We are all currently in a global lockdown due the Covid-19 pandemic. Its a very challenging time for many and there might have never been a time in our lives, when our yoga home practice has been more vital and important to get us through this.

I’m currently offering four yoga classes a week via live stream on an app called Zoom. Its great to connect with you live, it means I am sharing from the heart, on the same day as you, with the same news from politicians, that you too have received that day, the same weather, same moon and stars and the same isolation day count!

Nothing beats real yoga, all together, sharing space and a deep connection, but the live streaming is proving popular, I feel more natural and comfortable with it and what I’m hearing from you is that you are really enjoying it too.

There are many ways to practice yoga at home and so many teachers offering a variety of yoga styles from Dynamic Ashtanga Flow to Restful Restorative Gentle Yoga, not only live streaming to you in the moment but also on channels like Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Vimeo. Its very likely your teacher will be sharing something on the web during this time and it is so lovely to stay connected to that person who helps you and inspires you as you move through this challenging period.

To make your new found yoga at home practice a little more special there are various ways you can bring elements in to enhance your space and take you back to the yoga space you love with the yoga teacher you miss.

• Clear as much of a space as possible for your yoga mat, a small space is no problem just try to ensure you have an arms length of space around you and above you
• Unplug phones, door bells and computers to make sure you won’t be disturbed
• Music can be a wonderful addition to a yoga practice, I often send out a link to my yogis before a class to a playlist on Spotify, you can follow me on Spotify  to hear my yoga playlists that you might like, but there are hundreds of yoga type songs you will love on there and on iTunes or Youtube.
• Aromatherapy essential oils are really beneficial to the wellbeing and emotional state as we practice yoga, particularly at the end in Savasana. You could put some oils into a diffuser to burn during your home practice or pop a few drops in your hands and massage, inhaling the aroma, as you move into relaxation. I buy all my oils from the lady I trained with Denise Brown who offers mail order. Their products are inexpensive compared to many and I can guarantee their quality as I use them all the time for my massage work.
• Choose oils that you know your love, or if you need some inspiration you could try the diluted Rose, Neroli or Jasmine oils, Cypress and Black Pepper are very strengthening, Geranium is uplifting and Vetivert is super relaxing and grounding.

• Try creating an altar as a way to bring a sacred energy into your space, you could create one that you can leave out all the time or something very petite that you just bring out when you roll out the mat. Use anything that feel right, a Buddha, candle, fairy lights, all on a special scarf or cloth, some incense, crystal Mala beads, perhaps some angel or affirmation cards. I use these cards by Micheal Singer, author of The Untethered Soul

Most of all, remember a yoga home practice doesn’t have to fully reflect how it feels to go to your regular class. A few minutes of stretching, breathing and finding awareness will be so beneficial at this time, it doesn’t have to be perfect or fancy! Do what you can, even if the children are climbing on you, the cats are under you and the neighbours are blaring out their not so yoga-ish tunes.

It would be lovely to see you in one of my ‘virtual’ live stream classes soon. Classes are currently FREE for NHS staff. If you are one of my yogis already and you are currently struggling financial due to loss of income since the lockdown, please contact me for some free credits, I really don’t want you to be missing out because of your situation. Its hard for everyone right now and there is no shame in asking me for help, it would be pure pleasure to have you join the classes online.

Lots of love, stay safe, stay well, stay strong until we can be together again, Saira xxx

Download my blissful Yoga Nidra Guided Meditation on my online shop Lulah Loves.

I recently wrote a blog for Dr Larissa Corda, Fertility Dr and expert who often appears on ITV’s This morning, as well as in countless magazines, newspapers and tv shows talking about pregnancy and helping those with infertility issues. You can read this blog on her website here Dr Larissa Cordas Fertility Website 

Here it is, I hope you enjoy it!

Saira Francis runs Mellulah Therapy & Yoga Retreats in Dorset UK. She teaches Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Mindfulness, Meditation and Stress Relief classes and retreats throughout the year. wellbeing@mellulah.co.uk / mellulah.co.uk

If you’re trying to get pregnant, looking after yourself is vital. Self care, exercise, nutrition, staying relaxed and being kind to yourself become more important than ever when you are trying for a baby. This can be a very exciting time, but can also be one of the most stressful too.

Yoga is very different from other forms of exercise, because it isn’t just about looking after your physical body, but also your mental and emotional wellbeing. Yoga is an ancient practice, with its roots in India, that is becoming more and more popular in the West for its benefit on our wellbeing. Our lives can be busy and stressful enough without the added pressure of trying to conceive, which sadly isn’t the best environment for us when we’re trying to get pregnant.

Its likely that as you start to share with friends and family that you are trying to get pregnant, everyone will be telling you how important it is to stay relaxed. That can be really hard, especially if you’re having problems conceiving and you’re starting to feel upset, sad, frustrated and perhaps very angry with your body. A Harvard Medical School study showed that women, struggling to get pregnant, are likely to be as stressed as someone with cancer or another serious disease. Its important to recognise if you are feeling stressed, its hard not to feel that way if you’re having problems with fertility, but its best to try to find a way to stay calm if you can.

