Yoga for all occasions, A Tool for Life !!

Listen to your body. It always speaks to you. Just listen…

Don’t you just love summertime ? No schedule, sunshine, space, time and freedom !!

Long summer days and balmy evenings…You take a deep sigh, and you can just start to let go a little… your shoulders drop down. You are giving yourself permission to just chill, relax and be. It is time to reconnect to yourself and your loved ones. Time to rest, replenish, recharge. It is an act of love for you and others.

HOLIDAY YOGA: In this photo, I was on holiday in Sweden, joining an outdoor yoga class on International Day. We were celebrating summer solstice and international yoga day so our hotel has organised an outdoor yoga session on the market square just outside the hotel. Fab !

DYNAMIC YOGA: At 8h25am, I finished a morning yoga class with our lovely teacher, Rose-Marie, and went downstairs with the intention of going to breakfast. However, when I saw the yoga set up outside, I was drawn into it and went straight out to join the class. 5 min later, here I was on the mat doing yoga alfresco, in the sun and to music. It felt so good ! Listening to beautiful songs, and seagulls in the background.

The class was conducted in Swedish which I don’t speak but yoga is an international language so it was fine. Breathing, moving altogether as a sangha and finally coming to stillness, feeling the sun and a light breeze on my face and body. Opening the eyes to lose myself in a bright blue sky, I felt happy and content. Ready for breakfast !! Ready for the day ! I was back later in the evening for the 7pm session, thinking it would be a mellow class but it was pure hot dynamite. Phew !!

Whilst on holiday in Sweden, I also joined a yin yoga class, chakra yoga and the 5 Tibetans. Classes were in Swedish(Ah, ah !!) and each teacher was different and brilliant. I loved them all !

I just finished teaching my summer classes. I love teaching and I love my students. A mix of dynamic, hatha, Somatics or relaxation yoga. It is all about giving so I know the importance of having to recharge. It is important for me to slow down, take my practice a little deeper so I can nurture myself but also come up with new fresh ideas for my upcoming classes and workshops.

It is a time to let the mind wander, explore, expand and refresh. I might read a new yoga book or do some study. I love my practice and usually I am on my mat every day doing breathwork, stretching, yoga, Somatics, mobility, strengthening work or something… I just love to move and be in my body. It feels so good, right ?

I recently had surgery and was told not to exercise for 6 weeks. Ouch, a real challenge for me !! I had to find ways to adapt. I am so grateful to have a yoga toolbox to use for every occasion.

PRE-SURGERY: BREATHE, MOVE, RELAX. I carried on with my usual practice pre-surgery right up to the morning before and ensured I was as fit and strong as possible. A few days before and on the day of the surgery, I started to feel anxious. I changed my practice to a Somatics practice and belly breathing to calm my whole nervous system down and relax. You can learn to control your breathing to calm things down and inform your body that all is well. Your body will then start to dial down the adrenaline and cortisol.

Patanjali, Indian sage and author of the Yoga Sutra, knew what science has now proven: controlled, deep breathing shifts our nervous system by activating the calming, regenerating, and relaxing response whilst lowering stress levels.

“Calm is retained by the controlled exhalation or retention of the breath” Yoga Sutra 1.34, Book 1

DAY OF SURGERY: BREATHE, REST, RELAX. I checked into the clinic. When the anaesthetic chap came into my room just before the op, he looked puzzled and said “you are the wrong way round”. I was upside down on my bed, feet on the pillows, head lower down, chilling. I was practicing a variation of legs up the wall, where you elevate your legs slightly. Soothing and restorative 😊

I had just done a yoga nidra session on my bed, chilling out. It is a form of guided meditation, that induces deep relaxation to let go, release stress and tension from within. Whilst the body goes to sleep, the mind stays alert yet relaxed with internal awareness. It is a conscious experience of dreamless, "yogic" sleep where you connect with the inner world and disconnects from the outer world. From this relaxed state, this gives the body the tools to heal, grow and repair.

POST SURGERY: BREATHE, MOVE, RELAX.

Day 1. I am longingly looking at my yoga mat, feeling all spaced out. Feeling all groggy and drugged up to my ears post-surgery. I did nothing on the first day. I felt nauseous, blotted, with a foggy head and was finding it difficult to breathe. My priority always is to re-establish a breath connection and find comfort and ease in my body.

So what did I do ?

I had a full anaesthetic and was given 15 pills to take daily, practically every hour. A blend of painkillers, antibiotics, and some others to counter the negative impact on your stomach but they came with their own side effects. I checked each pill, identifying their purpose and side effects on my mind and body.

