YogaEasy

Just as nature changes and morphs from month to month, so do we... 🌊 🍃

Summer is the time when we put all our winter plans into action, feeling motivated and full of energy. Sometimes it means stepping out of routine, travelling a lot, and probably not having time, space or props for your yoga practice.

The good news is that there are a bunch of ways to integrate yoga into your summer schedule, and here are some of them 🌞

Malasana is a great asana to practice during menstruation, but there are other options too 👇

🩸 The menstrual phase is when we shed the lining of our uterus and start our period. During this phase, oestrogen and progesterone levels plummet, and we might experience cramps or nausea, which can leave us feeling tired and low in energy. This is a great time to put on your comfiest clothes and pile up your blankets, cushions and bolsters for some grounding, nurturing practices.

Yoga poses for the menstrual phase
🦋 Balasana (Child’s pose) with a bolster – deeply calming and grounding
🦋 Supta Matsyendrasana (Supine twist) with support of blankets or blocks – eases lower back tension
🦋 Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined butterfly) – gently opens the hips and supports relaxation
🦋 Legs-Up-The-Wall – restores energy without going fully upside down

📌 Save these step-by-step instructions and modifications for Dandasana

⭒ Sit with your legs together and stretched out in front of you. Place your hands next to your hips on the floor.
⭒ Flex your feet and extend out through the heels. Engage your thighs and actively press your sitting bones down.
⭒ Draw your lower belly in and up. 
Slide your shoulder blades back and down along your spine. Bring the bottom of your shoulder blades towards each other with your collarbones spread.
⭒ Bring your chin slightly back and down and keep the base of your neck soft.
Keep engaging your abdominal muscles to maintain this pose.

🌱 Beginners’ tips
࿔ Sit on a block or folded blanket to achieve a straight back.
࿔ If keeping your legs together feels uncomfortable, widen your feet to about hip distance apart.
࿔ Keep the knees soft and slightly bent if you feel too much sensation in your hamstrings.

Yin practice is perfect for the summer, yet... you might still want to make some adjustments to make the most of it 🌅 🧡

We put together a Summer Sessions program featuring 15-minute yoga classes for on-the-go practice. Comment SUN and we will send it to you 🌞 🌊

Comment STRONG, and we will send you a free class 💝

Your foundation for strength starts here. With YogaEasy and Emily! 🌟

Strong Start is a structured, beginner-friendly strength training program. You’ll learn foundational movement patterns, understand key strength-training principles, and build confidence with 4 progressive, repeatable workouts practised over 4 weeks.

📌 Save this note about Brahmaviharas for later.

Brahmaviharas, a set of four virtues or qualities that hold great significance in various Buddhist traditions. These qualities are often referred to as ‘divine abodes’, as nurturing them within ourselves can lead to a state of mind akin to that of the divine or heavenly realms.

The Brahmaviharas consist of loving-kindness (Metta), compassion (Karuna), empathetic joy (Mudita), and equanimity (Upekkha).

🪬 How They Are Practiced 🪬
In traditional meditation practice, practitioners work to radiate these states outward in all directions. They generally progress in stages, starting with directing the feeling toward oneself, and then expanding outward to loved ones, neutral people, difficult people, and eventually all sentient beings.

Sitting for too long is the main cause of tight hip flexors. Whether your posture is perfect or you’re slouched over, extended sitting will shorten your hip flexors 🫠

We’re here to help tho! Comment HIPS and we will send you our top 10 postures for tight hips 💌

🌀 Balasana (Child’s Pose) is meant to be a calming, restorative pose. A chance to draw inwards, to get your breath back or to use as a rest in place of poses you are skipping – but for many people it just hurts! Here are a few variations and modifications to change it from aargh to aaahhh…

☝ I get sore knees and ankles
If the front of your ankles doesn’t stretch so much, or if the tops of your feet are sensitive, try using a few DIY props. Take a blanket or towel and roll it. Place it on your mat so that your ankles can stay bent and rest on it.
☝ My head and hips are miles off the floor
If you have a stiff back or tight muscles, Balasana can help with flexibility. If you’re uncomfortable and straining in the pose, you’ll tighten up more. Use props like a cushion under your head or hips, or rest your forehead on your fists.
☝ Arms forwards or backwards?
If your hips lift in Balasana, you might feel like tipping forward, putting excess weight on your head. Moving your arms forward, instead of alongside your body, can help counter this and add a stretch to your shoulders, making the pose more active.

📌 Our thigh bones and hip flexibility vary, making a wide-legged Child’s Pose more comfortable for some than a knees-together one. Try both. The wide-legged is good for pregnant women and those with rounder bellies, and can feel less claustrophobic.

Which do you prefer?