New - Stretch & Breathe and Coffee Morning Friday Mornings 10.15 am - 12.00 pm (45 minute sessions of activity followed by refreshments - optional) Join us on 26th January 2018 in the beautiful surroundings of St. Luke’s Church, Maidenhead (I would be grateful if you would kindly pass details of this on to any friend or family member who you feel might benefit from these session) Introducing a series of classical stretches, all based on our natural body movements - side-bending, rotation, flexion and a limited amount of extension of the spine, which may be practised seated, standing or supine, depending on ability, balance and choice. They are designed to restore and maintain a healthy range of movement in joints so you can carry out your daily activities and ensure continued quality of life. Working with breathing techniques and synchronising movement with breath will help to relax the nervous system so that the necessary effort we bring to our movements is not accompanied by unnecessary muscular tension. As well as for more senior members of our community, these sessions will also be suitable for those recovering from illness or injury or where breathing and stretching exercises can help in the management of specific conditions. The cost is £35 for five sessions (taken over a seven week period to allow for life...) or £9 per single session. After each session there will be an opportunity to take refreshments and socialise. The Church are kindly providing refreshments but contributions to the cost would be gratefully accepted. I look forward to hearing from you should you wish to reserve a place or for me to answer any questions you might have. Paula Clayton-Nuth BWY Dip. RYT® Reps Registered Mobile: 07843 016641 Email: paula@theapplestudio.eu The British Wheel of Yoga is the Sport England-recognised governing body for yoga and listed on NHS Choices Live Well

New Year class! Stretch & Breathe Friday Mornings 10.00 - 11.45 am (45 minute sessions of activity followed by refreshments - optional) Join us on 12th January 2018 in the beautiful surroundings of St. Luke’s Church, Maidenhead Introducing a series of classical stretches designed to restore and maintain a healthy range of movement in joints so you can carry out your daily activities and ensure continued quality of life. These stretches, all based on our natural body movements, side-bending, rotation, flexion and a limited amount of extension of the spine, may be practised seated, standing or supine, depending on ability, balance and choice. Working with breathing techniques and synchronising movement with breath will help to relax the nervous system so that the necessary effort we bring to our movements is not accompanied by unnecessary muscular tension. As well as for more senior members of our community, these sessions will also be suitable for those recovering from illness or injury or where breathing and stretching exercises can help in the management of specific conditions. The cost is £35 for five sessions (taken over a seven week period to allow for life...) or £9 per single session. After each session there will be an opportunity to take refreshments and socialise. The Church are kindly providing refreshments but contributions to the cost would be gratefully accepted. I look forward to hearing from you should you wish to reserve a place or answer any questions you might have. Paula Clayton-Nuth BWY Dip. RYT® Reps Registered Mobile: 07843 016641 Email: paula@theapplestudio.eu The British Wheel of Yoga is the Sport England-recognised governing body for yoga and listed on NHS Choices Live Well

Just as a tree, even when wind-bent, remains rooted and firmly grounded as before, let's aim to adapt with grace to the pressures of this time of year and enjoy the dance of life! Please join me this evening, Wednesday 6th December from 6.30 pm and find a sense of lively peace in a grounded and centered stretch and breathe Hatha yoga practice in the beautiful, calm surroundings of St. Luke's Parish Church, Norfolk Road, Maidenhead. For more information or to book your space and mat please contact me on 07843016641. Paula x

'Journey to the Psoas and Back…' Sitting for long hours at a desk, behind the wheel of a car or on the saddle of a bicycle, gardening or any stooping activity can all cause the Psoas (hip flexors - of which there are two, originating along each side of the spine) to tighten and shorten often contributing to lower back tension and pain. The Psoas is an involuntary muscle, instinctive and emotionally responsive, and directly involved in the triggering of the fight, flight and freeze mechanism of the sympathetic nervous system. At the first suggestion of fear, it is responsible for the adoption of a crouch position to protect our internal organs. Lying on your back with your knees bent and exhaling deeply from the abdomen, as if you were steaming up a window on a frosty morning, can begin the process of relaxing and releasing the Psoas... Please join me for a two and a half hour Hatha Yoga workshop this coming Sunday (9.30 am - 12.30 pm) where first we will take a closer look at the anatomy and function of the Psoas. Then, in a spirit of exploration and curiosity, the focus of our movement practice will be on developing an awareness of the Psoas before toning and releasing this muscle, often spoken of as 'the seat or muscle of the soul', to find a deep sense of relaxation and calm. Our practice, all based around natural body movements, will also include those which, through their use, will help to strengthen gluteus and abdominal muscles, integral to postural support, and loosen tight hamstrings. The session will be followed by refreshments and healthy snacks. The cost of the workshop is £25. (£20 each if you bring a partner or friend). For more information and/or to book your space and mat, please text or call me on 07843016641 or email paula@theyogaworks.eu. I look forward very much to seeing you. Paula x

Please join me this morning, Monday 20th November at 11.30 am in the beautiful Yoga for Harmony Studio, Arthur Road, Windsor, where following an inspirational workshop by Tutor and Author, Peter Blackaby, we will explore how we might improve and refine the mapping of our movements so that we can carry out our activities on and off the mat without unnecessary tension and effort...I look forward very much to seeing you if it works for you to come. For more information please contact me on 07843016641. x

Food for thought this Autumn...

