"Movement Medicine"

I've been planning a post about yoga for a while, but I've been struggling to decide what exactly I want to say about it. It's been a vital aspect of my lifestyle for some time now, and I think for myself and many others out there, living through this period of uncertainty and "lockdown", yoga is proving even more essential to keeping sane, healthy and positive minded. So this post is simply my yoga story, thus far, and how the practice has helped me.

Winter yoga on the beach in Scotland

I started practicing yoga around 2014. I'd started a new job and was living some of my time with my partner in a small flat in the woods, with no internet or mobile phone reception. It was winter, and I didn't like running on my own in the dark due to a big imagination! So I bought a book and a DVD set by Tara Stiles and began my practice. I've always been sporty, but not bendy. This was a whole new challenge for someone who ran around a lot but never stretched afterwards, whose hamstrings were so tight that toe touching was impossible (I use the past tense but I still suffer from tight hamstrings. It's a long journey).

Finding a handy rock platform to practice some bendy poses in Lofoten, Norway. Photo by Ben McKeown

 As I have spent most of my life living in rural locations, I haven't been a frequent visitor of yoga classes. Whilst studying for a while in Aberdeen, I was able to go to three different yoga classes in a week and I still really miss going to classes. My practice is spent almost entirely at home, with a little help from youtube. There are so many amazing practitioners out there, and I've shared a few of my favourite ones at the bottom of this post.

Initially, I practiced yoga purely for physical exercise, but over time I began to benefit from the mental side as well. It really is movement medicine: movement for the body and medicine for the mind. After one particularly challenging year in a job which caused my confidence to dive bomb like an angry seagull, and my mental health to drip down the drain, it was my pre-bed yoga routine that enabled me to sleep at night, and to hold on to some belief in myself. I was surprised to discover that deep breathing alongside repeating the words I am enough did actually make a difference. Yoga really did help me through a horrible time.

Practicing yoga whilst on a surf holiday in Morocco. Even my toes hurt after hours in the water! Photo by Ben McKeown 

So what's next for my yoga journey? To learn more about the practice. Time to delve into some theory - if you can recommend anything then please get in touch! Hopefully, in time, I'd love to undertake some form of teacher training (ideally somewhere tropical and with looser hamstrings). All in good time :-) Meanwhile, I hope my home practice will encourage me to remain positive in these troubled times. 

In need of a yoga pick-me-up? Here are a few of my favourite youtube yoga flows/channels:

• Boho Beautiful - always set in beautiful locations, these often challenging flows are probably my most frequently visited.
• Cat Meffan - so many great flows by this lady, but I particularly loved her Yoganuary series.
• Yoga with Adriene - everyone's favourite yogi. This Balancing Ocean Flow is my favourite of hers.
• Lucy Foster Perkins - Lucy's Yoga for Surfers is brilliant. Choose from 10 minute or 25 minute flows.