Our very own Chair of the SYA, Julia Chilcott-Coombes, from Yoga Veda UK, led our Christmas yoga session for December and what a morning it was!
After an introduction about Ayurveda and the importance of trying to keep our dosha's balanced (especially in the winter months), Julia led us through a fun yoga asana practice based around the theme of "snow". Julia had us making snowballs and snow angels, skiing down perilous ski jumps, drawing Santa's sleigh and becoming ice skates (amongst other things). A highlight was the mandala sequence when, as a community, we moved as one to become a forest of Christmas trees, changing into a Christmas wreath which rolled open into a beautiful lotus blossom! The pictures have to be seen to be believed, but Julia had us in the palm of her hand and everyone cheerfully gave everything a go! This certainly got the blood pumping although it was fascinating to discover that some people's hands were toasty and others remained cold, even after this warming practice.Â
With big smiles on our faces, we moved into some Yin and Restorative poses to bring the energy down to a peaceful calm before snuggling up into our favourite Savasana for the final Yoga Nidra. With our doshas now more balanced, we enjoyed some delicious homemade mince pies (thank you Louise Hallum!) and mulled punch together as the 2024 SYA lineup was announced. This will be posted up on the website soon, ready for bookings to open in the New Year.
What a fabulous way to celebrate the festive season and end a very successful SYA year!
