Ingredients: 300-400g eating apples 400g blackberries 300g vegan butter 300g porridge oats (gluten free if needed) 300g light brown soft sugar + 2 tbsp 300g gluten free plain flour The juice of 1 lemon Method: Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 3. Grease and line a roughly 15-20cm square brownie tin. Place the vegan butter in a large saucepan over a low heat and leave to melt, then take off the heat. Add the oats, flour, 300g sugar and a pinch of salt and mix well. Take out about 15 big spoons of the mixture and put it to one side to make the topping, then press the rest of th ..read more

Headstand (sirsasana) and shoulderstand (salamba sarvangasana) are called the King and Queen of Yoga Asana. But why are they so important? In some systems of Hatha Yoga, this pair of postures are thought of as foundational, a yoga practice is built on them. When we go upside down, we increase the blood flow to the brain, giving our circulation a boost and increasing our energy levels. Headstand in particular is an invigorating inversion, bringing heat and vitality to the body. Holding the body steady upside down requires great awareness and control in the body and will build strength in the w ..read more

Ingredients 1 cup medjool dates (pitted) 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup almonds 1/2 cup oats (gluten free if required) 1 tbsp maple syrup 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1-2 tbsp water Method Place the nuts in a food processor and blitz for about 30 seconds until crushed but not yet a flour. Add the remaining ingredients, adding the water a little at the time and blend until it sticks together Scoop spoonfuls of the mixture out and roll into balls Place in the fridge, these will keep a slightly sticky texture. They will keep for a few weeks in the fridge and can be frozen ..read more

Ingredients: 100g dried apricots (roughly chopped) 100g stoned dates (roughly chopped) 2 oranges 225g gluten free plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground mixed spice or cinnamon 50g ground almonds 375g sultanas (optional) 100g chopped or flaked almonds Method: Preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3. Grease and line a loaf tin. Place the chopped apricots and dates in a small pan. Grate the zest of one of the oranges and add to the pan. Squeeze both oranges and top up the juice with water till you have 350ml, then add this to the fuit in the pan. Bring to the boil then re ..read more

How are you adjusting to the longer nights and darker days? Do you find it a struggle to get out of bed in the morning? About 8 years ago I started shifting my schedule to get up earlier in the mornings. I no longer found I could be productive in the evenings and desperately wanted to find some time for my yoga practice, and some time just for me. At first I began going to one early morning yoga class each week. Then I started getting up early on a second morning for a home practice. After a while I added a third morning. It became a habit, and this habit stuck. These days I'm often up and ab ..read more

One of my yoga students asked me recently if I would share more about the chants I use in class. It took me quite a while to feel confident chanting (more than an Om or an Om śāntiḥ) in front of classes. It took longer to feel confident starting to teach some of these chants to my students. I am still learning. My pronounciation isn't perfect, but I’m getting better! This is the Ashtanga opening chant. We chant it at the start of our Ashtanga yoga practice to offr our thanks and respect to the lineage of teachers before us, and to focus our mind. For me, this chant embodies the idea of yoga be ..read more

Combining my usual recipe with my yoga friend’s to create the ultimate apple crumble! INGREDIENTS: 4 medium cooking apples, peeled, cored and quartered 25g caster sugar 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional) 3 eating apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped For the crumble 275g plain flour (gluten free as required) A pinch of sea salt 200g cold unsalted butter or vegan butter, cut into cubes 150g soft brown sugar 75g medium oatmeal 75g porridge oats 75g ground almonds (optional) Preheat the oven to 180°C, grease a large baking dish. Roughly chop the cooking apples into a saucepan and add the su ..read more

Ingredients Cake: 2 medium courgetters (about 350g) finely grated zest of 2 lemons 100 g light brown soft sugar 80 g caster sugar 120 ml rapeseed oil 60 ml unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used oat) 60 ml lemon juice 260 g plain flour (I used Doves Free From to make it gluten free) 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger ½ tsp salt Lemon Glaze: 85 g icing sugar juice of ½ lemon Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease and line a loaf tin. Coarsely grate the courgettes then place the grated flesh in ..read more

Something has definitely shifted over the past couple of weeks. The air is cooler, the mornings are darker. As we move towards Autumn this is a time for both taking in and letting go. A time to clear out the old and make way for the new. “Be like a tree and let the dead leaves drop” - Rumi. When we let go of what we no longer need we can use our energies to nourish ourselves. Autumn time is more significant to me than the new year! I’ve been working on academic years most of my life, as a student, then a school teacher, then as a kids yoga teacher. This is the time of year that I often reasses ..read more

Ingredients 125g cashews large handful of pumpkin seeds 1 tbsp chia seeds 200g medjool dates (pitted) zest and juice of one lime 3 teaspoons ground ginger Method Place the nuts and seeds in a food processor and blitz for about 30 seconds until crushed but not yet a flour. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until it sticks together Scoop spoonfuls of the mixture out and roll into balls Place in the freezer for an hour or so to set, then store in the fridge. They will keep for a few weeks in the fridge ..read more