Welcome to our new interactive blog ! Series 1- Inner calm strength and balance

Every now and again I see funny memes on social media like someone running to yoga class with ‘bed hair’ looking half dressed with a slightly crazed expression on their face, with the caption ‘running late for yoga class’ then swipe left to see the same person all calm and serene along with the caption ‘strolling back from yoga’ ! These always make me smile and possibly you too as it’s just so true.

Sometimes when I’m running around like mad, late or almost, I’ve been asked on occasion why I don’t utilise the skills I’ve learned so far and teach.. to manage my time more effectively and calmly!.. my answer.. “practice and all is coming” ;-)..

In truth I don’t know that anyone ever really gets to the stage where one day it all comes together and we have life completely figured out, however I do believe that when practiced regularly yoga has the capacity to give us all the tools we need to navigate times of stress and imbalance, mostly in a calm and measured way.

As a holistic practice yoga is all about finding life’s balance. We wouldn’t be human if we never experienced times of overwhelm, and our minds and bodies are intrinsically linked. So simply focusing on physical exercises without acknowledging how we feel mentally leaves one aspect of our wellbeing neglected, likewise we can’t just sit and meditate without regularly moving our body, and the link between the two is our breath.

Being conscious of our breathing is also something that needs to be regularly practiced. Observing babies sleeping they almost all naturally breathe from the belly. Over time for various reasons and often quite unconsciously as adults we can begin breathing in the upper chest where it is physically impossible to breathe deeply. This can have an effect on our body and mind, as feeling short of breath can lead to feelings of anxiousness which in turn then translates back in to the body making it feel rigid and so on and so forth..

We can however find strength within our bodies and mind by accessing our ‘true center’ around that magical place between our navel and spine. Our navel or in sanskrit svadhistana chakra-sva meaning self and adhistana dwelling place, which a dear student recently told me she often thought made perfect sense as it is where the umbilical cord to our mothers was attached. The late great Bruce Lee also so eloquently said “my strength comes from my abdomen, it’s the center of gravity and the source of real power”.. My personal light bulb moment came when I first read this and it subsequently over the years became my mantra and inspiration for my logo strap line- inner calm/silent strength- a metaphor for feeling calm and strong from the inside out.

As a child I fell in love with Ballet and like many little girls my dream was to become a ballerina. To this day I am in absolute awe of ballet dancers and their effortless looking athleticism, but they all commit to an incredibly rigorous training regime to be able to accomplish things like flying leaps into splits on command! To a degree all of this often comes with a price to pay, although it’s a long time since I’ve been in a ballet class I do remember that letting your belly relax in class was rarely an option!

My first ever yoga class was in fact recommended by a dancer friend and taught by an ex ballerina, who perhaps had found relief and comfort in things like relaxing breathing exercises that move through the belly, but also a full comprehension of how discipline brings results, albeit of a different kind.. regularly practicing both asana (physical postures) along with pranayama (breathing exercises) that tune in to your inner sense of self, following the ebb and flow of your breath which in turn lights up the dance between softness and strength.

Q&A-

What has your relationship been with yoga so far since you first began practicing?

Was there something specific that first sparked your interest in the practice and if so what was it?

Are there any aspects of practicing yoga you feel challenged by and if so what are they?

Do you practice pranaymama/breathing exercises and if so what aspects of it do you find most beneficial?

*If you’re interested to answer the above questions and or anything about your yoga journey so far that you would like to share, I would love to hear from you and in return I would like to offer a complimentary 1-1 session tailored especially for you! Just send ma an email to natascha@zelleryoga.com or whatsapp message to +41(0)797720134 and I’ll get straight back to you :-)

With love and light

Natascha