Yoga, training and health inspiration for you

Lär dig andas rätt och ta kontrollen över dina känslor när du känner att irritation eller ilska börja bubbla upp inom dig. En paus för andning och reflektion kan också göra det lättare att uttrycka behov och känslor på ett bättre och mer konstruktivt vis. Testa en av dessa andningsövningar!

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En enkel andningsövning:

1. Lägg en hand på magen.
2. Ta ett djupt andetag in genom näsan och känn hur magen expandera.
3. Andas ut genom munnen.
4. Upprepa detta så länge du känner att det behövs.
5. Om du vill kan du upprepa ett lugnande ord eller en fras som "slappna av" eller "allt kommer att bli bra."

Läs mer om andningens betydelse

• Andning för nybörjare, en playlist med andningsövningar
• Landa i närvaro - meditation och andning, en playlist med övningar för stillhet
• Andning för alla tillfällen, en playlist med andningsövningar - för mer energi, lugn eller sömn

Lär dig mer om andning och guidas i videor

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För att se en hel video behöver du vara inloggad som betalande medlem hos Yogobe. Ny till tjänsten? Prova gratis i 14 dagar, utan bindningstid – klicka här och kom igång direkt! 

"I think online yoga is an incredible way to tap in for people who may not have access to yoga otherwise. To be able to access yoga is such a gift and I think everybody should have access to this gift", says the international senior Istha yoga teacher from New York Sarah Platt-Finger who offers online yoga classes on Yogobe.

Why do you do yoga everyday?
My morning yogapractice is a part of my everyday ritual because I feel it really helps me to get through my day and the different responsibilities I have. I teach on a daily basis and sincerely feel that I cannot be authentic in my role as a teacher if I do not have my own practice.

What is the best thing with online yoga?
The world wide web with its unbound potential enables everyone to have access to yoga. I think it is awesome how online yoga with qualitative teachers can be available regardless of finances and geographical location.

How do you inspire your yoga students?
I'm very inspired by the idea of becoming connected on an intimate level with yourself. And by intimacy I mean really being with yourself, the self with a capital S. The self that is like the drop that came from the ocean, the spirit. This is something which inspires and moves me and I like to bring that aspect into the class. As I have a dancing and gymnastics background obviously the physical, the precision of alignment and form and maintaining integrity of the body is really important to me. And also the breathe, being able to experience your breathe is the gateway to the self. So a merger of breathe and alignment with philosophy is what I like to bring into my class.

You have some classes on Yogobe, how would you describe them?
Over all, in my practice I try to be very clear and precise with my teaching so I think you will experience precision, a physical experience and come out of the class feeling a little more grounded, a little more centered but also hopefully inspired.

Yoga with Sarah Platt-Finger at Yogobe

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Stunderna på yogamattan attraherar våra håriga vänner. De klättrar på oss, vill krypa in under oss i olika ställningar och ligger gärna och vilar intill oss när vi tar oss genom vår praktik. De mår bra av det lugn som yoga och meditation ger oss och det är bara så tydligt. På önskemål från många av våra medlemmar känns det fantastiskt kul att tillsammans med yogastudios runt om i landet inom kort kunna lansera IRL-klasser samt videos där vi kan utöva yoga tillsammans med våra djur men också videos som de kan se på egen hand.

För en tid sedan startade Yogobe ett eget filmproduktionsbolag. Detta har gjort det möjligt för Team Yogobe att i samråd med hundpsykologer och trauma-terapeuter som är specialiserade på djur och deras hälsa kunna investera tid och resurser i ta fram säkra och hållbara sekvenser. Vi har spelat in högkvalitativa videos hemma hos våra medlemmar, i yogastudios runt om i landet men även i vår egen filmstudio. Vi vet att det finns önskemål för yoga med flera olika djur men vi börjar med hundar, katter och hästar (även om hästar nu inte är husdjur). Er feedback kommer vara ovärderlig under kommande månader och vi kommer gå ut med enkäter för att tillsammans med er bättre lära oss hur och vad som är "best practice" så att vi kan minska stressen hos våra fina djur.., en stress som de får från oss i dagens hektiska samhälle.

Vi räknar med att kunna lansera YOGAPET by YOGOBE under maj månad och välkomnar era tankar och reflektioner.

Partnerstudios och anläggningar:
Göteborg: Pilates Complete
Jönköping: MYOGA
Jönköping: Fröken Grön
Larvik, Norge: Yogaloftet
Luleå: Inpuls
Stockholm: Altromondo Yoga
Ängelholm: Balansera Yoga

Nedan bilder på Milla Floryd i Team Yogobe med sin häst och Kristina Lasan från yogastudion Fröken Grön i Jönköping med sin fina kompis Nalle:

Tack till alla inblandade för denna genuint fina satsning!

