4 day transformation

So this isn’t actually about improving a scorpion pose in 4 days, but it is relevant! Bear with lol!

This is the progress I have made in….. ( dum dum duuuuuum !!!) 4 days 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🙈😂…. just joking! it’s not at all!… well kinda!! 😂The 2 pics ARE only 4 days apart! & I WAS doing the deepest expression of the pose available to me on that day after a warm up but my body certainly didn’t miraculously change so quickly!

So why so different?

A lot is to do with how I was feeling on that particular day and the circumstances around me! Last Thursday the kids were all around ( that includes my hubby btw who demands the most attention of them all 🤦🏼‍♀️🤪😂) so my mind and body were being pulled in all directions! I was feeling the stress and overwhelm that day of the chores/ to do list/ money worries in the lead up to Christmas/ lack of sleep/ worry of poorly coughy baby/ plumbing leak/ emails and phone calls to be made… ( to go on any further would get really dull 😂🙈 ) I really needed to move my body to release some of the build up to refresh me enough to be more productive, so I grabbed the first 15 minute time slot I could to get wriggling…

My life is just as rich in the moments of beautiful messiness as it is in the moments of stillness..

My self practice is mostly lead by intuition now and this day I happened to be inspired to go upside down with a heart opener thrown in to get as much fire going as possible and this was what I got!… (” but that’s great !! “, ” I could never do that ” I hear you say?! … Yes it is a good scorpion, I’m more than happy to be in that shape ☺️, this isn’t about the pose I’m doing, yoga certainly isn’t measured by what ‘pose’ someone can do! I am part of my own story and can only use examples of that though, so bear with me lol! )

My pinch’s Scorpion in 2017, 6 weeks preggers with Bodhi

“When we hold on so tightly to expectations and grow attached to them it sets us up for pain when we can’t reach them, that just drains are energy unnecessarily

The point is that it is not my personal best, it’s about 6 inches off that. I wasn’t expecting much tbh as inversions, especially Scorpion pose, haven’t been included in my practice much recently due to ‘time’ restrictions and risk factors ( ie: my kids in near proximity ready to pounce 🙈😂) so I had no attachment to the outcome, I accepted that I was off what I could do a few months back. I felt good getting to where I did though, especially as Bodhi was circling me like a hyena 😂… there was no way my spine wanted to go any deeper, so I listened, didn’t let the ego try and tempt me into pushing it further to where I knew I was capable of getting and just let it go where it wanted. It was the perfect place for me to go to that day and that short 15 mins, in amongst the chaos, gave me enough power to plough through the rest of the days demands….

Most days look like this 😂🙈

If we accept and appreciate the kaleidoscope of possibilities and outcomes available with every changing day then life gets a lot more colourful.

Fast forward 4 days later and Bodhi is having a delicious 2 hour nap, it’s just me, the house is in ( some sort of ) order, my lesson plans for the week are sorted and I allow myself time to really absorb myself in practice. My mind is ‘ In it’ completely, my body has plenty of time to find its way and I can fully observe how every inch of me is feeling. I can breath fully and richly through everything, without having to worry about wiping a snobby nose, monitoring wolf cub wrestles or watching for little hands ready to set me off balance… In that luscious hour of freedom I was able to play, learn some new techniques on how to improve my backbends from the beautiful Talia Sutra via her online course ‘ THE METHOD’ and give my body the time it needed to open up.

2 very different days produced 2 very different results from the same body.

2 very different days contrasted in the way they influenced how I felt and the way I responded emotionally and physically.

Those 2 days were so close to each other, nothing major happened in between ( apart from putting up the Christmas lights, that’s always quite momentous 😉😀) truth is neither day was better than the other. My life is just as rich in the moments of beautiful messiness as it is in the moments of stillness.. they are just different. My practice on the Thursday was of equal value to me than the Tuesday’s practice. The shape I made as a result has no bearing on how both sessions helped replenish my needs for that particular day, or fuelled my personal growth.

Once upon a time, as a dancer, I would have given myself a reeeeallly hard time for ‘losing it’/ ‘taking steps backwards’/ ‘disappointing myself’ if one day I couldn’t do something I expected myself to be able to do. When we hold on so tightly to expectations and grow attached to them it sets us up for pain when we can’t reach them, that just drains are energy unnecessarily. If we accept and appreciate the kaleidoscope of possibilities and outcomes available with every changing day then life gets a lot more colourful. My practice is more commonly the messier version, and even though some days I feel like I’m cruising, (if anything), the days when things do fall into place I get to realise how much I have been growing, in all manor of ways.

Obviously, doing a scorpion pose is not on many people’s wish list 😂🙈that’s just my example for today! But the idea behind it can be applied to anything. A PB time for a runner, a piece of art created, the perfect photo taken, sales targets met, a blog written, a high note belt achieved, a tennis match score, goals scored…. achievement and progress doesn’t have to work in a linear fashion, as long as we’re making the most of what we do have, then we always moving forward in the right direction, the winding diversions offer more interesting views and perspectives ☺️.

