Often, I find I fling myself out of bed and out of the door without making time for breakfast. This is not because of a particularly hectic schedule, it is because I am a terrible, terrible morning person. That suffers with mid-morning energy dips.

I have tried to alter this, train myself to go to bed earlier, get up earlier, but it is not possible. I am a night time human and that’s fine with me.  My perfect day goes something like coffee-faff-coffee-surf-yoga-brunch-work-lunch-nap/work-faff-dinner.

This is all well and good, except when I need to teach an early class. When this happens, I find that my stomach begins its lengthly and persistent growling around 9.30am, usually when I am calmly attempting to verbally adjust someone in a yoga pose, or even worse, in the middle of a guided meditation.

Anyway, I digress.  I have come up with an ingenious solution*, one that requires very little time and effort, and one that gives me a little bit more pep to get on with my day. Energy balls! Made of dates!

*this may be an exaggeration. I did not invent energy balls.

I Give You – Peanut Butter & Date Energy Balls

They are made of these eight amazing things:

2 tbsp Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter

1/2 cup Dates (if they are dry, soak them in warm water for 10 mins or so first)

1/4 cup Chopped Dark Chocolate or Chocolate Chips (the darker the better, at least 70% Cocoa)

1 tbsp Chia Seeds

1/2 cup Rolled Oats

1/4 cup Chopped Almonds

Toasted Sesame Seeds

Pinch of Sea Salt

Method

Roughly chop the almonds, oats, and chocolate:

Whizz up the dates in a blender until they reach this consistency:

And then add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and blend away!  Simple.  I find it’s better to pulse the blender so that you get a chunky consistency, rather than too smooth and soup-like.

• Wet your hands (it makes it easier to roll the mixture) and roll into whatever size balls you prefer.
• Put into the fridge for ten minutes.
• While they are setting in the fridge, toast the sesame seeds in a dry wok (medium heat) for around 2 minutes, or until they start to turn golden.  If you don’t like them toasted, you can skip this step. Or skip the sesame seeds entirely, they are lovely without the coating too.

Roll your chilled balls in toasted sesame seeds, and enjoy!  Either eat straight away, or store them in the fridge or freezer.  They never last that long in my house.

Full of nutty, seedy protein and lovely slow-release energy from the oats, they are very useful as a little pick me up before or after any exercise.   I love to have a few on me for long hikes, before surfing, or even as something to get me through to my next meal.  They stop me being hangry, which is a kindness to everyone around me.

The only tricky thing about them is not to scoff them all down at once. Enjoy!

Unless you hate nuts or they will kill you, in which case, invent your own balls.

Eight Tips To Help You Stay Sane During Lockdown

What an odd time we find ourselves in (understatement of the century right there). Headlines are screechy and loud, and the adults running the show are flapping around bumping into things – and not making very much sense at all.

This abrupt, marked change to our daily lives and routines can be frightening. It can foster feelings of anxiety, stress and even panic. 

None of which are good for our immune systems, which we need to rely on even more right now.

Some of us have lost incomes, not sure if our industries will even exist in the same way. Some are working from home. Some homeschooling their children. 

And some are among the most vulnerable, finding themselves confined to their homes and unable to mix freely in their communities. 

This is problematic for reasons beyond the physical.  We humans are a social lot, by nature. When we find ourselves isolated for long periods of time, our mental health can suffer, which in turn affects us in a physical, bodily way too.

It’s an unpleasant feedback loop that, unless checked, can cause stress, anxiety and dampen our immune response. Everything in our body is interlinked. We need to think of our system as a holistic entity, with everything working in conjunction, and ideally, balance.

Read on for your handy lockdown survival tips…

1. Commune with nature

Walking, running or cycling in nature (at a respectful distance from other nature-seekers, of course) relieves stress, bringing much-needed clarity and calm.  Not to mention the benefits to our immune systems from topping up the vitamin D supplies.

Now this may not be possible if you are stuck in an apartment with no balcony, no garden, and you live in a city where you are not able to walk to somewhere that has, well, nature. 

Whale noise, anyone?

A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that even looking at pictures of nature can replicate these effects. Participants’ stress levels decreased as their parasympathetic nervous system response was activated (or ‘Rest and Digest mode’ – more on this below). So try watching a David Attenborough documentary or listening to a relaxing nature soundtrack.