Yoga can help to feel more peaceful and become deeply relaxed. Practised regularly either in a group or at home, yoga can help you find lasting benefits to how you feel both inside and out.

Stress can seriously affect the hormonal system in the body, this needs to be working at its best to conceive. Yoga brings balance and calm to the hormones and and the body can be a well functioning environment for conception. Yoga also helps stretch and tone the muscles as well as stimulating the reproductive system in both men and women and calming the nervous system so you feel better, sleep better, your libido lifts and you feel more positive.

Practicing yoga reconnects us to our bodies, if you are disappointed month after month, at not getting pregnant, its easy to start to feel disconnected from your body altogether, particularly around the lower abdominal area of hips and the reproductive organs. Its really important to feel accepting and happy about this area of the body. Loving your body will create an open energy to welcome conception. A few simple yoga poses can help you feel like the perfect, beautiful woman you truly are.

Yoga also works in more mystical ways. Prana is energy that moves through our body and when we are stressed or have a lot of negative emotion, energy blocks can occur. These blocks can go back to childhood and often when we face challenges in adult life, clearing these energy blocks can help us move through old trauma and pain that might be holding us back in some way.

Try these yoga poses a few times a week, or more often if you can. As you hold the pose, repeat the positive affirmation to yourself, either aloud or mentally, at least three times. Positive thinking helps to release old negative patterns and keeps us open to receiving miracles and blessings in all
kinds of ways.

1. Sukhasana – (Easy Pose) Flex & Curl
Benefits – gentle massage for the spine and for the reproductive organs
• Sit cross legged with an upright, extended spine. Bring hands to the knees and close the eyes.
• Flex the spine by taking an inhale and pushing the the chest forward and squeezing the elbows and shoulder blades together. Lift the chin.
• As you exhale, curl the spine back by drawing the navel back into the spine, tucking the chin in.
• Repeat for 3 minutes, in a smooth slow rhythm with the breath, forward and back.
• As you practice the pose repeat the affirmation “I flow with the rhythm of my life, I allow myself to surrender to all that is”

2. Marjaryasana (Cat Pose) & Bitilasana (Cow Pose)
Benefits, as above, a gentle warm up for the spine
• Come to all fours, knees below hips and wrists below shoulders with a flat back.
• As you inhale come to Cat, take the tail bone high and look up.
• Exhale to Cow, tuck the tail bone under, pull the navel up to the spine and look to the belly.
• As you practice the pose repeat the affirmation “My body is strong, I feel alive and my vitality is increasing everyday”

3. Utkata Konasana – Goddess Pose
Benefits – Connects us to our lower body, stretches and tones, harnesses our inner feminine
power and deep strength within
• Take the feet wide apart and turn them slightly outwards, bend the knees, keeping the knees above the ankles.
• Keeping the tailbone tucked in and the abdomen drawn in and up, come into a squat, pull up the pelvic floor muscles.
• Lift the arms to shoulder level and bend the elbows, spread the fingers.
• Either hold for 5 deep breaths, release and come into the pose again 3 times or
• Inhale straighten the arms and legs and exhale come back into the pose, repeat 5 times
• As you practice the pose repeat the affirmation “I embrace my feminine power, I connect to my beautiful, sexual, goddess energy”

4. Malasana – Garland Pose Squat.
Benefits – tones and stretches the groin, connects to the pelvic floor and energy centres at the root and sacral chakra.
• Begin in Tadasana, Mountain pose, standing with spine long and feet together.
• Take the feet slightly wider apart and bring the hands together at the heart.
• Slowly come down into a squat, if the heels don’t touch the floor place a folded blanket underneath them.
• Inhale lengthen the spine, exhale squeeze the elbows into the inner knees.
• Hold for 5-10 breaths.
• As you practice the pose repeat the affirmation “I love my body, I accept my body, I am open to receiving miracles and blessings from the universe, in which ever form those gifts may come”

5. Supta Baddha Konasana – Reclined Bound Angle Pose.
Benefits – Stimulates the abdominal organs and ovaries. Improves circulation, tones inner thighs
and groin, helps relieve stress, depression and hormonal imbalances.
• Lie on your back with the soles of the feet together.
• Draw the heels in towards the body, allow the knees to drop out.
• Tuck the chin in and keep the spine long.
• Bring the hands to your lower belly and feel your breath creating a rise in the belly on the inhale,
lowering as you exhale. Hold for 5-10 minutes. As you practice the pose repeat the affirmation “I am birthing new ideas, creative projects and a fertile energy is coming into my life, bringing excitement, hope and trust that all will be well. I allow myself to dream big and enjoy creating a new exciting future for myself

As part of Menopause Yoga Day on Saturday 13th July 2019 here in Dorset, we created a lunch menu, perfectly balanced for nutrition for the menopause to support us as women, through the menopause years.

Here are some tips on how you can help yourself through this natural change.

