What is Ayurveda?

      Ayurveda is a complete medical science that has been practiced for over 5,000 years. Ayurveda is used to prevent disease and is also very effective at curing disease.

Ayurveda meaning the ‘science of life’ is the art of living in harmony with nature.

The core principle of ayurveda is balance. Utilizing diet, lifestyle, herbs and bodywork, ayurveda provides ultimate wellbeing for the body, mind and spirit.

We all have a pre-set balance of the 3 biological elements vata, pitta and kapha.  When these qualities are balanced, health and clarity are the natural outcome. When these elements are out of balance, disease will be present.  Ayurveda seeks to restore health and balance our lifestyles leading us to wellbeing and longevity.

Ayurveda provides the tools to maintain perfect health and prevent and treat disease.

Ayurvedic medicine identifies the cause of a symptom, treating the cause and eliminating the root problem, whereas modern medicine treats the symptom, relieving pain but masking the problem.

Ayurveda uses a holistic approach to the cure of disease, preventing the complaint to arise again in the future.

When ayurveda and yoga are combined, the healing power is greatly enhanced, more powerful and effective. Ayurveda works from the outside in, using diet and herbal medicines. Yoga works from the inside out, using asanas, pranayama and meditation. These 2 therapies work hand in hand to restore balance creating physical health and mental wellbeing.

        The 3 biological elements vata, pitta and kapha are dynamic forces of energy.

Each and every person is unique depending on their individual constitution of each of these energies, also known as doshas. The characteristics of these doshas define our individual physical, mental and spiritual self.  These forces manifest from the five basic elements of creation: - Air, ether, fire, water and earth.

Vata-Pitta-Kapha are present in all organisms, every cell, tissue and organ. They create health when they are in balance and disease when out of balance. They are responsible for our genetic make-up and one or two of them are usually more dominant. There are seven possible combinations of constitutions: -

Vata

Pitta

Kapha

Vata-Pitta

Vata-Kapha

Pitta-Kapha

Vata-Pitta-Kapha (Tridosha)

Your unique constitution of these 3 doshas is called your prakruti ‘nature’. You are born with your unique prakruti and it never changes throughout life. If any of your doshas were to increase due to conditions such as weather, seasons, stress and dietary choices, then you would be in a state of imbalance.

This is known as your vikrati. If this is the case you need to change your lifestyle to recreate balance for your mind, body and spirit.

Vata consists of air and ether and is the energy of movement. It controls bodily functions such as circulation, respiration and movement. Fear and anxiety will be present when this dosha is out of balance.

Pitta consists of fire and water and controls temperature, metabolism and digestion. It is responsible for transforming matter into energy. Anger and irritation are signs that this dosha is out of balance.

Kapha consists of earth and water. It holds the body together and aids in lubrication. It provides growth in the body, governing the immune system and water. Insecurity and envy are signs this dosha is out of balance.

When our constitution is in balance the body is in a state of homeostasis and good health is achieved.

If you would like to discover what your constitution is so you can tailor your lifestyle and food choices to suit your unique body-mind type please use the link below:

ayurvedicyogalifestyle.co.uk/#/ethos/4561710109 

Over the next few blogs I will be sharing recipes for each constitution and revealing how you can improve your health and wellbeing by making small changes to your diet and lifestyle.

 Peace, Love & Light,

Namaste,

Sharon xXx

Goal Setting & The Power of Intention

January is the time of new beginnings and very many of you will have new year resolutions. 

Now christmas is out of the way you will be thinking about detoxing and getting rid of the excess christmas pounds.

Take a moment to think about your resolutions and decide what is most important to you.

To achieve success it is important to establish whcih resolution is your main priority and set your goals to achieve this.

Whenever setting goals you should consider the acronym 'SMART'. Your goals should be: -

S - Specific
M - Measureable
A - Achieveable
R - Realisitc
T - Timely

First of all outline what your specific goal is. If you know you want to lose weight, define how much weight you want to lose. 

For example, if you give yourself a 6 week time frame to achieve your goals, is it realistic to say you want to lose 3 stone?

