The Active Yogi: Recent Episodes
CAROLINE LAYZELL YOGA
Welcome to my new podcast - The Active Yogi. The podcast that shares with you all things health and wellness related from a yoga, fitness and well being perspective. We will learn as a community how to find our strong foundations both mentally and physically, along this journey of exploration together!
This podcast will involve an eclectic range of talks from me, some of my incredible peers within the Yoga and Health world, specialists in their fields, as well as audio classes including Vinyasa Flow, Slow Flow, Yin Yoga, Meditation, Yin Yoga & Pranayama
Stress affects almost everyone, particularly in this phase of uncertainty which surrounds a lot of us in current times. A little stress is good for you. It helps to keep you motivated, alert and energetic, and increases your ability to cope with difficult situations
However more and more of us are finding ourselves living in an almost chronic state of stress. Our various internal systems can't keep us healthy when we spend extended periods of time in this state
From a TCM perspective chronic stress causes blockages of energy flow that result in the flow of Qi and blood becoming stagnated.
This episode is designed to share my experience of how we can use TCM to help us to manage stress
We will enjoy together:
- Discussion about how stress shows itself
- What is stress in Chinese Medicine
- Which Organs and meridian lines are most affected by stress & how that manifests into sickness long term
- Some ways to manage stress from a TCM perspective
This episode is designed to invite you to take 8 minutes of your day to "Find Your Calmness" through this simple breathing technique!
Most of us know that when we’re rushed and feeling pressured, our breathing becomes shallow. But have you noticed that when your nervous system is jacked up, your inhalations are longer than your exhalations? If you can summon the presence of mind to check your breath next time you find yourself harried and feeling anxious, chances are you’ll find you are emphasizing inhalation at the expense of exhalation. This quickly increases your level of stress—short exhalations make us vulnerable to anxiety and depression, and create an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system.
The antidote is simple: lengthen the exhalation—in fact make it twice as long as the inhalation. Sustain this breathing pattern for a minute or two and your heart rate slows, your blood pressure drops, and your muscles begin to relax. When you’ve gained some experience at the technique, you can easily switch to this breathing pattern and soothe your nervous system any time you’re feeling stressed.
Benefits: * Relaxes the nervous system * Increases relaxation and sleep * Reduces anxiety * Increases lung capacity and breath control * Releases tension * Cools the body
If you enjoyed this, then head to my website at www.carolinelayzellyoga.com/events/ and click on Pranayama Challenge and enjoy access to my 5 Days of Pranayama Challenge. It includes 5 different breathing techniques to enjoy daily! Look out soon for a 5 Days of Meditation challenge arriving in September!
This episode is designed to share with you some simple techniques to help you find a better sense of balance. Allowing you to enjoy a healthy well functioning nervous system.
Life can be a lot. We live in a busy, often highly pressurised world! The more stress we carry, the more that impacts the functioning of our nervous system, and mental health.
Our nervous system controls:
- Sight, hearing, taste, smell, and feeling (sensation).
- Voluntary and involuntary functions, such as movement, balance, and coordination. The nervous system also regulates the actions of most other body systems, such as blood flow and blood pressure.
- The ability to think and reason. The nervous system allows you to be conscious and have thoughts, memories, and language
When the activities of these nerves and cells are disrupted, the central nervous system fails to perform its basic functions. To avoid suffering from any CNS diseases and conditions, we need to practice some healthy habits to make sure to keep it healthy and in shape! So try introducing some of these tips into your daily life and see how they work for you!
If you want some inspiration on the Yin Yoga side then please check out my Yin Yoga Love folder on my YouTube Channel - Caroline Layzell Yoga
Here is one short 30 minute class that might get you started! https://youtu.be/laMxcRmAjAY
In this episode I share with you 5 of my favourite benefits of having a regular Pranayama practice. The simplest way for us to notice how we are doing mentally is to tune in and notice the breath. Is it short and shallow, or is it luxuriously deep and full? Am I able to consciously slow it down with my awareness? Then how does that look and feel when I add a pranayama technique?
We live in a modern day world where stress is high! So many of us spend hours, days, weeks, months predominantly in our fight or flight mode (sympathetic nervous system), which long term is super unhealthy for us. We live in a busy world with numerous distractions, stressors, triggers, endless challenges in the last 18 months as well.
This episode is designed as a reminder to you about the value of having a pranayama practice, and how you can use it to become more mindful, sleep better, manage stress, move away from anxiety and more! I hope that it will be helpful to some of you :)
Tune in for the next episode which explores a simple Equal Breathing Pranayama audio to get you started. Last weeks episode also offers a breath awareness practice to enjoy too! Check them out!
If you enjoy this session please take time to sign up for my 5 Days of Pranayama offering below, where you can enjoy exactly that - 5 Days of Video techniques, a daily journaling exercise and and introduction to each specific benefit we try for that day.
https://carolinelayzellyoga.teachable.com/p/pranayama-challenge
In this episode I share with you a simple 8 minutes of breath awareness! Nothing fancy, just my favourite way to start a class or meditation practice and invite stillness and presence. The simplest way for us to become aware of the here and now is by noticing our breath, so this is exactly what this episode invites us to do. 8 minutes of just noticing our breath :) So find a comfortable seat, relax and enjoy.
We live in a busy world, with a lot of internal and external clutter and distractions and often we lose sight of how it feels to pause and be still, and notice how we are really doing! We spend more and more time in fight and flight mode, when so many of us need more rest and digest time! So, consider this a mindful moment to slow down, notice how you are doing, become aware of your breath and consciously choose to arrive into the here and now and find peace and an inner sense of calmness.
