Yoga by Nature Podcast

Hello and happy solstice. This is a deeply restful restorative yoga practice for you. The breath, our travelling companion for life, can take us into deep states of relaxation and peace. I hope you enjoy this practice 🙏 Blessings of the longest night to you. Here's a poem to guide you into the coming journey towards the light. Blessing for the Longest Night by Jan Richardson / JANFALLS All throughout these months as the shadows have lengthened, this blessing has been gathering itself, making ready, preparing for this night. It has practiced walking in the dark, traveling with its eyes closed, feeling its way by memory by touch by the pull of the moon even as it wanes. So believe me when I tell you this blessing will reach you even if you have not light enough to read it; it will find you even though you cannot see it coming. You will know the moment of its arriving by your release of the breath you have held so long; a loosening of the clenching in your hands, of the clutch around your heart; a thinning of the darkness that had drawn itself around you. This blessing does not mean to take the night away but it knows its hidden roads, knows the resting spots along the path, knows what it means to travel in the company of a friend. So when this blessing comes, take its hand. Get up. Set out on the road you cannot see. This is the night when you can trust that any direction you go, you will be walking toward the dawn.

This is a yoga nidra that I wrote for the Embodiment Restorative Yoga series. Every Autumn I run a series of workshops which progressively take you on an inner journey and a celebration of rich inner life. This Nidra uses a visualisation of stars to illuminate the inner body. Apparently this year, Wintering is in, so this is an absolute essential for any budding Winterers out there, or anyone who, like me, relishes any opportunity to introvert 🌚 Join me for the final workshop in the Embodiment series 22nd December 7 - 9pm online - a special Solstice practice. www.yogabynature.org info@yogabynature.org

Here's part two. A live class I recorded at my Gentle Yoga class on a Thursday morning. You can come live to this one on Zoom if you like! I wanted to share it because it's focused on joint freedom and the class participants loved it so much I thought you might too. The cold can creep into our joints and make movement feel uncomfortable. This can happen at any age but those of us in our forties and beyond, especially us menopausal women can really feel it. This class shows you thay you don't have to feel uncomfortable - there is pleasure and ease to be found in the body, whatever your condition. Have your usual yoga props around you and be near a chair or wall if that helps you balance. If you have a resistance band and a massage ball or a dowel, have that around too. Lots of love, Morven x www.yogabynature.org Get in touch! info@yogabynature.org

Hello, This is a yoga practice especially for anyone who is feeling the cold 🥶 and who wants to prepare the body for coping with the icy weather. We start with warming breath work, then we free the joints, move gently through standing poses, build our bone and muscle mass and do some pelvic floor awareness and strengthening. This class also includes some fall-prevention, teaching the muscle memory to react quickly in fall positions like slipping back or forward. Find me at www.yogabynature.org. I love to hear your questions and comments - info@yogabynature.org I hope you enjoy the class!

A guided relaxation which will soothe your nervous system and help you to rest. We do a visualisation which will help you to find the sense of belonging which is innate within you and which helps you to feel grounded and calm. Visit me online: www.yogabynature.org Share your thoughts: info@yogabynature.org Namaste, Morven 🙏

This meditation practice is a recording of the live group session that takes place on Tuesday mornings. It's free to join, so if you are looking for a community of like-minded people to meditate with then please join us! You can book via the Yoga by Nature website here: https://www.yogabynature.org/classes-all The sessions are guided by Morven and include some movement to get into the body, followed by 10 -1 5 mins of stillness. Morven guides you into your meditation then gives you a period of silence to be with yourself. Questions and comments to info@yogabynature.org

I love this yoga nidra from our restorative yoga teacher Lucy Saunders. Sadly, Lucy has to take a break for a while from YBN while she restores her own health. This podcast is a yoga nidra she guided us through originally in October when there was a lot of movement in the air. I thought it would be a beautiful practice to lead us into Spring also, as exuberance begins to bubble under the surface. Join us for online classes, in-depth yoga courses, teacher training or a retreat. Find out more at yogabynature.org Questions and comments info@yogabynature.org Namaste 🙏🙏

This is a no frills episode - just the nidra and no chat. I wanted to get this out to you so you can have it over Christmas week and beyond, any time you need to rest. This nidra leads you into a felt sense of the richness of the darkening time of the year as the world turns in to grow the seeds of next year. I hope you enjoy it! Any questions and comments to info@yogabynature.org. And find me on socials! @yogabynatureuk www.yogabynature.org

How to have a great Christmas against the backdrop of peri-menopause, with myself and nutritionist Amy Payne. In case you missed it on Insta, Amy and I share nutrition, yoga, mindfulness and lifestyle tips so you can join in with all the fun of Christmas without exacerbating your peri-menopause symptoms. Erratic blood sugar levels, heightened stress hormones and little opportunity to move our bodies are a recipe for poor sleep, anxiety, hot flushes, sweats and poor digestion. We hope you benefit from these really easy, small adjustments to help you manage your symptoms without missing out on all the treats. Join us in-person in Weston for our Peri|Menopause Wellness Day 15th January. Find me on socials @yogabynatureuk or get in touch info@yogabynature.org ❤️