Although this may be achieveable, it is definately not realistic! 

Realistically, aiming to lose 1 stone in 6 weeks is definately achieveable.

You will want to measure your goals so you have a reference point of where you started and to allow for accurate evaluation to your progressions. The best way to do this is to take photo's at the beginning and end of the 6 weeks. Take pictures from the back, front and side angles.

If you have more than a stone to lose it would be very beneficial to weigh yourself to track your prgoess. On the other hand, if you only have a few pounds to lose, the scales can be ineffective and disheartening. You could be gaining lean muscle during your exercise regime and at the same time lose body fat yet remain the same weight. A better way to track your progress would be to take measurements and check your body fat levels.

Once you have established your smart goal it is important to set an intention to help that goal to come to fruition. 

An intention is a short powerful statement that affirms you have set a goal and intend to achieve it.

If your goal is to lose weight your intention may be:

'I am slim, healthy and focused!' or 'I am slim, sexy and confident!'

Always set your intentions in the future as if you are already living it and keep them positive. Avoid words such as want and need and favour words like I have or I am. Choose empowering thoughts.

Remember the saying; Where there is a will, there is a way.
The same is true for no will. Where there is no will, there is no way.

Set your goals and intentios on what you want and not what you dont want.

We always begin and end the yoga practice with an intention but you can also use this intention throughout the day as your positive affirmation!

We have roughly 70,000 thoughts a day and for most people 80% of those thoughts are negative! When you notice a negative thought arise in your mind, use your affirmation to change your mindset.
The more you do this, the more positive you will become. Positive thoughts create positive actions and vice versa.

When you repeat your intentions and affirmations to yourself regularly, you are planting new seeds in your subconscious mind. The more you nurture these thoughts you allow yourself to grow and evolove into a happier and more positive version of your former self. 

Your subconscious mind believes everything you tell it, so get rid of your negative thoughts and beliefs and bring positivity and abundance into your life.

Change your thoughts and watch the life of your dreams openup before your eyes! Out with the old and in with the new...

Keep your mindset positive!

All the best for the new year.

Peace, Love & Light

Namaste

Sharon xXx

Spiritual Event 21.12.12

Magnificent and awe are the words that come to mind when I recollect the beauty and love of the Spiritual Event on 21.12.12.

From entering Gorton Monastery and feeling the enchantment radiating from the beautiful stalls of angelic monuments I was captivated by the uplifting energy.

I wondered around the stalls before checking the seating arrangement and to my amazement I was designated to sit on table 22. In numeric values 1111 is the number of the angels.

I felt highly honoured to be placed at such a table and being the first one to sit down I found the best seat to my liking. I personally feel that I had the best seat in the whole of the monastery, right in the middle of the room and as I was later to find out, it was situated on a lay line.

The energy in there was beautiful, everyone was there for the same reason; to welcome a new cycle, the end of the Mayan calendar and the beginning of the Golden Age.

The service began with an introduction to the Mayan’s then our first meditation was at 11.11am to welcome in this new age. I felt completely grounded and light at the same time. I saw a young angel sat by a tree playing with the grass. I felt complete peace and tranquillity.

Nothing could of prepared me for what I was about to see during Denise Hagan’s performance.

Denise is very angelic, you can sense she has many angels surrounding her and her voice is beautiful and very powerful. Denise instructed us to close our eyes and enjoy the music, let it take us where we need to go. My heart and mind was open and ready to accept what the angels wanted to show me. The next 15 minutes or so were to change my life forever.

I began to ground myself picturing roots extending from my feet and growing deep into the centre of the earth. As I inhaled I drew energy up from the earth to the crown of my head and as I exhaled, the breath anchored my feet firmly to the ground. I continued to focus on my breath then I started to see my surroundings exactly as they were with my eyes open, even though my eyes were still closed.

Suddenly, I could see small pieces of negative energy leaving every person in the room and entering this spiralling vortex until it evacuated through the roof. I felt a tremendous lightness in the room and as if someone was pulling my shoulders up elevating me from where I was physically sitting.

