Yoga By Nature Podcast

Hello! it's been ages since I last published a podcast. After several attempts to record a podcast with acceptable sound quality, it's finally here. This class is suitable for beginners. Ideal to do before or after work to undo all the tension caused by commuting and sitting at a desk for long periods. We also focus on strengthening the upper back, and releasing the lower back. Here are some of the poses: Dynamic bridge (setu bandha) Dynamic supine twist (mehru udra kunchanasana) Cat/ cow (marjaryasana) Superman (in Sanskrit?) Dancing cat (again?) Down dog(adho mukha etc) Triangle Side angle with deep shoulder work Locust with turbo upper back strength work Graceful pose.   I hope you enjoy it!! Any questions please ask: info@yogabynature.org. My name is Morven. Visit the website here for details of classes, workshops and upcoming retreats (ie a really amazing NYE 2017 retreat).

Hi All, This is the last class for a while. The sound quality isn't wonderful but it's doable - I played the episode on my computer and it was ok but you may want to play it through some better speakers. This one weaves kindness into practice and explores the three states of human experience - achieving, threat and soothing. Kindness is in the last one - "soothing" -  which is the state we try to cultivate in yoga. It's a PRACTICE so don't be put off if you don't get it straight away. The Dalai Lama has to practice kindness every morning so we shouldn't feel bad about not being able to produce it on demand! Enjoy the class, Morven communityyogabristol@gmail.com

Hello! Welocme to Yoga for the Voice part 2. This is a live recording of part of a yoga and voice workshop that I taught at Bristol Folk House during early August and it will run again in the Autumn.  This practice runs to about 1hr 20 mins and it's a Hatha yoga practice which stands alone as a beginners all round yoga practice but it's especially helpful for those who are looking to develop their potential in using their voice.  The practice is fairly straightforward. If you are not confident with shoulderstand however, please don't do it! do legs up the wall pose instead.  Please let me know if you have any questions  - you can contact me at communityyogabristol@gmail.com and if you need any pics posted please let me know and I will post them to the Facebook group.  We have some places on September's Portugal retreat. Bring a friend for £400 per person - you can find out more here.   Enjoy your practice! Namaste, Morven

Hello, This is a recording of part of a workshop I ran recently called Yoga and Voice. The workshop itself was five hours long and I have recorded the yoga practice for you to do at home. It's good for anyone who uses their voice a lot - teachers, mums, singers, actors. This is a 20 minute preparation for the voice, the Hatha yoga practice to support the voice can be found in Part 2 coming very soon.  Feedback please to communityyogabristol@gmail.com.  Join the FB group for pics and news.  Find out about retreats here! We have spaces on 11th - 19th Sept holiday in Portugal - prices from £400.  Enjoy your practice!   Morven x

Hi All, This is a short and sweet breathing practice for you. Abdominal breathing is the simplest but most effective pranayama there is! Find a comfortable place where you can lie down undisturbed - you can always do it sitting up if you're on your commute, that's fine too.  Comments to communityyogabristol@gmail.com.  There are places left on Yoga by Nature's retreat in Portugal Sept 11th - 19th 2015. It's only £500 for a week in the sun with Morven at Gravito, Central Portugal. Read more here... Enjoy your practice, lots of love, Morven x

Dear All, Thanks for listening. I have recorded this class so I can offer you a really mellow, supported practice which will help to open your shoulders, heart area and your hips. We use some props like an extra rolled mat (or blanket will do nicely) for under the spine, a bolster (or cushion), and of course it's always good to have a blanket and an eye pillow too.  I'm in Spain now, teaching on a Yoga on a Shoestring holiday but I can still post some pics so if you get confused at all with any of the poses then please give me a shout on communityyogabristol@gmail.com to let me know and I'll take a picture and post it for you on the Yoga Community Podcast Facebook page.  This is a relaxed class with some standing poses to strengthen - we do triangle pose and palm tree pose to get you up and moving and get the energy flowing.  There are spaces on Yoga by Nature's next yoga retreat in Portugal 11th/12th - 19th Sept- it's going to be fabulous doing yoga in the beauty of Central Portugal's lush mountains. We will

Dear All,  This is a twenty minute meditation on the body. It's not strictly a relaxation but it is very relaxing! I often do this instead of having a nap as it's so refreshing and brings me right back into my body especially if I have been doing a lot of heady computer work.  Just lie down somewhere quiet and comfortable and enjoy it! You can do it seated if you like to do these sessions during your commute or during your lunchbreak, but lie down if possible.  Get in touch...communityyogabristol@gmail.com my name is Morven Hamilton and you can find me in Bristol teaching at Bristol City Yoga, The Bristol Folk House, Penny Brohn, Totterdown Methodist Church and Arnos Vale Spielman Centre.  Find out more at www.bristolcommunityyoga.co.uk. Oh and there is also a free app! Sleep well be well yoga - you can find it on Amazon.  Lots of love, Morven xx            

