Yoga With Fiona (2026)

31/12/2022

M E D I T A T I O N

I posted recently some Tips for Meditation & I wanted to continue that because this is the perfect time of year to get stuck into some restful Yoga & focus on stillness & calm. So I wanted to give you some meditation techniques:

🕯Candle gazing: Trataka🕯
Sit in a dark room & set a candle at around eye level, about 2 feet away.
Try to focus on nothing but the candle! Let it be the one & only thing you see & call to mind.
It will make your eyes water, but try to maintain that focus as much as you can & the sensation will pass. If you blink,just return to gazing at the flame. Try to breathe steadily & imagine light flowing into you. When done, lie down with eyes closed for a while to reset. This is a great one for beginners as focusing on a single physical object can be easier than focusing on abstract thought.

🧘‍♀️Body Scan🧘‍♀️
For beginners it can be useful to follow a spoken guide. With each breath take your attention on a tour of the body, recognising & releasing tension. It can really help to physically lull the body into restfulness too so is a good one if you're meditating for stress/tension or suffering from pain. Try to slowly guide the mind from feet all the way to the crown of the head & once done, just rest in stillness.

⭐️Mantra⭐️
There are a number of approaches here. Chanting can be a very liberating version of this, whether you chant a steady 'Om' alone or along to a recording, or more complex chants. It can also be something you do silently in your own mind. Repeating phrases, whether sanskrit, or not, not only provides excellent focus for the mind but also can cause amazing affirmation. Maybe "I am at peace" or "I am open to...." etc

🙏🏻Breath focus🙏🏻
Great even on the go, in your car, during a walk etc! Simply tune in to the breath. You can either count, recognise the sensations of breathing, or simply notice the breath coming in & out of the body. Fine tuning the mind to focus on breath can be challenging but with practice you learn to keep bringing that focus back as distractions enter.

There are also some fab guided meditations out there, on apps or YouTube. Useful if you're feeling particularly distracted!

24/12/2022

F E E L I N G | F E S T I V E

Are you putting pressure on yourself this month? Probably.

We're often overwhelmed, overburdened and over-stimulated this time of year, and that's a shame. Christmas is often so packed with expectations, whether that's gift buying, getting out and about, seeing as many people as possible, or keeping children entertained in the school holidays.

Remember to take those moments for yourself to replenish. You can't keep giving and giving if you're not looking after yourself. As the old saying goes "you can't pour from an empty cup".

So don't add extra pressure this season by expecting to keep up fitness regimes, diets etc. It's ok to rest! I was going to write 'it's ok to rest if you need to'... but actually sod it, it's ok to rest whether you NEED to or not!!

Winter is the perfect time for self care anyway. Often our energy levels are lower. We're getting less sunlight, it's cold! Many animals hibernate over winter and who can blame them!! So if you don't keep up that weekly class or keep prepping the super healthy breakfasts each morning, don't stress!!! It's ok to fluctuate!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a peaceful festive season 😊

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

17/12/2022

T O P | T I P

5 Tips for Meditation

⭐️ 1. One of the easiest ways to find focus is to count or watch the breath. Pick 1 aspect of your breath to concentrate on, either timing, temperature, how your ribs are moving etc. and then try to think purely on that.

⭐️ 2. You don't have to close your eyes! I actually find it's easier for the mind to wander when the eyes are closed. Whereas just fixing on one point with them open, or shifting the eyes out of focus, can give you less temptation to start imagining.

⭐️ 3. A schedule isn't always ideal as it can become an inconvenience. But, if you have a time that works for you in your day then set aside the same time in each day to meditate. It can become a habit more easily that way. Either soon as you wake or just before bed is ideal.

⭐️ 4. Don't set too much expectation. You don't know what the 'result' of meditation is for you until you're already practicing regularly and letting it work its magic. So just set aside the time, set the focus so you switch off, and let that be all. You don't need an 'aim'. Just be present. Just be in the moment and see where it takes you.