I sensed that this was an angel and then as I looked towards the open nave, I saw the most beautiful angels all dressed in white floating and dancing spreading their love to each and every one of us. The picture above is the closest image I could find to how I percieved the angels and the only difference to recall really is their hair colour. I saw the angels to have lighter hair and the whole scene was very light and bright. The material surrounding this beautiful angel was the same as I saw on the angels floating above us all swaying in their magnificence. I was awe struck! I have never seen angels like this before. Their elegance and beauty captivated me and the whole room felt magical. I was blinded by a bright white light as one of the angels slowly approached me. He was also dressed in white and appeared to be very tall. I recognised him straight away, not from his appearance, but from his soul. It was Archangel Michael.

My eyes adjusted to his brightness as he took a seat at my table right in front me.  I never thought anything of it until after the meditation, but there were 3 seats on my table that were unattended. I remember seeing that there were 10 names on the seating arrangement list so there shouldn’t have been any empty seats. I tried to see the names of the people that had reserved the seats but the list had been moved when I checked. The 2 empty seats were either side of Michael and as I looked to his right my grandma (mother’s mum) appeared before me.  It’s not the first time I have seen my grandma I feel her around me a lot, she is definitely one of my spirit guides.

I took a deep breath, allowed myself to completely relax and let go and asked her what I needed to know. My life was presented before my eyes. I saw myself on the beach near the sea with lots of palm trees in a hot country, sensing this place to be my home and my yoga retreat.

I have seen this place once before in a manifestation meditation.

My grandma went on to tell me that my unborn child was with her and waiting until my career has manifested beautifully and I find my soul mate, then we could finally meet.

I felt myself smile and knew deep down this to be true. I’ve never quite had the maternal vibes but deep down I do know that when I meet my soul mate I will feel ready to bring a beautiful child into the world. I felt content knowing this. I thanked my grandma for her beautiful guidance and looked to Michael’s right to find my granddad (father’s dad) sitting there, holding his chin with his right hand smiling at me. I don’t remember my granddad I was only 3 months when he passed away. I do know he loved me dearly and my first childhood memory is of my granddad holding me in his arms.

He told me he was concerned about my grandma and that I should go and visit her more often.

I was shown a picture in my mind’s eye of me doing a healing with the angel’s card reading for her and I assure my granddad as soon as my flu symptoms disappear I will go to see her.

After telling my granddad I love him, I thank Archangel Michael for helping me to communicate with my grandparents and felt a cold breeze brush along my left forearm as he disappeared.

I felt this coolness on my left arm several times throughout the meditation, knowing the angels wanted me to know they were with me and guiding me along my journey.

After Denise finished singing we remained silent for a while and the vibrations in the room were electrifying. My head was buzzing and I felt as if small particles of gold were releasing from the top of my head into the ether.

As we all come round I was eager to find out about the experiences of my fellow souls with whom I shared a table.

Each one of them had visions in which they could relate to and they all felt complete serenity.

I share with them my angelic intervention and they all listen intently with awe.

The whole experience was magical and I knew deep down in my soul that today was the beginning of something special. Not only did I feel a connection with everyone in the room, I felt a connection with the divine.

Lunch was delicious. We were served vegetable stew with herb dumplings followed by dark chocolate panacotta. It was yummy!

After we finished eating the conversation turned to angel cards and I had just bought the mermaid and dolphin cards that I have wanted for a while now. The 2 ladies to my right had never had a reading before so I talked them through the process and then done a reading for each of them.

As soon as Margaret started shuffling the deck of cards one jumped out to her. I had the book in my hand and as she revealed the card I happened to open the book on the right page. This is something I am quite familiar with I am very much in tune with my angels.

The very first line I read to Margaret directly related to her vision during the Denise Hagan meditation and was an answer to the vision in which confused her. All 3 of us were completely amazed and I continued the reading. She was very happy with the guidance.

