Shadow hatha yoga with PamShadow Hatha Yoga Zoom classes are now Wednesday morning, as of 18 October.

Get in touch if you’d like to join, or book a class here.

Wednesdays to 6 December

7:30 – 8:30 am

Drop in €15

Six classes €66

Bonus: Recording available for a week.

 

SAVE THE DATESBalakrama Sharva

Two workshops coming up in Wicklow

Balakrama basics

Saturday November 25

9 – 11:30 am

60

Suitable for beginners to Shadow yoga, those seeking a refresher

Join weekly Zoom classes to support your practice every Wednesday 7:30 – 8:30am. Drop in €15.

Benefits of the Balakrama

  • You’ll feel stronger! The Warrior and Archer poses stoke the fire of agni, your digestive fire. This refers to physical and mental digestion – food, and processing events and happenings in your life.
  • Your mental focus will be enhanced through the structure and rhythm of the practice.
  • Joint mobility improves. The joint warm up is a gentle hint to the body that we use at every practice, and the toes, ankles, knees and hips gain power and space through the Balakrama activity.
  • It’s good for your bones. Static standing poses help to maintain strong leg bones which support bone density
  • Your breathing becomes deeper more rhythmic. As we apply “good stress” to the body and practice maintaining a smooth inhalation and exhalation, the lungs grow more capable of this deeper breathing.
  • Coordination improves through the “prana mudra” elements. “Prana” is the life energy that circulates, and “mudra” is a position. We move the arms in an expressive way, moving our energy as well.
  • The sum of this work cultivates a foundation for seated asana.

Balakrama full practice

Saturday January 27

9 – 11:30 am

60

Suitable for those with some yoga experience

Join weekly Zoom classes to support your practice every Wednesday 7:30 – 8:30am. Drop in €15, 8 weeks €88.

Benefits of the Balakrama full practice

Breathing will deepen and become more rhythmic

Stamina improves

Coordination is refined

Joint mobility improves

A strong foundation is established for seated work, and for further Prelude work

 

Welcome to yoga, and congratulations for giving it a try.

What should you expect from a beginner’s yoga class?

There are so many styles of yoga or personal teacher’s interpretations that it can be overwhelming. As a rule of thumb, if you are truly a beginner it is beneficial to start with a beginner level class.

What I can offer is that

  • You will be welcomed as you are.
  • The yoga will set you up with a good foundation, with a gradual progression.
  • Many pieces of the practice are simple, but precise, so that you can “get” them yet they will offer a challenge to perfect.
  • The basics are repeated weekly so that you can become familiar, and even begin to try a little at home.

Key themes for beginners

Standing poses are important. Getting sensitivity into your feet affects your whole posture. Standing poses help develop strength, which is more important than flexibility in the beginning. Seated poses already assume joint mobility in the hips, knees and ankles, so it’s good to work with standing poses to improve joint mobility.

The mind will be busy. As you get more familiar, you might become bored. This is not because of the yoga, but the mindset – we’re overstimulated so it’s hard to stay focused on simple things. This will improve with practice.

The breath is the last thing to coordinate. Yoga focuses on breath because it bridges the physical body and the mind. But until you’re familiar with the physical movements, the breathing can become confusing. Don’t worry. Breathe normally until your mind is ready to absorb what’s going on with the breath as well.

Relaxation is wonderful! But it’s also a “pose”. Don’t be surprised if you fall asleep during relaxation – sometimes that’s exactly what we need and our body knows it. It’s a good sign that you are at ease. Just know that the idea is to stay focused – or “mindful” – of your body and breath. Everything improves with practice!

How to get the most out of your classes

Arrive a few minutes early. You’ll be settled in and ready to go on time, so your focus will be fully on the practice.

Allow at least an hour between eating and the class. Digestion is work for the body, so the less you eat the more settled you will be for practice.