Varför yogar och tränar du? Egentligen? Är din praktik och träning hållbar i längden eller pressar du på dig själv mer än du borde? Läs mer om att släppa kontrollen och att vara hållbar i det du gör!

Rigid inställning kan leda till skador

Många som börjar med yoga, och särskilt de som är vana att träna mycket blir ofta för hårda med sin praktik, istället för att göra det som yoga egentligen handlar om, vilket är att öppna sinnet och inte begränsa sig. Jag var likadan. Att vara för rigid kan leda till att du skadar dig, att du tvingar dig in i någon position och det är inte alls vad yoga handlar om. Orsaken är att man har svårt att släppa taget.

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Jag vet. Jag var likadan när jag var yngre. Jag tränade två gånger om dagen och hade en strikt diet. Var tvungen att äta sex gånger om dagen, och varje måltid skulle innehålla 20 gram protein. Allt blev överkontrollerat, varenda liten del när det gäller träning skulle vara perfekt för att få optimal effekt, annars fick jag dåligt samvete. Det blev en spiral som aldrig tog slut. Mitt mål var bara att bli duktigare och bättre och det förde mig längre bort från att vara nöjd med det som är. Mår man dåligt över något som man egentligen började med eftersom det fick en att mår bra då har man förlorat hela grejen som det handlar om.

Skippa det dåliga samvetet – sträva efter att inte prestera

Låt allt vara okej som det är. Släpp taget. Det är inte bara enkelt. För mig krävdes det ansträngning att komma ur det, och inte falla tillbaka i att vara träningsnarkoman. Idag har yoga tagit över och blivit min träning och jag har aldrig dåligt samvete längre, oavsett om det blir av eller inte. Allt är lika bra. Det gäller att jag inte förlorar det som är anledningen till att jag började med det från början. Då är man liksom hemma på något sätt och kan vara nöjd med det som är. Det är hela paradoxen med yoga. Man gör alla dessa grejer för att inse att man redan är allt man någonsin kan bli!

Vad tycker du?

Kan man ha en regelbunden praktik utan att för bli rigid? Berätta och dela gärna med dig av dina tankar och åsikter i vårt community på Facebook beyoga365.

Läs mer om yoga och hållbar träning

• Skapa utrymme för flow i din yogapraktik, av Moa Westman.
• Släpp spänningarna längs kroppens muskelkedjor, av Majja Lundh.
• Hitta balansen – kombinera fysisk träning med meditation och avslappning, av Karl Dyall & Josefine Bengtsson.

Yoga och träna online – för hållbarhet, lugn och energi

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För att se en hel video behöver du vara inloggad som betalande medlem hos Yogobe. Ny till tjänsten? Prova gratis i 14 dagar utan bindningstid – klicka här och kom igång direkt!

 

Andningen är vårt lilla mirakelverktyg för att må bättre. Genom enkla andningsövningar kan du stanna upp och sänka stress och oro. Här ger vi några tips på hur. 

Det finns vissa andningsövningar där man använder sig av att göra ljud för att minska stress och öka känslor av lugn och avslappning. Att humma några minuter sägs kunna släppa de spänningar som vanligen förknippas med stress samtidigt som de förbättrar cirkulationen, ger energi och ökar vårt välbefinnande. De kan också göra det enklare att fokusera och behålla koncentrationen. En andningsövning som använder sig av ett ljud som liknar hummandet är Brahmari:

Yogobe Video: 65490305

En annan enkel andningsövnin

1. Sätt dig bekvämt, antingen på golvet eller på en stol.
2. Låt händerna vila på knäna och slut dina ögon.
3. Ta några långa, djupa andetag och långt ner i magen.
4. Andas in och sedan långsamt ut genom näsan samtidigt som du låter ”mmm”, utan att öppna munnen
5. Fortsätt 1-15 minuter.
6. Sitt stilla i minst 2 minuter efteråt och fokusera på hur du känner dig.

Vill du veta mer? Läs mer om andning och dess effekter här!

Lästips

• Hur andas du egentligen? Hitta nyckeln till lugn, av Linda Åslev
• Andningsövning för gravida, av Jennie Liljefors
• Blomma ut genom närvaro och andning, av Maria Forslund

Rekommenderade videosekvenser

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Technically Ishta yoga has a two-fault meaning, integrated science of hatha, tantra and ayurveda. So it integrates the system of balancing the energies in your body and your nervous-system which is hatha yoga, physical practice of yoga. The Ishta yin yoga teacher Sarah Finger tells us the philosophy and practice of Ishta yoga.