Day 2. I am finding ways of reconnecting with my practice, and it feels fantastic.

It is essential to listen to medical advice. It is equally key to use your wisdom and do what is right for you. We are all individuals so listen to your body. The body speaks to you. Just listen…

It is all about balance. I decided to take painkillers if and when I needed them and focused on speeding my healing with delicious homemade nutritious food, homeopathy, nature, movement, breath and yoga. It worked for me.

No. 1. The Breath. First priority in the morning: I started doing Kapalabhati every morning. It is a cleansing and energising breathing practice also known as Skull Shining Breath. It clears your head, cleanses your respiratory system, improves circulation and stimulates digestion… I then practice Alternative nostril breathing to rebalance my nervous system and the Bees’ breath to clear and calm my mind. You can google those on you tube for further info and tutorials.

No. 2. Movement: A walk twice a day in nature in the sunshine and dancing slowly to gentle salsa, jazz or samba rhythms at home. I just love dancing. Movement is medicine and joy !

No. 3. Restorative yoga and belly breath in the afternoon, using all my props to make it a luxurious enjoyable healing experience during the first few days. You give your body a chance to recharge. Later in the week, some chair yoga and slowly moving towards my mat for some easy limbering up poses like lunges or cat cow. My aim is to release and mobilise the body.

HEALING YOGA:

Restorative yoga offers me something that nothing else can. It gives spaciousness. You wake up from it feeling rested, refreshed whole... More present. The props are there to support your whole body weight, allowing you to relax every part of your body till you start feeling layers after layers of tension just melting away from your skin, until you feel weightless.

As a result, your breath flows more freely and you let your body be breathed. A few moments later, you feel a sense of space and expansion as if you were a bird flying spreading your wings into the sky… and the relaxation gets deeper and deeper. Pure Bliss !!

As you relax deeper, you naturally breathe deeper in your belly activating your Vagus Nerve which plays a fundamental role in your overall health, parasympathetic nervous system and wellbeing...

It is deeply embedded in our autonomic nervous system and is one of the longest nerves travelling right through your chest and abdomen. It is so vital as it has direct links to our brain, heart, lungs, gut and all of our organs. Amazing, right ?

The body always wants to heal itself. As you allow your nervous system to calm down, you start to heal… And then of course, look for the good, have fun doing what you enjoy most. Everything is energy. I love cooking and eating delicious summer food: fruits, vegetables, savoury tarts, fish, colourful salads...

SOMATICS YOGA: Soon, when I am able to move more freely, I will go back to Somatics to tune into my body, listen, release tension and rebalance, recreate space and ease. A gentle soothing Somatics flow recreates space and freedom of movement, which truly feels amazing.

It is an invitation to become quieter and feel within your body, inviting you to come back “home”.

Small gentle movements allow me to reset my body, mind and nervous system. What is even better is that sense of nurturing, grounding and calmness that the practice offers. I love to take the time to reconnect, that sense of the body just letting go and returning to its natural state. I will then be ready to reintroduce a mindful fun practice on my mat with yoga somatics !

I am starting a new morning Wellbeing class in the autumn in Fordcombe, a blend of breathwork, yoga, somatics, pilates to feel good. All welcome ! Just get in touch...

For more info, benefits and testimonials on Yoga and Somatics, www.yogawithbelle.co.uk

Do you wish to learn more wellbeing tools ? Join me for group yoga somatics, online, indoors or outdoors classes in and around Tunbridge Wells. I also offer workshops. private events and one to one tuitions. Autumn courses on my website.

Stress On or Off... A Road to Healing !

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To navigate a chaotic world, it is even more essential than ever before to begin with nurturing yourself.

Do you wish to find out about a perfect counterbalance to a busy chaotic world ? Do you wish to learn about letting go and grounding yourself to stay strong, aligned and centred ? If you wish to find a way to healing, feeling whole and at ease, no matter what, then please read on…

Finding space and ease within is our theme for this term of yoga 🧘‍♀️ I feel we need this more than ever in a world 🌎 in turmoil. Stress on or off… When was the last time you completely switched off ? There is a road to healing.

In crises, we start doing strange stuff. Over the last couple of years, we have to deal with a rise in violence across the globe, the pandemic, wars and so on… It is a lot to feel destabilise on a business or personal level.

