A spontaneous Solstice Yoga Nidra from my morning walk on our south island trip. Free styling from a forest on the West Coast of NZ I welcome you to sit or lie down for 25 Minutes so that you can centre and connect with the part of you that is always at rest. With a backdrop of forest sounds come on a little Nidra journey to reflect on Solstice and support you through the seasonal energy. The post Solstice Nidra in Nature appeared first on Sam Loe Yoga ..read more

I offer this recording to you made early one morning in Venice during my recent travels. This is a simple Yoga Nidra practice designed for busy times, or during travel, that will take just 20 minutes. It offers a settling and grounding, body relaxation and then an invitation to be with the sights and sounds of Venice as a way of balancing movement and stillness. I hope this resting practice offers a nourishing pause into your day, wherever you are in the world and however busy your life feels right now. The post A Venice Souvenir appeared first on Sam Loe Yoga ..read more

Women gathered, rested and connected as I guided a sequence based on the nest painting I made and this beautiful poem by Mary Oliver. It was such a potent gathering and felt like we were laying down the foundations for a year of tuning into the seasons as a guiding force and remembering what practices will nourish us. The Rituals for Rest will be happening every 6 weeks or so on Sunday mornings. Details on the events page. WHITE-EYES BY MARY OLIVER In winter all the singing is in the tops of the trees where the wind-bird with its white eyes shoves and pushes among the branches. Like any o ..read more

I’ve been taking a pause from teaching Yoga and everything that goes with it like emails, facebook, marketing and planning classes and events. It’s been a much-needed time to turn towards myself and listen inwardly without having to hold space for others. So many gifts and new understandings have come out of this spaciousness, including my energy being channelled back into creativity and art and I have landed back into my old love of drawing and painting. This well known poem by Martha Postlethwaite describes the recent process that I’ve been allowing in my life very well.   CLEARING by M ..read more

One opportunity that this Covid era offers us is to put in place a solid and regular home yoga practice. More than ever, being able to practice yoga by yourself has become a necessity. During the past few months I’ve been facilitating self-practice sessions with people via Zoom and it has been such a privilege to get a peak into people’s personal practice rooms and hear about how they create a special place for themselves. From a welcoming sheepskin rug, glowing salt lamps, a miniature Ganesh on a bookshelf, silky marine blue blankets, personal journals with favourite pens, well cared for hous ..read more

This boy and this dog and I have put together a family yoga class for you as we go into alert level 3 here in NZ. Alert level 3 will see some commercial changes and a few kids will go back to school but for many of us it’s the same routine of being at home with family (but maybe getting a couple of take aways!).   From our home to yours we hope that you take the opportunity for this 25 minute yoga session with your Whanau. This sequence should work for older kids, tweens, teens and adults and is an opportunity to kindly move your body, connect with your breath and cultivate some calm to ..read more

This lockdown period is the perfect opportunity to bring your self-practice into focus. There have been a huge number of online classes available as many teachers from around the world offer free resources. I have particularly enjoyed Lisa Petersen’s classes broadcast from her home in Dublin as I wouldn’t usually have the opportunity to work with her since I live on the other side of the world! Also Neal Goshal, my friend and colleague is offering beautiful gentle Yoga classes from his living room on Waiheke Island. It is such a treat to be led through intelligent and kindly offered sequences ..read more

Autumn Equinox: a time where light and dark come into balance. The traditional pagan celebrations are a wonderful opportunity to tune in and listen to what the season may be whispering into our inner ear. The global pandemic situation is so loud and prevalent in our thoughts and experience that we can forget to tune into the ongoing reassuring turning of nature in all its glory from one season to the next. There is so much to gain by observing these changes and noticing how the season is landing in your life. I love using ritual to tune into all the seasonal celebrations and have often based r ..read more

As we navigate our way through these extraordinary and anxiety provoking times that will impact us all we must find ways to stay calm and take care of ourselves and our Whanau (family and community). This is easier said than done in times of social distancing, self-isolation, economic strife, and unknown territory. Here you will find links to many of my short and easy meditations and practices.   Hayden Wano the chair of NZ’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission was interviewed by Kathryn Ryan on the nine to noon programme. He spoke about looking after mental health and wellbeing d ..read more

I am passionate about self-practice; both keeping my own going, as well as supporting others to develop and own their personal yoga. The reality for many yogis, is that life gets in the way of self-care and valuing the commitment of a yoga practice. In workshops that I have run on this topic, it feels connecting to hear that many people struggle with their commitment of getting on the mat. The list that we write up together on the white board is often very long. From kids, partners, pets, devices, emails, travel, too hot, too cold, not having the right space or support, simply not feeling like ..read more