Hi all, This one's quite short and sweet. Yoga Nidra can be practised at ome or on the move but best done lying down somewhere cosy and quiet where you won't be disturbed. It was recorded at Wild Wolf's Yoga in Brisol at my Saturday morning class which sadly is no longer but I'll be back at WW soon to run a Digital Detox special practiceon 24th Sept. I hope you enjoy it, Morven x
This is my final class at Bristol City Yoga. After 8 years of teaching Friday evenings I am moving on, to concentrate my energies in Weston Super Mare where I now live. This class is focused on finding space and ease in backbends and twists, opening the shoulders and experiencing the might of the lungs in mindful movement. You will need a yoga belt/ dressing gown belt/ cord/ scarf or similar. We practice dhanurasana, locust, cobra, ardha matsyendrasana, shoulder stand (sarvangasana), a warrior s...
Here's a 15 mins practice for you. I recorded this at Bristol City Yoga at Friday evening's restorative class with Bristol's seagull population in chorus. A lot of the participants fell asleep during this, so it's a chance for them to experience the full practice and also a good indication that it's pretty restful! Lie down somewhere you won't be disturbed and just follow the voice. Have a pillow under your head and also put a rolled blanket or a bolster under your knees to lengthen your lower b...
Hello! it's been ages since I last published a podcast. After several attempts to record a podcast with acceptable sound quality, it's finally here. This class is suitable for beginners. Ideal to do before or after work to undo all the tension caused by commuting and sitting at a desk for long periods. We also focus on strengthening the upper back, and releasing the lower back. Here are some of the poses: Dynamic bridge (setu bandha) Dynamic supine twist (mehru udra kunchanasana) Cat/ cow (marja...
Hi All, This is the last class for a while. The sound quality isn't wonderful but it's doable - I played the episode on my computer and it was ok but you may want to play it through some better speakers. This one weaves kindness into practice and explores the three states of human experience - achieving, threat and soothing. Kindness is in the last one - "soothing" - which is the state we try to cultivate in yoga. It's a PRACTICE so don't be put off if you don't get it straight away. The Dalai L...
Hello! Welocme to Yoga for the Voice part 2. This is a live recording of part of a yoga and voice workshop that I taught at Bristol Folk House during early August and it will run again in the Autumn. This practice runs to about 1hr 20 mins and it's a Hatha yoga practice which stands alone as a beginners all round yoga practice but it's especially helpful for those who are looking to develop their potential in using their voice. The practice is fairly straightforward. If you are not confident wit...
Hello, This is a recording of part of a workshop I ran recently called Yoga and Voice. The workshop itself was five hours long and I have recorded the yoga practice for you to do at home. It's good for anyone who uses their voice a lot - teachers, mums, singers, actors. This is a 20 minute preparation for the voice, the Hatha yoga practice to support the voice can be found in Part 2 coming very soon. Feedback please to communityyogabristol@gmail.com. Join the FB group for pics and news. Find out...
Hi All, This is a short and sweet breathing practice for you. Abdominal breathing is the simplest but most effective pranayama there is! Find a comfortable place where you can lie down undisturbed - you can always do it sitting up if you're on your commute, that's fine too. Comments to communityyogabristol@gmail.com. There are places left on Yoga by Nature 's retreat in Portugal Sept 11th - 19th 2015. It's only £500 for a week in the sun with Morven at Gravito, Central Portugal. Read more here.....
Dear All, Thanks for listening. I have recorded this class so I can offer you a really mellow, supported practice which will help to open your shoulders, heart area and your hips. We use some props like an extra rolled mat (or blanket will do nicely) for under the spine, a bolster (or cushion), and of course it's always good to have a blanket and an eye pillow too. I'm in Spain now, teaching on a Yoga on a Shoestring holiday but I can still post some pics so if you get confused at all with any o...
Dear All, This is a twenty minute meditation on the body. It's not strictly a relaxation but it is very relaxing! I often do this instead of having a nap as it's so refreshing and brings me right back into my body especially if I have been doing a lot of heady computer work. Just lie down somewhere quiet and comfortable and enjoy it! You can do it seated if you like to do these sessions during your commute or during your lunchbreak, but lie down if possible. Get in touch...communityyogabristol@g...
