Helen Manente Yoga

After a mammoth drive home from Venice yesterday, we got home at about 1am today!

I'm feeling very foggy but so grateful to have had the BEST time with my boys and our best friends.

Lots of very smug photos to come, but first, the important stuff - this week's class times!

I'm really looking forward to seeing you all on the mat from Thursday ❤️

NRG GYM Gravesend Hangloose Bluewater Badgells Wood

This is me officially signing off for two WHOLE weeks!

I haven't taken this amount of time off since I started teaching yoga 4 years ago and it's NEEDED.

Keep an eye on the NRG GYM Gravesend app, as they were hoping to get some of the classes covered. If it's not showing, it means they haven't covered it!

I'll be back in time for the Thursday 13th class.

My Badgells Wood classes will be covered by the gorgeous Samadhi Yoga UK - please book and support her!

I'll pop onto social media every now and again, but we're intending on having a bit of a digital detox.

So I shall be by the pool, with snacky snacks, a glass of Chianti and Xaden Riorson 🙌🏻

I have a little bit of news for you all. I think I've seen most people in-person that I need to, before announcing it on social media.

My work at the Royal Academy of Music is increasing as of September, and this means that instead of 3 or 4 week blocks at a time, they're now 8 weeks.

And whilst I'm super happy with the RAM work, it means that I won't be able to continue my Friday morning classes at Riverview Scout Hall in the way that they are currently.

I'm so sad - this was my first class, a community of wonderful people who have become friends because of yoga. I've been privileged to teach you all since 2022, and you've been so supportive and kind.

I want to reassure you that this is not the end - any time I can make it, I'll run a class, and I'll find the time to come and do the nice long yoga and sound bath sessions you like so much!

This Friday will be the final class. I'm not ok. I'll try not to blub too much, but I'm not promising anything 😭

Huge hugs and lots of love to you all, you have been such a positive force in my life for nearly 4 years 🥰

Tonight was such a treat!

The new floating deck at Hangloose Bluewater is finished, and we were able to use it for our yoga class.

It's such a lovely, friendly group, and we spent a wonderful hour looking at paschimottanasana, or seated forward bend.

We were all blown away by how much progress we made in an hour.

The next class is on 24th July, from 6:30-8pm and is bookable via the Hangloose website.

If practising yoga at the water's edge looks like your sort of thing, come and join us!

My classes are mixed level, inclusive and accessible - though the deck is down quite a few steps. We have all the equipment you need and you're welcome whether you're a beginner or if you have experience.

Hope to see you on the mat!

Happy 19th Wedding Anniversary to my absolute soul mate!

The man who agreed to driving me 200 miles back from Cardiff on a school night so that I could see Gojira.

The man who will always have my back and will tell it like it is, whenever I need to hear it.

Who is the best dad to our boys.

Who has supported me and loved me in a way that I still can't fathom.

I bloody love you, Dan! You're a legend ❤️

Can't wait to head back to Tuscany in a few weeks so we can take the boys to where we got married!

What? Half-day yoga retreat

Where?

When? 20th September, 9:30am-1pm

How much? £45

As summer softens into autumn, come and find rest and relaxation with me at Inn on the Lake. This is your invitation to slow down, turn your attention inwards, and notice what happens when you allow the waters of your mind to become still.

We'll begin with a gentle yoga practice to help you reconnect with your breath and body.

Then, as you're eased into comfort, an immersive sound bath will soothe you into a state of deep relaxation.

Our retreat will finish with a yoga nidra meditation, where you'll drift into that beautiful space between wakefulness and sleep – it's the most wonderful practice if you've never experienced one before.

And as you come gently back to earth, Inn on the Lake will treat you to a delicious lunch, hopefully overlooking the lake if the weather is kind to us.

Booking is via the link in my bio to either my website or my Bookwhen page!

Playing with fun straddle entry headstand transitions after my session this morning!

Yoga at NRG GYM Gravesend today was focused on prasarita padottanasana - wide legged forward fold.

We worked on external hip rotation, abduction of the legs, as well as length and flexibility in the hamstrings.

As ever, I built the pose in stages, using blocks to bring the floor up to us to begin with. Then we gradually brought our heads further and further towards the floor, as our stance was able to widen to allow for greater depth.

And obviously, the natural next step once the head is on the floor is this... Straddle entry into tripod headstand.

I'm SO pleased with the exit in the first video - I've never felt so in control of bringing my legs back down. Not so much in the second, although the entry was much more controlled.

Given that quite a few of my students here have done headstands with me a few times, one or two of them tried it! 💪🏻

I told them to practice and send me progress pics 🤣 I'm so proud of how they're willing to challenge themselves!