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International Lifestyle Magazine

I am extremely honoured to have a feature in the new edition of the International Lifestyle Magazine.

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The International Lifestyle Magazine takes a look at positive lifestyle choices from around the globe. Promoting balance in life.  It’s a really great magazine featuring retreats, alternative health and wellness, recipes, yoga, meditation, travel.  Be inspired and take a look!  Plus it’s totally FREE.

You can sign up to get the magazine to your inbox each edition and International Lifestyle Magazine is on Facebook.

 

 

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Do you feel stressed, anxious, suffer from poor sleep patterns? Why not try Yoga Nidra?

Do you feel stressed, anxious, suffer from poor sleep patterns? Do you wish to de-stress, find balance between your mind, body & spirit?

If so, why not come along to my Yoga Nidra workshop on Sat 31 May, 10.30am-12.30pm at Lotus Loft Yoga Studio in Exeter. Complete beginners welcome, you will be fully guided so no experience necessary.  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

How Yoga Nidra can help:

  • Slow down body metabolism and allows deep rejuvenation.
  • Enable the relaxation of the entire muscular system brings relief to aches and pains caused by body stiffness and over exertion.
  • Slow down the heart and breathing rates helping to reduce blood pressure.
  • The endocrinal (glandular) system, which coordinates all the body’s functions and which becomes constantly overused and abused in the course of our daily activities (especially the adrenal glands in their response to anxiety), are given a chance to recuperate and normalise bringing them more into balance.
  • Improve the quality of your sleep and can act as an antidote to insomnia.
  • Reduce stress levels in the body which helps to release deep seated anxieties in the mind.

Here’s some feedback from a student that attended a recent Yoga Nidra workshop.

“It was lovely meeting you and the workshop really was incredibly special, needless to say I spent most of Saturday in a blissful state, almost not knowing what planet I was on!! On Sunday, I had so much energy, I was able to walk for several miles (the weather was so amazing too). I feel so much more positive about life..thank you so much. I love your meditation cd too, I have been playing it every night…and also trying to fit in some yoga practice!” JY, Devon

Remember to book early as these workshops do fill up and I quite often have a waiting list.

Contact me for further information info@juliebladon.com.

Yoga Sleep (Yoga Nidra) is available on CD and download.  Yoga Sleep is also stocked by iTunes and Amazon.

Yoga Sleep Download          Yoga Sleep Download for Children

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The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling

Right now I am completely absorbed by “The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling” by Stephen Cope, the  Director of the Institute for Extraordinary Living at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.

Stephen takes us on a step by step journey through the ancient spiritual text the “Bhagavad Gita” and makes it relevant for our contemporary lives.  He explores the notion of dharma, the inner possibility within every human soul.

It is a perfect, and easy, read if you are feeling a little lost on your journey, if you are asking bigger questions about your life and you wish to explore your true calling.  It might be that you are living fairly close to your dharma but you need minor adjustments to be fully living your life purpose.  Or perhaps you have been living on purpose for many years and now it just doesn’t feel right, your inner knowing is telling you that changes are needed to live your life more fully at this present time.

“Every man has a vocation to be someone: but he must understand clearly that in order to fulfil this vocation he can only be one person: himself.” stated Thomas Merton.  This is so true, we each have a unique calling.  We may get influenced by outside opinions such as those from parents, teachers or peers but it is only when we tap into our true calling do we experience true energy, passion and magic.

“If you bring forth what is within you it will save you.  If you do not, it will destroy you.  And what precisely is destroyed? Energy is destroyed first.  Those shining eyes.  And then faith. And then hope. And then life itself.”  I am sure we have all experienced both sides of this coin, when we are fully living our dharma we feel alive, we can feel it in our heart, others can see it in our face and they witness “those shining eyes”.   When we are not living our dharma we may feel heavy, stressed, confused, desperate and unhappy.

I think it is comforting to know that at each phase in life we may have a different calling and sometimes we may have several dharmas running at the same time, for example your calling may be musician, parent and community activist.

What steps can you take to start to explore and live your dharma?

Allow yourself time to reflect and to ask questions such as “Why am I here?”, “What is my purpose?”, “What am I being guided or drawn to do?”

Create quiet time and stillness to let your heart and mind speak to you.

You may get lots of answers but over time your truest answers will begin to develop.