Remove your shoes at the door. Yoga is usually practiced in bare feet. In Ireland sometimes socks provide warmth, although bare feet give you more sensitivity and more grip.

When you arrive, prepare mentally by simply sitting quietly or lying down. It’s a good way to let the day go and give yourself a bit of head-space.

What to bring

Have a mat and perhaps a blanket for the relaxation at the end. We lose heat quickly after a session and it’s important to be comfortable and warm to really benefit from the relaxation.

You won’t need water during class, it’s physically challenging but not sweaty yoga. If you hydrate well during the day, there is no need to drink during class.

Drop in or term fee?

While drop-in fees offer flexibility, you’ll get more value for money in the term fee.

Also, if you have decided to try yoga, you should know that the first couple of classes will be a steep learning curve. It’s not of much benefit to attend one or two classes. You’ll start to get some familiarity by the 3rd or 4th class, and only then does your mind begin to take in more details. And yoga is a practice for any stage of life, so there is a gradual progression and refinement that can provide benefits at any age, once you have a regular practice.

If you have any questions, please get in touch. Thursday evening classes in Carlow are aimed at beginners. Classes on Tuesdays in Tullow accept beginners but are aimed at those with some experience.

Namaste.

It’s the longest day of the year up here in the Northern hemisphere. I have always loved the long days in Ireland, with the sun still offering light as late as 11:30 pm. It was a bit tricky getting young children to bed some years ago, but now summer is a couple of cherished months of basking in lovely, light evenings.

What does “light” mean? The absence of darkness; a speed (about 300,000 km / second); electromagnetic radiation perceivable by the human eye; the opposite of heavy; a good mood.

What makes me feel light? Eating lightly – fresh food, not too much. Walking outdoors, not too fast nor too slow; a wander. Reading an uplifting book; stories about overcoming. A smile beaming at me; laughing with a friend. Having time off; having space to do nothing; or doing something new, a light challenge like learning a few guitar chords or painting a picture just for the fun of it. In the darkest of winter, the security of a hot drink by a warm fire does it.

I’m not alone, judging by the poem, below, by Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Creativity, socialising, being outdoors, slowing down. Those seems to be the themes for me. What about you? What makes you feel light? Can you do any of it on this Solstice day, to mark it? If nothing else, close your eyes and take 3 slow breaths. It’s amazing how that can lighten the mood, the day, the weight.

Wishing you a light-filled solstice,

Pam

In Summer Time

When summer time has come, and all
The world is in the magic thrall
Of perfumed airs that lull each sense
To fits of drowsy indolence;
When skies are deepest blue above,
And flow’rs aflush,—then most I love
To start, while early dews are damp,
And wend my way in woodland tramp
Where forests rustle, tree on tree,
And sing their silent songs to me;
Where pathways meet and pathways part,—
To walk with Nature heart by heart,
Till wearied out at last I lie
Where some sweet stream steals singing by
A mossy bank; where violets vie
In color with the summer sky,—
Or take my rod and line and hook,
And wander to some darkling brook,
Where all day long the willows dream,
And idly droop to kiss the stream,
And there to loll from morn till night—
Unheeding nibble, run, or bite—
Just for the joy of being there
And drinking in the summer air,
The summer sounds, and summer sights,
That set a restless mind to rights
When grief and pain and raging doubt
Of men and creeds have worn it out;
The birds’ song and the water’s drone,
The humming bee’s low monotone,
The murmur of the passing breeze,
And all the sounds akin to these,
That make a man in summer time
Feel only fit for rest and rhyme.
Joy springs all radiant in my breast;
Though pauper poor, than king more blest,
The tide beats in my soul so strong
That happiness breaks forth in song,
And rings aloud the welkin blue
With all the songs I ever knew.
O time of rapture! time of song!
How swiftly glide thy days along
Adown the current of the years,
Above the rocks of grief and tears!
‘Tis wealth enough of joy for me
In summer time to simply be.