'Folding into Fall' this Autumn. Autumn's transformation is gaining momentum as the trees shed their mantle of red and golden leaves...Nature seems in withdrawal...reflective, slowing down...inviting us perhaps to do the same. With busy lives it's easy to feel out of step with Nature's cycle... Please join me at the beautiful Yoga for Harmony studio, Windsor, this morning, Monday 13th November, at 11.30 am where our practice will include an opportunity to turn our minds inwards, away from external distractions and develop a more feeling relationship with our bodies rather than a thinking one. Forward folds move us towards a state of active awareness and rest as we deepen our breath, release and let go...I look forward to seeing you. Paula x

'Folding into Fall' this Autumn. Autumn's transformation is gaining momentum as the trees shed their mantle of red and golden leaves...Nature seems in withdrawal...reflective, slowing down...inviting us perhaps to do the same. With busy lives it's easy to feel out of step with Nature's cycle... Please join me in the beautiful surroundings of St. Luke's Church, Norfolk Road, Maidenhead this evening, Wednesday 8th November at 6.30 pm where our practice will include an opportunity to turn our minds inwards, away from external distractions and develop a more feeling relationship with our bodies rather than a thinking one. Forward folds move us towards a state of active awareness and rest as we deepen our breath, release and let go... To book your space and mat or for more information please contact me on 07843016641. I look forward to seeing you. Paula x

'Folding into Fall' this Autumn. Autumn's transformation is gaining momentum as the trees shed their mantle of red and golden leaves...Nature seems in withdrawal...reflective, slowing down...inviting us perhaps to do the same. With busy lives it's easy to feel out of step with Nature's cycle... Please join me at the beautiful Yoga for Harmony studio, Windsor, this morning at 11.30 am where our practice will include an opportunity to turn our minds inwards, away from external distractions and develop a more feeling relationship with our bodies rather than a thinking one. Forward folds move us towards a state of active awareness and rest as we deepen our breath, release and let go...I look forward to seeing you. Paula x

The long days of Summer are behind us as Autumn’s transformation gains momentum and the trees shed their mantle of red and golden leaves. Nature seems in withdrawal...reflective, slowing down...perhaps inviting us to do the same. However for many this period ahead of the year’s end may be particularly stressful. As we attempt to juggle the diverse demands of our lives it’s easy to feel out of step with Nature’s cycle. Tension can manifest itself in our bodies with back, shoulder and neck pain. How can Yoga help to relieve pain? To quote Leslie Kaminoff, internationally recognized yoga and anatomy specialist ...‘In Yoga your mind, your breath and your body are being asked to do the same thing at the same time in a conscious integrated way. As you move the body and the breath together you start to become more aware of where you’re holding tension because you have to stop holding to do these movements...’ Our breath affects our muscles, our mental and emotional state and our nervous system. Of our muscles, the Psoas (of which there are two, one each side of our spines) is a deep-seated core muscle connecting the spine to the femur numbering second only to our heart in terms of emotional reactivity. Directly involved in the triggering of the flight and flight mechanism of the sympathetic nervous system, at the first suggestion of fear, it is responsible for the adoption of a crouch position to protect our internal organs. Because the Psoas meets the diaphragm, our primary breathing muscle, at T12 (the twelth thoracic vertebrae of the spine) if the Psoas is constricted, so is the breath and if the breath is constricted so is the Psoas. Sitting for long hours at a desk, behind the wheel of a car or on the saddle of a bicycle, gardening or any stooping activity can all cause the Psaos to tighten and shorten often contributing to lower back tension and pain. Lying on your back with your knees bent and exhaling deeply from the abdomen, as if steaming up a window with your breath on a frosty day, can begin the process of relaxing and releasing the Psoas. Please join me for a two-and-a half hour in-depth Hatha Yoga workshop this coming Sunday, 29th October, in the lovely studio at Maidenhead Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic, Viking House, Denmark Street, SL6 7BN where I will be explaining more about the anatomy and function of the Psoas muscle with the focus of our practice being on its release. The session will be followed by refreshments and healthy snacks. The cost of the workshop is £25. For more information and/or to book your space and mat, please text or call me on 07843016641 or email paula@theyogaworks.eu. I look forward very much to seeing you. Paula x

Interesting article...