Happy Winter everyone! This is a recording of a live class I taught last week. It's called Sparkle and Shine because it's dark outside and we need to search for the sparkles within. If you have equipment, have 2 blocks, a belt and a blanket handy but don't worry if you don't have them. Look out for a special solstice inner sparkle Nidra coming up next week. Check us out at www.yogabynature.org , & find @yogabynatureuk on socials for competitions, interviews and all sorts. Questions and comments to info@yogabynature.org Thank you!!! 🙏

Did you know that joy is good for you? experiencing joy raises your overall wellbeing, boosting mental health but also positively affecting your immune system and reducing pain. Yoga nidra is a deep relaxation where I guide you through a journey into yourself, uncovering your potential for deep rest and regeneration and your innate sense of joy. Please keep in touch! Check out on-demand and live classes, retreats and teacher training at www.yogabynature.org You can find us on social @yogabynatureuk and email info@yogabynature.org Namaste 🙏

Life is full of challenges. This practice with our Yoga for Calm teacher, Mary, is offered to you as a gift to help you to relax. Just taking 5 minutes our of your day can have a profound effect on your wellbeing. So many of us suffer from chronic anxiety and stress. Yoga offers us a way to find balance again. Find out about our classes, courses and teacher trainings on the Yoga by Nature website here. Please let us know your thoughts! info@yogabynature.org

This one is for you if you would like a 45 minute refreshing flowy yoga practice to clear your mind and get back in your body. The focus is on developing forward bends, heading towards hanumanasana (splits) as the peak pose. No expectations to achieve - just play and see. Let me know what you think of the class: info@yogabynature.org Enquire about one to one yoga tuition in-person or on Zoom or personal retreats. Check out www.yogabynature.org for yoga teacher training, retreats, classes and my blog! Love you ❤️

This recording is a yoga nidra led by our new teacher, Lucy Saunders. Lucy will be leading nidra fortnightly at the Friday evening 5.45 class on Zoom from mid-June. Don't miss her, she's a very special nidra artist! Also, I would like to introduce Hannah from Tovi Gifts. No, she's not paying me, I just really like her project! She's a British single mum collaborating with small enterprises in Sri Lanka to help Sri Lankan women in business and do her bit to help the environment. Think cool yoga mat bags, notebooks and coconut shell bowls. Check her out... Book an in-person or online one to one, yoga class or enquire about teacher training - yogabynature.org Yours truly, Morven 🙏

For when you only have a short time to practice. Drop into yoga nidra for ten minutes. A great practice for in between appointments when you're feeling frazzled and need to ground down and refresh. Make sure you're somewhere comfortable, preferably lying down where you won't be disturbed. Enjoy! I offer one to one sessions in-person and online. Contact me on info@yogabynature.org For teacher training and all other yoga stuff, it's www.yogabynature.org

I offer you a gentle yoga practice on the theme of stillness. Is it possible to find stillness in a world that constantly moves and changes. The body, mind, breath and environment are always in flux so how can we develop a continuity of attention that creates a haven of stillness in our experience. Props needed: bolster, blocks, belt or improvise! I love hearing your feedback. Get in touch for a chat or a one to one session info@yogabynature.org Classes, retreats and training: yogabynature.org

This practice weaves restorative yoga postures with guided yoga nidra practice. The sequence is structured to heighten awareness in the area of the body where the rotation of consciousness is based, giving you enhanced awareness of enlivening cellular consciousness as you progress through the practice. We will practice on the theme of Life as a Moment to Moment Experience. You will need: Blankets, Blocks, Bolster, Belt or anything you can sub with. Questions/ comments are welcome to info@yogabynature.org Check me out: yogabynature.org

Ukraine fundraiser yoga nidra. When we came together live to do this, we raised over £150 at the last count towards aid for Ukraine. If you would like to listen, I'd be so grateful if you could please donate between £5 and £10 to DEC. This practice is on the theme of cultivating compassion, inspiring change and coping with things much bigger than ourselves. I welcome any feedback and questions to info@yogabynature.org. Find out about classes, retreats and yoga teacher training at www.yogabynature.org Thank you and enjoy!! Love, Morven

This is a practice for peace and self-support. This week I found myself feeling shaken and tearful much of the time after the news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It occurred to me that many others may be feeling the same and so I created this practice to share. I hope it helps you build resilience and reconnect to the good in life. When we are calm and strong, we can help other people. Doing yoga isn't going to stop the war, but it will help us all to cope and be ready to help. Props needed: Bolster/ pillows Blocks/ books or cushions Blanket(s)

Hello all, this is a yoga nidra I created in response to the news that a dear student of mine had suffered the loss of a friend. It's Stress Awareness Week this week, and many of us are coping with grief and loss - whether that's the loss of a loved one, the loss of environmental stability, the loss of life as we knew it to be before the pandemic and all the other challenges, great and small, that life brings. This yoga nidra is a compassion practice, focused on healing (making whole) and offering the self nurture, time and comfort. Grief can be a hard state to navigate, and one which noone would choose, however there is a tenderness around grief as it is an expression of deep caring. In this practice we transform that potential to care into a compassionate, healing energy directed towards the self. This is a practice which may help to come to terms with feelings of grief, loss or overwhelm. If it feels overwhelming in itself, it's not the right practice for you. It is not meant to take the place of medication or counselling. It is intended as a companion to any medication you may be taking. You can find me at www.yogabynature.org If you have any feedback you would like to share, drop me a line at info@yogabynature.org With love, Morven