Getting daylight every day is important for our circadian rhythm, immune health, and mental health. So even if you can’t get outside, sit next to the window, tune into the birdsong and take some deep breaths.

Fancy a proper commune with nature? I’m running a couple of yoga retreats this summer in sunny Portugal with my amazing yogi partner Becca. More info here if you’re interested 🙂

2. Move 

Movement is so important for our immune system, but also for our mental health. Apart from your daily walk/exercise outside, can you set aside ten minutes in your day to move your body, yoga, dance, skip, lift weights…the choice is yours.  

There are many internet resources, even more so now. Maybe your favourite yoga teacher has moved their classes online, or you have always wanted to learn to dance.

There are gentle chair yoga classes if mobility is an issue, or even tune into Joe Wicks’ PE classes!

Mix it up, move about, keep the endorphins pumping around your body, it’ll thank you for it.

3. Beautify Your Space

If you are working from home, this means making yourself a workspace away from everything else. And making sure it doesn’t cross over into your leisure area.

Get some plants, clear up the clutter, light some candles, create space. No working from bed, scrunched over your laptop.

And if you work from your pyjamas all day (no judgement here) at least have different nighttime, sleeping pyjamas you can change into.

4. Write yourself a schedule

What would you like to achieve today? Maybe it’s a day for video calling your entire contacts list. Or learning to tap dance. Homeschooling your child. Maybe you are working from home and you struggle with procrastination.

Whatever situation you are in, you can benefit from a little routine and structure. Shower, brush your teeth, get dressed as if you were going outside. Schedule in breaks, exercise, time outside and a clear end of day. 

Mark out your weekend. Make sure this feels different to the ‘work week.’ 
Just because you can work at any time from your laptop, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

Be strict. Close the laptop, put the phone on aeroplane mode, schedule in your leisure time.  Save something for the weekend.

5. Prepare for sleep

Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even if you aren’t working right now. Having that routine is vital for a healthy sleep cycle. 

Sleep, along with other lifestyle factors such as daylight, exercise and a healthy diet, is vital for immune health. Listen to Neuroscience Professor Matt Walker’s Ted Talks on sleep as a superpower, and how the lack of sleep can dull the immune response and aggravate the nervous system.

Looking at a screen just before bed may keep you awake, so try a different routine. Meditation, reading, Yin Yoga – whatever you need to calm the mind.

6. Take time out to breathe

You breathe anyway (hopefully) but you can do it better.

We breathe, as a reflex, something like 20,000 times per day.  But we can breathe consciously, which calms down the nervous system, and has the happy side effect of enabling meditation.

How? Put simply, when we concentrate our attention completely on the process of breathing, we are not concentrating on anything else.

We are not multitasking, looking at our phone, or jumping frantically from thought to thought, anxiety to anxiety, thinking about next week or next year or….you get the picture. Instead, we are simply breathing, nice and deeply, from the belly. And giving our minds a little break by concentrating on that process.

And that’s it. 

Mindfulness, meditation, whatever you want to call it – is as good for our mental health as going for a big jog through the countryside. 

Meditation, or breath awareness, has another quick side effect, in that it calms down the nervous system. This turns off the adrenal glands, and enables the body to shift into its ‘Rest and Digest’ mode (the opposite to ‘Fight or Flight.’)

So we start to digest our food properly, enable cellular repair…all from sitting quietly and breathing. Easy.

7. Learn a new skill

This really is a time for you to do that thing you’ve been meaning to do.

Me, I am learning to code.  It’s challenging, but is giving me structure, and stretching my brain, making me feel productive and valuable. I am also spending time each day improving my Portuguese, which is even harder than coding.

These little wins can see you through the difficult times, giving you something to aim for each day – even if it is just 25 minutes.

In fact, I use a productivity technique called the Pomodoro Technique. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work for the entire time, without looking at your phone, using social media or tidying up the cupboard you haven’t opened for six months.

And then have a five-minute break. Make a cup of tea, stretch, pace, play the guitar, listen to a song and dance – whatever you like, for five minutes. And then set another timer, work for another 25 minutes. Do this in blocks of four and then have a longer break, make some food, go for a walk, and come back to it.

Or finish for the day and pour a gin. Whatever you need.

This brings me to the most important point:

8. Ignore all of the above...

…sometimes. It is ok to be overwhelmed, ok to feel tired. If you need to stay in bed and watch films all day, then do it.  Want to turn your phone off because it seems like everybody else is doing inspiring things and are totally ok – they probably aren’t – then turn it off.

