Setting mini-intentions
Plus the usual mind–body science highlights
It’s not a great look when the first post of the year is about two weeks late, but I was suddenly inundated with work that I couldn’t really turn down. Combine that with the desire to re-vamp this newsletter with subscription options, I kept putting the whole thing off.
Now I’m not one for setting big intentions at the start of the year, but I do consistently come up with grand plans of things I would like to do (this is a year-round pattern). So although I was going to tell you that I avoid new year’s resolutions because experience and cynicism have taught me that none of these things stick anyway (do I get my yoga teacher certificate revoked for negativity?), I am guilty of being over-ambitious with my goals.
Instead, when I was asked to make a recommendation (as a science expert) for a news article, I suggested aim-for-small-bites method: aim to do 10 minutes of yoga every day. The idea here is that this is far far more manageable than grand resolutions of practicing every day, plus they have the added benefit that you might start with 10 minutes and actually end up doing more. (I should note that the article doesn’t seem to have made it to press so perhaps my expert recommendation was too underwhelming for the Daily Mail, which probably wanted some sort of cure-all comment about how yoga stops the ageing process).
Now I need to take my own advice and forget about training for a half-marathon (yeah, ridiculous, I know, no idea where that came from) and instead just go for 15 minute runs a couple of times a week. And also writing this newsletter, right now, and looking at its expansion when I have a bit more time.
What are your new year’s resolutions?
Is you new year’s resolution to practice more yoga nidra?
Don’t forget to check out my course on Insight Timer – membership is only £35 a year and gives you access to all the courses, meditations and many many classes.
Mind–body science highlights
Yoga as speech therapy for Parkinson’s
This is a strange study in that it doesn’t test an intervention but instead uses a methodology to arrive at a proposed sequence to help improve speech issues for those living with Parkinson’s disease. The sequence includes quite a bit of breathing and chanting exercises, which I imagine could be helpful in strengthening speech ability.
Improving workplace wellbeing in universities
Here’s another one for those of you looking for evidence that yoga (and tai chi) is a good benefit in the workplace. In this study, 166 female employees practiced 10 sessions of yoga or tai chi and showed improvements in various mental health metrics (including anxiety) after the intervention completed.
Delivering trauma-informed yoga nidra
I annoyingly don’t have access to this article, but the abstract pulls out the key components, according to the author, of delivering practices that are safe for all. These include creating a safe and comfortable environment, being mindful of what visualisations we choose and ensuring that the length of the practice is appropriate, that the participant knows that they have a choice to stop whenever they want and that they choose their own intention.
Virtual reality yoga
Ever wanted to practice VR yoga? No? Me neither. But in case you were wondering, participants in a study comparing in-person, online and VR yoga found the VR yoga less satisfying, which included feeling it was more difficult and challenging to balance (and led to nausea, as frequently happens with VR).
Also of interest
Group fitness classes might be a good way to make new friends, which is one of the things I love to watch when I’m teaching my regular classes
Yoga is not the secret to longevity (more of that on a different newsletter), but I would argue it could be a good way to improve healthspan based on the research (ie the healthy years you have ahead)
Why being flexible is a good thing, especially as we get older