Personally, I have recently struggled to get a good night sleep, stayed up late into the night pottering about, indulged in comfort eating, buying food I don’t usually eat and started to easily feel frustrated when my energy level dropped. Does this sound familiar ? I know I am not alone, This is a typical stress reaction.

This behaviour is unlike me, so what happened ? The truth is that for in the last few months, stress has been slowly finding its way more and more into our lives. Besides the world news, I have had no heating at home as my boiler broke down this winter, I have been doing a lot of trouble shooting and suddenly, I found myself on crutches following a small ski accident resulting in endless medical appointments. The results of an X Ray and scan revealed a small ankle fracture, torn ligament and split Achilles tendon. Ouch !! This throws you completely out of balance. Not ideal, especially when you are a yoga teacher and like being active.

I am not complaining. There are much worse situations and I am very fortunate in many ways. I always like to learn from my experience. What I noticed is that I could not do my usual yoga practice, I learnt to adapt but more interestingly, I had lost my centre and a sense of connection. As I could not stand balancing on my own 2 feet, I ended up being perched and putting all my weight on one leg with the help of crutches. I somehow lost connection with my whole left side, with the earth below me, and to myself for a while.

BREATHE, MOVE, RELAX: I managed to carry on teaching and am learning along the way about self-compassion, patience and how to adapt my practice. My priority always is to reestablish a breath connection and find comfort and ease in my body. Crutches are so helpful to move around yet it brings tension in your shoulders, neck and back and your posture suffers as you come out of alignment. It also becomes very tiring.

I am so grateful I have Somatics I can use as a way to release tension and rebalance my body. Boy, did I need this or what ? Somatics allows you to develop interoceptive awareness to listen to your body. When lying on my mat, my body was telling me what I knew already. The whole of my body weight was resting on my right side. In other words, I could feel the right side of my back touching the floor but my left side was off the floor. After one hour practice, I was able to slowly release tension and reconnect both sides.

A gentle soothing Somatics flow, where I melt tension away, recreate space and freedom of movement truly feels amazing. It is an invitation to become quieter and feel what is happening within your body. It is an invitation to come back “home”. I love to take the time to reconnect. What I love is that sense of the body just letting go and return to its natural state.

The breath practice calms my nervous system and allows my body to open up and let go. Small gentle movements allow me to reset my body, mind and nervous system. What is even better is that sense of nurturing, grounding and calmness which comes with the practice. As I felt trapped in the chaos and turmoil of life, this is just what my body and soul needs right now. This is so therapeutic. I feel so grateful to have those tools to play with.

Somatics is a great practice on its own to feel calm, grounded, open and at ease in daily life. It is also a great warm up preparation for yoga or sport. Perfect for me !

Most important, I am trying to let my body rest when needed and learn from this experience. It is challenging. At times, I feel a bit teary, and all I really want to do is eat cake, chocolate and more cake. If I want to rest, I rest. If I don’t feel like exercising every day, that is fine. So, my mind does not approve of this situation and makes me feel guilty, yet I know my body is talking to me and I learn to listen. I learn to observe in a detached manner the dialogue between body & mind to help with my recovery process and healing. If you’re having a wobble, you may also have noticed all sorts of weird stuff going on. Any imbalance in your life will obviously impact your body, mind, energy and spirit. Are you arguing more, talking faster, struggling to sleep, feeling restless, desperate for information? Or are you simply feeling teary and overwhelmed, perhaps struggling to make decisions? Is your body feeling tense ? Are you experiencing palpitations, butterflies, headaches, an upset tummy ? Are you feeling fatigued ? Are you developing a low level of tolerance to noise and light ? Is your breath shallow or rapid ? If you are feeling any of these things, you are not alone. You are a fully emotionally functional human being. Those are reactions to stress. Let's review what happens to our being when under pressure.

As we are living in uncertain times, worry and anxiety can run wild. For the last few years, we have seen a rise in terrorism, increased violence, climate change, the pandemic, a rapid change towards a digital world where there is less human contact, more cyber-attacks, and now a declaration of war from Russia… Clearly the world is in turmoil. We have been asked to isolate, stay home, wear masks, keep a social distance and adapt to situations and ever-changing rules. All this can be perceived as threats to ourselves, our loved ones, and our way of life. It is easy to feel destabilised, be swept away, feel terrified and totally out of control.

Technically, threats are perceived by the amygdala, a complex structure of cells located deep inside our brain. The amygdala, a small almond shape cluster of nuclei, is part of the limbic system and plays a key role in how we assess and respond to environmental threats and challenges (including fear, anxiety, and aggression). It is the oldest, most primitive part of our brain, designed to ensure our physical survival in times of dangers.