Dear All, This is a yoga class focused on supporting pelvic floor health. It was recorded live at Penny Brohn Cancer Care in Pill, Bristol and it is suitable for anyone who wishes to improve their pelvic floor awareness and strength, lower back strength or general core stability. This class is gentle, restorative, calming and mellow. If you're looking for crunches and kegels, you're in the wrong place! Please visit the yoga community podcast group to see pics of any poses you are not sure about. If there are any I haven't posted then please let me know and I will do my best to provide. You can contact me on communityyogabristol@gmail.com, or see what I'm up to at www.bristolcommunityyoga.co.uk, @yoga_by_nature and Facebook: Bristol Community Yoga. Booking is open for Suryalila, Andalucia, Spain 18th - 25th July and Gravito, Portugal 11th - 19th September if youwould like to come on a Yoga by Nature retreat with me. www.yogabynature.org Have a lovely yoga practice!! Morven

Hi! thanks for tuning in. This class is Level 2-3. If you are new to yoga, look for a Level 1 as this class will be too in-depth.  We do poses to release the psoas and also some funky shoulder stretches. Some of the poses require a photo accompaniment and you can find support with images on the Facebook Group here. We flow a bit, go upside down a bit and generally explore in a strong and a subtle way how to create space through the poas muscle and find greater ease through the lower torso. We do Virabhadrasana 1 on only one side so if you are fine with that you will love it and if the thought of it feels like it will mess up your whole day then give it a try anyway! Have a block and a belt handy for shoulder stretches and pincha mayurasana. If you're not up to doing forearm stand yet then take a dolphin pose instead.  I am now taking bookings for Yoga by Nature's next yoga retreat Sept 11th - 19th at Gravito, Central Portugal. From £500 come and enjoy twice-daily yoga, river swimming, late summer sun, meditat

Hello! Welcome to this podcast. Inspiration for this class was taken from Judith Lasater's fantastic book about yogic living called Living Your Yoga. I've also magpied a bit from Mark Williams' book Mindfulness, and the rest is from me. This was recorded at Arnos Vale Spielman Centre, Bristol.  Being a Yoga and Mindfulness class, there is more talking at the begining than usual as I unpack the theme a bit. It's roughly 4 mins of intro, so if you'd rather skip to the asana class, I won't be offended. The chat is mainly about sthira sukham asanam - being easeful and steady in the posture, and meeting the tendency of the mind to criticise and to wish things different from how they are. Forward bends are a great one to examine this practice in, especially if you have tight hammies! We close with a short metta, loving kindness meditation for the self, in the belief that compassion for the self results in more kindness and tolerance for those around you. Lucky them.  Get in touch: communityyogabristol@gmail.com. ww

Dear All, Welcome to this meditation that I offer here to help you answer the question for yourself, "What's so good about the here and now?".  Please find yourself a comfortable seat, taking as many cushions or blocks as you need to be able to sit tall. Sit with your back supported by something if you need to, or come and sit in a chair. Only do this meditation lying down if you are sure that you won't fall asleep! Detaching from our thoughts helps us to realise that there is a lot more to consicousness than the chatter of the mind, and that we often mistake our thoughts for reality.  If you would like to read more about this subject, take a look at yogabynature.wordpress.com where I've recently published a blog post which explores what's so great about the here and now.  If you would like to get in touch, please contact me on communityyogabristol@gmail.com, and if you would like ot know more about classes and workshops in Bristol, including yoga and mindfulness, or about retreats I am running in UK, Spain,

Hi thanks for listening.  Yoga and Mindfulness aims to acknowledge and embody all aspects of a yoga practice. There will be seated meditation, mindful movement (full asana practice) and a body meditation at the end and a beautiful poem that I found in the Mindfulness book by Mark Williams.  There are some ideas in here about how to integrate your yoga "off the mat" and how to bring the peaceful, calm feeling that yoga brings, into your every day experience.  It's about 75 mins, with 45 mins of asana and the rest is purely mindfulness practices and discourse on bringing Mindfulness into your day.   I am posting some pics of poses on the FB page for you - it's Yoga Community Podcast. Check it out if you have an qu's about the shapes we make during the class. If the pic you need isn't there then please give me a shout at communityyogabristol@gmail.com. You can find out more about me and what I'm up to retreat/ class and workshop-wise at www.bristolcommunityyoga.co.uk.  Enjoy your practice!  With love, Morven  

Hello and thanks for listening.  The following is a really good detox Hatha yoga practice with some focused work on balancing the kidney region, maintaining alignment and finding strong foundations. I recorded this one at Totterdown Methodist Church on a Friday morning with a fantastic group of women who are all great fun.  You can visit me on FB at Bristol Community Yoga which is my page, or you can join the Yoga Community Podcast group where I post pics of tricky poses and the occasional piece of interesting yoga info.  My website is www.bristolcommunityyoga.co.uk - you can find out here about classes, workshops and retreats run by me. Next year we are heading to Dorset, UK, Andalucia, Spain and Gravito in Southern Portugal.  Enjoy enjoy enjoy!   Morven x  