During Claire’s reading we were all again very much blown away to see the exact same thing happens. In her meditation, Claire saw herself as a child sat down in her lap.  She received the card; ‘Mother Healing’ and once again, the first line of the message directly related to her meditation and she felt complete resonation and validation in the card she chosen.

They both thanked me for such an eye opening revelation and then I turned to Lynne who had come along to the event with her husband and 2 daughters. Lynne was celebrating her birthday on this special day and before I even began her reading I receive a message from my angels.

I felt my solar plexus heating up and suddenly got an inclination to buy Lynne a birthday present.

Earlier during the day I had already bought myself and my sister a beautiful little silver angel with a colour stone in the centre of her chest. My intuition told me to go and buy Lynne one of these for her birthday. I made a conscious decision to do this on my next break.

Lynne is experienced with angel cards but has never had the magical chance to work with these particular cards. After shuffling the deck, Lynne chose 3 cards and I began to do her reading. I was not surprised in the slightest to see her future card directly spoke of her meditation.

Straight away I knew it was fate to do readings for these 3 beautiful souls today. Each and every one of them received guidance from the angels through my cards and I feel privileged to help the angels pass on their messages.

Lynne learnt a lot about what she needs to do now to move on in her life. Her reading was very positive and she was grateful for the advice and guidance.

During the next break, I felt very content and happy as I decided which angel to buy for Lynne. I was drawn to the green emerald stone so decided to go with that.

When I got back to the table I wished her a happy birthday and gave her the gift. The look on her face was completely bemused and shocked. It is not the normal human condition to buy presents for people they don’t know but I felt like I did know her. I felt a connection with everyone that day.

I’ve read many times that the kingdom of god is in each and every one of us. I never fully understood what this meant until today. I had a vision of Jerusalem and all the disciples going about their business serving god. This vision spiralled deep down into my higher consciousness before entering my soul. I saw the heritage of mankind from one generation to the next until I was brought forth to this very day sat in this monastery of divinity.

I realized we are as one and everything that is in me is also in you too.

Throughout the entire day I am extremely happy and grateful to receive such blessings. I would never have imagined such an enchanting and serene scenario of the day’s events and I was totally captivated and in awe the entire day.

The final meditation consisted of us watching a short video of how a single atom can grow and evolve into a huge magnitude of existence. The video didn’t really mean all that much to me but I was drawn in by the choice of music.

The song was Indian and I immediately recognised some of the Hindu words and my heart completely melted.

Instead of watching the video, I ended up practicing tratak. I focused my gaze completely on the expanding object that was illuminating the entire room without blinking. The more I focused the deeper the words resonated within me. I felt as if I knew what the song was about even though I barely recognised the words. It touched my heart on a deep level and I was transported to another time and place.

For the briefest of moments, I could smell India. I cannot pinpoint the smell exactly but the unique smell of incense from the shop came flooding to me. I felt myself back there and I was totally content and love struck. I found my heart in India. I was opened up to receive peace, love and light and now I am to pass on my knowledge and experience to help others feel this connection with the divine.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my beautiful magnificent experience at the Spiritual Event on 21.12.12.

If you have your own spiritual awakening experiences and would like to share it with us I would love to hear about them.  Stay open to the energy shifts and be open to love and light.

Peace, Love & Light x Namaste x

Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra meaning yoga sleep induces complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation. You may appear to be asleep in yoga nidra, but the consciousness is functioning at a deeper level of awareness. You are in a state between being awake and being asleep and the mind is extremely receptive. 

During Yoga Nidra the whole brain is completely awakened and is open to be re-programmed and re-structured therefore is a fantastic tool to use to remove bad habits and negative thoughts. The mind is impressionable in this state and can be directed to acomplish anything.

Your intuition will deepen and you will trust ad believe in yourself.

We begin and end the practice by setting an Intention (sankalpa).

An Intention is a goal that you wish to achieve and  by repeating this intention you are ingraining it into your subconscious and eventually in time, this strong and powerful intention will become your reality.

Yoga Nidra is great for stress relief. Throughout the day, each and everyone of us accumulate toxins and tensions in the body. These tensions build up in the physical, mental and emotional systems.

