Candice Machtus Yoga

An easy way to release your spine at the end of the day.

This simple practice can relieve the spine tensions keeping it healthy and promoting better wellbeing. Sitting cross-legged, moving gently from side to side, keeping the spine long and letting the shoulders lead.

It also demonstrates a principle in movement: we root down to rise up. Each time a hand presses into the floor, that’s what’s creating the lift and the space through the side body. The ground isn’t just where we sit, it’s what gives us something to move from.

A lovely one to do in the evening to unwind the spine after a day of sitting or screens. Try it on both sides.

Save this one for tonight to release your spine.

It was a flow for inner balance, centred on the heart and the fire element of summer.

We started with a poem about the heart, cleared what may have closed it, invited to remember our most beautiful memories, feeling the sensations in the body while the heart gently opened.

We moved through a flow with the heart at the centre and came back to where we began.

I invited everyone to set an intention at the start and offered to return to it at the end.

If you’ve never tried Qigong, think of it as movement that works with your energy rather than against it. Seasonal, slow, and powerful.

More from the day later this week.

Candice x

This is what happens when yoga and qigong meet.

Summer is a heart season. In Chinese medicine it’s linked to the small intestine too, and it’s all about connection, warmth, and joy.

This flow plays with that energy, moving between the straight lines of yoga and the rounded, circular shapes of qigong. You’ll see warrior poses meeting an offering gesture, straight strength softening into flow, building and then settling right down into child’s pose.

You don’t need to know what any of it’s called to feel the shift. Just notice how different it feels to move in straight lines versus curves, and see which one your body’s drawn to today.

Which felt better for you, the straight lines or the curves? Let me know below.

Thank you for welcoming me again 🙏

Two back-to-back classes, a tent full of lovely people, and two practices centred on the heart and fire element.

More from the day coming this week, but for now, this is what it felt like to be there.

Candice x

Goat yoga on Saturday 13th June. We started by feeding the goats, then settled for a breathing relaxation, did some movements and deeply rested.

During the experience the goats came and went, enjoying cuddles or feeding. They bring such a calm energy and if you don’t want them, they won’t come near you.

Next sessions on Saturday 11th July and then final one Saturday 15th August.

Book via the link in my BIO

Candice

As we age, building strength becomes one of the most important things we can do for our bones.

There is a direct correlation between muscle strength and bone density and this matters deeply, whether you’re navigating perimenopause, menopause, or simply the natural changes that come with getting older.

This flow moves through 3 options, so you can work at the level that feels right for you today:

• Down Dog to Rounded Plank
• Rounded Plank to Knee Side Plank
• Full Side Plank (no knee)

Each side can be practised separately, and the options can be done individually or as a sequence. Start bow, all three versions build strength and support your bones over time.

💾 Save this so you have it when you need it.