Beach Yoga!
Every summer I enjoy teaching yoga on the beach. It's a great way to meet and make friends with people from all over the world. The one thing that brings us all together is our love and interest in yoga!
Yoga Essence with Rianna
Yin, Hatha, Kundalini Yoga, and Sound Therapy
Hi! I come from Scotland but I came over to Torrevieja, Spain when my parents decided to take early retirement and now I consider myself more Spanish than Scottish! Soon after arriving I met my husband when I was 16 and we now have 2 boys together.
I have over 10 years of experience as a yoga teacher. I'm fully trained in Hatha, vinyasa, yin, kid's yoga and kundalini yoga.
I work from a centre in Ciudad Quesada called the Qihai. I've been there for over 3 years now and it's where I teach most of my classes. I enjoy doing monthly work shops which include, meditation, pranayama and Sound Baths, it's all very exciting and we always have good fun.
The beach classes usually start in June and continue well into September. It's a gift in itself to be able to do yoga down by the sea and enjoy outdoor yoga in the fresh air!
I'm hoping to do some of my own retreats and work with some of my friends in the area, on their retreats very soon!!
Private Sound Baths are also available if you are interested in doing one. One to one yoga classes are also available.
I look forward to seeing you at one of my yoga classes soon!
Namaste,
Rianna.
Yin Yoga
This yoga is not like other yoga classes. This type of yoga combines Hatha yoga asanas and Taoist traditions such as Traditional Chinese Medicine. Therefore postures have different names, cues and intentions.
Yin yoga is a slow, passive meditative practice consisting of long holding floor postures. The poses are held between 3 and 5 minutes, sometimes even longer, so as to target and stress the connective tissues (Tendons, ligaments, joints, bones and fascia) In each pose we find our edge (Pulling sensations or discomfort) which target the tissues but also stimulate the subtle body, known as meridians in traditional chinese medicine and as nadis in yoga. Each posture stimulates specific energy lines which connects to your vital organs and therefore encourages energy flow, nourishing and balancing the organs which brings a sense of wellbeing, emotionally and physically.
We are all UNIQUE due to the different shapes, structure and sizes of our bones and joints and this will mean that not every pose will suit or be available to every BODY, so there is always a modification that you can take, be it using more props or coming into another body shape that will still target the same area and group of tissues in the body.
Remember: It's not about how we look in the pose, its about how we feel in the pose!
The Three Tattvas Of Yin Yoga Practice
- Come into the pose to an appropiate depth
- Resolve to remain still
- Hold the pose for time
What are the health benefits?
It helps to lengthen the connective tissue and keeps the body mobile and flexible. Boosts your circulation. Reduces stress levels and helps to prepare the body and mind for meditation.
If you feel that now is the time to slow down and take some self care this could be the class for YOU!
My love for Yin yoga lead me to doing my teacher training but with various teachers. I did my first 60 hour Yin Yoga Teacher training with Rise & Shine Yoga in Ibiza with Kata Van Doesselaar, which was an amazing life changing experience! The more I learnt, the more I wanted to learn, so I decided to continue along the Yin journey and found Josh Summers to do further studying for my 300 hour Yin Yoga teacher training!
I'm so grateful for both of these teachers who helped and encouraged me. Without them I wouldn't be where I am today!
What is Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga is about balancing the body and the mind. "Ha" represents the physical esoteric sun and "Tha" the moon. The practice of Hatha yoga is to balance these two energies.
In a Hatha yoga class you can expect to hold the asanas (Postures) for a longer period of time while I try to give you the cues and tools for proper alignment to ensure safety in the posture.
My Hatha classes involve a set of physical postures (Holding for at least 3 breaths) with breathing techniques. Focusing on balance and building strength in the body. You can expect to use and learn about mudras (Hand gestures) In and during the class. The body and mind is then ready for the meditation stage where we use mantras (Chanting) pranayama (Breathing) or guided visualisations.
Everybody is encouraged to move at their own pace and to work within their own range of movement.
What is Vinyasa Yoga
This is a style of yoga that strings postures together so that you move from one to the other using the breath. Commonly referred to as a flow yoga. These classes offer a variety of postures with different flows and no two classes are ever the same. The Ujjayi breath (Sometimes known as ocean breath) Supports you as you flow through the practice.
Vinyasa yoga can be practiced in a vigorous, dynamic and stimulating manner and also as a soft, gentle restorative practice.
What is Kundalini Yoga
An ancient technology designed to awaken our Kundalini energy and help us connect with our divine essence, to live our full potential and become conscious of who we really are.
The Kundalini Yoga activates this powerful energy, guiding it up the spine clearing your energy channels and balancing your chakras in its wake. In this form of yoga we use the precise technology of angles and simple postures, breathing exercises and the chanting of mantras.
This physical journey, accompanied by the mantras and music, is a powerful way of connecting within and can bring you to experience something very emotional. It's normal to find yourself tearful when you first try some of the exercises. It is also perfectly normal for people to laugh!
Everybody will experience their own journey during their yoga class. We have Yogui Bhajan to thank for bringing it to the West in 1969, breaking the centuries-old code of secrecy and elitism that had shrouded this practice.
Kundalini yoga is a total workout for the body, mind and spirit!
A normal class would start with an opening mantra - Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo - meaning I bow to the universal wisdom within.
- Pranayama (Breathing exercises)
- Warm up exercises such as Sufi Circles, Spinal flexes and Twists
- Work with the Kriya (Set of exercises)
- Relaxation
- Meditation
- Closing by singing Long Time Sun and three long Sat Nam mantras; meaning: The Truth is my Identity
Sound healing & Vibrational therapy
To my understanding we're all made up of different musical notes, when there's an imbalance we can feel it in many different ways, not only physically but mentally and emotionally too. The music helps to restore, rebalance,and harmonise the whole of the being once again!
I do monthly Sound Baths and give sound therapy treatments, one to one at the centre where I work. Sound Baths on the beach are also becoming increasingly popular!
Are you interested in coming along to one of my Sound Baths or would you like a one-to-one treatment?
Training with Marko Zigon
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Yin Yoga
This is a slow, mediative practice and definitely one of my favourite classes. It gives you time to slow down, relax and observe, even if the pose is a little challenging!
