Melanie Thomas Yoga

25/10/2023

If you’re new around here… I thought I’d take a moment to introduce myself!

👋 Hi, I’m Melanie

🌟 I am a yoga and meditation teacher and I help stressed professionals transform their health and their lives so they can thrive in their careers! 💼✨

Here are a few more fun facts about me, in case you’re curious!

✈️ I LOVE to travel and explore new cultures! I have a degree in French and have also lived in France for nearly 2 years. In 2019 I took time out of my work and spent 2 months travelling around India (I still miss the incredible food!)

🎶 My fiancé and I met through singing! His mum used to give me singing lessons when I was a teenager and we reconnected again as adults when he formed a choir in London (I sing Alto!)

🥾 If I’m not practicing yoga (or singing!) you can most likely find me hiking! I take my 🐶 Ziggy out every day for long walks and at the weekends I love to explore hikes around Surrey. My dream bucket list holiday is to visit the Rocky Mountains 🏔️ in Canada

Did you learn something new about me?

ONE more thing….

If you’re a professional working a desk job and you need help to manage your stress, re-prioritise your health and reclaim your time….

>> Click the link in my bio to access my FREE training, Strong Body, Strong Mind: The 3 Simple Secrets to Stress that will Unlock your Infinite Career Potentional

In this free training you’ll learn:
✨ Why you need to start completing your stress cycle
✨ The simple fix to reduce aches and pains and boost your energy
✨ How to start training your mind to focus on deep work that transforms your results

>> Tap the link in my bio or comment the word THRIVE below and I’ll DM you the link

29/08/2023

When is the best time to set your goals? 📆 🕛

It's September, and with that 'back-to-school' feeling is often a sense of a new start - even if you haven't been in school for many years!

September is even called the 'other January' - a time to recommit to resolutions and finish the year strong.

But is it actually a good time to set goals?

I think so! ✅

For me, if a time of year, a change in seasons, a birthday, or another milestone prompts you to set a goal, why not take advantage of the momentum it gives you?

Yes, the date is arbitrary and you could just as easily have set a goal last Tuesday. But if it works for you, go for it!

More important, I think, is the headspace you are in when you set your goal. If you're drowning in stress & heading toward burnout, you're not going to have the creative energy you need to visualise your future.

Want to know more? I wrote about goal setting on my blog this week here...

Unlock success with strategic goal setting. Learn when to set goals for maximum impact and achieve your dreams. Find out more in our latest article.

20/07/2023

A reminder 👀

Why does comparison show up so much in yoga?

Yoga is an individual practice, but when we practice together it’s so easy to start looking at those around us or online and think our practice is not enough.

It’s tempting to try and change our environment, our clothes, our mat, the playlist - all things that really, are external distractions from the real practice

The practice is really an inner journey, not an outward one.

We can change our mindset, our focus, our gaze. These are things within our control in our practice.

Forget about the rest

10/07/2023

Can yoga be your ONLY exercise?!

I know how hard it can be to fit yoga into your routine, especially if you're trying to fit in gym sessions - with upper body days, lower body days, pull days, push days, cardio... How can you find the time?

So, I've put together the 5 key essentials that I would recommend you make sure are covered in your exercise plan, to help you prioritize.

The style of yoga that I teach, the LYT Method, covers all 5 elements, so it's really a one-stop-shop for good movement!

But of course, it entirely depends on your goals. However wonderful LYT Method is, if you want to run a marathon, you'll need to prioritise doing some actual running!

And the best kind of exercise? It's the kind you actually DO!

I'm a big advocate for finding the type of movement that YOU enjoy - whether that's a sport, walking your dog, doing yoga, going to the gym or looking after your garden.

But, if you want to IMPROVE your movement, you need to make sure you address these key 5 elements so that you are addressing your physical health holistically and bringing your body into better balance & improving your fitness over time.

Read more on the blog post below...

If you enjoy practicing yoga, you might find it difficult to fit it into your routine alongside other forms of exercise like a gym programme or a sport you enjoy. So what should you prioritise? How much time should you spend on yoga vs other forms of exercise? The answer isn’t clear since yoga sty...

03/07/2023

I’ll just leave this here…. 👀

26/06/2023

What you do every day matters MORE than what you do once in a while*

Your yoga practice can make a HUGE difference to your life, but at most it's only about 1 hour out of your day, so what are you doing for the other 23 hours?

I know that you are busy, and you don't want to spend all day doing practices for your health...

So I've put together a list of the 10 daily health practices that have made the biggest impact on my energy. Browse the list, and pick ONE to implement each day, and see what happens a month from now....!

*Thanks to Gretchen Rubin for this quote :)

Yoga has transformed my energy, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. I'm sharing my top 10 health practices that impact my energy throughout the day.