Dear All, This is a yoga class focused on supporting pelvic floor health. It was recorded live at Penny Brohn Cancer Care in Pill, Bristol and it is suitable for anyone who wishes to improve their pelvic floor awareness and strength, lower back strength or general core stability. This class is gentle, restorative, calming and mellow. If you're looking for crunches and kegels, you're in the wrong place! Please visit the yoga community podcast group to see pics of any poses you are not sure about....
Hi! thanks for tuning in. This class is Level 2-3. If you are new to yoga, look for a Level 1 as this class will be too in-depth. We do poses to release the psoas and also some funky shoulder stretches. Some of the poses require a photo accompaniment and you can find support with images on the Facebook Group here . We flow a bit, go upside down a bit and generally explore in a strong and a subtle way how to create space through the poas muscle and find greater ease through the lower torso. We do...
Hello! Welcome to this podcast. Inspiration for this class was taken from Judith Lasater's fantastic book about yogic living called Living Your Yoga. I've also magpied a bit from Mark Williams' book Mindfulness, and the rest is from me. This was recorded at Arnos Vale Spielman Centre, Bristol. Being a Yoga and Mindfulness class, there is more talking at the begining than usual as I unpack the theme a bit. It's roughly 4 mins of intro, so if you'd rather skip to the asana class, I won't be offend...
Dear All, Welcome to this meditation that I offer here to help you answer the question for yourself, "What's so good about the here and now?". Please find yourself a comfortable seat, taking as many cushions or blocks as you need to be able to sit tall. Sit with your back supported by something if you need to, or come and sit in a chair. Only do this meditation lying down if you are sure that you won't fall asleep! Detaching from our thoughts helps us to realise that there is a lot more to consi...
Hi thanks for listening. Yoga and Mindfulness aims to acknowledge and embody all aspects of a yoga practice. There will be seated meditation, mindful movement (full asana practice) and a body meditation at the end and a beautiful poem that I found in the Mindfulness book by Mark Williams. There are some ideas in here about how to integrate your yoga "off the mat" and how to bring the peaceful, calm feeling that yoga brings, into your every day experience. It's about 75 mins, with 45 mins of asan...
Hello and thanks for listening. The following is a really good detox Hatha yoga practice with some focused work on balancing the kidney region, maintaining alignment and finding strong foundations. I recorded this one at Totterdown Methodist Church on a Friday morning with a fantastic group of women who are all great fun. You can visit me on FB at Bristol Community Yoga which is my page, or you can join the Yoga Community Podcast group where I post pics of tricky poses and the occasional piece o...
Dear All, This class is very mellow. Good for you if you want to practice but need to be gentle with yourself. We do a fair amount of hip releasing poses on the mat, and also gentle backbends and shoulder openers. If you'd like to try meditation, this is a good way in - relaxation, gentle movement and and focus leading towards a meditative state. I hope you enjoy this class. If you have any questions or comments please get in touch: communityyogabristol@gmail.com, or if you'd like to find out mo...
Dear All, This class is one that I recorded for those who have limited space to practice, or limited mobility. The whole practice can be done sitting in a chair. I have reposted this one, as I unpublished it a couple of years ago when I changed hosting services. It was recorded when I was still using the name Bristol Community Yoga podcast. I hope you enjoy the practice. It's short and sweet. Lots of love, Morven
Dear All, This class was recorded at Bristol City Yoga at the Yogatrail on the 13th Sept. A wonderful all-day event where studios across Bristol offered free classes to one and all. I was delighted to be able to take part and offer a restorative class as the last class of the day. We were packed to the rafters at the BCY studio, and had to turn some people away, so here is your opportunity to do the class at home. This is a good introduction to restorative yoga, and can also serve as a doorway i...
Dear All, Thanks for listening. This is a yoga nidra practice I recorded in the Lake District whilst teaching on retreat a couple of weeks ago. I hope you can sense some of the calm and quiet of the secluded location! Please make sure you have 30 mins to be really quiet and still. This relaxation can be done lying on your bed, on your mat, on the bus, plane, train - anywhere! If you'd like to come to a Yoga by Nature retreat in the UK, Portugal or somewhere further afield (looking at Goa, India ...
