and one space left in the Beginners class, Wednesdays 6pm, St Michael's Centre, Abergavenny.

Please DM or contact me through the website to book: https://ciarabomford.wixsite.com/mysite/yoga-classes

30/12/2024

Gentle Mixed Level Yoga - 5.30pm Mondays in Llanfoist Village Hall (£49 for 7 classes) starting 6th January.
I have a few spaces in this lovely. welcoming class - very suitable for anyone who wants a mindfully paced practice with lots of options so you can work with what your body makes available to you, focusing on breath awareness, release of tension and steadily building strength and mobility over time.
We can take almost any classic yoga pose and modify it suit ourselves, so in this picture, I show how you can practice downward facing dog if you have high blood pressure or a shoulder/wrist issue. It's not what the pose looks like that is important, it is how it makes you feel!
If you are interested please DM, or look at the website for more info. Booking is essential: https://ciarabomford.wixsite.com/mysite/yoga-classes