21/06/2023

International Yoga Day isn’t what you think…

I couldn’t resist this trend 😂

I know yoga teachers love this day but many have NO IDEA about the political origins of the day

Yes, not all days are just innocent marketing ploys by corporations selling yoga leggings! Some have more complex histories…

The day was introduced at the UN by Indian PM Modi, and is seen by many as part of a Hindu nationalist agenda

I actually think saying “stop” is a bit too simplistic, but Instagram prefers a more dramatic message 🤷‍♀️

In reality, I just think yoga teachers and practitioners shouldn’t post mindlessly about a celebration that has political connotations without AWARENESS

I absolutely support the promotion of yoga globally AND recognising, acknowledging and celebrating the cultural origins of yoga in India

If you want to read more head to my blog where I’ve written a longer article about this day

What do you think? Should we stop celebrating it? Or do you think it has a life of its own now, outside of the political sphere? Let me know in the comments ⬇️

19/06/2023

Are you experiencing burnout? 🔥 🤔

Since ‘burnout’ sounds like the moment a flame dies out, you might imagine that it’s a moment in time, where you hit rock bottom

Actually, burnout can be a longer period of time, and the moment you notice may actually be WAY later than when burnout began

So it’s important to be aware of the signs you might be heading in that direction

In my blog post this week I talk about the 3 red flags 🚩🚩🚩 that you are experiencing burnout.

And since we don’t all experience burnout and stress in the same way, I share the symptoms that MAY be a sign of burnout

Plus, of course, I share my advice on what to DO if you are experiencing burnout (hint: it involves yoga!)

How do you know when you are heading toward burnout, instead of just a little stressed? There are 3 common factors identified by researchers.

12/06/2023

Is this hot weather leaving you feeling unmotivated to exercise?
You're not the only one...

Every year, as soon as the sun comes out, yoga studios in the UK see a drop in attendance. It's partly due to people going on holiday, and partly because no-one wants to go from being hot and sweaty to even hotter and even sweatier!

In some ways, it's so wonderful to see everyone slow down.

So, if you've noticed you're struggling to find motivation to do your usual exercise, give yourself some grace.

It's normal for motivation to come and go, and absolutely no-one feels motivated to exercise all the time. (Not even yoga teachers!)

But over the years, I have found some strategies and reframes that have helped me to stay consistent and committed to my yoga practice. Here's some of my favourites:

✨ Break out of analysis paralysis. You don't need to find the perfect exercise programme, ideal for your current health goals. Just start.
✨ Habit change advice can be too rigid. Build in flexibility. Try to show up consistently to exercise but give yourself permission to adjust and adapt based on how you feel.
✨ Use the strategy of external accountability to your advantage. When someone is expecting you to show up, you're more likely to do it. Book a block of session with a PT, sign up to a yoga class with a friend, or - of course - book a block of 1:1 yoga classes with me over zoom.

What helps you the most when you feel unmotivated? Let me know in the comments. ⬇

I've shared more advice on how to stay consistent when you feel unmotivated here:

Every summer, yoga studios go quiet. As the heat begins to rise, studios here get quieter, and there’s a gentle, quiet buzz to the spaces that I love. I have taught and worked in several studios, and I’m yet to see a studio that thrives on attendance in the summer months. It is partly due

08/06/2023

What expectations can you let go of in your practice and your life today? 🤔

I am working on…
✨ Listening to what my body needs
✨ Showing up for my practice consistently, but it’s not all power flows! Some days that means just breathing or taking a few minutes in my day to meditate
✨ Consciously slowing down so I can enjoy each day, instead of rushing to the next thing

Let me know in the comments what expectations you want to let go of in your practice and in your life ⬇️

06/06/2023

Is anyone else tired of being told to sleep more?
Of being told of the scary dangers of not getting enough sleep?

I can only imagine how frustrating it is for new parents, people working night shifts, or anyone (like me!) who struggles with insomnia, to hear from wellness influencers "get more sleep" and usually followed by scary statistics around the impact of poor sleep on your health.

I've come to learn that energy levels are impacted by way more than just sleep.

Because we don't operate like a phone battery. With a phone, at the end of the day, you plug in the charger and your phone is back to 100% the next morning.

Not so for humans!

Our energy is impacted by...
🥗 The food we eat
😠 Stress and psychological pressures
🏃‍♂️ The amount of movement we do and the type of movement
🏃‍♂️ Our activity levels throughout the day
📺 The type of activities we choose to do when resting
👯 The people around us
And so much more...!

And the good news is that gives us many levers we can pull on to boost our energy, and sleep is just one of them.

In my blog post this week, I've shared 5 ways to boost your energy that don't include going to bed earlier. Plus, I write about why we need to change the narrative around sleep to focus more on how to manage our energy levels holistically. Read more here...

Is anyone else tired of the sleep brigade? I feel exhausted just listening to people telling me that I need to get more sleep! I find it frustrating when I see influencers and podcasters sharing statistics on how important sleep is, because I genuinely don’t believe that it will change sleep behav...