This is a difficult topic to write about because I don’t want to comment on the experience or qualifications of individual teachers. I know some absolutely brilliant yoga teachers who work in gyms, and I’m sure there are many others who are equally good. But I have also experienced the other side of it. On occasions when I’ve had a free pass to a gym, I’ve joined yoga classes that were excellent. I’ve also attended classes where poses weren’t named, there were very few alignm

Ancient practices for a modern world. Traditions and Celebrations. This important point in the sun's cycle has been celebrated all over the world for thousands of years. For the Norse and Celts, it was Yule, for the Romans, Saturnalia, and it has now been Christianised into Christmas. But all these celebrations have the same theme in common - the rebirth of the sun (or 'the son' in Christian terms). Our ancestors were very keen to honour this time of the year and designed

Ancient practices for a modern world. Lammas / Lughnasadh - 1st August 'Gratitude'. Late summer is an important transitional season, a time to re-centre, create stability, balance and comfort, in preparation for the cooler yin stages of autumn and winter. In yoga we focus on core stability, connecting to the earth and feeling centred. The first harvest; and the corn is being brought in from the field and apples are ripening. During the season of harvest, we take time t

Ancient practices for a modern world. Early Summer End of April – Mid June The energy for early summer is of calmness, feeling relaxed, joy, positivity, having a clear mind and having a feeling of wanting to be more social. An imbalance in energy creates the opposite of wanting to over work, shy away from social events and anxiety. Assess your energy levels, re-balance and find that happy medium where you are busy but not over-worked. TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine)

Ancient practices for a modern world. Imbolc - February 1st (Candlemas / St. Brigid)​'Awakening'. Winter into Spring Between now and the Summer Solstice in June the light will be expanding. The world is waking up after winter sleep bringing transformation and regeneration. Life is beginning to show again with new shoots and flowers popping through the cold ground. This is a time when the first lambs are born and ewe's milk is available again after the long winter. The year

Ancient practices for a modern world. Seasons and Cycles. Life is full of cycles and change. So often we are too busy to be in tune wth them. The seasons are the most obvious to think of and they really can affect how we feel. We are creatures of nature with the same response to seasons as animals and in winter we slow down and feel like being in more (hibernating) and in spring our energy changes and we want to be out more and doing things. Some really feel the difference

Ancient practices for a modern world. Ogham & the Celtic Tree Calendar. The ancient Celts didn’t have a written language, but they had a mysterious set of symbols known as the Ogham, pronounced 'Oh-am'. The exact historical origin of the alphabet has been the source of arguments for many years between modern pagans, scholars and authors. The Celtic alphabet of Ogham is an undisputed ancient written form in Ireland from around the 4-10th Century CE found on giant stone monumen

YOGA Kids often have this image in their mind (as do adults) that yogis quietly sitting cross-legged with hands in a gesture (mudra), eyes shut, and humming. Yoga can definitely have moments that look like that when we are focusing on breathwork, but yoga is also active, flowing and engaging while effectively introducing yoga and mindfulness to children, so they will have the skills and benefits hopefully for life. We have yoga games, challenges, themes, props and stories and

ANTENATAL / PRENATAL YOGA: 1:1 SESSIONS Yoga postures can be carefully adapted as well as breathing exercises to help promote fitness during pregnancy, both physically and emotionally as well as prepare you for birth. You are always only ever to do what feels comfortable and right for you as everyone is different. These simple exercises are shown and developed through Yoga Therapy or Antenantal sessions that you can then also practice at home during the different stages

Relaxation Therapies mostly involve techniques and tuition that can be learned and applied at home or as one off treatments or a course of treatments and tuition. YOGA THERAPY Yoga Therapy / Yin Yoga and Restorative yoga - a very slow meditative form of yoga for specific healing. Restorative and Yoga Therapy are usually done as 1-2-1 session or as course. --- BREATH THERAPY Breath Therapy - Is done as 1-2-1 tuition and although techniques can be learnt in one go, it may take