Ballin Temple is a magical spot nestled in the valley near the River Slaney. Since we moved here 23 years ago we’ve managed the place and grown vegetables without chemical sprays; we were officially organic for a few years. Very soon, we’re offering

  • FREE introduction to Grow Your Own on Feb 25 (online) – Tom will take you through what the course is about.
  • Grow Your Own, a course (in person in our garden, and online) that runs monthly from March 25 – Sept 30 to get into growing your own food. The monthly format allows you to keep at it and ask questions to personalise your food growing experience.
  • Summer yoga classes – dates will be announced after Easter. Can’t wait! Not on the yoga mailing list? Scroll to the bottom of the page and join my lovely yoga community.

We’re also selling a thoroughbred (no time!), square-bale hay, and have just gone live on the Wwoofer website. For details on all of that, check out the full Ballin Temple newsletter here.

Be a Nature Sanctuary Supporter

Years ago we had to stop salmon fishing as the population on the Slaney was in peril. Now we manage the river bank much less intensively but walkers love coming to enjoy nature. There are still costs involved in path clearing and other maintenance, so if you’d like to lend support, it is greatly appreciated.

3 tips to help you get the greatest benefit from your yoga class

1. What to eat before yoga class

Yoga is traditionally done early in the morning, so that the stomach is empty and the mind is quiet. An empty stomach is helpful when you’re trying to bend forward, or twist!

And energy is not diverted to digesting food.

But evening classes make an empty stomach tricky. Most importantly, eat what YOU can digest easily. Be aware that a light meal takes about 2 hours to digest and do what you can to accommodate yourself in this regard. Something warm like soup, broth or a plant-based stew would be ideal. As with yoga itself, observation of the effects of your food choices will inform you for the next time.

A bowl of soup

Water intake during class is not a yogic practice. This developed because some “power” or “hot” yoga classes, designed to make you sweat profusely, required water intake. This is not in line with traditional yogic practice so use common sense based on what style of class you’re in. Try to hydrate well up to half an hour before class. You should also attend to personal needs – thirsty types, medication and certain conditions may require additional hydration. Generally, my classes do not promote a need for water.

2. What to wear and bring to yoga

If you’re comfortable, you’re on to something. Anything that does not restrict your movement around the hips and shoulders is perfect. Leggings and a sports top or t-shirt are popular.

LAYERS are important because you’ll warm up during class, but when we lie down for even 5 minutes the body cools down quickly. You are welcome to bring a blanket to stay cosy. Some people simply use their outdoor jacket as an extra cover if they want extra warmth.

what to wear for yoga

what to wear and bring for yoga class

We practice in bare feet. Socks are fine if you’re cold. Shoes are left at the door.

Bring a mat. Yoga mats provide a non-slip surface for the practice. The Shadow yoga school teaches without the use of mats, which has advantages, but on a carpet or a colder floor, a mat is very helpful.

3. Arriving to your yoga class

Being early allows you time to settle in, and avoids disrupting others. However, if you ARE running late, I welcome you, please come anyhow – sometimes life gets in the way of our schedule!

If you’re chronically late, give yourself the space, and permission, for those extra few minutes. That 5 minute cushion is not wasted time, it’s an acknowledgement that you are truly giving yourself time to fully absorb the benefits of your yoga practice. Chronic, avoidable tardiness probably points to some other issue; compassionate inquiry may help to shed light on what’s really going on.

If you’d like to book a class, there’s plenty of choice, from drop in to 4, 8 or 12 weeks, and Zoom. Check out pambutleryoga.com.

Namaste.

INTENTIONS

This powerful practice is a way to find clarity by writing things down. Intentions, unlike goals, do not specify how you will get there, but they give you a direction and priority.

The year can seem to drag or fly by, and taking charge of your time at the start of the calendar year can be a refreshing way to step into new things, or to simply refine your existing way of living.