By bringing our awareness to the breath we move ourselves slowly into a state of Dharana – single concentrated focus. Which then stimulates the Parasympathetic Nervous System which so many of us need after spending huge amounts of time predominantly in Sympathetic NS which is fight or flight mode. Nourishment, health and calmness soon follow as we slow down and explore stillness and presence.
If you enjoy this session take time to sign up for my 5 Days of Pranayama offering below, where you can enjoy a daily practice of pranayama, a journaling exercise for each day, and an introduction to the benefits of each of the techniques that we explore together!
https://carolinelayzellyoga.teachable.com/p/pranayama-challenge
In this episode I share with you some of my (mostly mental) favourite reasons why I love the practice of Yin Yoga so much. There are so many more benefits of the practice, but today I chose to focus on the mental side of the practice. Which some may consider where the practice begins for the more advanced practitioner. For the longest time during pregnancy and postpartum Yin was not something my body appreciated, and as a hyper mobile yogi there are still moments when that is true. However the mental aspects of the practice, the learnings around TCM to be had, the opportunity to pause in stillness are super high on my personal love of the practice list. Restorative offers the same mindful benefits, but my love of TCM is what tips my favour to Yin.
In this episode I talk about the following 5 areas as MY current "Top 5 Benefits" of the practice :
1) Compliments our yang (moving) practices
2) Helps us to foster compassion for our Nervous System
3) Learn to find comfort in stillness
4) Promotes mindfulness
5) Can serve as an introduction to meditation for beginners
Want to learn & experience more?
** Check episode 2 for a 60 minute Yin Yoga audio class called Unwind & Recharge Your Energy!
** Or go to my YouTube account - Caroline Layzell Yoga - and check out my Yin Yoga Love playlist with 7 yin videos to enjoy!
** I have a 50hr Yin & TCM YTT starting live and online August 20-29th ;)
** Join me live every Sunday at 4pm Bali time for a 70 minute Yin class and 7 day replay also :) www.carolinelayzellyoga.com
** Added bonus - so much more wealth of knowledge to learn about ourselves when Chinese Medicine is introduced as a theme as well! I have 5 days of Yin Yoga & TCM 25 minute videos from my recent challenge sitting within my Yin Yoga with Caroline Facebook Group if you want to join and enjoy them during Yin! Or send me an email caroline@carolinelayzellyoga.com and I will happily share links!
In this episode I explore with you the importance of strong glutes. Our glutes are the primary players in many of the movements that we do in everyday life. Including those that make it possible to do yoga, run, hike, cycle and more! As active yogis we need to create and maintain strong glutes.
The goal of this podcast is to create a better awareness of the function of glutes for runners, yogis, and fitness enthusiasts alike. We look at what causes glute weakness or imbalance. Then how to create strong functioning glutes through sprinkling different drills and skills through our yoga practice, before carrying that into our day to day lives off the mat also.
I include a link to a 30 minute Yoga Video I made on YouTube (Caroline Layzell Yoga) which explores the glutes entirely! Hope you will enjoy :)
https://youtu.be/kWd8LBB5RFs
Today I am sharing with you an energising and upper body awakening Vinyasa Flow class. The class is 40 minutes long and is designed to create space and awakening in our thoracic spine, allowing you to move more easily and freely into your new day.
The perfect class to help you find more energy and a calm, positive state of mind. When we have space to breathe more deeply, we energise our entire system which transforms us to a place of great health and happiness!
Enjoy more live classes with me at www.carolinelayzellyoga.com
In this episode I want to share with you my thoughts on the importance of taking time to find strength and balance in our core. Modern day living has us sitting down more than we might normally, making repetitive movements that over time create subtle imbalances between the front and back of our bodies. Which in turn can have a knock on affect for the strength of the muscles that support our spine. Over longer periods of time our posture and stability around our central axis the spine can then also be affected. This episode is designed to inspire you to take notice of how you move through your day! Enjoy yogis!
www.carolinelayzellyoga.com
Today I am sharing with you a deliciously relaxing 60 minute Yin Yoga class. This class has been created to help you to find some moments in your day dedicated to YOU. Designed to help you slow down, unwind and ultimately recharge your energy for whatever life presents ahead.
When we are able to approach life from a place of calmness we are able to manage everything that comes our way from a healthier, more grounded place within.
*Pranayama
*Wide Knee Child Pose
*Sphinx
*Butterfly/Dragonfly
*Caterpillar
*Deer
*Savasana
If you are interested to learn even more about Yin Yoga and Chinese Meridians I am also sharing a 5 Day Yin Challenge starting Tuesday March 2nd on Facebook. 15 minutes every single day filled with learning and insight. You can sign up via the link below, I would love to have you!
https://www.subscribepage.com/yinchallengefeb21
Today I want to talk about the main factors of good health, 10 simple things that you can do for your health today. We will explore what those 10 simple things are. Look at how we can achieve them and what we can do to prolong our life. Therefore, allowing us to live our lives, not just in good health but in our best health.
The outcome of healthy living isn’t something that just happens to us, much as we might like to think! Healthy living is a series of habits, daily actions and lifestyle choices, that are all geared towards self care and maintenance of a desire to be living well and with purpose.
All of the factors that make up good health are all within our control. So you can literally choose to be healthy through the choices that we make on a daily basis!