⭐️ 5. Talking meditations can be really useful, particularly when you're starting out. Half the battle is learning to switch off the body and switch on relaxation. Talking meditation recordings or Apps can get you in the right physical and mental place to relax. Only then can you really be still and present with your breath.

How do you like to meditate? There are many techniques to try, which ones work for you?

08/12/2022

🥨 T W I S T S 🥨

Twists can feel like magic at this time of year. Winter is a toughy on motivation, energy levels and happiness levels. Not only does lack of daylight physically deprive us of the hormones we rely on for positivity and 'get go', but we also feel cold, fed up and bogged down.

Winter is lovely but yes it can sometimes be hard to feel positive at this time of year. We might start to feel heavy, stagnant and weighed down.

Adding more twists to your practice can have the beautiful effect of feeling like you're really wringing it all out. Like a heavy wet cloth. The effect of deep twists is that of squeezing out tension, unwinding our wound up minds, and unpeeling stuck bits of our bodies.

Highly recommend!

21/11/2022

M O V E

Sometimes, just make it up as you go. And that counts for lots of aspects of life guys!

Obviously it makes sense that I'm often writing down plans to teach/film so I'm often following a notepad when I practise.

This is based on a plan but I do love to just let go too. Yoga teaching often gets me wound up in the planning and I have to remember to sometimes just feel my way around!

Remember to sign up on my website for updates and you'll be the first to get the news when my online studio has gone live!

08/11/2022

I N C O M I N G

Building something new! Just for you!

Keep your eyes peeled. I'm working on my online classes so that I can provide you with a variety of classes, for varied levels and of varying lengths to suit your schedules ❤️

Keep following for updates!
www.yoga-fiona.co.uk

23/10/2022

N O W vs T H E N

1st pic is a snapshot of me and my practice level now vs about 5 years ago in the 2nd pic.

This pose with my wheel is kind of a good benchmark test for me.

My back can still bend, but you can see that it's my hamstrings and hip flexors that need some stretching! I can't get that foot to plant firmly on the wheel now and it's down to whether my legs can effectively split enough. You see, there's more to backbends than backbends!

My core is less supportive than it once was. My back feels more of an ache after these things than it used to. But it's interesting to see where my practice is now. I was doing regular Ashtanga in those days. I've since had a baby and my Yoga style has grown less intense! 🧘‍♀️

It can be nice to check in with yourself. It doesn't need to be a comparison in the way of self criticism. Oh no no! It's just interesting to pin point the areas that need extra stretching to keep the whole body working well together. Poses like this, where it's a big 'whole body' demand demonstrate which areas are falling behind in the workout. 🤸‍♀️

I'm proud of my body no matter what. I dont think to myself "oh it's a shame I can't get that foot down". More like "wow I'm glad I still have the urge to move and I can still be brave enough to try new or weird stuff. And it looks like if I give my hammies and flexors a bit more attention I could maybe get those muscles a bit more versatile again" 💪

Use it as an assessment ^_^ enjoy learning from yourself and your own journey. Progress isn't always shown in one way. I'm so much more than I was 5 yrs ago. It's not always about physical improvement 🥰

18/10/2022

U P D A T E!

This Wednesday will be my last face to face class for the moment! But have no fear! I'm embarking on an adventure into online Yoga and will be (all being well!!) sharing with you online Yoga Videos soon!

Your practice can be at a time to suit you, in the comfort of your own home!

Please go and check out my website and sign up on there for notifications and content updates! Link in my Bio 🧘‍♀️

www.yoga-fiona.co.uk

28/09/2022

B R E A T H E

If you do nothing else, breathe.

Yoga is about uniting body and mind. One of the ways we do that is using movement & breath, sometimes together, sometimes separately.

When we breathe consciously we take ourselves inside. We can't help but focus on our inner being, the very workings of ourselves. This is one of the best qualities of Yoga, in my humble opinion! Taking the focus off the external and finding time to be with ourselves. You can do this simply by taking 12 slow, steady, conscious breaths. Place your hands on your tummy and feel it expand and deflate as you breathe. Slow your breath, slow your mind. Feel grounded and self aware. And the real beauty of it?! We can access this whenever we need to or want to!!