Yoga Nidra allows the physical body to enter a state of deep relaxation. The mind calms down and eases any mental conflicts and the entire emotional structure of the mind is tranquil. 

Since practicing Yoga Nidra regularly, I have become much calmer and less stressed physically, mentally and emotionally. I feel totally rejuvenated afterwards and my mind is always clear and focused. 
Yoga Nidra is an essential part of my practice as it helps to maintain my positive outlook on life and lifts my energy to a higher vibration.

When I have felt illness coming on, I prepare myself for Yoga Nidra and set my intention in accordance to what or how I want to be healed. I  can physically feel that particular area being treated and feel much better after the session. For example, after my car accident I suffered soft tissue injury to my hand.
As I settled into savasana (corpse pose), I set my intention, 'Heal, Be Healed' with strong willpower and feeling. Within 5 minutes of the Yoga Nidra practice, I felt pins and needles exactly where my injury was as if it was being stitched up from the inside. The feeling was surreal and only lasted a minute. 
The rest of the practice was very relaxed and serene and I woke feeling I had recieved deep healing from my higher self and my angels.

I have experienced some amazing moments during Yoga Nidra practice, sometimes feeling my spirit floating out of my body as I become aware of the suspension of consciousness as the mind alternates between the subconscious and unconscious states. Many of my personal experiences are hard to put into words but I can understand the messages loud and clear the majority of the time. 

I would highly recommend Yoga Nidra to anyone who would like more peace and harmony in their life and less stress. It is also beneficial if you need healing.

Before you begin, do not expect anything! Allow yourself to completely relax and your mind to be clear. Cover yourself in a blanket and make sure you are warm. As you enter deep relaxation your heart rate will lower and so will your body temperature. It is important that you remain still until the end of the practice.

If you want to see how Yoga Nidra can change your life use the link below and let me guide you on a journey of complete relaxation and self discovery. Please enjoy.

http://youtu.be/Vju6n1pWYpA

xXx Namaste xXx

12-12-12

As we come to the final week of the Yoga Lifestyle Programme, we introduce our Higher Dimensional Cleanse to prepare for 21.12.12.

12.12.12 is a special day, it is a gateway to higher vibrations and a new light.

Today at the same exact moment, the whole world will be uniting in a global meditation to uplift humanity and bring about a positve shift as we enter a new age.

There are many meditations taking place today, I will be joining The Master Shift along with 20,000 other people at 12.30am UK time. If you would like to join us for this free meditation visit www.themastershift.com.

To prepare for the shift it is important to have an open heart and a clear mind. Throughout the Yoga Lifestyle Programme we have experimented with different cleansing techniques and have seen some amazing results!

When I was in India I learnt how to eat the yogic way. We would start the day with a small portion of fruit. A rice dish was an option but I couldn't bring myself to eating rice 3 times a day! Luch and dinner would consist of rice, chapati's, lentils, vegetables, herbs and spices. The diet of a yogi is very basic indeed and is considered sattvic.

We have the opportunity to try out all the different shatkarmas (cleansing techniques) to purify our mind, body and spirit. As part of our internal cleansing we practiced a 3 day Master Cleanse. On this cleanse you are to consume only raw foods that have the highest vibrational energy. The rules are as follows:

Day 1: Raw food - Salad, vegetables and fruit (excluding mangoes, bananas and grapes)
Day 2: Fast - Drink only lemon tea throughout the day (You can alternatively try a mono fast where you eat only apples all day when you are feeling hungry. You may also repeat day 1 or 3 if a fast is daunting for you.)
Day 3: Liquids - Consume a nice healthy juice in the morning then make up a cleansing soup for lunch and dinner.

This cleanse eliminates toxins from the body, breaks down fat cells and cellulite and helps the body to heal and repair.

Dependant on your lifestyle you can slightly adjust the cleanse to suit your individual needs. I started the cleanse last monday and modified it to suit my schedule. Instead of fasting on day 2, I repeated day 3 twice.

