These beautiful spring blossoms at the Auckland Botanic Garden were just in time for the Spring Equinox.

Spring is a time of transition. A time of fertile hope for the future. But first you must plant your seeds and then care for them.

What seeds do you want to grow in your life? Is it better work/life balance? More restful sleep? Resilience to cope with life's ups and downs? A sense of community? Or better fitness? Yoga is a tool that will help you grow these seeds.

What seeds are you planting in your life this spring?

If you can breathe you can do yoga.

Not everyone has a skinny, flexy, 20 year old body, but no matter what your body size and condition, there is yoga that is just right for you.


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It's Friday. I hope your week's been a good one. If it's been less than great, remember that tomorrow is an opportunity to start again. Before you frazzle around from work to the weekend, how about stopping whatever you're doing right now. Relax back into your office chair, or stand, sit, or lie some way that is comfortable. 

Take a slow, deep breath. Feel the breath in your throat. Feel the breath in your chest. Feel the breath in your belly. Feel your whole body fill with life. Hold the breath briefly in your whole body and then slowly let it go. Let it go from your abdomen, then your chest, then your throat and nostrils. Now do this two more times.

That's it for now.

Why would you want to do yoga?

The Very Well site summarises the reasons:

• Better mental health.
• Better physical health. 
• Better spiritual health.
• Better flexibility.
• Better muscle tone.
• Improved balance.
• Weight loss.
• Detoxification.
• Stress management.
• Better self awareness.
• Potential longevity benefits.

Yoga is uniquely able to help people of all ages and abilities to improve their mental, physical, and spiritual health. Why not give it a try?

Dutch researchers have shown that yoga mindfulness training can be a useful add on therapy for patients being treated for hear disease. In the study, the patients who also received yoga therapy had improved walk test and heart rate responses. The research concluded:

Mindfulness training showed positive effects on the physiological parameters exercise capacity and heart rate and it might therefore be a useful adjunct to current clinical therapy in patients with heart disease.

American researchers have demonstrated that yoga, and other mind/body therapies, can reduce inflammation. If we ensure that the yoga fits the body, and not the other way around, any potential downsides should be eliminated. There is so much benefit from a yoga practice, even if it is just 5 minutes a day.