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When I first started working on Scorpion pose…. I worked on it most days at this time so change happened quicker

Grounding Gravitas – Downward dogs 8 benefits

(Believe it or not I thought my arms were straight in this 🙈)

When yoga is mentioned, one of the first postures that springs into peoples mind is Downward dog, and for good reason. It provides a multitude of benefits for beginners and advanced practitioners with its simultaneous stretching and strengthening action in a moment that encourages a connection with the centre. Turning inwards whilst stretching the body into a long line has a unifying effect. It’s the first asana that both my boys started experimenting with and a go to for me if I’m struggling to find motivation to step on to my mat. By getting on my paws ( see what I did 😜🙈) to gently pad into this mild inversion and breath for 5, I’m given just the right burst of energy I need to fill me with inspiration to stay for that 5/10/30/60 mins longer. So whats in a name? Broken down in Sanskrit it reads as…

AH-doh MOO-kah shvah-NAHS-anna)
adho = downward
mukha = face
svana = dog

and watching a dog stretch it’s way to being awake it all makes sense ☺️. You’ll notice that many of the Sanskrit and English names of asanas ( physical postures) are taken from animals and other entities found in nature. In yoga, the natural world is especially important. Unfortunately, for our canine best friends, dogs don’t fare well in Indian history, being considered dirty and to be avoided at all costs but I did manage to find out about one that is loved and revered near the end of the Mahabharata, Indias monumental, national epic.So here’s a little snippet of that for your enjoyment…( scroll down for Downdog instructions )

..After winning the Mahabharata war, the Pandavas decided to renounce their kingdom and begin their final journey to Heaven. As they ascended a mountain, Yudhisthira – the eldest Pandava – led the way, followed by Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva and Draupadi. A dog also accompanied them on their journey…

And now only Yudhisthira and the dog were left, continuing the journey together.

And finally, Indra descended in his chariot. He praised the extraordinary qualities of Yudhisthira and invited him into the chariot to ascend to heaven.

“The dog must come with me,” said Yudhisthira

“That is not possible,” said Indra. “All cannot attain heaven. The dog is old and thin and has no value.”

“In that case, I do not seek heaven, “replied Yudhisthira. “The dog was my faithful companion and I cannot abandon it. It sought my help and gave me unconditional love. The pleasures of heaven will mean nothing to me in comparison to its grief. It has done nothing to deserve abandonment and had none of the weaknesses of my wife and brothers. If it does not deserve to go to heaven, then neither do I.”
And so he turned back.

“Stop!” cried Indra. “None have the qualities that you possess, O Yudhisthira! The dog is Dharma, from whom you have descended!”

And indeed, the dog had transformed into the God of Dharma and blessed Yudhisthira for his complete lack of selfishness and dedication to righteousness in all circumstances.

And thus rose Yudhisthira to heaven in the chariot of Indra…..

HOW TO DO DOWNWARD FACING DOG

STEP ONE

start in table top position on hands and knees, hips stacked over knees and hands slightly in front of shoulders, spread energy through the 4 corners of the palms and out through the fingers to protect the wrists, brace your core and take an inhale.

STEP TWO

on exhale tuck toes under and lift tailbone towards the sky, drawing in the navel, feet and hands hip width apart.

STEP THREE

the first point of focus is to get a straight line from your wrists all the way up to the tailbone so it may help to keep the heels lifted at first ( you can place a block or rolled up blanket under them for support) and keep the knees bent.

STEP FOUR

Your tailbone should be the tip of the angle so encourage a tilt from that point to work towards flattening the back forwards, simultaneously draw the shoulder blades towards the pelvis, feel like the armpits are 2 eyes turning to look at each other, widen the shoulders creating space between them and your ears, draw upper arms towards each other and slightly rotate inwards keeping arms straight.

STEP FIVE

Feel the energy through the knuckles of fingers and out to tips, find a connection with the earth whilst drawing energy upwards through the palms up through to the pelvis and beyond.

STEP SIX

Once this side of your triangle shape has been established you can then lengthen your legs, push thighs back and extend heels down to the ground until. To avoid hyperextending knees ( guilty 🙋🏼‍♀️🙈) think about keeping a microbend in the knees. Engage and slightly rotate inner legs inwards.

STEP SEVEN

take 5 deep, slow breaths. Find length through the spine and lift through the tailbone on the inhale and melt through any tension on the exhale.

