Blog

There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that doesn’t always have a clear name at first. It isn’t panic or obvious overwhelm, but something quieter and more constant. It’s the feeling of always being on the edge of the next thing going wrong, as if calm is only ever temporary and something will soon need fixing. Some people describe it as waiting for chaos, and others notice it as a constant background alertness that never fully switches off, even in quiet moments. In psycholo

One of the questions I often reflect on as I teach Yoga Therapy is whether the way we communicate contraindications genuinely supports safer movement, or whether it unintentionally creates fear around the body. Safety is essential in any movement practice, but there is a meaningful difference between offering clear, informed guidance and encouraging people to approach their bodies with caution that borders on distrust. In many movement contexts, students are presented with li

Summer often brings the promise of holidays, long awaited adventures and time away from everyday routines. Our social media feeds quickly become filled with airport check-ins, beach sunsets and travel photos, making it seem as though everyone is heading somewhere exciting. While this can be an uplifting time of year for many, it can also be a difficult season for those living with anxiety. Whether you’re preparing for a holiday, worrying about the journey ahead or staying at

Silence is often spoken about as though it is something we have lost, something we need to recover from a world that has become increasingly loud. But when we look more closely at our experience, silence is not actually missing. What has changed is our relationship with sound, attention, and the constant stream of interpretation that follows almost everything we hear. We live in an age where noise is not only external but also internalised through reaction. A barking dog, a p

A few weeks ago, at the start of a group yoga class, someone asked if we could do something with the big toe. I’ll be honest, my first thought was that it was a bit of a joke. The kind of request that makes you smile politely while wondering where on earth you’re supposed to go with it. Years ago, I would have steered us straight back to the carefully constructed lesson plan I had spent time preparing. Every posture sequenced. Every cue planned. Every minute accounted for. Bu

There’s a quiet but powerful idea running through modern neuroscience and cellular biology: that our relationships and internal states don’t just shape how we feel, they shape how we age. It’s a claim that sounds almost poetic, but the science behind it is increasingly hard to ignore. Psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dan Siegel has spent decades exploring what he calls interpersonal neurobiology, the idea that the mind is not just something inside the brain, but something that

There are few health conditions that affect so many people while remaining so rarely discussed. Incontinence is one of them. Across the UK, millions of people live with bladder or bowel incontinence, yet public understanding remains remarkably poor. While the condition is often associated with women following childbirth, a growing number of men are living with incontinence as a result of prostate cancer treatment, neurological conditions, diabetes, ageing, and pelvic floor dy

When identity is shaped through the lens of those we admire, it can initially feel like learning and growth. There is a saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and there is truth in that. Over time, however, a different experience can begin to emerge. A quieter sense of disconnection. A feeling of not fully arriving in oneself. In many working environments and performance driven contexts, this can be particularly present. There can be a subtle pressure to con

Pride Month is a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, recognise the progress that has been made towards equality, and acknowledge that for many people, the freedom to simply be themselves is still not guaranteed. Whilst attitudes have changed significantly over the years, discrimination, prejudice and exclusion continue to affect the lives of many LGBTQ+ people. Pride is not just a celebration; it is a reminder that visibility matters, that representation matters, and that

Yoga teaching is often associated with presence and care. Less often discussed is what happens when there are no clear boundaries holding it all together. In yoga and Yoga Therapy, we often speak about balance, presence, and awareness in the body and mind. Less frequently discussed but equally important is the role of boundaries in sustaining the work of holding space for others. Boundaries in yoga teaching and Yoga Therapy are not barriers to connection. They are the structu

This weekend I witnessed a pedestrian become understandably frustrated with a driver who failed to observe a crossing. It escalated into a very heated exchange. A small everyday moment perhaps, but it felt like a clear example of how quickly situations can shift when awareness of our environment, our internal state, and the people around us becomes reduced. With the heatwave potentially continuing for another week, many of us may already be noticing its effects. In warmer w

Yoga has always been about more than stretching the body. It’s about connecting mind, body, and breath whilst creating space to be fully present. In some of my classes, I’ve recently started introducing simple brain-training hand movements. Think of them as mini mind puzzles that invite curiosity, focus, and play. These movements engage the mind as much as the body. They help improve hand-eye coordination, following sequence memory, dexterity, and flexibility in the hands and

Recently, my cats broke his leg. Not a simple fracture that could heal quietly with time, but a complicated break that required specialist veterinary care, surgery, medication and strict confinement afterwards. He now has to spend six weeks resting while the bone heals properly, which, if you know cats, feels almost impossible to enforce. To help keep him calm and stop him from jumping or moving too much, he has even been prescribed anxiety medication. The whole experience ha

This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme is Action, and I keep returning to what that really means in practice, beyond awareness and conversation. Because in reality, mental health is not something that sits in the background of life. It shows up in real time, in real bodies, in real conversations. I see it every day, whether I am working one to one in Yoga Therapy, teaching in group spaces, supporting wellbeing through charities such as Shout and Samaritans, or simply

Maternal mental health is often described through a clinical lens, shaped by hormones, sleep deprivation, and the emotional adjustment to motherhood. These factors are significant, and the care provided by healthcare professionals during pregnancy and the postnatal period plays a vital role in supporting both mother and baby through this transition. At the same time, many women find that their experience extends beyond what can be fully addressed within these structures. Ma

We are living longer than ever before and for a long time this has been presented as one of modern medicine’s greatest achievements. But a recent shift in thinking, reflected in reporting from BBC News, asks a deeper question what is the point of longer life if those extra years are not lived well. The emerging focus is no longer simply lifespan but health span the number of years lived in good health with independence connection and a sense of purpose. This shift is supporte

Buckle up for this blog, I’m about to get a little outrageous. A few weeks ago my daughter came home in tears. The reason wasn’t a fall in the playground or a disagreement with a friend. It was a pair of earrings. She had been told she could not take part in physical activity unless her earrings were removed. For a child who loves movement, who swims several times a week and feels most at home in her body, this felt devastating. To an adult, it might seem like a small rule. T

A Yoga Therapy perspective on breath, awareness, and regulation. We’re often told that breathing is automatic, something the body takes care of without us needing to think about it. Like blinking, it’s assumed to just work in the background. But emerging research and clinical experience are increasingly showing that this isn’t always the case. A recent Guardian article explored “dysfunctional breathing,” also known as breathing pattern disorder, where people experience breath

I believe time is one of our greatest and most scarce commodities. Once it is gone, it cannot be earned back. Unlike money or possessions, it cannot be stored. Unlike health, which we can support and care for to some extent, it is not always within our control. Life is unpredictable, and conditions like illness or autoimmune challenges can remind us of the fragility of time. Yet every moment shapes our lives, our choices, and our connections. When I pause and reflect on where

Most of us do it automatically, the long, satisfying stretch as we wake, arms reaching overhead, spine lengthening, toes stretching, maybe even a big yawn. That simple movement has a name: pandiculation. Pandiculation is the body’s natural way of resetting itself after rest or prolonged stillness. It’s a gentle, instinctive stretch that helps release tension, restore muscle length, and reconnect your brain and body. It’s not just a human habit; animals do it too, a cat stretc