BREATHE with Love – One Minute Tutorial for Yoga Nidra Practice

Volume 2 | Issue 15

Setting up for yoga nidra begins the moment you’ve sat down. Consider the practice started then, and treat yourself like your own beloved. 💞 This was the key message of this week’s meditation tutorial!

The yoga pose of the week is the sister pose to last week’s pose breakdown – Agnistambhasana | Double Pigeon or Fire Log pose. 🪵

BREATHE with Love

Unlock Healing and Relaxation with Yoga Nidra

Today’s one minute tutorial shows you how to set up for your own yoga nidra practice. ⏲️

Yoga Nidra is said to:

  • increase delta brainwaves
  • help with insomnia
  • induce a state of healing
  • and at the very least … provide a deep sense of relaxation and rest.1

Once you’re all set up, give one of my #BREATHEwithlove guided relaxation meditations a try!

The below Guided Relaxation is my most popular one:

Did you know you can listen to my meditations on Spotify, Apple Podcasts AND YouTube?!

MOVE with Love

Agnistambhasana | Double Pigeon or Fire Log Pose

This deep hip opener should be warmed up to for sure… but what a great stretch for the buttocks and outer legs! 🍑🦵

We have our bottom thigh slightly rotating outwards, and we stack the opposite leg’s ankle on top of the knee. Aiming to have the ankles lined up on opposite knees.

This is a great opportunity for a couple yoga blocks! I love a little upside down T set up myself. Then just like before, we rise up tall on the inhale and fold on the exhale. Forehead rests gently on that top yoga block, feet are flexed, shoulders melt down the back and we breathe into the hips and low back.

Thank you so much for being here. I firmly believe in the quiet power of yoga and meditation – and sharing it with you is my great mission. ✨

If you have been wanting to try yoga from your living room, grab the beginner yogi class below to give my custom class a test run! 🏃‍♂️

Grab the Beginner Yogi Class

Hope you have a great weekend!

With Love,

Esta

  1. Articles sourced are:
    WebMD: What to Know About Yoga Nidra by Sarah Vallie, Medically Reviewed by Dany Paulie Baby, MD
    Healthline: Here’s the One Thing No One’s Telling Us About Yoga Nidra by Kristin Currin-Sheehan
    Yoga International: What Is Yoga Nidra & Its Benefits by Allison Ray Jeraci  ↩︎

Unlock Healing and Relaxation with Yoga Nidra | Guided Meditation Available

Yoga Nidra is often called “Yogic Sleep” but it’s a little but more than that!

Yoga Nidra is a deep relaxation exercise.


Today’s one minute tutorial shows you how to set up for your own yoga nidra practice. ⏲️


Yoga nidra is said to: increase delta brainwaves, help with insomnia, induce a state of healing and at the very least – provide a deep sense of relaxation and rest.1


Once you’re all set up, give one of my #BREATHEwithlove guided relaxation meditations a try! Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!


I am SUCH a huge fan of Ally Boothroyd and her yoga nidra collection on YouTube too. 🙏


Whatever guided meditation choose – your only task now, is to rest and restore.
😴


Thank you so much for practicing with me.


With Love,
Esta
💕

  1. Articles sourced are:
    WebMD: What to Know About Yoga Nidra by Sarah Vallie, Medically Reviewed by Dany Paulie Baby, MD
    Healthline: Here’s the One Thing No One’s Telling Us About Yoga Nidra by Kristin Currin-Sheehan
    Yoga International: What Is Yoga Nidra & Its Benefits by Allison Ray Jeraci ↩︎

Unlocking Mental Wellness: The Impact of Breathing on Your State of Mind

Did you know that your mental state is directly impacted by your breathing?1

Photo by Shyamap Bhattacharyya on Pexels.com

It’s true! Your breath is a powerful tool.

If you’ve ever experienced a panic attack, or simply the physical symptoms of anxiety, you may have noticed a feeling of “shallow breathing”… or the sensation that you can’t take a deep breath.

The awareness of this feeling is your first step in turning it around for yourself. With this shallow breath, your body is under the assumption that you are in danger… so if you can, take a deep breath in and a full sigh out the mouth, a few times.

This week’s guided meditation is a breathing technique that triggers the opposite message to the body.

