Hi everyone,

Here some more to do at the office. This time i focus more on stretches for the wrists. Do them, to prevent mouse arm, repetitive strain injury type complaints. Little effort for great benefits.

Esther

Hi Everyone,

I just want to wish everyone a happy christmas. Here in south Africa it’s a complete different experience, I haven’t heard one christmas song up until today, and some of the people I got to know are doing their shoppings (all of them) today, christmas eve. No stress whatsoever beforehand. Isn’t that wonderful? Its so good to see things done in different ways, it keeps me flexible.

We are doing really well here, Bas and I both went through a few physical hiccups, change of scenes, the body suddenly realizing it can relax and work through some far away stored stresses, but we feel as new again.

In a little place called Greyton, when we went inland, I met a very good yoga teacher called Jonathan Blumberg. He managed to really catch my attention, very stern, very good, very confronting. He gave me a well needed kick in the ass. As a teacher how I do things and as a student.

Thank you Jonathan. I’m sitting in lotus now while I meditate, and I’m working on my alignment. I got lazy, or perhaps it’s my tendency to not push myself very hard, and stay within my comfort zone too easily anyway. Also Bas really took your advice to heart and begins to realise that he cannot abuse his body the way he has when he works, and not give anything back to it, for much longer. Also he is picking up yoga everyday now, focussing on his alignment and being good to himself. He needed to hear that from someone else than me!

Also I had my first kundalini yoga class with Prana, while we stayed in his Zen Den. If you’re ever in Greyton and want the experience of a sweat lodge, kundalini yoga, fantastic hospality and amazing food. The Zen Den is your place.

Anyway, I’m loving it, I feel at peace and in the flow of things and will keep you posted!

Esther

What a special little place Greyton was, it got us on track and in touch with ourselves and we are still enjoying the benefits.

Hi Everyone,

Here a few exercises and stretches you can do while you’re at work in the office. I can not tell you how important this is. It doesn’t take much time, and the benefits are well worth it. Have a look and bring this into your routine.

In this yoga video I demonstrate some stretches for the ankles, some back stretches, hip openers and wrists.

Good luck!

Esther

Hi everyone,

I’m off for my trip to south africa and wanted to wish you all well over the christmas and new years period. The best way I know how to stay relaxed and improve the quality of my life is through meditation. Everyday in the morning I meditate for 20 minutes and it makes a big difference in my life. That is what I wish for you…..

So be good to yourselves, give meditation a chance and let me know if you feel as many benefits as me!

And thank you all so much for your continuing support and appreciation for my work!

Love,

Esther

Hi Everyone,

Just to keep you updated on me and my travels. Cape town is great!!! I love it. I love the people, the atmosphere, what it does with me. I feel at home on the markets, especially when I’m the only blond person around funny enough, I love the humor, and friendly nature of the people here… True, at night things change, and I know I shouldn’t walk the streets I love to walk during the daylight, but I can accept that. (more…)

Hi everyone,

Here some exercises to work with if you have tight hamstrings. Tight hamstrings take time, but they will relax and lengthen a bit sooner or later, if you keep at it. Do be nice to your hamstrings, if you force them too much you can start over, they will lock again.

some of the poses I demonstrate here are

reclining big toe pose / supta padangustasana

standing forward bend / uttanasana

and some reflexology to work with!

Good luck,

Esther

Hi everyone,

Here part 2 of the beginners series. Still focussing on standing poses! When you begin with yoga I think they are the core poses you need to learn first. Standing poses benefit your posture, they strengthen your legs and core, also they stretch your whole body. Basically they warm your body up and prepare your body for other asana’s, yoga poses.

The poses I demonstrate in this sequence are:

extended triangle pose / utthita trikonasana

extended side angle pose / utthita parsvakonasana

wide angle seated forward bend / upavishta konasana

step by step instructions :

• From dandasana / staff pose , bring your legs apart, ninety degrees or wider, up to a point where you feel a good stretch, but can still hold the pose without falling back. Keep your back straight. Sit on a folded blanket if you can’t sit with a straight back.
• Flex your feet, keep your knees and toes pointed up towards the ceiling. Press the legs, sitting bones down again to help raise the spine. Pull up the thighs and descend the top of the thighs.
• When you sit with a straight back you can place the hands between the legs on the floor and slowly as you exhale walk the hands forward. Maintaining the length along the front of the body when you come into the forward bend. To maintain a long spine you have to bend from the hips, and keep lengthening from the pubic bone to the breast bone.
• When you feel you start arching your back you stop, you lengthen again and see if you can go deeper into the pose on an outbreath. when you’ve reached your edge, you will feel a stretch along the back of the legs and your back is still long. You can hold this pose for about a minute or longer.
• To come out you breathe in and come back up with a straight back, pressing the sit bones down.

Hi Everyone,

For all of you who want to do yoga, but don’t know how! There’s no time like the present to start practicing , Just start…, begin with this part one. Slowly get used to some of the basic standing poses that I will go through in this part and the next few. Your body will begin to get stronger with repetition and you’ll get used to the instructions. Most important of all is to end with a few minutes of relaxation to let whatever you’ve done integrate in the body and to observe what it has done for you.

The poses I demonstrate here are:

cat pose / marjaryasana

cow pose / tibilasana

mountain pose / tadasana

standing forward bend / uttanasana

low lunge / anjaneyasana

downward facing dog / adho mukha svanasana

warrior I / virabhadrasana I

warrior II / virabhadrasana II

enjoy,

Esther

Dandasana / Staff pose

benefits:

• Strengthens the quads
• Improves core stability
• Strengthens the muscles of the back

Click on Staff pose to find out how to perform this pose step by step.

Staff pose / Dandasana

step by step instructions:

• Sit with your legs together and stretched out in front of you. If you find it hard to sit with a straight back, sit on a block or folded blanket. Place your hands next to the hips on the floor.
• Your feet are flexed, extending out through the heels. Pull your thighs up in your hips, the top of the thighbone (femur bone) descends to the floor. Actively press your sit bones into the floor and a little to the back, to help you sit straight, your spine lengthens, the lower back arches a little forward towards your belly.
• Open your chest by puling your shoulders back and down along the spine. The bottom of the shoulderblades curl in towards the chest. Keep your front ribs soft. Your neck is long.
• Check that your shoulders are over the hips and your ears in line with the shoulders.
• On an inbreath you can take your arms out and lift them overhead. if you feel your upper back rounding with your arms all the way up, lower your arms a bit so you can see them from the sides of your eyes, so you can maintain the length in the upper back.
• Stay in this position between the 5-15 breaths, you can really feel your core working to maintain this pose.

Click on Dandasana to see the benefits of this pose.