Dear All, This class is very mellow. Good for you if you want to practice but need to be gentle with yourself. We do a fair amount of hip releasing poses on the mat, and also gentle backbends and shoulder openers.  If you'd like to try meditation, this is a good way in - relaxation, gentle movement and and focus leading towards a meditative state.  I hope you enjoy this class. If you have any questions or comments please get in touch: communityyogabristol@gmail.com, or if you'd like to find out more about what I'm up to you can go to www.bristolcommunityyoga.co.uk. There are plenty of retreats coming up including next September in Portugal! I hope to see/ hear from you soon. Lots of love, Morven   

Dear All, This class is one that I recorded for those who have limited space to practice, or limited mobility. The whole practice can be done sitting in a chair.  I have reposted this one, as I unpublished it a couple of years ago when I changed hosting services. It was recorded when I was still using the name Bristol Community Yoga podcast.  I hope you enjoy the practice. It's short and sweet.  Lots of love, Morven  

Dear All, This class was recorded at Bristol City Yoga at the Yogatrail on the 13th Sept. A wonderful all-day event where studios across Bristol offered free classes to one and all. I was delighted to be able to take part and offer a restorative class as the last class of the day.  We were packed to the rafters at the BCY studio, and had to turn some people away, so here is your opportunity to do the class at home. This is a good introduction to restorative yoga, and can also serve as a doorway into meditation. The BCY restorative class is every Friday 6.45 - 7.45pm £8 drop in. For more information about the classes, courses and workshops at Bristol City Yoga, you can visit their website here. I also teach Hatha beginners and Hatha Flow on Thrusday and Friday at the studio.  If you'd like more information about my classes, workshops and retreats, please visit www.bristolcommunityyoga.co.uk.   

Dear All, Thanks for listening. This is a yoga nidra practice I recorded in the Lake District whilst teaching on retreat a couple of weeks ago. I hope you can sense some of the calm and quiet of the secluded location! Please make sure you have 30 mins to be really quiet and still. This relaxation can be done lying on your bed, on your mat, on the bus, plane, train - anywhere! If you'd like to come to a Yoga by Nature retreat in the UK, Portugal or somewhere further afield (looking at Goa, India for 2016!), or attend classes with me, please visit www.bristolcommunityyoga.co.uk.  It's an honour to practice yoga with you. Thanks for listening, Morven x  

Dear All, Thanks for listening. This class is a fun and flowy class designed to ease up those outer thigh muscles and hamstrings, we also do some poses that help to release the psoas muscle  (you feel that one in your side belly and the top of your thigh). prepare to sweat a bit with this one, it's fairly high energy with a relaxing warm up and a guided relaxation at the end.  If you're not sure about any of the poses, drop me a line at communityyogabristol@gmail.com and I'll post a photo on the Facebook page for you.  The Urban retreat is approaching! 30th August at Wildgoose Space in St Werburghs, Bristol. For more information click here. You can also visit www.bristolcommunityyoga.co.uk for more information about upcoming retreats with Yoga by Nature.  Love to you, Morven x

This class is a women's yoga class (although men, you can do it too if you want to reconnect to your body and relax!). It's a very gentle practice and is good for you if your body needs some really tender care. We do some static poses and some gentle flow - it's a balance of poses which will nurture softness and encourage relaxation. We begin and end with a relaxation and some mindfulness practice. It's suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners too. I hope you enjoy it! If you are a woman who has experienced cancer and you'd like to come on a yoga retreat, Yoga by Nature is heading to Devon on the 3rd - 5th October for a women's retreat. I will be teaching the yogaThrive classes for cancer support and Ali Woozley will teach women's yoga. Ali is a goddess of womanly knowledge and is co-hosting the weekend with me to make it the most supportive, healing and enriching time possible.  For information about upcoming retreats and classes, you can visit my website www.bristolcommunityyoga.co.uk and you ca

Dear All, This class, you will notice, is an old class. Several classes dropped off the list when I changed from Podbean to Libsyn hosting services. It was recorded in 2012, but as yoga is 5000 years old I figured its age doesn't matter too much.  Some of the info will be outdated - my email now is communityyogabristol@gmail.com and the host web address is http://yogacommunity.libsyn.com/ and not at Podbean.  Next up will be a women's yoga class that I am recording today at the Penny Brohn Centre in Bristol. You can also find me at Bristol City Yoga, The Folk House, The Southville Centre, Totterdown Methodist Church and Arnos Vale Speilman Centre.  The next retreat will be a one-day Ayurvedic Urban Retreat at Wildgoose Space, St Werbs, Bristol. Then we're off the Sheldon for the yogaThrive retreat for women with cancer and after that to Bala Brook, Dartmoor, Devon for a weekend of wildness (and yoga). See more details at my website: www.bristolcommunityyoga.co.uk.