Can you tell us more about Ishta yoga?
Tantra is this non-dualistic approach of bringing consciousness and seeing consciousness in everything and in every being and living your life to the fullest potential. Auyrveda which is traditional Indian science of life about finding balance of the elements that exists outside of us and that exist within us and marrying those two balances within and without. Then Ishta also comes from the yogasutra “svarajaja Ishta devata sempra yogaha...” which means when you study yourself, when you know yourself completely you find the Ishta devata which is also like an archetype or traditionally translated as a daite but we like to say it's symbolic of finding that which resonates with your individual spirit so we find the path that works, that is your calling. So through the practice of Ishta people often hear their calling more and that’s how I have kind of distilled it down even though we have a more technical textbook definition for what Ishta is. But also Ishta is an integration of the asanas, pranayama/breath, technique, meditation and crea which is the science of pure find consciusness.

What differs Ishta yoga from other yoga styles?
Within Ishta there is many different types of styles of practice. You can have a more strong vinyasa flow class. You can have an Ishta yin class, restorative class, meditation class but I think over all, what people sense and feel that is different about Ishta from other schools is that there is this very tantric approach of the endgoal being that you nourish back to who you really are. So however you get there, wether it's through a vigorous practice or a more gentle restorative practice there is no right or wrong way to do it. We're trying free ourselves from that thinking of that dualistic approach. Should's and shouldn'ts, goods and bads, rights and wrongs, it's more like you find the path that suits you, you find the best essens of yourself, and you enhance that through your yoga, through your practice. So I think that's a different style of Ishta teachers.

Can you find Ishta yoga in other countries?
There is definitely a presence in Scandinavia. As you know in Stockholm with Ulrica, London with Katrina Repka, there is presence in Japan through Kumiko Mack, you have Germany, Munich, Berlin, Australia, South Africa but it's in pockets and really that is because Ishta is a lineage, it's a practice that has been handed on from teacher to taught. A lot of it is really about the presence of an Ishta teacher there in the community that they formed around their teaching.

Do you think that the way you teach (Ishta style) will become more common?
I hope so because I think that because Ishta comes from Alan who (the founder and figure head of Ishta) was lucky enough to study with these Indian swamis in South Africa 50 years ago and later. There are a lot of techniques and lot of authenticity I think in the Ishta system and in what we are teaching and in what we are sharing. And it is a sharing, we are sharing that with people and offering these tools for people to empower themselves with. So I hope that more people teach that way because I think that the difference between Ishta and a lot of other schools are that we are saying that it is within you actually. The experience, the wisdom, the knowledge, the joy. You don't have to follow us, you don't have to believe in anything or act a certain way or dress a certain way or eat a certain way or chant a certain way to really a non-dogmatic approach to experiencing science of your spirit and that is really cool because I think a lot of schools don't see it as a scientific approach.

5 recommended Istha yoga Videos on Yogobe:
Ulrica Norberg explains what Ishta yoga is, 15 min (svenska)
Do a 60-minute video with Sarah for energy, strength and flexibility
This 30-minute video with Sarah works on your hips and hamstrings
Release tension in neck and shoulders with Sarah in this 20-minute video
The founder Alan Finger teaches meditation, 45 min

More reading:
Our Marketing yogi Camilla Bengtsson's interview with Sarah in New York

Yinyoga places you in positions that are challenging for joints, ligaments, and muscles; positions that can hurt you if you leave them too quickly or aggressively. When you come out of a position, do it very slowly and use your hands to support your legs, gently contracting the muscles you’ve just been releasing while in the pose. It’s also beneficial to add a countermovement. For example, if you have been bending forward, sit upright and stretch backwards gently.

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In Yin yoga you challenge deep tissues that the body normally protects from getting stretched, since they’re easily damaged by force. You may experience some discomfort, some shaking, or a slight feeling of instability. This is normal, especially when you are new to the practice. However, if a position causes severe pain or makes you so uncomfortable that it affects your focus or breathing, then you’ve gone too far and need to slowly come out of the pose.

Other warning signs that you’ve pushed too far are feelings of extreme weakness or instability, muscle spasms, or misalignments that you can’t correct. If you exeprience these things, take a break to breathe and then, if it feels right to your body, begin again, slowly and very carefully, stopping when you begin to meet your edge. Props are very helpful here.