• Cut down on stimulants like caffeine and alcohol, eliminating them completely if possible, sugary chocolate and spicy foods can all stimulate hot flushes so avoid especially late at night.
• Sugary foods can create tiredness and lethargy, they cause a rise in blood glucose levels which give us a sharp dip and leaves us feeling drained. Look for alternatives to sugary snacks in health food shops.
• As we age, we tend to need less calories, adjusting to this change can help to limit weight gain as we go through menopause. Try to cut down how much we eat, cut back on fat in foods and switch to higher GI – complex carbs like wholemeal bread, pasta and rice, oats are also great. These foods balance blood sugar and help us stay feeling full for longer.
• Increase the amounts of legumes, nuts, seeds – pumpkin and sunflower, almonds for vitamin E, zinc and calcium to help prevent dry skin and normalise hormone levels.
• To help alleviate depression and irritability increase the amount of protein and amino acid for tryptophan which increases the release of Serotonin, the happy hormone.Serotonin helps moods, sleep, sex drive and appetite. Don’t skip meals to keep glucose levels balanced throughout the day. Oat cakes are a great snack to keep in your handbag or desk drawer to keep you going if you don’t have time for lunch.
  • Butternut squash seeds
  • Sea vegetables – kelp, spirulina, seaweed
  • Soy
  • Cucumber
  • Walnuts
  • Cauliflower
  • Mushroom
  • Leaf Greens
  • You can also supplement your diet with L-Tryptophan or 5-HTP from your health food shop
• Too much Phosporous accelerates the loss of calcium and magnesium into the body so reduce sodium, caffeine and animal products particularly red meat.
• Eat food high in magnesium and boron to help bones and possible osteoporosis. Apples, pears, grapes, dates, raisins, legumes and nuts.
• Consider taking supplements for magnesium, calcium, Vitamin E, D and zinc
• Phyto-oestrogens bind oestrogen receptor sites to body cells increasing oestrogenic effect which may help keep hormones balanced. A high intake of Phyto-oestrogens i thought to be why women in populations eating a largely plant based diet rarely suffer with menopausal symptoms.
  • Soya Milk
  • Soya Flour
  • Tofu
  • Tempeh
  • Linseed
  • Miso
  • Pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds
  • Celery
  • Rhubarb
  • Green beans
• Raw Cacao is packed with Magnesium and it gives you great energy, plus tasting delicious! Use it to make chocolates, hot drinks, porridge and more.

Our recipes for the retreat day all made by our caterer, Marcia Hannam:

Plant-Based, Hormone Balancing Lunch Menu

Brown Rice Salad with Silken Tofu, Spinach & Soy-Miso Dressing

Salad: Brown rice, Spinach, Grapes, Raisins
Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds, Linseeds
Almonds, Silken tofu

Dressing: Miso paste, Silken tofu, Rapeseed oil
Soy sauce, Balsamic vinegar, Poppy seeds

Miso Roasted Cauliflower with spring onion & Sesame Seeds

Cauliflower, Miso paste, Rapeseed oil
Spring onion, Salt, Black pepper
Sesame seeds, Sesame oil

Apple, Pear, Celery & Walnuts Salad

Apple, Pear, Celery, Walnuts
Caraway seeds, Lemon juice
Rapeseed oil, Whole grain mustard

Spicy Garlic Cannellini Bean Hummus

Cannellini beans, Lime juice, Garlic
Rapeseed oil, Paprika, Salt, Black pepper

ENJOY! XXX

Our Caterer is Marcia Hannam and she is based in Spetisbury, nr Blandford in Dorset. Marcia runs a farm shop and cafe at Marcias Market Wednesday – Saturday weekly. All produce is locally sourced and wonderful.

For more information about our speaker on Menopausal Health Judy Evans, please see her website progesteronelink.com  for lots of info and great alternatives to HRT for women.

YOGA PRACTICE ONLINE!

Watch one of Saira’s yoga videos on Youtube, a 2o minute yoga practice to help Stress, Anxiety and work with some Positive Affirmations.

Yoga for Stress and Anxiety, enjoy!

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MELLULAH YOGA IN DORSET

Monday 
7-8.30pm Mixed Ability Vinyasa Flow Yoga
Mellulah Yoga & Wellness Space,
Hazelbury Bryan, DT10 2AU

Tuesday
9.30-11 am Mixed Ability Vinyasa Flow Yoga
Mellulah Yoga & Wellness Space,
Hazelbury Bryan, DT10 2AU

Thursday 
9.30-11 am Mixed Ability Vinyasa Flow Yoga
Mellulah Yoga & Wellness Space,
Hazelbury Bryan, DT10 2AU – TERM TIME ONLY

6-7.30 pm Beginners Vinyasa Flow Yoga
Milborne St Andrew Sports Pavilion,  DT11 0JA 

Friday
9.30-11 am Mixed Ability Vinyasa Flow Yoga
Milborne St Andrew Sports Pavilion, DT11 0JA

BOOK ONLINE AND GET YOUR FIRST CLASS FREE!