By Charlotte Dodson
Photography Louisa Seton
Wearing Tluxe
Featuring Eileen Hall


It's time to access the wisdom of your body by moving yourself into a sequence of health-enhancing shapes. Don't put it off any longer - as soon as you think about it, you've already talked yourself out of it! Set your alarm clock and off you go, bursting with enthusiasm, aligning your body and soul to the Yoga Moves rhythm!

Many of the world's most prominent celebrities love this dynamic practice (traditionally called Ashtanga) - not only will it make you lean and toned, this inspirational form of yoga will generate positive changes within yourself that will last a lifetime. It's time to feel lighter and more vibrant, just in time for your Christmas holiday festivities!

My teacher Eileen Hall has all the moves and shapes to get you looking fit and feeling blissed-out! Eileen has aided me immensely in deepening my knowledge and appreciation for yoga. This particular practice is a dynamic one, filling us with lightness, strength and flexibility. It'll take you into the depths of your being, more than any other practice found in the vast expanse of yoga teachings.

This particular form of yoga creates an innate sense of freedom and peacefulness; it teaches us to surrender and trust; it boosts energy; it'll change your body shape, and it will open up your mind. There's no going back! Once you find your groove within this practice, it becomes a precious, life-affirming experience that will stay with you forever.

The aim of this practice is to glide from pose-to-pose with effortless ease; its beauty is found in the actual journey - much like life itself. The asanas are arranged in a sequential order, with each posture building on the previous one, strengthening and returning the body to a state of balance and unification, working mindfully towards holistic health. There are 'led classes' for you to get-to-know the practice, but you can also go to Eileen for a 'Mysore' practice - roll out your mat at any time between 6-9am and she's there to teach you, pose-by-pose, and take you to the next level with adjustments.

Don't worry - like any new student, sometimes you'll find memorizing the order of the Astanga Yoga poses a little challenging; it will become easier, especially if you practice regularly. It's a self discipline that you can take with you, wherever you are. As you grow on a daily basis with this refreshing, yet challenging practice, you'll see changes in body, mind and your everyday experience. The yoga asana's are a reflection of yourself, and as you open up (into a backbend, for example), you'll find you're more open to life situations - more willing to bend over backwards on behalf of others. The following regime is a 'very' small taste of the practice, there's over 50 poses (with variations) in the primary series so that gives you a good indication of the length, endurance and determination required to complete the first section of this system.

Lets do it.

After your warm up (sun salutations) please follow the next 6 poses in this particular order, which are just a snippet of what ashtanga has to offer. Eileen is there to guide you further, as there's many more poses to progress into as your journey unfolds.

'Big Toe' Forward bend (Padangustasana) This pose teaches you calmness and patience - it also serves to: stimulate the liver and kidneys; stretch the hamstrings and calf muscles; strengthen your legs and help improve your digestive system; and relieve insomnia.

Start with your feet hip distant apart and your feet parallel to the outer edge of your mat. Legs are straight and active, and as you exhale, pivot forward from your hip joints moving your torso down towards the floor. Wrap your first two fingers and thumb firmly around your big toe, pressing your toe into your fingers to secure the wrap. On your inhale, lift your front torso to lengthen forward as if you're going to stand again and on your exhale fold deeper over your legs keeping your sitting bones lifting high. Allow your head to hang heavily down, eyes soft and belly active. Ensure you're not collapsing your chest, your heart. Option is to bend your knees gently, or pass a strap under the ball of each foot and hold the straps. Exhale to bend your elbows out to the sides of your torso. Breathe deeply for 5 breaths. To release, bring your hands onto your hips and on your next inhale, come straight up to standing.

'Hand to Foot' forward bend (Padahastasana)
This is similar to the previous pose, except for the palms fold underneath your foot, up into your wrists. From standing with your feet hip distant apart, exhale and bend forward at the hips, keeping your arms extended throughout the movement, finishing with your upper torso and arms hanging straight downward. Inhale slowly, draw the head and neck forward (look up) and lengthen the spine.