POINTS TO CONSIDER

Although this posture is recommended for beginners, it can actually be very challenging and overwhelming at first, here’s some things to help support you…

FOR WEAKER ARMS OR TIGHTER SHOULDERS

Use blocks, a hard chair or even a wall to place hands at a higher level to take weight off them so you can focus on alignment of upper body with less pressure

FOR LEGS THAT BOW OUT OR STRUGGLE TO STRAIGHTEN

Hold a block or cushion between upper thighs to encourage thighs together and help strengthen.

FOR TIGHTER HAMSTRINGS

Keep knees bent and pace a block or rolled up towel under heels to lift.

BENEFITS

1. Calms the mind, releasing stress and tension
2. Improves flow of circulation and lymphatic system
3. Energises body
4. Strengthens arms and legs
5. Stretches arms, hamstrings, calves, shoulders.
6. Introduces feeling of being inverted
7. Helps regulate blood pressure
8. Relieves headache, insomnia, back pain, sciatica

CONTRAINDICATIONS

1. Dont practice in late pregnancy
2. Carpal Tunnel syndrome
3. High blood pressure
4. Headache or migraine

Everyone’s bodies are all built beautifully different so any questions fire away in the comments section, via my Facebook page or instagram account.

THE MOTHER HOUSE. A space for Mother artists and their children

On Wednesday and Thursday I managed to get a brief glimpse of THE MOTHER HOUSE. A months residency for Mother artists and their children launched by The Procreate Project. It is the brainchild of the admirably passionate, driven and talented Dyana Gravina and Amy Dignam. Set in a wonderfully artistic pocket in Londons Waterloo, the Iklectic Artlab housed a community of 36 mother artists who organically came together to test a collective childcare model. They supported, collaborated and created an eclectic array of artistic endeavours with their beloved children in tow.

Parenthood is one of life’s wonderful challenges. Every parent and child Creates their own story as they muddle through the ups and down. Juggling family, work and social life. It’s an age old story that we can choose to embrace or fight. For an artist to create, (whether they are a painter, sculpture, dancer, illustrator, writer, photographer, musician) they need space physical space, but more importantly, mental space for their visions to grow into fruition. Working from home may seem like the ideal career choice for raising children but the reality can be draining, frustrating, restricting and emotional for both child and parent. Our primary job is to be there for our children. When they wake up, when they need their sandwiches cut into triangles instead of squares to make them edible, when they need changing, when they need help with their colouring, when they need a playmate to imagine with, when they need a shoelace tied or bogies removed. It is unfair to ask a child to stay in a corner and entertain themselves for hours on end so that we can meet deadlines or explore our passions. they need fresh air and company, guidance and love. When childcare is too expensive, family live far away and school is in the future or the school holidays have arrived then there a few precious hours while a child naps or gets engrossed with their imagination when choices have to be made. Is the priority for this unpredictable mummy power hour work, chores, paperwork, exercise? A rest maybe? Something always gets neglected. One things for sure though. When that cute, energetic, spirited child is up and about then they can never be neglected. At the end of the day it’s a case of just accepting that pile of crumpled laundry, that idea that stays just an idea for a bit longer, those words that never get written, that paintbrush that never gets wet , the melody that never gets heard or the dent in the bank balance that gets further chipped into as work is left incomplete. For me personally these are tiny sacrifices for the honour of raising, enjoying and nurturing my beautiful feral Cupid, I’m grateful for every trial and tribulation and the abundance of inspiration he has brought into my life, but for some it can become a trap, it can be too easy for parent artists to get into situations that become overwhelming, frustrating, lonely or desperate…… The MotherHouse is a place that offers, freedom, refuge, support, growth, relief and friendship to mothers so they can be free to be whoever they want to be in a space that encourages their kids to be too.

“As women we are conditioned from birth to put ourselves at the bottom of the list, a space where women make up the whole list is very important.”
Due to family commitments during the month of September I could only be a part of THE MOTHER HOUSE for the last 2 days. My hubby even came along to join in the fun. As a performer himself he works away from home a lot of the time which throws up its own challenges. He misses out on a lot of family time so every moment he is home is precious. The first day I didn’t do any work myself as I wanted to discover from Dyana, a friend I met during my first pregnancy whilst she was also carrying her son Regis, all the exciting goings on. Every corner of the studio and outdoor space was a hive of creativity. Women were flourishing in their different projects, enabled and encouraged to feed both their practise as artists and as mothers. They used the space to collaborate with their children or to focus on their own art practice while the children busied themselves with an array of craft activities, creative play and new friends. It was an enriching environment that provided joy and inspiration for both mother and child. There were weekly events programmed which provides a number of creative activities for the parents and the children.including puppet shows, storytelling and motivational talks. It was an empowering sight to witness. On my second day I dived into my own work using a beautiful outdoor wooden structure as a framework for photographic dance shots. Documenting the changes to my own dancers body body through pregnancy and motherhood. As it was the last day many of artists were present throughout and demonstrating their own artistic works. Inside a beautiful dance took place whilst on the walls artwork was displayed. I only wish I could have stayed for longer but the magic of the house was that it could work for everyone, whatever their timetable, whatever their skills and needs.
This month of September was just the start of an ambitious and exciting project that has been invited to take place up north. As support and funds grows Dyana and Amy have wonderful plans about what they will be able to offer Mother artists.
A documentary has been filmed which will be released soon for release details and further information you can visit The following links…
https://www.facebook.com/procreateproject/