Don’t be frightened to try new things, it doesn’t have to be huge scary life changing stuff but taking action can open the door to your true purpose.

Think of the small as large.   All of our actions, however small or large, are important so do not overrate or underrate your dharma.  You will know when it feels comfortable for you at just the correct balance and size.

Trust in your inner knowing!

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Raw Chocolate and Cashew Bliss Balls

Here’s the latest recipe which I made for last Saturday’s Yoga Nidra workshop.  A really tasty, healthy snack and as it is raw chocolate they are fairly rich so you do not need too many to enjoy the taste!

We all know how powerful chocolate can be particularly from our intuitive emotional response to it.  Here are a few chocolate facts which further explain our natural response to the pleasure of chocolate…

  • Chocolate contains over 300 chemicals including a vast range of vitamins and minerals (calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium).  It contains phenylethylamine which is released naturally in the body when you fall in love and is also considered to be an aphrodisiac.
  • The smell of chocolate promotes relaxation, it significantly reduces theta activity in the brain which is associated with relaxation.  (Source: International Journal of Psychophysiology, 1998).
  • Chocolate also contains dopamine which is a natural painkiller. Serotonin which is found in chocolate produces feelings of pleasure. Chocolate has over 400 distinct smells.  A rose has only fourteen and an onion just six or seven.
  • A cup of hot cocoa (using pure cocoa powder) has more than double the amount of antioxidants as green tea and four to five times more than black tea. (Source: Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, 2003).

Ingredients:
1 cup of cashews blended until smooth (or you can cheat as I did and buy cashew butter)
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 dates (pitted and soaked for at least 4 hours or you may wish to buy chopped dates)
2 tablespoons raw cacao powder (raw chocolate)
1 cup of desiccated coconut for coating

Place all of the ingredients,except for coconut, into a mixer and mix until smooth.  With your hands roll the mixture into small balls.  Then pour the desiccated coconut onto a chopping board and roll the balls in it to top.  Place the balls on a plate and refridgerate until hard.

Tips:
Raw cacao powder and cashew butter can be found at your local health food store.

Make a batch and keep them in the fridge, they make a tasty snack across the week and saves eating too much processed chocolate!

 

 

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What is “Aloha Yoga”? Good Question!

I sometimes get asked “What is Aloha Yoga?”  This is a good question!  “Aloha Yoga Retreats and Workshops” is a collaborative project that I run with Jackie Dorrian (Jagdambe Ma), Swansea based yoga teacher and Ayurvedic therapist.

“Little did we know that 4 years after meeting on a Yoga Retreat in Kerala that our lives would be completely different and we would be working together to deliver “Aloha Yoga Retreats and Workshops”. Whilst we teach different yoga styles and our therapies are from different parts of the world, we have common aims and our work complements each other.  We have some exciting plans in the pipeline including a Summer Retreat on Dartmoor, Music Festivals and a Retreat in Spain.” explains Jackie

“Aloha Yoga” forms a significant part of our annual calendar and we host a wide range of activity.  We aim to seamlessly combine our knowledge, experience and modalities to create spaces where our guests can rejuvenate, re-focus, relax and to help students find the best and most positive sense of themselves.  Working together with another yoga teacher gives our students the opportunity to experience different styles of yoga.  Most importantly our work is fun and playful so you have a completely safe space to explore your practice and take what you need from the sessions.

Our upcoming workshops take place in Exeter on Sun 6 April and Swansea on Sat 17 May.  We aim to deliver something different each time and these upcoming workshops will centre around a 5 Koshas (Sheaths) class.

Kosha means collection, there are 5 layers/sheaths of our being.  Our physical body is a small part of our being, there are additional layers to our body.  In Yoga we work with the whole being.   During our 5 Koshas class we will use a sequence of postures in repetition to work through our different Koshas to discover ourselves in new and transformative ways.

We will focus on physical alignment, incorporating our breath, quieting our mind and moving to relaxation in the beautiful asana Savasana and finishing with meditation. We trust you will experience the deepest level of our being, an unbounded, blissful state of peace, joy and love.  The workshop will also include the exploration of a hands-on self healing technique.

The 5 Koshas

Physical – Annamaya kosha ~ Anna means food. All of the physical aspects of life come and go, and are consumed by another aspect of external reality. Thus, the outermost of the koshas is called the sheath of food.

The foods you eat and liquids you drink help to build the shape of your cells and therefore the shape of your body.