It’s called “Alternate Nostril Breathing” or Nadi Shodhana Pranayama, and the exercise is just like it sounds.

Using the thumb and ring finger, we gently block off one nostril, to breathe in through the left and then exhale out the right. And then we switch. This type of breathing exercise takes just enough focus to get your mind and breath to unite.

Photo by Ivan Samkov on Pexels.com
  1. Breathing to Reduce Stress -Better Health Channel article ↩︎

Give this breathing a technique a try for yourself!

This YouTube short is a one minute tutorial – but you can also just listen along on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Yogis have long used the tool of breathwork to settle the body and mind.

This one takes just enough focus and coordination that you will likely find yourself totally in the present. I remember feeling a little silly when I first tried it, but after a few deep breaths like this I was happy to pay the price of “feeling silly” for a moment!

Calm the body. Focus the mind. Reduce anxiety. Hack the nervous system.

All by the power of the breath!

Thank you so much for practicing with me.

See you next week for another #guidedmeditation 🙏

With Love, Esta 💕

Transform Your Life with Yoga: Reduce Stress, Stiffness, and Insomnia

The benefits of flowing through a few yoga poses during your day to day, are many.

Let’s take a look at a few ways yoga can add to your life!

Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com

All you need is yourself and a yoga mat to start reaping the benefits of a yoga practice.

But don’t just take my word for these benefits… There’s a very thorough article by Sarah Ezrin for Healthline 1 that highlights some of the top ones!

Increase

  • balance
  • flexibility
  • mobility
  • body awareness
  • strength
  • mental health
  • immunity
  • brain function

Decrease

  • stress
  • stiffness
  • soreness
  • back pain
  • inflammation
  • anxiety
  • burn-out
  • insomnia
  1. Sources: 16 Benefits of Yoga That Are Supported by Science — Written by Sarah Ezrin — Medically reviewed by Micky Lal, MA, CSCS,RYT ↩︎
So, what are you waiting for??

Check out the MOVE with Love library for yoga pose breakdowns that only take a minute!

Try a pose or two as you’re scrolling, or watching your favourite show in the evening, or waiting for the water to boil.

I think one of the greatest barriers for people starting a yoga practice, is the idea that yoga has to be done in a certain way or a certain setting… but the beauty of yoga is that you really only need yourself!

Take a couple deep breaths in through the nose, and out through the mouth, and take a minute to move in a way that feels good.

Your body will tell you if it needs a neck roll in child’s pose, or an extra stretch on one side in reclined pigeon / figure-4 pose. It just takes slowing down, and listening.

Psst… are we Instagram friends yet? 🤗

We will close this little soapbox speech with a quote from the latest book I’m reading:

“[Yoga is] the practice of putting your body and brain in the same place at the same time, truly living in the moment – and experiencing that connection on a daily basis can be nothing short of revolutionary.”

– Becoming a Yoga Instructor, Elizabeth Greenwood

Here’s to putting the body and the brain in the same place at the same time. 🥂

If you’ve wanted to start a yoga practice, but you’re not sure where to start, book a little consultation call with me! It’s free, and I am always happy to chat all things yoga and meditation with you.

Book a Call

A Mid-Day Break

Take a five minute break in your work day.

Check in to the body, mind and heart.

Slow and deepen the breathing.

All in this short and sweet guided meditation.

Listen on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

With a full cup and a calmer heart, return to your day with a sense of peace.

Thank you so much for practicing with me.

With Love,

Esta

With Love, Esta | The Backstory

Why I named this project what I did and the story behind Esta.

Hello. 👋

With some new faces around and a shifting of my own website and projects – I wanted to re-introduce myself.

You can call me Esta!

This was a nickname I picked up in high school, and I always loved the little modern twist it gave to my rather old fashioned name.

It’s also the name of my alter-ego. More on that in a minute…

You see, my natural state is quite anxious – due to some complex PTSD. (Haha… nice.) And yet, I have been able to tap into a calmness and peace that I never knew before… with the tools of yoga and meditation.

As I dove deep into the ancient 8 limbs of yoga, I learned that the self was my only saviour. Furthermore: the self is our own true source of love.

I think we all have things to “heal from”.

