EcoYoga Organic Yoga Mats

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eco yoga mats, EcoYoga, natural yoga mats, online yoga shop, organic yoga gear, organic yoga mats, yoga accessories, yoga mats, yoga shop, Yoga With Paul

If you’re thinking of treating yourself to a new yoga mat why not go organic? It makes sense — yoga is about unity, harmony, and learning to tread lightly. Cutting out chemicals and mass production can have a major positive impact on your physical health, the environment, and your mental attitude. Think of it as an opportunity to spring clean. As the EcoYoga website puts it:

Practicing on a shiny glossy plastic mat made as cheaply as possible for maximum profit we view as the antithesis of yoga. It is a simple gesture to practice on a mat created with yoga in mind from renewable resources.

EcoYoga is a Scottish company that makes organic yoga mats out of natural rubber and jute. You can visit one of their London stockists or buy online.

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How To Avoid Overstretching

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Bikram yoga for runners, hot yoga advice, hot yoga teachers, overstretching, running yoga, safe stretching, yoga for runners, yoga poses, Yoga With Paul

I recently gave an interview to Trail Runner magazine for a forthcoming feature about hot yoga for runners. They asked me about ‘overstretching’ and what runners can do get the most out of yoga… here’s what I had to say!


Q: What is ‘overstretching’?

A: It can mean that you’re not engaging the correct muscles to lengthen the opposite muscles. For instance, if you forward bend you need to engage (shorten) the quads to lengthen the hamstrings. I’ve noticed with runners that they tend to not contract the quads. They relax the muscles at the front then when they try to lengthen the back they overstretch.

The other thing is going in at full force and not using the breath. Yoga breathing is a practice, if you don’t have the correct technique you are likely to pull a muscle – which is what runners often mean when they say they ‘overstretch’.

The majority of the runners I speak to get into trouble because they’re not breathing correctly and they’re not engaging the correct muscles. In yoga if you do a forward bend, back bend or a twist and you’re not engaging your core, hamstrings or quads, you’re going to injure yourself!

Questions about safe stretching? Ask in the comments!

Yoga With Paul on Twitter

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Bikram yoga, healthy eating, hot yoga, London, London yoga teacher, online yoga community, recipes, social media, Twitter, yoga tips, Yoga With Paul

If we’re not already linked up on Twitter, let’s connect!

I’m a big fan of Twitter for keeping up to date with the terrific variety of life going on in (and out) of London. Plus it is a great source of inspiration, news, ideas, recipes, tips and titbits.

Here’s a sampling of cool stuff that’s popped up in my feed recently:

Easy Spring Basil & Spinach Pesto Recipe

Why I’ve Had 10 Jobs in 10 Years

Stress-Busting Yoga Sequence

Share your Twitter handle or Follow recommends in the comments!

Follow @YogaWithPaul

Bikram Yoga A to Z: B for Breath

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athletic breathing, Bikram poses, Bikram yoga breathing, Bikram yoga postures, hot yoga, lung capacity, meditation, mindfulness, pranayama, yoga breathing, Yoga With Paul

Continuing our Bikram Yoga A to Z guide…

B for Breath:
A critical part of yoga practice is becoming mindful of things that we take for granted. And nothing is more fundamental – and more likely to be overlooked in our daily life – than breath. The first thing we do when we’re born is take a breath so we can bawl out the news of our arrival. From that moment forward the simple, profound act of inhalation and exhalation is our link to the phsyical world.

It is appropriate, then, that in Bikram yoga we begin every class with pranayama deep breathing. We connect mindfully to our breath, consciously engaging with the process of drawing oxygenated air into our lungs and expelling carbon dioxide. Breath energises our body and awakens our mind.

Through the entire 90 minutes of yoga postures we remain focused on the breath. It is the elemental connection between and within every pose, our link between mind, body and environment. The breath is what we return to in savasana and we learn to control our breath to gain greater strength and focus.

For 99.5% of our lives we breathe without thinking about it. Bikram yoga gives us a chance to bring awareness and gratitude to this basic physical act. Take the opportunity. If you find yourself struggling with a posture, always return to the breath. Let it guide you.

Vegan Sugar-Free Easter Egg Recipe

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clean eating, Easter eggs, Easter recipes, gluten-free recipes, vegan recipes, whole foods, yoga food, yoga nutrition, Yoga With Paul

Easter is a particularly tempting time of year if you have a sweet tooth. Who wants to say no to all those luciously wrapped Easter eggs? Not me!

But you can have your chocolate egg and eat it too with this terrific recipe for a vegan, gluten-free, paleo ‘peanut butter’ and caramel egg from Veggienook. It ticks all the boxes for a satisfying, totally guilt-free, sweet Easter treat.

Ingredients
Filling

6 medjool dates, pitted
3 tbsp almond butter
3 tbsp coconut flour
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/8-1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond pulp (dry) or almond meal

Chocolate Coating

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup cacao powder
2 tbsp coconut syrup/maple syrup

Preparation
Add all filling ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Then add the almond meal and process again until a smooth consistency is reached. Put the filling in the fridge to firm up a little while you make the chocolate.

In a small bowl over low heat, melt the coconut oil. Whisk in the the cacao once melted and add in the coconut syrup. Remove from the heat.

