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September is National yoga awareness month!

13/9/2022

Here in the UK September is National Yoga Awareness month!

Yoga is a fantastic way help mobilise and stretch your mind and body. You don't need to have a hour or more per day to practice (although that would be amazing if you did!) - just 10 or 15 minutes a day can do wonders for moving your body and slowing down your mind. Whether you are completely new to Yoga or have been practicing for years creating space and time each day will gently strengthen your body and calm your mind. I always try to fit it in first thing in the morning, after making coffee, feeding the cats but before my kids start arguing!

I have been teaching Yoga for over 12 years and practicing for over 20. I wanted to create a Yoga retreat in a box style Yoga gift box that you could treat yourself with or a friend. This Yoga gift box would allow you to experience the amazing sense of wellbeing that you get from a Yoga retreat but in your own home if you are unable to go to a retreat.

If you are looking to treat yourself or a friend to Yoga gift, my Chakra Boxes are a great place to start. They are Yoga gift boxes that I have designed as a Yoga retreat, you have access to two exclusive videos per box. A Yoga flow suitable for beginners onwards and a Guided Meditation video, which uses a simple breath pattern to help you quieten and calm your mind. Then there is an essential oil candle, a notebook that you can use to journal your thoughts after your sessions, or maybe just to write shopping lists plus herbal teas and luxury bath salts or body scrubs. Also in the Yoga gift box, and available to buy separately, are my Mala beads, power bracelets. These Mala beads are made from beautiful gemstones that you can use in your meditation sessions (the Guided Meditation videos show you how to) or just as a reminder to pause and breathe during your day, maybe while having a cup of tea.

Yoga Gift boxes - Chakra boxes
at home yoga retreat

Currently, there are two Yoga gift box options available in my Etsy store, the Root Chakra Box and the Sacral Chakra Box, the third Yoga gift box option is under way and will be the Solar Plexus Chakra Box.

yoga on youtube

Click the YouTube link below and you can find some 15 minute Yoga flows on my YouTube channel that you can do for free!

Sacral Chakra Mala beads / Carnelian power bracelet

Sacral Chakra Yoga gift box / Yoga retreat in a box

Root Chakra Yoga gift box / Yoga retreat in a box

Root Chakra Mala beads / Red garnet power bracelet

Solar Plexus Chakra Mala beads / Tiger eye power bracelet

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Cress seeds - growing instructions

28/6/2020

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These seeds are loose in the envelope! Please take care when opening it.

Sow inside all year.

Lightly scatter seeds on compost or kitchen paper.

Place on a warm windowsill & keep damp!

You can eat me when I'm 2in high or leave me longer.
Try making a cress head by putting the paper towel into 1/2 a cleaned egg shell, carefully draw a face & watch the green hair grow!
Adult supervision required!

The best Cress seed favours!

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Wildflower Seed Bombs planting instructions

12/6/2020

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Planting instructions for my Wildflower Seed Bombs

Sow outside February-June, after the last frost or September-October.

Don't forget to keep watering me!

Watch me grow and flower!

Watch the bees & butterflies feeding from me!

Adult supervision required!

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Giant sunflower seed planting instructions

11/6/2020

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Just in case you need a copy of the instructions again, or in a slightly larger format

Plant me in a pot on your windowsill, April-May.

When I'm 10-15cm tall, re-plant me outside, about 45cm apart & give me lots of water.

Watch out, slugs & snails like to eat my shoots.

As I grow, gently tie my stalk to a cane.

Keep watering me & watch me grow & grow!

Adult supervision required!

Sunflowers and wild flowers

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Should we feed our garden birds all year?

16/2/2020

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feeding our garden birds throughout the year and not just in winter

Should we feed our garden birds throughout the year?
Yes, is the quick answer!
But, here's the longer more detailed answer...
Food shortages can occur at any time of the year for our wildlife, but, more so in winter. What food we put down for our birds should vary depending on the time of year.

Feeding in autumn and winter

Autumn and Winter - our garden birds need a higher fat based feed in the winter to help them keep their own fat reserves high to keep warm. So food options like fat balls, sunflower hearts and small seeds like nyjer seeds are all good. If you use peanuts, make sure they are in a mesh feeder, so that they have to peck at them, rather than taking a full peanut, which can be dangerous for them! Putting food out at a consistent time is helpful as the regular birds will get to know when to visit your garden, so if they do get food shortages in bad weather, they will know where to find a good supply.

Feeding in Spring and summer

Spring and Summer - birds require higher protein foods, especially when moulting. Avoid putting out lots of bread and go for some more nutritious options such as chopped apples, pears, grapes or soaked raisins. Sunflower hearts are still a good option. Keep an eye on fat balls, some commercial ones can be used all year, but the fat may go rancid. Dig over any soil in your garden to allow the birds to forage worms and bugs!

The fat balls that come in Green Living Party Bags are plastic free - they don't have any netting around them. They can be placed on a bird table or used in the mesh feeders and are suitable for year round use. They will appeal to a wide range of garden birds such as blue tits, great tits, robins, finches, starlings and sparrows. They do not contain peanuts, but maybe made in an area that uses peanuts.

Then later on in the year, once your giant sunflowers have grown (up to 3 meters!!) and flowered, the flower heads themselves can be left to go to seed for the birds to peck the seeds from.