Sometimes it’s not that deep, but sometimes… we stumble across the thorns in life and find ourselves extra stuck.

It’s in these moments of stuck-ness that I have learned I need to treat myself with extra care. I talk alot about self-love, and it’s not because I am naturally good at it. In fact, it’s taken years of cultivating, and undoing the pathways of how I used to talk to myself. (Critical, unforgiving, void of grace for the self.)

So I have taken this new approach in life: “with love”.

Everything must be done with love.

With love, great transformation can take place.

With love, obstacles melt in defeat.

Breathing with love, moving with love, teaching with love, learning with love.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

“With Love, Esta” – started off as my outro in guided meditations.

But then I positioned it as my business name… because all of this project is made with love.

The yoga poses, the guided meditations, the classes, the one to one offerings… all come from a deep well of love.

In hopes that these tools will help you find the deep well within yourself,

that deep well of love that we all have within.

Photo by Dmitriy Ganin on Pexels.com

Ah yes, and the alter-ego… Esta is the yogi within me. She is calm, she is compassionate, she is motherly and full of child-like wonder all at once. She is the version of me that I wished to become, so I did. ✨

A couple years ago, as part of my yoga teacher training, I journalled on what the ideal version of me would look like. A year or so later, I recorded an affirmation track, written in present tense, that rewrote my mental script on myself & my life. I still listen to that track almost every day. 🎧

When you book with me, you are greeted by Esta. She knows there is love and light in you, and meets you where you’re at with a compassionate heart.

The tools of yoga and meditation extend far beyond the yoga mat, and I can’t wait to work with you to show you how. 🙏

Keep an eye out for a new project made with love… coming soon! 💕

Thank you for tuning in for some thoughts of mine.

With Love,

Esta

5 Tips for Starting a Yoga Practice – Your Complete Guide

Photo by Elina Fairytale on Pexels.com

To do all those ✨ fancy ✨ yoga poses …

  • You have to start small.
  • You have to show up and be willing to be a beginner.
  • You have to expect that you’ll mess up or ‘get it wrong.’
  • You have to have a little giggle as you learn.
  • You have to come back when you fall away from it. (with all the love & compassion for yourself that you can hold)
    🫶


My yoga practice spans back almost 15 years now. So my lil’ guide here, is not pulled out of thin air! ✨
I started by watching @tarastiles and signed up for @adrienelouise @fwfglife challenges. I practiced alongside @larkinyogatv and her #chakrabalancing series. I tried hot yoga classes, studio classes & classes off apps & YouTube.


I practiced on my own. I learned my own style. I felt what my body needed and listened to my own voice.

Photo by Elina Fairytale on Pexels.com


All this to say…
It doesn’t come overnight.
Nothing does.
🙏
But starting a yoga practice is so worth it.

Why?

😎 We’re Talking About Increased:

  • Body awareness
  • Balance
  • Strength
  • Flexibility
  • Mobility
  • Confidence
  • Breath/Body connection
  • Sense of peace


🕊️


If you’re wanting to start your own practice but you’re not sure where to start – connect with me @withloveesta – I always love chatting yoga and meditation. And as a 500 hour certified yoga teacher – I am bursting with ideas on how to add these practices to your life! 🤸


I also offer 🆓FREE🆓 15 minute “consult” sessions – so we can connect and transform your life.
All with just a little yoga mat. 🧘🏻‍♀️

Book a 15 Minute Chat

Or if you’re like me and want to self-learn – check out my website for the yoga pose breakdown library! Learn the English and Sanskrit yoga pose name and (in under a minute) learn how to get in and out of the pose safely. 💃🏻


Thanks so much for practicing with me.


With Love,
Esta

Guided Meditation for Driving Awareness and Focus

DISCLAIMER | ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION ON THE ROAD. STAY ALERT AND REMAIN AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. NEVER CLOSE YOUR EYES WHILE DRIVING.

This week is a brief “driving meditation”. Of course, do stay alert and aware while driving – at all times!

The meditation was intended to enhance your awareness of the present moment, and practice mindfulness.

Give the guided meditation a listen on YouTube or Spotify – or Apple Podcasts! You can find me @withloveesta on almost all platforms!

Thank you so much for practicing with me.

See you next week for another guided meditation!

With Love,

Esta