Energy – Pranamaya kosha ~ Prana means energy. It is the vital force that produces the subtle vibrations related to breath, and which are the driving force behind the physical aspect of the senses and the operation of the physical body.

Perhaps we could define the Breath Body as all of the gases in the body, which have come in through the breathing mechanism, which provide life force for the body.

This doesn’t just mean your lungs or respiratory system. The Pranamaya Kosha is woven throughout the matrix of your entire body.

Mental – Manamaya kosha ~ Mana means mind. It is the level of processing thoughts and emotions. It is in direct control of the operation, through the prana, of the physical body and senses.

After taking care of the physical body and training the energy flow of prana, the most important part to be trained in positive ways is this level of mind.

Wisdom – Vijnanamaya kosha ~ Vijnana means knowing. It is the sheath of wisdom that is underneath the processing, thinking aspect of mind. It knows, decides, judges, and discriminates between this and that, between useful and not useful. It is also the level of ego consciousness, meaning the powerful wave of I-am-ness.

This one is really interesting! The Wisdom Body could be considered the equivalent of our DNA. It’s the information that the cells of our body were born with. It’s the wisdom of being a living being that has been passed down to us through generations. This layer of the body is how the digestive system knows how to digest, how the circulatory system knows how to circulate, how the reproductive system knows how to reproduce. This knowledge is deep within our cells.

It may interact with what we eat, or the quality of air we breathe, but it is a wisdom that has been passed down to us. It predates our own individual, personal life in this body.

Bliss – Anandamaya kosha ~ Anandamaya kosha is the most interior of the koshas, the first of the koshas surrounding the Atman, the eternal center of consciousness. Ananda means bliss. However, it is not bliss as a mere emotion experienced at the level of the sheath of mind. Ananda is a whole different order of reality from that of the mind. It is peace, joy, and love that is underneath, beyond the mind, independent of any reason or stimulus to cause a happy mental reaction. It is simply being, resting in bliss called ananda.

Atman – Self ~ Atman is the Self, the eternal center of consciousness, which was never born and never dies.  The deepest light shines through the koshas, and takes on their colorings.  Atman, the Self, has been best described as indescribable.

For bookings:

Exeter:  Or email info@juliebladon.com for further information.

Swansea:  Call Jackie on 07531 918357, email info@swanseayoga.co.uk or visit www.swanseayoga.co.uk

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Journey To Self – Developing Your Yoga Self-Practice

I love it when students ask me questions, hopefully I can open the door to a greater understanding of yoga.  Questions help to keep my ideas fresh and prompt me to look at things from a different perspective.   Obviously I will not know the answer to every question but I will seek out answers so that we can all learn and grow.

I would say that the most common question I get asked is how to practice at home and how to develop a self-practice.

Here are a few tips to help you develop your self-practice:

Create the time – My advice would be to introduce say 5 – 10 minutes of practice to your day preferably at a regular time.  It is helpful to get into a regular pattern, for me I prefer first thing in the morning.  This means that I have created the space in my day, things don’t always go to plan in the day so I find if I practice first thing problems during the day do not affect my practice.  Start with 5-10 mins, you will notice the difference to your wellbeing fairly quickly and you will have no excuses to free up this time in your busy day.  You will find over time 10 minutes will expand into 30 minutes and then into one hour.

One thing I learnt at the Sivananda Ashram was that I waste a lot of time in my life.  At the Ashram we had a fairly hectic schedule with barely 5 minutes to spare but I learnt to use those fleeting spare moments to do my hand washing, to fit in some extra study, to enjoy the gardens, to have some time to reflect.  I am sure that if you look at your life there will be somewhere that you can save some time to create this space for you.

Keep it simple – Start by introducing Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutations) into your day.  I know when I started to deepen my practice many years ago, I realised that a daily practice made me feel so much better, more centred and more alive but I was inconsistent.  Keep it simple and develop your practice over time.  Nothing is ever perfect so try not to expect your practice to be “perfect”.  You will be surprised by how much you already know.  Have fun and experiment with your practice.

Listen to your body and heart – Develop your self-awareness,  may be you get on your mat and do not feel like focussing on your asanas.  Your body and heart may be telling you to focus on your breath or on meditation.  That is 100% ok.  Remember to be present, be mindful.  Just come to your mat and dedicate your time to your practice and to you.

