Blog
Autumn’s Peak Yoga Pose – Flying Splits
When members vote for which part of the body they want to focus on each term, I think about what Peak Yoga Pose we can build up to… The last poll produced the widest range of body areas than ever before, so there was nothing else for it, but to choose Flying Splits!...
Finding your centre with Pilates core stability moves
Joseph Pilates’ original sequence of moves follows a specific logic, but rather than talk about each of the 34 individually, I’ve grouped them together into five functional movements… This is the first of that series of blogs, so let’s begin with the very foundation...
Baby Crow yoga pose – How to build strength in the arms and shoulders
This is Baby Crow pose (Bala Bakasana in Sanskrit) and it’s this terms peak pose that we’re all going to achieve in the next few weeks! While Baby Crow looks very complicated it should actually be simpler and more stable than full Crow since there is more of the body...
Pilates moves for strength
Every term at Ad Astra Yoga and Pilates the members are polled on the private Facebook group for what they’d like to focus on for the following term. This term they have opted to do Pilates moves for strength, so here’s what will be going on in class… The peak pose –...
How to improve hip mobility with yoga and Pilates
‘Hip openers’ seem to be the source of some amusement in various social media platforms, but there’s a serious intent behind them – improving hip mobility. This term in both yoga and Pilates we’ve improved hip mobility by performing various moves and poses – some that...
Menopause and cortisol – How yoga supports stress-free moments
The latest scientific insights into menopause and cortisol focuses heavily on the stress response system. Some research highlights that as estrogen and progesterone drop, the body loses its natural ‘buffer’ against cortisol – the stress hormone. This creates a...
Go with the flow – All about Vinyasa yoga
You probably already know there are lots of different styles of yoga you can practise, from the more difficult versions like Ashtanga, Hot Yoga and Power Flow that will physically test you, to Hatha and Restorative Yoga that require very little physical exertion. But...
Pilates for beginners – What should you know first?
What can you expect from a Pilates for beginners class? Perhaps the first thing you should know is that it isn’t a bunch of women lying on a mat squeezing their pelvic floor – it can be quite tough, and it’s not just for girls! Before joining a Pilates class, you...
Yoga for beginners – What you need to know
Yoga is all about how each movement feels to you, not how it looks and not how it compares to anyone else
Getting back to basics with yoga and mat Pilates equipment
I thought the new year would be the perfect time to get back to basics and talk about what you can expect from yoga and mat Pilates classes, so following on from the last blog, let’s talk now about equipment.. The essential yoga and mat Pilates stuff My classes focus...