Before setting intentions for the coming year, let go of the past year. Sit or lie still for a few minutes and thinking through your highlights and lowlights, acknowledging successes and failures equally, and letting any unwanted energy from those moments go with a good exhale. Once that’s done, focus on your heart for a few breaths, feeling the softness of it. Allowing this vital organ to “soften” brings the nervous system into a calmer state.

Now, you’re ready to write a few things down.

Intentions are based on your values, so they allow you to envisage you in your full potential, without expectation of perfection. There’s wiggle room; it’s a mindful direction rather than a stressful challenge or goal.

Values can be about connections to the outside – family, good relationships, community; or personal characteristics and practices like patience, kindness, acceptance, discipline, gratitude; or life priorities like health, happiness, learning, leading, abundance.

Setting your 2022 Intentions

When I first did this exercise, I was struck by how it cleared the dross from my cluttered to-do list and laid the foundations for a productive and focused year. What is your WORD for 2022? Your Word is the overall value for this year. Take your time – it can be tough to decide, or it can leap out at you. Check the appendix for a list of possible words. If you’re overwhelmed, start with a list of 10 words. Whittle down to 5. Choose the one that resonates with you most strongly.

GOALS

Make your goals SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-based. That way, you can be clear about what’s next, align it with your overall intention, and give have a mini-celebratoin every time you complete a step. Have fun!

 

What are your PERSONAL goals for 2022?

This may be to do with a personal habit (to create or to break) – read a book a month, watch 1 hour less of TV per day, etc.

What is the FIRST STEP (a very small easy step) that you can take?

When will you take it?

Action

Tick here when you have taken it: ­___

Write your next (small) step here: __________________________________________

 

What are your HEALTH or FITNESS goals for 2022?

Would you like to have more energy? Complete a 5 km run? Try one new vegetarian recipe a month?

What is the FIRST STEP (a very small easy step) that you can take?

When will you take it?

Action

Tick here when you have taken it: ­___

Write your next (small) step here: __________________________________________

 

What are your SPIRITUAL goals for 2022?

This may be about you and your self-awareness, or it may be about how you interact with the world. ~Taking a breath when you need a moment; being grateful for something each day; these are examples.

What is the FIRST STEP (a very small easy step) that you can take?

When will you take it?

Action

Tick here when you have taken it: ­___

Write your next (small) step here: __________________________________________

 

What are your ___________________ (family, professional, etc) goals for 2022?

What is the FIRST STEP (a very small easy step) that you can take?

When will you take it?

Action

Tick here when you have taken it: ­___

Write your next (small) step here: __________________________________________

 

Roll this process over as many times as you need, to see your goal through. Remember: Intention guides, Goals give a fixed aim, small (achievable, measurable|, time-based) steps make it happen. Happy new year!

What’s going on at Ballin Temple?

More than we expected, especially as Ireland has been under lockdown all year so far.  If you’ve seen some of the posts on social media you’ll have an inkling of how busy we’ve been.  In order to keep the fires burning we were doing a lot of logging since January as our wood stock had expired.  Although it’s not light work it always feels good to be in the woods hauling lumber – it’s fresh out there.  In addition we got an invitation to clear some trees from around a barn at Headfort School where my brother has helped relaunch the friendly well equipped country school near Kells.  When we got there we found out it was a massive job as no maintenance had been done for 25 years.  Luckily I had with me certified tree ninja Jonas Holland Brennan who was able to swing like Tarzan with a chainsaw and remove trees rooted to the roof of the barn!

Jonas also did us a huge favour of reducing a couple of overgrown trees in the garden.  (I’m too nervous to climb a tree with a saw any more (mostly).)  Crowning the trees was a decision we’d put off for years because we don’t like cutting trees, but the positive effects are already noticed and we’ve planted several saplings around the smallholding already this year.  The two trees overshadowed the garden and the plots and provided a handy vantage point from  which vermin could fly in and peck at seeds or poultry eggs.  Now the garden is warmer and lighter and the crows, magpies and pigeons have more difficulty getting in, though they still do.