The real issue is when perceived threats, real or not real, lead to prolonged stress, anxiety, mental and physical imbalances… The amygdala responds to danger or no danger. In other words, Bear No Bear !!

BEAR MODE ON !! Because all threats look like a bear to the amygdala, it preps you accordingly in a fraction of a second to fight or run real fast to deal with the situation. Our brain automatically springs into action sending a signal to our body by starting to pump cortisol and adrenaline around getting us ready for action to fight or flight. This is what we call the Fight or Flight response (there’s also freeze, meaning you just get paralysed). You come to a state of high alertness: your heart rate goes up, your breathing goes shallow, your muscles are ready for action. Blood is redirected to all vital organs and your digestive system shuts down.

This is a fantastic mechanism to escape danger in the short term. If it goes long term, the result is an awful lot of stress and anxiety. You can end up feeling really overwhelmed and having all sorts of reactions. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: Stress and Anxiety isn’t just mental – it is also physical, cognitive and behavioural. You may notice all kinds of things: stomach upsets, headaches, insomnia, changes to eating, changes to the way you talk. It’s also cognitive: It becomes difficult to think straight and we also become very bad at making decisions, absorbing information and generally thinking rationally - Which is EXACTLY what we need to do.

The amygdala performs a key role in the processing of memory, emotional responses and decision making. Stress impacts on our nervous system and can deplete our energy if it goes on for too long… It uses the fight & flight mode, part of our sympathetic nervous system. So how do you switch off back to a relaxed mode ?

BEAR MODE OFF is the solution but how do you do turn it off ? It is essential to learn to let go and ground ourselves. Once set in Flight and Fight mode, you can get stuck into it. In addition, your body has become addicted to the rush of adrenaline asking for more stress, action, coffee... You find it difficult to switch off, relax or sleep. An endless vicious cycle difficult to break but not impossible. In the meantime, you are depleting your natural energy reserves in your adrenals, situated above your kidneys leaving you feeling fatigued or burnt out.

The good news is that it is possible to destress and relax. And, no, it is not just about sitting in front of the TV or having coffee and cake. I will share below a few tips scientifically proven to bring you back to a state of calm, switching from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic system, where you can allow your body to heal and restore itself. If you wish to find out more and share a soothing practice with me, feel free to get in touch.

A ROAD TO HEALING: The Vagus Nerve, one of the longest nerve in our body, controls the function of our cells, organs and systems. You can learn how to rebalance it to soothe our nervous system. This helps to calm the body which when under stress starts to create inflammation leading to all sorts of health issues if left unattended.

It originates in the brain stem travelling right through the chest, heart, lungs and abdomen and plays a fundamental role in our overall health and parasympathetic nervous system. It connects to your eyes, vital organs, digestive and reproductive systems. It is one of the most important nerves in our body and is key to our health and wellbeing.

The so-called “wandering nerve” is responsible for our rest and digest capacities to calm and soothe when under attack from a virus or life’s daily pressures. It is even more essential than ever before to nurture yourself in today's world. The vagus nerve has an impact on your mental, physical and emotional health. It regulates emotions, digestion, respiratory and heart rate, releases tension, trauma, reduces inflammation, improves sleep, boosts your immune system and metabolism and more.

You can read more about the numerous wellbeing effects of the vagus nerve in one of my previous website blogs on how a higher vagal tone increases your health & happiness and can help recovering from Covid-19 long term side effects.

The vagus nerve is deeply embedded in our autonomic nervous system and is one of the longest nerves. It is so vital as it has direct links to our brain, heart, lungs, gut and all of our organs.

TIP No. 1. BREATHE. It’s so basic, yet breath control or pranayama works wonders. It works in minutes can be performed anywhere. It helps counteract all the physical reactions the amygdala triggers. You can learn how to consciously control your breath for different effects. You can learn to control your breathing to calm things down and inform your body that all is well. Your body will then start to dial down the adrenaline and cortisol.

Patanjali, an Indian sage, author of the Yoga Sutra, a collection of pearls of wisdom on yoga, knew what science has now proven: controlled, deep breathing shifts our nervous system by activating the calming, regenerating, and relaxing response whilst lowering stress levels.

