Module 2.

Week 2 Yoga Class

This module we are moving through some of the classic Vinyasa poses including a version of the Sun Salutation. I will also ask you to set an intention for your class today and to notice how your body feels at the end of the practice.

Some of the things we cover in this class are:

• Ujjayi breath

• Easy Sitting

• Cat/cow pose

• Dog Wagging Tail

• Threading the Needle

• Mountain Pose

• Powerful Pose

• Forward Fold Pose

• Halfway Lift

• Plank

• Triceps Push-up

• Sphinx Pose/Cobra Pose (see note below)

• Downward Facing Dog

• Rotated Side Angle

• Standing Split Pose

• Crane Pose

• Child’s Pose

• Some basic stretches

• Relaxation

I was not able to show you Cobra pose due to a back injury. Here is more info if you’d like to give it a go.

Cobra

• Starting in Plank (either on toes or knees), bend your elbows allowing them to graze the sides of your body and lower your chest and belly to the ground at the same time. THIS IS CHALLENGING! Allow yourself to come to your knees and if you can’t lower yourself with control just do the best you can.

• Lower your body all the way to the floor and allow all 10 toe nails to touch the ground

• Inhale and lift the chest through the upper arms

• Keep a bend in the elbows and the pelvis on the floor

• Lift the thighs, activate the glutes and zip up the belly

• Gaze forward or tilt head upwards

• Shoulders blades pulled down the back and shoulders away from the ears

• Take some breaths

If you have any questions please send me an email (hello@emmapolette.com and please note, Q&A sessions are no longer part of this course but ask anything via email and I will answer ASAP

Healthy Habit - Getting enough sleep

"Sleep is the most underrated health habit”

Dr Michael Roizen, Chief Wellness Officer of the Cleveland Clinic.

Why is Sleep Important?

Well, if you are anything like me, you know why sleep is important. You know that you don’t function properly when you haven’t had enough. The brain is foggy, the body is sluggish and the mood is quick to sour.

Most noticeably, sleep is important for mental health. Good sleep levels enhance creativity, ingenuity, confidence, leadership and decision making. Basically, it helps to make your mood stable. You are more like you when you get enough sleep.

What happens to your mindset when you don’t get enough sleep? The Great British Sleep Survey found that poor sleepers are 7 times more likely to feel helpless and 5 times more likely to feel alone.

Sleep is also important to keep your body working the way it should. Optimal levels of sleep help all the other functions of the body to be in tune with each other which assists with cell repair, metabolism, good hormone health and so much more!

What is a good night’s sleep?

Everyone is different, but a good rule of thumb is 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep. Many of us can be in bed for that long but aren’t actually getting a good sleep. Other people wonder how anyone has time for 7 hours in bed! Life can feel very busy and it can seem impossible to prioritise that much rest.

Professor Kerryn Phelps AM in her book Ultimate Wellness asks the following questions to determine if you are getting a good night’s sleep:

• Does it take you longer than 30 minutes to get to sleep?

• Do you wake frequently during the night?

• Do you have difficulty staying asleep?

• Do you wake up in the early hours of the morning and find it hard or impossible to get back to sleep?

• Do you wake up feeling unrefreshed?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then you could benefit from an improved quality of sleep.

So, how can you improve your sleep?

Start with some of these:

• Make sure your bedroom is conducive to sleep – it is dark enough, it is quiet, it is cool plus you have quality bedding like a supportive mattress and a high-grade pillow

• Get regular exercise and make it earlier in the day so that the body can have a chance to relax before bed.

• Set a bedtime alarm for about 30 minutes before you want to go to sleep (count backwards from when you have to wake up). This is a good reminder to start getting yourself ready for bed.

• Eat well to sleep well. Eat smaller meals in the evening. Reduce caffeine, sugar and other stimulants after mid-afternoon. Keeping a control on your weight will facilitate a better sleep.

• Minimise alcohol before bed. Although it may seem to help you sleep it means you are more likely to wake in the night.

• Don’t consume too much liquid before bed to stamp out the need to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

• Try stress reduction techniques – meditation, gentle yoga, a yoga nidra* app. If you are very stressed the support of a health coach or even a psychologist can help to reduce anxious thoughts that lead to insomnia.

• Take short naps where you can to help you catch up.

• Get some gorgeous PJs and put them on just before bedtime to signify it’s time to sleep.

• If you have tried many of these and have had no luck then speak to your GP. Occasionally an underlying medical condition can impact your sleep quality.

Does it feel possible to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night? What keeps you awake? Do you feel refreshed in the morning? If you have any questions about sleep then please ask them in the comments below.  I will answer you personally.

* Yoga Nidra is an app designed to help you relax before sleep. According to its iTunes description “Yoga Nidra is a systematic and scientific method of inducing deep and complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation. It is an ancient technique based on the time-tested principles of yoga and through regular practice, one can easily develop a sense of deep relaxation, calmness and peace.” The app is also available for Android.

Week 2 Homework

Download the “Intentions” handout here. Write 2 or 3 intentions in each section.

The Yoga Practice section refers to this course and any other yoga that you want to include in your everyday life. Your intentions might be 1. I will do one GWTF module per week. 2. After GWTF I will join a local yoga class.

The Daily Life section refers to everything that happens in your daily life – your family or loved ones, your job, your health, your self-care. Your intentions might be 1. I will eat veggies at every meal. 2. I will book a massage once a month. 3. I will look for a new job that better suits my family’s needs.

The Dreams section refers to all the things your heart wants you to do. Like: 1. I will live in Rome for 6 months of the year. 2. I will start my own business.

If you're feeling brave, tell us some of your dreams in the Facebook group ..