Dear All, Thanks for listening. This class is a fun and flowy class designed to ease up those outer thigh muscles and hamstrings, we also do some poses that help to release the psoas muscle (you feel that one in your side belly and the top of your thigh). prepare to sweat a bit with this one, it's fairly high energy with a relaxing warm up and a guided relaxation at the end. If you're not sure about any of the poses, drop me a line at communityyogabristol@gmail.com and I'll post a photo on the F...
This class is a women's yoga class (although men, you can do it too if you want to reconnect to your body and relax!). It's a very gentle practice and is good for you if your body needs some really tender care. We do some static poses and some gentle flow - it's a balance of poses which will nurture softness and encourage relaxation. We begin and end with a relaxation and some mindfulness practice. It's suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners too. I hope you enjoy it! If you are a w...
Dear All, This class, you will notice, is an old class. Several classes dropped off the list when I changed from Podbean to Libsyn hosting services. It was recorded in 2012, but as yoga is 5000 years old I figured its age doesn't matter too much. Some of the info will be outdated - my email now is communityyogabristol@gmail.com and the host web address is http://yogacommunity.libsyn.com/ and not at Podbean. Next up will be a women's yoga class that I am recording today at the Penny Brohn Centre ...
Hello All, You'll notice I have cut the chat from the beginning of this podcast so you can go straight into your meditation. This makes this a good practice for your commute or if you would like to practice this meditation regularly. The Lake Meditation is taken from Jon Kabat Zin's "Wherever you go, there you are", a stroke of genius of a book and a good place to start or deepen your mindfulness practice. This meditation, as well as instilling peace and calm, might also help you do cool down du...
Dear All, This is a class I recorded live at the Southville Centre in Bristol. We explore the concept of Wholeness and Oneness and how that applies to our yoga practice and to our lives off the mat. We begin with a sitting meditation and then move into a dynamic asana practice, finishing up with a relaxation. Focus in this class is on integrating as pects of ourselves and integrating ourselves with the world. There's plenty of food for thought and a chance to move and stretch to make the body fe...
Hello All, Thsi class is very very mellow! If you want to rest, calm your digestion and develop easeful breathing then this is a good class for you. It's suitable for anyone following the yogaThrive programme for cancer support and those who are .looking for a calming, supportive yoga practice. Please go to www.bristolcommunityyoga.co.uk for more information about me. You can get in touch with me on communityyogabristol@gmail.com. Thanks and enjoy your yoga!! With gratitude, Morven...
Hi thanks for listening. This is a Yoga and Mindfulness class where we concentrate on cultivating gratitude as a foundation for manifesting our desires. When we are grateful for what we have, we are content and when we are content our minds are not full of self-limiting stories that hold us back from creating what we truly desire. Try it, it works. The class comprises an opening talk for a few minutes about gratitude and Santosha (contentment), and how it relates to yoga practice. We then go on ...
Hello all, Thanks for listening. This is another yoga nidra practice, I recorded it at the Penny Brohn Cancer Care Centre in Bristol with my lovely PB ladies who love yoga. With this one there is a visualisation so you may go quite deep. Yoga Nidra is more than a relaxation - you are going deep into your consciousness and contacting the subconscious at its deepest level, so after practicing make sure you don't have to drive a car or do anything that requires alertness. It can take some time to c...
Hello, Namaste! Here is a deep relaxation for you that I recorded at Penny Brohn Cancer Care in Bristol. Yoga Nidra is not just relaxation though, it's a journey into your consciousness - don't be surprised if you go into a waking dream state, this is very common and you may drift in and out of consciousness without being aware of having slept. There are some yoga nidras I have been doing for years and I am still discovering new bits I had previously slept through without realising! Please be wa...
Hello, Here is a Hatha Flow practice for you. If you enjoy being creative with your yoga and finding new ways to link the poses together in a flow style then this is the class for you. If you have never done yoga before then this is not the class for you! Take a look at some of the Hatha classes I have published if you would like a basic yoga class. Please get in touch with any questions or comments: communityyogabristol@gmail.com - I LOVE hearing from you. My website is www.bristolcommunityyoga...