“Calm is retained by the controlled exhalation or retention of the breath” Yoga Sutra 1.34, Book 1

Controlled, prolonged exhalation has been shown to activate our parasympathetic nervous system, the branch of our nervous system responsible for our “rest-and-digest” relaxation response. I teach and ask my students to practice this breath in all of my classes as I believe it is fundamental and most beneficial for our wellbeing. It might take a couple of sessions to learn but they soon feel the amazing health and calming benefits.

TIP No. 2. Walking in nature is deeply soothing. In a forest, near a water, in the hills or mountains.

TIP No. 3. Water Therapy. A shower, a bath, swimming, walking or floating in water works wonders. Exposure to cold water in particular stimulates your vagus nerve.

TIP No. 4. Yoga and Somatics. This is a wonderful way to slow down and reset, to switch off from the outside world for some “Me” time. It will nurture and soothe body and mind. It will help you breathe, move and sleep better. Somatics will melt tensions away from body & mind leaving you feeling calm and grounded. For more info and benefits on Somatics, please visit https://www.yogawithbelle.co.uk/why-somatics

If you wish to learn more wellbeing tools, feel free to contact me. I regularly offer private and group classes as well as workshops. Contact Isabelle, Email yogawithbelletw@hotmail.com

I am holding an online nurturing yoga somatics workshop on the Vagus Nerve on 12th March 2022, where we will cover theory, more tips and share a physical practice to calm and restore our physical and emotional being, leaving you feeling calm, grounded and whole able to cope with life's pressures and challenges. If you have missed it, I also teach privately so happy to share with you what I know to help you. It could be for a small private group or a one to one.

You can also sign up for the newsletter to be kept informed of our yoga somatics classes and workshops and follow me on Instagram or Facebook for yoga tips, fun and wisdom.

Post-Covid Recovery, Find Health & Joy !

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Did you know that I recently helped people with post Covid recovery ? Symptoms were shortness of breath and lack of energy. A few clients came to me to improve their situation. I used a combination of breathing techniques and Somatics. It worked wonders. The results were brilliant. Their breathing and energy dramatically improved.

I am a yoga teacher and Somatics Coach. I offer Somatics Rest & Restore classes in small groups or on a 1 to 1 basis. Want to de-stress ? Recover from Covid-19 ? Breathe better ? Boost your energy ? Feel more joy ? Read on to find out more...

I feel humble and am so honoured to be able to assist my clients: “I can breathe better and love the feeling of calmness and joy”. Beth «Thank you for welcoming me to this lovely restorative class which helped me to breathe properly again after Covid-19. I would recommend it to anyone in need to slow down and explore the benefits of proper breathing. » Karen

« I really enjoy the calming effect on my mind and the lengthening effect on my body. Pure bliss !« Gill.

« I have been doing the Somatic practice at home since you introduced me to it, and I really see the benefits. Thanks for making a difference to my life !! » Elisabeth Combining yoga breathing techniques with Somatics are a brilliant combination to assist the body heal & repair itself. It works wonders. It helped Karen, Nicola and others to breathe better & get some energy back when recovering from Covid-19.

Some came to me directly and some were referred by their osteopath. So how does this work and how can it truly benefit Covid-19 patients in their recovery?

A recent scientific paper reports: “The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic causes severe acute respiratory syndrome - initially described as lung inflammation, However, we now know that it can cause a wide range of symptoms in people of all ages ranging from no symptoms at all to systemic inflammation.

An excessive inflammatory phase called “cytokine storm” can occur in severely infected patients affecting their immune system, leading to tissue damage, organ dysfunction, erratic cardiovascular response, and altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response. Hence, excessive cytokine release increases the risk of mortality.

A new hypothesis and theory article has been published in the Frontiers in Medicine which focuses on the stimulation of the vagus nerve as a potential COVID-19 therapy.

Researchers are finding that the vagus nerve plays a crucial role in sustaining cardiovascular homeostasis and controlling inflammation. Scientists have found that vagus nerve stimulation by peripheral lipopolysaccharide lowers the inflammatory response in the central nervous system... They have explained that the autonomic nervous system controls the production of cytokines. This is done by regulating interactions with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which causes the release of anti-inflammatory hormones, i.e., glucocorticoid.”

“As the virus gets into the nervous system and into the brain, it creates inflammation within the body. Some patients with COVID-19 have had neurological symptoms, including headache, loss of sense of smell and taste, hallucinations, vivid dreams, meningitis, and even seizures or stroke.”

