The dance between strength and softness is where we can find our balance

Welcome to our new interactive blog Series - Inner calm strength and balance.

°Life itself is quite often a balancing act metaphorically speaking, but with our bodies and minds being intrinsically linked the reality is that one supports the other and vice versa.

°Keeping up a regular yoga practice is an indispensable tool we can use to maintain a healthy balanced lifestyle. Like most things in order for it to be effective it needs to become habitual much the same as brushing our teeth in the morning, so that we can reap the benefits of a strong yet flexible body and mind .

°Taking your yoga practice onto an unstable surface like water is one of the best ways to cultivate a heightened sense of body awareness. Coming back to one of the most fundamental foundations of our practice- from Patanjalis Yoga Sutra-’yoga citta vritti nirodaha’ loosely translated to ‘focusing on an object exclusively without distraction’ is what can bring us into the present moment, but it is often easier said than done and with the best will in the world our mind can sometimes wander even when practicing our best Warrior 2 pose on land..

°Take it however on to a supyoga board floating on water, standing warrior 2 can take on a whole new perspective..I say standing as to begin with practicing on water there are adaptations for first kneeling, to get used to the movement. When you then transition to standing, attention to the very minute detail of movement that is required to keep your balance will transport you into nothing but the present moment, which once experienced can be truly magical, just like basking in pure tranquility!

°For many reasons it isn’t always so easy to practice yoga on water or you may just not be a water baby! There are however ‘on land’ options for challenging your balance within your yoga practice..

°A good place to start can be to turn your body into a ‘floating device’ in Navasana/Boat pose- by drawing navel to spine as you exhale to engage your abdominal muscles, feel the connection through your sit bones, begin to slowly lift your feet and lower legs. Keep your spine long and your shoulders nicely open, if you can keep your focus on your breath that lies within the belly, this in turn can keep your upper body relaxed which helps to find comfort in the pose. This is key to being able to stay in poses for longer periods of time to cultivate strength from within.

°I would love to hear about your experiences with balancing postures, and if you’ve ever tried practicing yoga on a paddleboard or perhaps it’s something you’ve thought about, would like to but haven’t as yet?

*Please feel free to add your comments at the bottom of these bog posts!

*If you are able to help with my current research by answering the little survey questions below, in return I am offering a complimentary online 1-1 yoga for balance and strength session, complete with a lesson plan pdf copy tailored specially for you during our session that will be yours to keep (worth CHF100)

To take advantage of this offer you just need to email your answers to natascha@zelleryoga.com and I will get straight back to you :-)

with love and light

Natascha

Short Yoga Survey Questionnaire -

What do you enjoy most about practicing yoga?

What are the top 3 benefits you feel from practicing yoga?

Are there any aspects of practicing yoga you feel challenged by and if so what are they?

Do you or have you tried practicing Paddleboard/Sup/Reaxraft Yoga? If so what is it about the practice you enjoy the most & find most challenging? If not are you interested to try?

Do you have your own home yoga practice or if not would you like to cultivate one?

I would really love to hear back from you on any aspect of your yoga practice that you perhaps feel challenged by, or would like to learn more about/explore. Just email me natascha@zelleryoga.com and I promise to get straight back to you :-)