Sarah Lucy Yoga

Group yoga classes this week (wc 7 Sep):
🔸️Sat 09:00 Morning Flow MoreYoga Lewisham
🔸️Sat 10:10 Ashtanga MoreYoga Lewisham
🔸️Sat 11:20 Vinyasa MoreYoga Lewisham
🔸️Sat 12:30 Flow to Restore MoreYoga Lewisham
🔸️Sun 18:00 Anytime Fitness Lewisham (UK)

☕️Date for the diary: We have the next MoreYoga community social on Sat 3 Oct. Come and join us for coffee after the last MoreYoga Lewisham class (13:30).

Thank you for your kind words 🫶🏻
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Sunshine in September for the community social today ☀️
Thank you to the for hosting us and thank you for our coffees ☕️
Hope to see you next time on Saturday 3 October.

Utkatasana (Chair Pose) translates literally to "Fierce Pose"—and if you’ve ever held it for more than five breaths, you know exactly why! It might look simple from the outside, but it demands focus, endurance, and full-body presence.
​Here is why this powerhouse posture deserves a permanent spot in your movement practice:

​🔥 Builds Lower Body Strength
Fires up the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Sinking low into your hips builds functional leg strength that supports your joints both on and off the mat.

​⚖️ Fosters Balance & Stability
Grounding down through all four corners of your feet while reaching overhead challenges your center of gravity, refining your proprioception and ankle stability.

​💪 Activates Core & Back Extensions
Holding your torso tall against gravity forces your deep core, transverse abdominis, and erector spinae muscles to work together to keep the spine safe and long.

​🫁 Opens the Chest & Shoulders
Reaching your arms skyward opens the upper chest, expands the rib cage, and encourages deeper diaphragm breathing while strengthening the upper back.

​🧘‍♀️ Mental Resilience
Chair Pose is as much a mental practice as a physical one. Staying steady through the heat teaches you to breathe through discomfort and cultivate inner calm.

🪑​Alignment Tip: Keep your weight grounded in your heels, sink your hips back as if sitting into an imaginary chair, and ensure your knees track in line with your toes.

​

A lovely day in Sevenoaks. I hope you are having a great bank holiday weekend. It is nice to be out of the office tomorrow and I am looking forward to teaching yoga tomorrow evening.
Yoga classes this week (wc 31 Aug):
🔸️Mon 17:15 Vinyasa MoreYoga East Greenwich
🔸️Mon 18:30 Ashtanga MoreYoga East Greenwich
🔸️Sat 09:00 Morning Flow MoreYoga Lewisham
🔸️Sat 10:10 Ashtanga MoreYoga Lewisham
🔸️Sat 11:20 Vinyasa MoreYoga Lewisham
🔸️Sat 12:30 Flow to Restore MoreYoga Lewisham
🔸️Sun 18:00 Anytime Fitness Lewisham (UK)

We also have the More Yoga Community social this Saturday 5 September. Come and join us for coffee after the last class at More Yoga Lewisham (13:30).

Bank Holiday Weekend! 🎉
If you are around and would like to join one of my yoga classes, I will be teaching at MoreYoga Lewisham tomorrow (Sat 29 Aug):
☀️10:10 Ashtanga
☀️11:20 Vinyasa
☀️12:30 Flow to Restore

London yoga classes this Saturday 29 August MoreYoga Lewisham:
🔹️09:00 Morning Flow (cancelled due to reduced bank holiday weekend timetable)
🔹️10:10 Ashtanga
🔹️11:20 Vinyasa Flow
🔹️12:30 Flow to Restore
🔹️Private classes also available - just get in touch to arrange.

☕️Date for the diary: We have the next MoreYoga social on Saturday 05.09.26. We meet for tea/coffee after the last MoreYoga Lewisham class (13:30) on the first Saturday of the month.

The true challenge of Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold) has nothing to do with the length of your hamstrings. It has everything to do with your willingness to surrender.
​After nearly a decade of teaching, I constantly observe students gripping their ankles, white-knuckling their way into the posture, and fighting to pull their chests rigidly toward their thighs. We are conditioned to treat this foundational asana as a destination to reach—a physical benchmark of how "good" we are at yoga. But when we force the shape, we entirely miss the profound intention behind it.
​Standing Forward Fold is an active invitation to practice Santosha—deep contentment with exactly where your body is in this very moment. Whether your palms rest flat against the earth or your hands comfortably reach your thighs, the physical depth of your fold is secondary. The true magic lives in the release. It is the deliberate, conscious act of letting the crown of your head hang completely heavy, actively decompressing the cervical spine, and allowing gravity to do the work for your posterior chain.
​Beyond the deep physical stretch through the calves, hamstrings, and lower back, folding forward offers a profound psychological reset. It physically forces us to turn our gaze inward, gently pulling our focus away from the relentless external noise of our daily lives and anchoring us back to the steady, rhythmic pulse of our own breath. It is a moment of deliberate retreat. When we soften our knees and let the upper body cascade over our legs like water, we send a powerful signal to our nervous system that it is safe to let go of the heavy burdens we carry across our shoulders.
​Next time you step onto your mat—whether you are joining me for a Saturday morning class or flowing in your living room—try taking the sheer effort out of your fold. Put a generous, forgiving bend in your knees. Let your arms drape toward the floor or clasp opposite elbows to create traction. Stop pulling, start breathing, and notice the immense relief that washes over you when you finally allow yourself to just hang.
​What are you practicing letting go of this week?
​

Today is World Photography Day! 📷
Photos are beneficial for several reasons, primarily because they allow us to preserve memories, express ourselves creatively, and connect with others. They serve as visual reminders of past experiences, and can evoke strong emotions and feelings when revisited. Photography also offers a unique way to document life, learn about ourselves, and improve our well-being.

💛
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