http://www.procreateproject.com/

http://instagram.com/procreateproject
For my personal instagram @barefootkerry

#Motherearthyogis on Instagram – fun for #yogamums and their #miniyogis

Anyone who follows me on Instagram will see that on top of my love of dancing and being a mum I also practice yoga. I’m nearly halfway through a 200hr yoga teacher training course  ( more on that later ) and taking every opportunity I can to practice practice practice. I’m also figuring out how the wonderful world of social media works. Instagram appeals to me most for the simple reason that I predominantly work visually. I love photography and how stories can be portrayed through them. It’s wonderful to watch people’s journeys, from all over the world, unfold through photojournalling.

There’s a lot of ‘discussion’ on the portrayal of yoga via platforms such as Instagram, snapchat, periscope etc etc ( again more on that another time as its a subject that intrigues me ) but as with anything in life, I need to experience how something works personally before I can pass a judgement on whether it works for me or not. So I’ve been throwing myself into #yogachallenges from a variety of hosts and in all honesty I’m having a wonderfully fun time at present. As hubby is away a lot, there is a limited amount of actual classes I can attend so home practice is very important. I would generally consider myself a motivated person, but that doesn’t mean that everyday I’m raring to bounce on the mat and follow another online class. I’m also aware that I need to start sequenceing my own practice in an intelligent way readying me for teaching. The yoga challenges give me a daily starting point of a posture to lead up to, or area to work on. I’ve learnt so many asanas so far and it challenges me to find a way to prepare every component of my body needed to maximise the posture. Before I know it I’ve done a 45 minute Hatha yoga practice which has required an intelligent approach.

One of my favourite accounts for inspiring me to push through my boundaries in a safe way is @cyogalab . Every post has a detailed description of how to safely achieve a posture from Carmen and it is followed by suggested warm ups and modifications for whatever stage of your practice you are at. Every month she works on a new area, be it hips, back, balance, core.

Another inspirational account for me is @kinomacgregor she has been a target of a lot of critism for bringing ashtanga yoga online in such a way that it has made her an online celebrity. But I adore her posts which are filled with honesty ,hardwork and dedication. Introducing people to the idea that yoga is way more than just physical poses. ( the philosophy behind it is fascinating and eye opening, I really look forward to learning and sharing more ).

Being a mum of a toddler of course throws in new challenges for home practice.

I become an upside down climbing frame, often decorated, while in a posture, with paint, hummus, soil… Anything he can get onto his sticky little hands.

thats hummus he’s putting on me

Being able to share this with other yogamums has provided so many giggles and inspired me in so many ways. Being a mum on my own can be lonely at times too so being able to connect with people with shared interests keeps my spirits and motivation high. Along the way, #yogamom challenges have increasingly popped up which have encouraged me to involve Elijah in a fun and educational way. He guinely loves joining in with me, I’ll often pop my head up to see him upside down with a leg stretched out and a cheeky beaming smile.

The piggy backs are a big hit too. We make lots of games out of my time on the mat which alleviates a lot of the ‘mummy guilt’ I get when trying to do ‘Me ‘ things.

I’ve recently started following a new account called @meddyteddy they’re the creators of an amazing new yoga teddy bear designed to stretch into all sorts of poses to help introduce kids to yoga. We’re a bit too strapped for cash at the moment to buy one for Elijah but when pennies aren’t so tight I think he’ll love it. We’ve been taking part in their yoga challenges though which has created many moments of cuteness and built new connections.

I was very excited and honoured to be announced a winner for the latest challenge #motherearthyogis 😀, hosted by @studioartyoga @boonandboys @yogachikitsa @ erincunninghamyoga @humblebeginningsyoga @yogibuffcakes @altruisticyogini @yoga_rockss and @meddyteddy (these are all such inspiring mothers and I recommend you take a peek at their profiles ….)receiving a prize from @plexusyogawheel. As funds are running low at the moment this is a very welcome help and I am so grateful 🙏🏻☺️

I’m aware that this is a fairly ‘shallow’ post from me on the subject of yoga, but I had a rare moment of calm while at hairdressers so thought I’d quickly scribble my thoughts of that moment. There really are so many different levels to explore and my passion for all elements grows as my practice does, but we all need a starting point. These are very early days into my journey so I have a lot to learn and  discover. I’ll post soon about what drew me to yoga in the first place but in the meantime feel free to join in my journey here and on Instagram @barefootkerry  .