The last couple of weeks have been spent manically trying to catch up on the spring planting.  A kind donation of manure from Padraig Byrne will have a positive effect on soil fertility – we’re spread more than half of the 16 tonne load.  Phew!!  Broad beans were first to go in (over 2,000) and the onions (~800).  Both are showing their heads now.  Spuds went in (~900) as that hard frost hit a week ago.  Hopefully they’re not too affected by the cold.  (Here’s a little video on tying fleece down, though with the wind these days cement blocks or similar are almost essential.)  Most of the leaves plot is sown and we’ve direct sown brassicas for the first time, i.e. not seedlings.  Hopefully they’ll get ahead of the weeds and give a crop.  And we only sowed the tomatoes (~200) last weekend so they might not be as tall as usual.  It is not normal to need irrigation at this time of year, but we’re basically having a drought so although it’s April (i.e. “April showers”) we’re watering everything!

We’ve also launched a gardening course which is challenging us to share helpful stories of our experience over the past 20 years as well as deliver a kind of TV production as it is a live broadcast (with access to the recorded sessions later if needed).  Luckily Pam is an excellent director, cameraman and editor.  The course is seven sessions, the last Saturday of the month from March to September, so everyone can see the progression of the garden during the growing season.  It’s not just a simple gardening course though, it is much wider ranging to encompass many of the activities pursued on a smallholding, like logging, animal husbandry, infrastructure, marketing, family etc.  Check out the intro video or some of the snippets we’ve posted.  The Smallholder’s Garden offers a different approach which is an amusing diversion from the normal video entertainment.  Join any time as you can watch previous sessions’ recordings.  Next session this Saturday April 24.

After several failed attempts we’ve managed to incubate goose eggs and now have 4 one week old goslings.  We had five until yesterday when the weakest one caught itself in the heat lamp and died.  That kind of accident is why I’ve shied away from animal husbandry – the responsibility of life and death. But it is good to have the new goslings and if they make it through the next month or so they’ll be out clipping the grass in time for summer!

Moving on to smaller animals, insects in fact, the bees survived the winter – hooray! – and we’ve made new hive boxes, which now need roof and floor, so might expand the buzzing habitat this year if we are lucky.

Fishing is open. Although we do not promote the activity and lean more to conservation and nurturing the natural environment, we have welcomed a couple of new members who have taken a season weekday rod – thank you John and Anthony.  We keep the numbers on the river low but would welcome a few more season rods with similar conservation ethics as they help keep an eye on the river and protect it from poaching and abuse.

Pam has started teaching yoga after the Easter break again.  Check out PamButlerYoga.com to sign up for the ever popular Tuesday evening class (zoom or Tullow) or the Friday morning class (zoom or Ballin Temple).  She is also offering private sessions and workshops will be announced as they come up.  Yoga has become more popular in the past year as it is an activity that one can do at home and which can help with emotional stress which has been increased by the pandemic. Pam has free resources available on her website and social media to inspire your practice.

On the subject of health and the pandemic, information seems very varied from the political aspect of the freedom or not to choose masking, vaccination etc to the epidemiological aspects of surviving and enjoying life.  We had a covid household in January and symptoms varied from almost none to a few days of being “out of commission” followed by some symptoms of “long covid”.  What helped was rest and healthy eating as with any flu and being in a clean environment i.e. NATURE!  (We are lucky.)  The outlook remains difficult to plan as the infection rates remain high, vaccines have partial efficacy, variants are increasing and too many people in positions of responsibility are still talking about “back to normal” which is clearly a non-starter.  Our outlook has been sanguine for many years now but enjoying life is certainly helped by having fresh air to breathe, clean water to drink and wildlife in the neighbourhood.  We hope you can enjoy those simple pleasures. The lockdown certainly seems to be helping wildlife as we’ve seen more squirrels than spotted for a few years now and had our first owl sighting a week ago. Consider joining the nature club here to enjoy and protect the little nature sanctuary here on the banks of the Slaney.