Exhale again and relax the head, neck and spine downwards, fixing your fingers and palms firmly under your toes and the balls of your feet into the complete padahastasana pose. Breathe deeply for 5 breaths. To come out of the posture, release your hands from beneath the feet, bring your hands onto your hip bones and inhale to come back up into your standing position.

Extended Triangle pose (Utthita Trikonasana)
Your entire body gets stretched with this pose, it  limbers up your whole being. You create a triangle shape by using your limbs, hence the name! It's a therapeutic movement.

Begin with your feet together. With an exhalation, step or lightly jump your feet 3 1/2 to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms parallel to the floor and reach them actively out to the sides, shoulder blades wide, palms down.

Turn your left foot in slightly to the right and your right foot out to the right 90 degrees. Align the right heel with the left heel. Firm your thigh muscles, kneecaps lifting and turn your right thigh outward, so that the center of the right knee cap is in line with the center of the right ankle. On your next exhale, extend your torso to the right directly over your right leg, bending from the hip joint, not the waist. Anchor this movement by strengthening the left leg and pressing the outer heel firmly to the floor. Rotate the torso to the left, keeping the two sides equally long. Let the left hip come slightly forward and lengthen the tailbone toward the back heel.

Rest your right hand on your shin, ankle, or wrap your first two fingers and thumb around your big toe, whatever is possible without distorting the sides of the torso. Stretch your left arm toward the ceiling, in line with the tops of your shoulders. Keep your chin tucked into your throat and turn it to the left, eyes gazing softly at the left thumb. Keep extending your top arm up towards the ceiling, and press your feet deeply into the earth.

Stay in this pose for deep breaths before coming up, strongly pressing the back heel into the floor and reaching the top arm toward the ceiling. Reverse the feet and repeat for the same length of time to the other side.

Revolved Triangle pose (Parivritta Trikonasana)
This pose is about revolving and turning around, like life - view it from every perspective with an open mind. Begin with your feet together. On your next exhale, step or lightly jump your feet 3.5 to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms parallel to the floor and reach them actively out to the sides, shoulder blades wide, palms down. Turn your left foot in 45 to 60 degrees to the right and your right foot out to the right 90 degrees. Align the right heel with the left heel. Firm your thighs and turn your right thigh outward, so that the center of the right kneecap is in line with the center of the right ankle.

As you exhale, turn your torso to the right, and square your hip bones with the front edge of your mat. As you bring the left hip around to the right, resist the head of the left thigh bone back and firmly ground the left heel.

On your next exhale, turn your torso further to the right and lean forward over the front leg. Reach your left hand down, either to the floor (inside or outside the foot) or, if the floor is too far away, onto a block or chair positioned against your inner right foot. Allow the left hip to drop slightly toward the floor. You may feel the right hip slip out to the side and lift up toward the shoulder, and the torso may collapse over the front leg. To counteract this, press the outer right thigh actively to the left and lengthen the right hip away from the right shoulder. Use your right hand, if necessary, to create these two movements by wrapping the thumb into the right hip crease. Keep your chin tucked into your throat, and either look forward or turn your head to gaze up towards your top thumb.

Beginner students should keep their head in a neutral position, looking straight forward, or turn it to look at the floor, keeping your chin tucked into your throat. More experienced students can turn the head and gaze up at the top thumb. From the center of the back, between the shoulder blades, press the arms away from the torso. Bring most of your weight into your back heel and the front hand.

Stay in this pose for 5 deep long breaths. To release, bring your torso back to an upright position with an inhalation. Repeat for the same length of time with the legs reversed, twisting to the other side.

Extended side angle pose (Utthita Parshvakonasana)
This can be a challenging pose, working through the different variations, and you'll always discover and learn a new 'feeling' within your body on how to get deeper into the pose.

