- By Jill Amison, iQ Yoga Tutor

Yoga is a way of life, an integrated system of education for the body, mind and inner spirit.  Yoga develops our pure essential nature and diet plays an important part in this process.

The yogic scriptures divide food into three types: sattvic, or pure; rajasic, or stimulating; tamasic, or impure or rotten. The idea being that you try to eat mainly sattvic food so that you increase energy levels, maximise vitality, strength and endurance.  Yogi’s believe that people’s food preferences reflect their level of mental purity and that these preferences alter as they develop spiritually.

The yogic diet avoids foods that are over stimulating, rajasic foods – refined sugar, soft fizzy drinks, alcohol, coffee etc as they are said to bring about a restless state of mind.  Tamasic substances are also avoided as they produce feelings of heaviness and lethargy.  Tamasic foods include packaged and processed foods, overcooked, fried, microwaved or reheated foods.

Sattvic foods are wholesome, naturally delicious without added preservatives or artificial flavouring. Fresh fruit, vegetables, salads, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, honey, fresh dairy produce all are sattvic in nature.

When we eat in this Sattvic way we begin to assist the body in it’s detoxification process.  Of course the body continually detoxifies itself naturally, but when this mechanism is overloaded, the process becomes less efficient and symptoms like allergies, PMS, indigestion, headaches, skin problems, fatigue, sluggishness may occur.

The goal is to eat in a way that makes you feel good.  Paying attention to how you eat and being mindful in the process is also a big part of detoxing and eating in a healthy way.  Cultivating an awareness of how, when and what you eat and observing the patterns and emotions that surround your eating habits, will add a new depth to your detoxification process.

So when you eat, notice how your food affects you. Do you feel satisfied and energized, or do you feel tired? Are you eating because you’re hungry or eating because you’re upset and need comfort? If you’re feeling sluggish, try eating smaller meals so that you don’t overwhelm your digestive fire. Don’t eat in a way that makes you sigh and say “I’m exhausted. I need a nap!”

Specific yoga poses can help expedite the detoxification process. Heating and twisting sequences can help move toxins from your tissues through your lymphatic and digestive systems so that they can be eliminated from the body. In addition, restorative poses, relax the nervous system and mind and help settle the body—which is especially important during and after a detox cleanse. Restorative poses will also help bring you into a state of receptivity and help to cleanse the mind of negative thought patterns.

Ultimately the yogic lifestyle is about bringing the body and mind into a state of balance and harmony so that we can experience life to the fullest.  When we nourish ourselves optimally on every level – body, mind and spirit – we can truly embrace every experience and begin to sparkle and shine from the inside out!

Jill Amison and Catherine Ellis are offering a 2 week New Year Detox & Cleanse Challenge starting on the 1st February at iQ Therapies. The Cleanse is geared around many of the points featured in this article and will offer delicious, healthy meals planned out for you with a shopping list, daily personal yoga sessions in the comfort of your own home via Vimeo, 3 meetings with Yoga sessions, a personal nutritional consultation and discounts organised for you for supportive treatments such as Colonic Hydrotherapy and Aromatherapy.

Bookings are now being taken, but places are limited so book now to secure your place and bounce in to the New Year with energy and vitality! – Catherine Ellis (07956 640623) or Jill Amison (07791 749502)

Winter is a perfect time to start regular Pilates and prepare your body for the demands of spring and summer; when we tend to be more physically active, whether it is by competing in a sport or just enjoying the outdoors in warmer weather!

What are the benefits of Pilates?

- Enhance performance in sport and everyday life
- Prevent injury
- Iron out any muscular aches and pains (including back/neck pain)
- Improve posture and muscular imbalances
- Exercise gently to achieve your own goals
- Relax and forget about the day’s stresses

What is Pilates?

Pilates was developed in the early 20^th Century by Joseph Pilates in Germany.  Today, Pilates is widely recognised by physiotherapists, coaches and professional sportsmen and women (Andy Murray, British Cycling, British Triathlon, British Athletics, Stoke City Football Club, All Blacks Rugby, The Royal Ballet, Pippa Middleton…and more) as an essential part of an athlete’s training routine.

In healthcare, Pilates is seen as a great way to self-manage musculoskeletal back pain, get back into shape following pregnancy, manage neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis and generally to help maintain a healthy active lifestyle through all ages.

Pilates literally strengthens you from the inside out, focusing on your deep postural muscles in your trunk region, your hips and your shoulders. It is a fantastic form of exercise, suitable for anybody, wanting to develop a strong, flexible, toned body. Pilates is fantastic for athletes hoping to stay injury free before, during and after race/match season.

So does Pilates work?

In terms of self-managing chronic lower back pain, regular Pilates goers and scientific research agree, the effect of Pilates is second to none in improving patient outcome measures such as flare ups and ability to perform daily tasks.

However, there has been much debate in the world of science about the effect of Pilates on sporting performance and function. I recently conducted a small pilot study looking at the effect of a 6-week Pilates programme on the size of abdominal muscles and dynamic balance – an essential component of all sports and daily function. Results showed small improvements in the size of the abdominal muscles in those participants who stuck to the programme and also an improvement in dynamic balance.

So it’s definitely worth a go! Try adding this simple exercise into your daily routine and see if you feel the difference:

The Plank

1)       Lie on your front
2)       Push yourself up onto your forearms
3)       Keep your bottom low and in line with the rest of your back – so that you look like a “plank” of wood
4)       Hold this position for 10-30 seconds, repeat 3-5 times daily and feel your arms, abdominal muscles and spine grow stronger
5)       To make it harder – hold for longer or lift your arms/legs one at a time

- By Jane Bowcock, iQ Life Coach

Imagine this …

You are now the you that you desire…Whether that is the fit and healthy you, the confident, calm and in control you, or the you that feels more at one with yourself, whatever it is you desire you can have it right now….

Think of a time, a specific time when you felt really positive, when you thought you could achieve anything ….okay, now imagine going back to that time and really focus on feeling that positive, see what you saw, feel what you felt, hear what you heard and really get those feelings of being so very positive.

That felt really good didn’t it?

It works for every type of positive emotion you want to feel; confidence, motivation, calm, relaxed, powerful, in control, and for a really power mix imagine for each emotion you want to feel stepping in and out of a circle and each time you step back into the circle think of a specific time when you had that positive emotion, and for fun add remembering a time when you fell down laughing, or
your sides hurt or you laughed that much you cried.

Using techniques such as this creates a lovely simple way of feeling good about yourself at any time, giving yourself a boost whenever you need it, or just as a great reminder for how good you already feel.

When you feel good, you know that you can achieve anything you want to put your mind to, but occasionally there is a little voice that interferes and stops us.  The good news is that Coaching can help you understand that annoying little voice and take control of it leaving you to achieve all that you desire.

So put yourself in control and enjoy those great positive emotions whenever you want.

Go on you can do it!..

To make an appointment with iQ’s Life Coach, Jane Bowcock, call the Alsager clinic on 01270 872522