We have some grass livery available for friendly horses or donkeys and will be cutting hay for small bales in a couple of months.  Let us know if you’d like some.

Ballin Temple is a life laboratory for our exploration of system change technologies and offers a living work place to understand the kind of changes that are required to live with nature rather than consuming nature.  The past year has seen developments in consciousness thinking which underline the importance of mental health.  Unfortunately most of us are still insulated from the opportunity to change by traditional mindsets.  But nature is acclaimed as a cure in so many articles over the past year.  So build your immunity by getting in touch with nature.

If you want to get away but can’t go abroad, consider a staycation at one of our holiday cottages.  They are lovely, are fairly priced and offer immediate access to the special area of conservation on the Slaney.  May can be the best month to visit since the weather is usually fine and bluebells an rhododendrons are bursting out in the woods and on the river banks.

Stay well and #LoveNature 🙂

Pam and Tom

For regular notes from Ballin Temple please follow us on facebook.

Cross-legged forward bend: Hips & back

Crossing your legs rotates the hips outwards and stretches the lower back. Resting your hands on the ground and relaxing your head forwards stretches the upper back. Don’t push.

Seated twist: Outer hips & waist

This relieved hip soreness from lying in bed on my side. It also moved my waist and ribs, which felt like an enormous relief. Give that knee a good hug. Hold it for as long as it’s doing you good – a few seconds or a couple of minutes.

Thread the needle: Hips & back

More on the hips: But it was nice to lie down. This relieved hip soreness from lying in bed on my side, in a stronger way.

Side-lying twist: Hips, back & waist

This is a more relaxed version of the side twists. I preferred the stronger twist, hugging my knee firmly. But this one is more accessible and more relaxed.

Single leg stretch: Quadricep & lower back

I was surprised how useful this was, to release the discomfort from the whole front of the leg and hip on the outstretched leg. The leg being hugged stimulates the abdomen a bit, and stretches the lower back. Wonderful relief.

Sphinx and Cobra: Mid back bend

Lying in bed for too long causes my back to get tired and sore, Covid or not. This combination of poses gave my back a stretch in the opposite direction to what it was otherwise getting. Careful not to let your shoulders hunch up too close to your ears, that can make the neck sore.

Seated forward bend – Back & hamstrings

Fabulous relief all along my back, heels to top of head. BUT also very powerful: A tiny gesture of drawing my chin in a bit could be excrutiatingly strong. Remember to go easy with all these stretches.

Happy Baby Pose – Deep hip, groin and back release

The first image is the perfect pose :). The second image is a helpful variation. I often ended with this one. If you have the capacity to gently begin to straighten your legs, you’ll get a fantastic hamstring stretch too. Do not reach so hard to grab your feet that you arch your neck and create tension there. Remember – do only as much as you need, and helps you.

 

When I contracted COVID in January – the dreaded virus had made its way into our household, and our use of masks and attempted isolation did not contain it well enough. – I experienced a sudden onset of pain. The pain was in my muscles and joints; luckily I only suffered very slight, occasional headaches. But it was like something was trying to burst out of my muscles, almost a humming discomfort that refused to let me sleep or even rest easily. It may help you or a loved one to read what I learned from COVID.

My routine for 9 nights when I woke from the pain was to ease myself out of bed and onto the hard floor. There was something comforting about the hard floor: Clarity of sensation. I could feel exactly where it hurt. I stretched. Stretched. Stretched. I was literally to open up my muscles and let the pain out.

It worked, at least most times, at least partially. The best, most restful sleep I had during my COVID bout was after a good stretch.

While symptoms seem to vary, keeping my muscles and joints moving, gently and as needed, was the best solution I could find for pain. But other symptoms like fatigue and headaches need attention too. Here are my 5 top tips to deal with Covid.