Begin in a standing position with your feet together. On an exhalation, step or lightly jump your feet 3.5 to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms parallel to the floor and reach them actively out to the sides, shoulder blades wide, palms down. Turn your left foot in slightly to the right and your right foot out to the right 90 degrees. Align the right heel with the left heel. Active your legs and turn your right thigh outward, so that the center of the kneecap is in line with the center of the right ankle. Roll the left hip slightly forward to the right, but rotate your upper torso back to the left.
Keep your back heel wedged firmly into the floor by lifting the inner left groin deep into the pelvis. Then exhale and bend your right knee over the right ankle, so that the shin is perpendicular to the floor. As you bend the knee aim the inner knee toward the little-toe side of the foot. If possible, bring the right thigh parallel to the floor.

Draw your shoulders down away from your ears and squeeze your shoulder blades into your back ribs. Extend your left arm straight up toward the ceiling, then turn the left palm to face toward your head and with an inhalation reach the arm over the back of your left ear, palm facing the floor. Stretch from your left heel through your left fingertips, lengthening the entire left side of your body. Turn your head to look at the left arm, keep your chin tucked into your throat to protect your neck. Release your right shoulder away from the ear. Try to create as much length along the right side of your torso as you do along the left.

As you continue to ground your left heel to the floor, exhale and lay the right side of your torso down onto (or bring it as close as possible to) the top of the right thigh. Press your right fingertips (or palm) on the floor just outside of your right foot. Actively push the right knee back against the inner arm; counter this by drawing your tail bone down into the back of your pelvis, toward the pubis. The inside of your right thigh should be parallel with the long edge of your mat.

Hold and breathe deeply for 5 breaths and use your inhale to come up to lift up lightly. Repeat to the other side for the same breath lengths.

Revolved side angle pose (Parivritta Parsvakonasana)
Start in your mountain pose (standing position as above). On your next exhale, step or lightly jump your feet 3.5 to 4 feet apart. Rest your hands on your hips. Turn your right foot out to the right 90 degrees and turn your left foot in slightly to the right. Keep your left and right heel aligned. Keep your legs strong and active, and turn your right thigh outward, so that your kneecap is in line with the center of the right ankle.

On your next exhale, turn your torso to the right until you're facing directly out over the right leg; as you do this, lift your left heel off the floor and spin on the ball of the foot until the inner left foot is parallel to the inner right foot. Then exhale again and bend your right knee. If possible, bring the right thigh parallel to the floor. Keep your left leg active by pressing the thigh up toward the ceiling and extending strongly through the left heel. At the same time, resist the lift of the left thigh by pressing the tailbone down and under.

With another exhale turn further to the right and lean the torso down, placing the left hand on the floor inside the right foot. Keep your shoulders drawing down and lean the torso back slightly, away from the inner thigh. Stay in this position for a few breaths.

If this position seems challenging enough, stay here. Otherwise, bend your left elbow and bring it onto the outside of the right knee. Press your knee and elbow against each other. If you can, straighten your left elbow and reach the hand toward the floor (if you can't reach the floor, support your hand on a block or chair). You can have your right hand on your hip, or stretch it over the back of the right ear with the palm facing down (without crowding your heart). Then turn your head to look at the right arm, chin tucked into your throat. As in all twists lengthen and softly draw your belly in, extend the spine with each inhalation, and increase the twist as you exhale.

Breathe deeply for 5 breaths. Inhale to come up, exhale to release the twist. Repeat for the same length of time on the other side.

Rest pose (Savasana)
After any yoga practice, it's crucial to let your body absorb the depth of your practice, on all levels. Lay still on your back for approx 5-10 minutes. The longer your practice, the longer your savasana. Rest is really important for all of us, please take your time with this, any extra few minutes could make all the difference for you to find inner peace and stillness. When you feel ready to return to 'the world', roll to your right side for a few breaths, before coming up into a cross-legged sitting position.

Hands join at your heart centre, bow your head softly with gratitude. Give yourself quiet moments to honour yourself and reinforce your self-belief. Go about your day with a joyful attitude, facing any challenges with grace, strength and a deep sense of light-heartedness, aided by the tools of your Ashtanga practice.