If you are thinking of doing a cleanse make sure you are feeling fit and well. Walking and gentle yoga is sufficient exercise when cleansing. Avoid all strenuous activities and find time to pamper yourself.
Meditation helps to focus your mind and keeps cravings at bay.

I was excited on the thursday morning to see I had lost 3lb of toxins from my body and 2 inches from my waist! :) My students all done fantastic too on average losing 4lb each in the 3 days with the biggest loss of 4.5lb and 3inches around waist! I am very proud of them all.

We will all continue to cleanse consuming only fresh, organic and local produce until 24.12.12.

xXx Namaste xXx

Alternative treatments

After a fun and hectic month launching the Yoga Lifestyle Programme and doing lots of filming and editing... I have finally got around to writing my final blog post from my amazing weekend in London at the Om Yoga Show. As you walk around the main arena of Olympia each and every stall has something amazing to offer to the show.

I am a massive lover of any type of massage and felt spoilt for choice as I contemplated which treatment to indulge in. I ended up choosing shiatsu. My therapist lifted, twisted and bent me into many different positions to release energy blockages and tension. It was a very relaxing experience and I felt as if I was walking on air afterwards.

The benefits of massage can improve, stimulate, increase, develop, regenerate, and relax each and every organ in the body. This improves the overall function of the organ systems.

It is very important to have regular massages to increase your health and to prevent disease. 

I have a regular back massage and reflexology for my general wellbeing and recommend this to all of my patients.

I offer full body massage, sports massage and Indian head massage.

It is the time of the year now when we are wondering what to buy our loved ones for Christmas. If you are unsure what presents to buy for people this year why not treat them to a relaxing pamper session or to some yoga. 

Check out my christmas special offers at:

http://ayurvedicyogalifestyle.co.uk/#/alternative-therapies/4561711531

xXx Namaste xXx
  

Budakon - Jungle

I have had a thing for Budakon yoga since I discovered it last year at the yoga show.

I have always been into martial arts since I was very young and have tried many different styles.

When I was 17, I got into both yoga and kickboxing at roughly the same time. I immediately felt a connection and fell in love with them both equally. To me yoga was my yin and kickboxing my yang. I found that they both complimented each other perfectly.

Cameron Shayne has portrayed the philosophy of my ideal style of how to structure the perfect class. He has intricately joined the mind, body and spirit in a way that I feel a deep resonation. I absolutely love the idea of combining yoga and martial arts.

The gorgeous Ryan demonstrated Budakon Jungle taking us back through our evolutionary past and to our animal instincts to re-ignite our yoga practice. It was the most fun open class of the weekend. We all charged across the ever so small studio imitating different animals. Some were graceful, others not so graceful. Or should I say Ryan made them look graceful! It would be funny to watch back how we all looked when practicing them! Lol

I will be enlightening my students with a new concept of the word crocodile! Formerly known as chatturanga in my yoga classes, crocodile in Budakon is basically a walking plank. You keep your body in a perfectly straight line navel pulled in towards spine to create a strong core. Then keeping your arms straight, flex and extend your wrists while simultaneously moving your opposite foot forward. It’s quite difficult getting used to your co-ordination at first but when mastered this pose is excellent for the core and strengthening the wrists. The next progression is walking crocodile which is very challenging and requires a lot of core and upper body strength. After each movement you add a press up! I really liked this variation it got my muscles working extremely hard and my heart rate elevated rapidly. The jumping crocodile followed... Now this isn’t for the faint hearted! 

As you lower into chatturanga pose, you explosively push your hands and feet into the ground while leaping yourself forward to land in your starting position. Ryan’s demonstration was very fluid and he made it look so easy. The distance he created from himself and the floor was very high and he jumped really far forward.

My attempt was quite good, I could jump up from chatturanga and land in the same position but I didn’t appear to move forward much! I will definitely be having this as one of my goals in my personal yoga practice. 

Budakon yoga inspires me very much and I will continue to practice at home with the DVD's! :)

xXx Namaste xXx