Many people who come into contact with Yin yoga recoil when you mention that you work with the connective tissue and stretch it. But Yin yoga is not about stretching the connective tissue, more putting gentle stress on it over time for increased elasticity and circulation. For instance, in Yin yoga we never stretch knees side to side, as the knee is not designed to stretch in that direction. In Yin yoga we work toward full flexion and extension (bending and stretching), generally working only with the area around the hips, pelvis, and lumbar spine. 

The medical community regards fascia primarily as a tissue structure that links together all the bones, muscles, nerves, blood vessels and organs of the body. But the fact is, fascia serves many purposes, such as being involved in movement and the transmission of force. According to new reserach fascia is regarded as part of the nervous system in that it provides a communication network throughout the entire body.

There are three basic systems associated with fascia: the articular (circulation), the neural (information process system) and the myofascial (anatomy) network. Fascia should also be looked at as a semiconductive communication network in that it is capable of sending nerve signals that communicate with each other throughout its network. This means that the fascia affects the whole body, not just one area or system.

Since we hold the poses longer in Yin yoga, breathing and keeping still; blood, nutrients, oxygen, and tissue fluids circulate to dry and compact tissue with poor circulation. At the same time, there is a purging of toxins and increased lymphatic circulation, while fluid accumulation decreases.

This text has been inspired by content from my book: Yin Yoga – An individual practice. If you like what you read you can buy it here.

More yin inspiration

Check out the four week yin yoga challenge. You can choose to go along with the whole month or just get inspired by all the blog posts.

Video recommendations

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The illusions, attachments, and habits of our daily lives and limited day-to-day awareness create blocks in our bodies that impede the free flow of prana and the working out of our karma. Through the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit, we can encounter, affect, and release these blockages by working on physical, mental, and energetic levels.

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Meditation in particular allows us to step away from the patterns and challenges of our karma and see our greater roles, feel our places in the universe, and return to daily life with that new perspective. The expansion of ease, awareness, and prana that results from yoga is an expansion of our ability to live and follow our karmic path with ease and grace.

Before I started doing meditation and yoga, I identified myself with my thoughts and feelings. Today, I have learned to view them more as patterns and reactions coming from my mind and soul. In looking closely at them in meditation, I learn a lot about myself in the now and how I function; and I begin to see what takes me out of balance and out of reach of myself.

Yinyoga is a more mindful practice where one can look at and relate to reality and understand one’s relationship to it. Paying attention to something can be done in several ways. The practice of Yin yoga creates understanding, both of our current condition and of the reluctance or avoidance of being in what we perceive as negative or unpleasant experiences.

Being consciously present means paying attention in the present moment, noticing what is happening both inside and outside when it occurs, and noting thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations without judging or evaluating any part of the experience contained in the present. It is to live your life without being controlled by the memory of a past or projections of the future. Life is always here and now.

Being a yogi 
To be a yogi, you just have to practice yoga regularly. The yoga will do the rest. Becoming a yogi doesn’t mean giving up the old you and becoming someone else. However, things that are not serving you well may fall away. As you practice yoga, you move toward the more intuitive, less fragile you. On the other hand, being a yogi doesn’t mean you don’t have problems; you just have more tools for dealing with them. Yoga provides kaivalya, or space around your experience that allows you to have perspective regarding your problems and what to do about them.

The demands of Western culture can easily lead to low self-esteem. While there is usually room for improvement, we are all amazing beings just as we are. In a yoga practice we should just get to the mat, work within our limitations, and feel how we detach from all of what inhibits us, rather than get caught up in competitiveness. Just do the practice without looking for some specific result.

I often see my practice as updating all my inner programs, like when you are upgrading your computer, so they function better and can communicate more easily with each other, without friction or disturbances.

How to sit when meditating
In order to feel comfortable with sitting in meditation, we need to have a practice that works towards good alignment. All seated meditation postures aim for one thing: holding the back upright without slouching or strain so that energy can run up and down the spine more freely. The fundamental core of the meditation posture is the proper tilt of the sacrum and pelvis. This alignment is what you want for seated meditation. The placement of the upper body takes care of itself if the pelvis is properly adjusted. A good foundation in your yoga practice should include forward bends, hip openers, backbends, and rotations.

Some of the most known forward bends in Yinyoga are those that combine forward bends and hip openers, as the Butterfly, Half- butterfly Half -frog, Dragonfly, and Snail. All gentle forward bending put positive stress on the ligaments around the back of the spine and the lumbar spine and helps to prevent undue compression of spinal disks. The forward bends are performed with legs stretched forward gently stresses the fascia and muscles around the back of the legs.

This text has been inspired by content from my book: Yin Yoga – An individual practice. If you like what you read you can buy it here.

Video recommendations

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