So, what is the vagus nerve and why is it so important? As I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, a higher vagal tone increases your health & happiness. Originating in the brain stem, it is one of the most important nerves in our body, and it’s the longest nerve of the autonomic nervous system travelling right through the chest and abdomen. It plays a fundamental role in our overall health and parasympathetic nervous system. The so-called “wandering nerve” is responsible for our rest and digest capacities to calm and soothe when under attack from a virus or life’s daily pressures.

It is deeply embedded in our autonomic nervous system and is one of the longest nerves. It is so vital as it has direct links to our brain, heart, lungs, gut and all of our organs. Now can you see how it can help to soothe and restore your body?

In my blogs “Breathe, Time to Pause & Reset” and “Freedom & Space: The best kept secret”, I spoke about how Somatics teaches us to take notice, release, and repattern addressing neuro-muscular skeletal imbalances. A little bit like NLP for the body. It helps address issues where your body may need rehabilitation to rediscover ease.

Somatics works on a deep level, soothing your nervous system by engaging with the parasympathetic nervous system. It directly acts on your vagus nerve, sending messages to your body to rest and heal itself. Somatics is a non-invasive technique, which empowers you to be in control to restore yourself to health.

Interestingly enough, scientists are currently experimenting with stimulation of the vagus nerve with their Covid-19 patients. Here is a short extract from Journal reference: Azabou, E. et al. (2021). Vagus Nerve Stimulation: A Potential Adjunct Therapy for COVID-19. Frontiers in Medicine:

“Recently, scientists have revealed that vagus nerve has shown significant results in COVID-19 patients. They believe it might reduce multi-organ dysfunction and have positive cardiovascular effects...At present, 2 studies are being conducted to assess the efficacity in COVID-19 patients, where scientists are using a device which is applied to the patient’s skin at the neck region over the vagus nerve to dispense periodic doses of VNS in a non-invasive manner. Researchers believe that this approach could minimise mechanical ventilation in COVID-19 patients.”

Click this link to read the full report

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210527/Vagus-nerve-stimulation-may-be-a-potential-adjunct-therapy-for-COVID-19.aspx

There are many ways to influence the vagus nerve. I have previously held a couple of workshops on the vagus nerve and am holding another one on 8th January 2022, when I will share tips, exercises and techniques with you, should you be interested to learn more. A healthy vagal tone will support you in having a balanced mental and emotional state, as well as improving your physical condition.

Stimulating this nerve leads to better mental health as it helps with stress reduction. It improves other ailments such as anxiety disorders, depression, mood disorder, heart disease, tinnitus, obesity, leaky gut, poor blood circulation, fibromyalgia, energy levels and more.

Somatics directly interacts with the vagus nerve. It invites us to relax, befriend ourselves, attune to the breath, and explore the subtle relationships between different parts of the body. We move slowly and mindfully turning our senses inward to connect to ourselves and feel what is happening within. As we learn to become quieter, we work to release tension, calm the nervous system and create more space in our body & mind. We start to experience ease, freedom and joy.

Somatics can not only ease backs, hips, shoulders, neck pain, tension headaches, sciatica… but it also restores your nervous system bringing balance back in the body.

So, whether you have suffered from Covid-19 or not, all in all, Somatics is an excellent antidote to the stresses of everyday life. It melts all physical and mental stresses away, leaving you feeling relaxed with a deep sense of wellbeing and renewed energy.

Somatics & some of the Key benefits:

Develop body awareness & mindfulness

Reduce anxiety & inflammation

Dissipate aches & muscular tension

Nurture & Soothe Body and Mind

Calm your body & nervous system

Assist your body to heal & rebalance

Lower heart rate & blood pressure

Improve sleep & digestion

Increase energy, focus and clarity

Enhance posture and ease of movement

Help to release trauma from within

Breathe, Move & Sleep better

Improve your mood & overall wellbeing

Feel healthier, calmer, happier!

I am holding a 2hr workshop on the vagus nerve on Saturday 8th January 2022 “Restoring health & joy”. This is open to all. No previous experience necessary. This will include theory, tips & practical exercises. Feel free to get in touch if interested.

In 2021, I am also holding a Somatics workshop on 21st November and a Restorative Yoga workshop on 4th December. I wrote a blog of Why Restorative Yoga is one of the best medicine. Feel free to join us in any of the workshops. Check details on the page Classes/Events.

To find out more about Somatics, check https://www.yogawithbelle.co.uk/why-somatics

To book a class or a workshop, simply email yogawithbelletw@gmail.com. You can also sign up for the newsletter to be kept informed of our yoga somatics classes and workshops and follow me on Instagram or Facebook for yoga tips, fun and wisdom.