Take the filling out of the fridge and shape into egg-shaped balls. Using 2 forks, dip each “egg” into the chocolate, ensuring all sides are coated. Place onto a parchment paper-lined sheet and continue until all eggs are coated.

Put the eggs in the fridge for about 40 minutes to get firm. Store in the fridge until ready to eat!

Share your favourite Easter recipe in the comments!

Bikram Yoga for Better Relationships

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Bikram yoga, Bikram yoga postures, hot yoga London, mindfulness, relationships, yoga, yoga inspiration, yoga poses, yoga relationships, Yoga With Paul

In the hot yoga studio the focus is very much on our individual journeys. It is part of the discipline to focus on our breath, on the dialogue, and on perfecting our own postures. That doesn’t mean Bikram is a solo sport, however. Quite the opposite. Yoga directly affects how we relate to other people — if we let it.

How? By teaching us patience, mindfulness and compassion.

Yoga teaches us to accept where we are in every session. As we learn to accept and be patient with ourselves, we cultivate the ability to extend that patience to others.

Regular practice makes us aware of the variation in our minds and bodies. Some days we struggle, some days we fly. When we understand that, we are able to cut other people slack on their bad days.

Compassion comes from integrating mindfulness and effort. Our journey as yogis gives us a deep understanding of the effort required to be our best — and with that comes compassion for all the times we, and others, fall short.

Next time you’re debating whether or not to go to class, remember you’re not just doing this for you, you’re doing it for your friends, family, partner… the people you see on the Tube in the morning, and the clerk at the supermarket. When you let yoga transform your life it is a gift to everyone you meet.

Has yoga helped you in your relationships? Share in the comments!

Bikram Yoga A to Z: A for Asana

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26 poses, Bikram asana, Bikram meditation, Bikram postures, Bikram yoga poses, hot yoga postures, Sanskrit yoga, yoga teaching, Yoga With Paul

There are a lot of ways to approach Bikram yoga… so why not an alphabetical guide?
Over the coming weeks, I’ll take you through an A-to-Z of Bikram starting at the beginning with:

padahastasana

A for Asana
Asana is a Sanskrit word and it means ‘posture’ or ‘pose’. Each of the 26 postures of Bikram yoga is an asana, e.g. padahastasana, sivasana, ustrasana. Many of them are named after animals, so the prefix like ‘ustrasana’ which as you know means ‘camel pose’. Bikram yoga focuses on 26 asanas but there are thousands more, so you always have something to learn! The purpose of asanas is to move us into a meditative state and create harmony between body and mind.

What’s your favourite Bikram asana? Share in the comments!

Yoga Holiday With Paul Memories

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Bikram Yoga holiday, Bikram yoga retreat, vegetarian yoga, yoga holiday Portugal, Yoga Holiday With Paul, yoga retreat, yoga retreat Algarve, Yoga With Paul

Spaces are filling fast for this year’s Bikram yoga retreat in the Algarve.
Email YogaHolidayWithPaul@gmail.com to reserve your spot!

Here is what some of the cosmopolitan Yoga Holiday with Paul class of 2013 had to say…

For the last few months my backward bends were more and more difficult. I nearly stopped doing camel. Now
we are friends again. ~Linda La Rocca (Verona)

Near the end of the week my body felt stiff at the start of the morning class. I responded by taking one posture at a time and being aware of how far my body could go. In each instance the soreness went away by the time we
finished the warm-up. ~Liz Popovich (Wisconsin, USA)

I was physically challenged by doing so much yoga (I’d never even done a double class before), but I loved it. ~Susan Trenholm (London)

Email YogaHolidayWithPaul@gmail.com to reserve your spot!

French Lentil Salad Recipe

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Bikram yoga London, clean eating, food, healthy eating, hot yoga, hot yoga food, salad recipe, vegetarian recipe, Yoga With Paul

This colourful, healthy, hearty vegetarian French lentil salad recipe caught my eye. Perfect for a day when you want something light and fresh but still filling! The original recipe calls for halloumi croutons but you can swap those a handful of pumpkin or sunflower seeds if you want to keep it vegan.

Photo: In Pursuit of More

Click here for the full recipe & directions via In Pursuit of More.

Ingredients

(1) cup French lentils, also known as black lentils or Beluga lentils
(1) beet, roasted & diced into a 1/2 inch dice
( 1/2) pound green beans, washed & trimmed
(1) red pepper, minced
(1) 125 gram pack Haloumi cheese, cubed
(1/2) cup toasted walnuts, chopped
(1) recipe Herb Dijon Vinaigrette

Share your favourite salad recipe in the comments!

Free Download – Yoga With Paul April Newsletter

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Bikram London, Bikram postures, Bikram yoga, Bikram Yoga holiday, clean eating, health, hot yoga, London hot yoga, mindful living, vegan recipes, wellness, Yoga Holiday With Paul, Yoga With Paul

Happy April.

No fooling here… just the latest edition of the Yoga With Paul newsletter packed with Bikram tips, clean eating recipes and inspiring ideas!

Yoga With Paul Newsletter APR 2014

Read it. Download it. Share it. Comment 🙂