Yoga and sport are never really mentioned in the same sentence, sport is competitive and yoga the opposite by nature. Yoga is wonderful at complementing other training and practices as well as being a complete practice in its own right. If you think yoga is just for gentle relaxation, think again. More and more athletes and sports performers from different disciplines are learning that performance can be improved by adding yoga to their training. Runners can loosen up tight m

Fad diets make you fat! Yep, there I said it! I hate the word 'diet', it's restrictive, it's controlling, it puts us into a corner like a little child and makes you want to eat that sugary doughnut even more! Ok, so now I've got that off my chest.....but let's understand some basics. When you cut down on food, your body feels deprived and starts conserving food and storing it for when it may need it. If you eat only when you are hungry, your body learns that when it is hungry

'Kirtan is the soul singing!' Why sound? Why chant? Why sing? Why Sanskrit? Sanskrit is a sacred ancient language that promotes a route to our true selves, a route to peace and bliss via the vibrations of the sacred syllables. You may be worried by the idea of chanting in another language and if there are any religious conflicts. I would answer that by saying that if any Indian deities are involved in the chanting, for me, personally, it is more to evoke what elements or qual

As we all now know, Covid-19 is no ordinary virus and everyone has an opinion or belief on it. I'm not writing this page looking for any debate on what it is or isn't. All I know, is that people are suffering and I have some tools that can help. I've known people who have had it mild and were fine after, I've known many who had it bad and ended up in hospital (and thankfully have since recovered fully), I've unfortuanately also known a few who have passed from it who were hea

​I also do Reiki Facial massages. There are about 16 major muscles, 14 bones and assorted arteries, veins and blood vessels that help your face do the things it does. Like muscles in other parts of your body, your face muscles absorb and store a lot of stress and tension. Unless you relax those muscles, they get stiff and hard and look strained. Tense muscles also constrict blood vessels, limiting the flow of blood and nutrients to your face. What's more, the tension in your

Safely improve strength and flexibility Learn simple sequences using a chair Develop balance, focus and stability Ease stress and anxiety Relieve aches and pains, especially in the neck and shoulders This class is for EVERY body. Seniors, persons with limited mobility or injuries, office workers, individuals with disabilities, weight issues or inflexibility. ​ Looking for a safe and gentle, yet effective yoga practice that doesn't have you performing those “pretzel-like" yoga

Pilates Personal Tuition It is crucial to grasp the foundational principles of Pilates before advancing to intermediate or advanced levels of practice. The fundamentals are not merely introductory steps; they are the core elements that ensure Pilates is both effective and safe. Engaging in exercises without a solid understanding of these basics can lead to improper form and technique, which may exacerbate any existing back discomfort or lead to new injuries. The structured pr

Yoga Tuition Private yoga sessions can be tailored to your needs - either as yoga therapy for specific needs, either sports related or health related and mixed with other therapies or can be just simply be a tailored yoga programme to be either suited to a complete beginner, a physical practice, a more spiritual practice, a gentler practice or more demanding - it's entirely up to you and what your needs and goals are for YOUR practice. Can be held at your home throughout the

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Vernette provides a purely professional fitness and therapy service and does NOT offer any form of 'adult' massage. Please avoid any such requests to save both your embarrassment and my time. Full Body Massages excludes the chest area, belly (unless requested before the appointment), or lower pelvic region, which some other therapists might include. Lower underwear is always KEPT ON, and Vernette will offer you a robe or blanket and will leave the room

Ear Candling ('Hopi' Ear Candling / Thermo - Auricular Therapy) Ear Candling, Hopi Ear candling or Thermo-Auricular Therapy as it's sometime referred to, was originally thought to derive from the Hopi tribes practices. The true historical origins of Ear Candling are unclear but the practice is said to date back many centuries. Ear Candling has been attributed to ancient Aztec, Egyptian, Asian and Greek civilisations. Ancient cultures considered Ear Candling not only as a ther