If you need to close the curtains and eat all the chocolate you bought to last through the apocalypse, go ahead.

It is ok not to write a novel, not to learn a new language, or finally finish the last 100 pages of The Count of Monte Cristo (I have tried SO MANY TIMES WHY IS IT SO LONG).

It is ok just to survive, to rest, to wait. Be as gentle and as kind to yourself as you would be to the people you love.

I’m running two retreats this summer in Portugal, to help put you back together again after a bloody weird year or so. Have a look here for more info!

If you have been living under a rock and haven’t used Zoom yet, please read on.

Oh, Zoom. It has saved our bacon a bit in 2020 (Skype, who?)

Who’d a thought we’d all be practicing yoga in our own homes, tiny little squares on a screen. While it’s not quite the same as the real thing, there is something quite wonderful about rolling out of bed and yoga-ring in your pjs.

No judgement here

To download Zoom

To view the class you’ll need to download the free Zoom software onto your Mac or PC, or if you are using your iPhone/ipad just download the app.

I recommend doing this now, way ahead of our first class together so that I can be on hand to help you beforehand if you have any problems.

For the class

Please join the class 5-10 mins before we start so we can iron out any technical stuff and have a nice chat

Place your laptop, tablet or smart phone (whatever you used to log onto Zoom) in a good position near your mat – I’d recommend having the device camera placed to your side if you want me to see you well enough to help/adjust you. 

But if you just roll out of bed and want to do it in your pyjamas you can keep your camera switched off. I won’t judge.

During the class you want to be on “SPEAKER VIEW” which you can select from the Zoom menu at the top right corner (or top left corner on ipads). This allows you to see me on full screen so you can watch what I’m doing.

Check audio and video function at the bottom left menu bar (by clicking on arrows next to audio/video icons you can adjust your settings. You will automatically join with your camera on, but feel free to turn it off if you are wearing aforementioned pyjamas.

Zoom has a chat function if you want to type any questions or comments to me once you are muted. It’s preset to message everyone, so if you have anything private to say, just check you are messaging me privately.

My friend Ellen once messaged the whole class about something very hilarious and private and everyone read it. How we laughed. Don’t be like Ellen.

Music

Any of you that have been to my classes before will know how much I love music, and have made a zillion different (and really badly titled) playlists for my yoga classes over the years.

I won’t be playing music to you through my laptop mic, as it sounds awful. But if you want to listen along, follow the links I send out in my weekly email

I’ll even instruct you when to press play so it flows nicely with what I am teaching. This means you would need to have the pro version of Spotify (so there are no adverts) but it’ll be there if you want it. 

Obviously you can practice in silence if you like, or choose your own music to play in the background as you’ll be muted to all of us 🙂

Class noise

To minimise echo and sound issues, I will automatically mute everyone from the beginning until the end of the class, and if you have time and would like to stay for a chat after or have any questions then you can unmute yourself at the end. Please bear in mind that when chatting the mic and sound focuses on one person at a time so we miss things if we all talk at the same time.

Tech issues

If you should have any problems and your session ends just go back to the link you clicked on at the start, and it will log you straight back in. If it does not then please check your internet and reset.

The quality of your audio and video depends on your personal wifi or mobile connection – if you struggle with bandwidth, make sure no other devices are connected to your wifi router, and maybe turn your video off. If you struggle during the class it may be worth switching to your phone, but bear in mind the screen will be much smaller.

Props

If you have a yoga mat great, but if not you could use a towel/rug or play with the surfaces in your house and find the most grippy option. Same with blocks, bolsters and straps – if you have them please have them to hand, but if not here are some suggestions:

Shoelaces, belts or ties will work for straps. For blocks you could use a few books piled up. For bolsters you can use cushions or pillows.

Bring a blanket and socks for Savasana!

Stuck for gift ideas for your loved one? Save on buying more stuff, avoid plastic and help a small local business (me) this year by purchasing a Saltwater Yoga gift voucher!

If you order one before December the 18th I can post the physical voucher to you, or if you’d like to save the trees I can send you an electronic copy instead.

Redeemable against group classes, 1-1 sessions or any retreats/workshops I put on in Cornwall (like this one,) the vouchers can be made to any value you like.

Email me at rach@saltwateryoga.co.uk for more details!

Happy Christmas lovely yogis 🙂