Our yoga space – You may resist developing your practice as you do not have that “perfect” yoga space.  Yes I’m sure a special dedicated space would be wonderful but remember to make a space within the resources you have available.  For me, I practice in my living room.  I roll my mat out each morning in this space and at certain times of year the sun baths the room in golden light.  This room is energised by my practice,  I notice that visitors love this space and the plants in this room are pretty abundant too!

Inspiration – take time to work on the things that challenge you or certain asanas where you know you have some resistance.  Generally the things we resist are the things we need to focus on!  Mix things up to bring new perspective and inspiration.  I will sometimes follow online classes to try different teaching styles, to be guided through my practice or just to try something new.

Don’t beat yourself up! –  Ok so you didn’t do your practice today, for the last week or month, for the last few months…  Today is another day, you can start again.  Don’t worry about what you haven’t done, promise yourself that TODAY you will get back on that mat, focus on the moment and look forward rather than beating yourself up with what you have not achieved.

Practice your yoga in your everyday life – This is the key, yoga is much wider than our practice on our mat.  Be conscious and aware throughout your day.  Perhaps you could react in a different way during a work situation; practice karma yoga (selfless service) giving back for no particular personal gain; practice patience and adjust your relationship with time; check in with yourself to be more mindful and present; use your breath in those stressful moments; sink a little deeper and when you want to quit because something is too hard, keep going.

Developing your self-practice is a great way to complement regular classes and you can fit this into your diary at a time that suits you.  Make time with yourself and follow your inner guide.   Most importantly have fun!

So why wait, roll out your mat and dedicate some time to your practice and yourself.

Drop In Yoga Classes – Topsham & Exminster

The new yoga terms have started in Topsham and Exminster.  Currently there are drop in places (£10 per class) available on Thursdays, 6.30-8pm class at Matthews Hall, Topsham and the new Intermediate class on Tuesdays, 7.15-8.45pm at Westbank, Exminster.

Topsham class is for all levels including Beginners and the Exminster class is for those with some yoga experience.

Sivananda Yoga is a form of Hatha yoga which focuses on pranayama (breath work), classic asanas (postures), relaxation and meditation.  Sivananda Yoga practice consists of twelve poses often with variations added to increase strength, flexibility, proper breathing and meditation.  Sivananda Yoga is a balanced and grounded practice that can be done by all abilities.  It supports not just good exercise for the body but for clear ways to make healthy lifestyle changes in general.

Get in touch to reserve your place either via 07754 983498 or email info@juliebladon.com.

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Things Are A-Changin’

Welcome to my brand new website!  Over the last few months I have been busy working with Will from Atwork and web developer Rupert to create a brand new look and website.

The aim has been to freshen things up, create a more user friendly and searchable website plus create a space for blogging.

I hope the website is easy to navigate.  You will find sections on Yoga, Meditation, Lomi Lomi and Events which includes all weekly yoga classes, yoga workshops and retreats.  The Shop features classes, workshops, CDs and downloads plus yoga products.  My aim is to add more items and products to the shop so please drop by regularly to find out what’s new.

I will be blogging regularly and sending a FREE guided meditation each month to my e-list.  Email subscribers will receive exclusive updates, news and free guided meditations.  You can join my email list here.

Do let me know what you think of the new website and also contact me with any Yoga, Lomi Lomi or natural health topics you would like me to cover in my blogs.

Finally a quick thank you to Exeter based photographer, Helen Lisk, for my new photos and to Devon based professional make-up artist, Eve Ashby, for my make-up for the photo shoot.

 

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NEW: Massage, Yoga & Relaxation Packages

These great new packages offer a mix of activities and also save you money.  They make great gifts so you can book the package and the recipient can book an appointment time to suit them.  Really easy and very flexible!

The yoga packages can be for upto 3 people so you can share the costs and book sessions to fit into your daily schedule.

Tailor-made packages are also available for birthdays, Christmas, hen parties and so on.  Get in touch via info@juliebladon.com or call 07754 983498 to discuss your requirements.

The packages are available in the online shop, just book and we can arrange the appointment times.

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Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas and I hope the New Year brings much happiness and joy.  Thank you to everyone that I have worked with this year, to everyone that has ordered my Yoga Sleep meditations and to everyone I have connected with online.  It has been a truly wonderful year and 2014 is shaping up to be an equally exciting year!