  1. STOP
    This is the first lesson. Not just physically, but mentally. It wasn’t the “brain fog” that is listed as a COVID symptom that made me stop, it was the exhausting nature of thinking. The brain uses up a startling 20% to 25% of the body’s overall energy, mainly in the form of glucose. That translates to 350 or 450 calories per day for the average adult. That’s why studying is so tiring. That’s why fatigue causes error.
    I believe that what helped me recover was letting go of technology and resting a lot. Even if you cancel your zoom meetings (and yes, you should!), it’s easy to pick up the phone, scroll down Instagram, comment on social media, read the news, and worry about … whatever you like to
    worry about. Don’t. Sit down. Lie down. Read the comics if you must (your headache or eye ache may prevent you from doing even that) Drift. Close your eyes. Open your eyes and stare at the ceiling, or the sky. Do this for many days. It’s ok. Got kids needing home schooling? They will never, ever remember “today” as a standout day in their life because you didn’t home school them properly. It doesn’t matter. Let them play, draw, “watch TV” (whatever that means to you these days), clean their room, go outside if that’s appropriate.
  2. WALK
    Walk? But you just said to stop!
    Think of this kind of walking as “stopping in motion”. Stroll, and breathe the fresh air a little more deeply to boost your immune system and your mood. Don’t go too far – you’re not challenging yourself, you’re coddling yourself. Just for a few days. Bundle up, and if you feel like a good stretch while you’re strolling along, stop and enjoy a nice big stretch. This releases lactic acid from your muscles and moves your lymph. Both good for “getting rid of” stuff you don’t need.
  3. DRINK
    “Drink plenty of water”, states the HSE’s website.
    I happened to read about lastminute.com founder’s Martha Lane Fox, who suffered a near-tragic jeep accident while on holiday some years ago, drinks tumeric+pepper in hot water every morning as part of her pain management regime. I have included tumeric and black pepper in many smoothies and hot drinks since then. Tumeric is known to reduce inflammation.
  4. STRETCH
    During your walk, as suggested above, or a really good stretch to get rid of the stiffness associated with COVID. Here’s a short video on my favourites – and a “chair yoga” version, here.
  5. BATHE
    If you have the option, a nice hot bath can relax you and your muscles, It seemed to help me. I added Epsom salt – available over the counter at a pharmacy in nice big 4 L tubs – though there is no solid evidence that the salt gives additional benefit. A few drops of essential oils like lavender are helpful. The lovely smells (if you still have your sense of smell) can indeed help to relax you.
    Enjoy the comfort!
  6. PAIN MANAGEMENT
    I resorted to pain medication a handful of times when nothing else was giving me relief, or I was too exhausted to put up with it any more. Paracetamol worked well for me, although it did nothing to help me actually sleep. Remember that you are treating a symptom (pain), not the actual virus. The HSE says this: “Paracetamol or ibuprofen may help with symptoms such as pain or fever.
    Paracetamol is usually recommended as the first-line treatment for most people. Before taking any medication you should read the full package leaflet that comes with your medicine. You should also follow any advice a healthcare professional gives you.” There is a LOT of disinformation, and also simply not enough research, to know for sure what is best and what may work against you.

I hope this blog post on what I learned from COVID has helped you. Find out more about my yoga classes here.

Read more at https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/media/pressrel/advice-about-anti-inflammatory-medication-and-covid-19.html

 

Update: April 2021

Two weeks after I recovered, I noticed my muscles becoming sore again, and headaches, this time around the eyes, returned. I kept up a simple yoga practice which included arm movements (prana mudra) and relaxation with my chest slightly elevated. Marma points associated with heart, lung
and blood are around the neck, shoulders, chest and arms. The arm movements, done with deep regular breathing, improve the heart and lung channels in the body
I’m still not as strong as I was but this could be the virus or a simple reduction in fitness. .