PS. Did you guys know I had a blog?! Go check it out on my website :) I know I'm a bit overdue a new post on there but I have some interesting stuff to say about breathing which is still worth a read 😜

Also, if you head to my website there's a new Subscribe page! If you add your email address it means you'll receive any news and updates from me! No spam!

Link in my Bio!

03/09/2022

D E E P E R

I was recently trawling through Yoga related stuffs on Instagram and read a simple quote I thought I'd share. It really is simple but sometimes we need to remind ourselves of this when we see all these images of Yoga 'shapes' on social media...endless handstand training ads and people bending literally in half.

So...
🧘‍♀️"Yoga is what you don't see"🧘‍♀️

And to go hand in hand with that... the concept that our practice is much more Yogic when we go 🙏"deeper not further"🙏

I try to stress in my classes that if you can't stretch further at that point, can't sink any deeper in Warrior 2, or can't possibly twist any further round in Ardha Matseyandrasana, then it's ok. Simply stay as you are and deepen that breath. Find some softness there. Go deeper into the breath and deeper into yourself rather than simply physically pushing further. This is where Yoga is. I dont have to see you add more movement or contortion to your Asanas. I often encourage my students to close their eyes and focus on that quiet place inside. That calm in the storm. The peaceful lull in the waves of the mind.

Yoga IS what you don't see! It's where you meet yourself in your stillness. It's the emotion you might find welling up in that twist, in the softness you might stumble upon in your squat one day. Coming to terms with the turmoil in the challenge of the pose.

✨️Yoga is about stilling the mind.

💪Asana is how we purify & heat our bodily systems and develop our connection with ourselves through self awareness in movement.

💨Breath is the anchor between body and mind. It's the focus to send our concentration internally.

🙏🏻And Yoga is the result of all of it. Unity. Stillness. Peace.

26/08/2022

F Y I

Just to let you guys know there won't be a class on Wednesday 31st August but we'll be back on Wednesday 7th September travel permitting!

Anyone wanting any homework drop me a DM 😜

See you soon! 🙏

20/08/2022

W H E E L

⚙️Urdhva Dhanurasana / Chakrasana⚙️

Upward Facing Bow or Wheel Pose is one of those postures that feels like a big jump up from its 'build up' backbends such as Bow and Bridge.

It takes a whole lot of arm strength but additionally a whole lot of courage. There are a load of layers to this Asana! There's so much going on! It's incredible for strength building and stretching the whole front body. It's also incredibly exhilarating!

Here are some of the key steps:

1. Align first whilst lying on your back, putting fingers close to the shoulders and ears, and feet close to the bum. It can help to rotate the hands out if the shoulders are tight.

2. Take your time! It's sensible to take this one in stages because a lot of the energy for this posture takes 'mustering'. It's explosive. It's powerful. Power up your limbs by coming onto the top of the head first and root down through the feet.

3. As you push up you need to think about the upper and lower halves of your body all at once and try to balance the effort between them. Try to push equally through arms & legs.

4. Don't forget to squeeze the glutes to support the backbend and help the weight move into the hands!

5. You can use the weight of the head to take your gaze down and back to increase the curve in the upper spine.

6. One of the key aspects of this pose is getting to a point where the arms are straight. This is something we have to work on prior to the full pose e.g. through weight bearing poses such as plank, side plank and downward dog.

7. You need as much spine space as possible. Try to keep pushing upwards with the hips, roll the shoulder blades towards each other and push the heart forward to try and curve equally across the whole spine rather than pinching. Open shoulders help this.

8. Breathe as fully as possible to try and stay relaxed!

A Yoga Wheel can be useful to encourage a less stiff back and help you practice the 'upside down' orientation. Explore Wheel by straighting the legs, maybe lowering onto forearms, lifting 1 leg up to test your balance & ENJOY!

Yoga With Fiona

31/12/2022

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17/12/2022

08/12/2022

21/11/2022

08/11/2022

23/10/2022

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28/09/2022

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