https://www.yogadon.me/home daily 1.0 2020-10-27 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f8daa2b3d85ac07ef1f833b/t/5f8db4ae5330a1723bfd1777/1603122360371/Mudra+in+Turkey.jpeg Home https://www.yogadon.me/about daily 0.75 2020-10-26 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f8daa2b3d85ac07ef1f833b/t/5f8deb0270cd447a7bd008c2/1603449245050/c292a243-86bc-4c3a-a46c-fd272e0ca4e4.jpeg About - My name is Alex Donaldson and I began practising yoga 10 years ago, finding it an incredibly powerful antidote to hectic London life. Along with my passion for yoga, I began the practice of meditation and Buddhist mindfulness. One of my main aims as a yoga teacher is to foster an environment where clients feel safe to release and reconnect to themselves. I see the mat as a space that can enhance the spiritual, mental and physical context for your body and mind to move off the mat and into the world with beauty and strength. I initially trained in Peru for my 200 hours with a mystical style of Vinyasa & Hatha, before completing my 300 hours with a focus on the Raja tradition, Ayurvedic medicine, anatomical alignment and intelligent Trauma-Informed sequencing. I have further studied Somatic Experiencing with Peter Levine, Trauma Informed yoga with Jeanine Talento, Pregnancy & Post-Natal with Kate Varsava, meditation with Gabriel Wilson & Non-Violent Communicaton with Bonnie Norton. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f8daa2b3d85ac07ef1f833b/5f8dec7be7234d142253ef97/5f8decac69a4724e9f231cf0/1603136714159/IMG_0725.jpeg About https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f8daa2b3d85ac07ef1f833b/5f8dec7be7234d142253ef97/5f8dee1d63b4621ef6b5ee2a/1603137070548/IMG_1139.jpeg About https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f8daa2b3d85ac07ef1f833b/5f8dec7be7234d142253ef97/5f8def38828e723f5e341333/1603137342294/d98179cc-0ab2-44af-b70b-7a1ef53b3f15.jpg About https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f8daa2b3d85ac07ef1f833b/5f8dec7be7234d142253ef97/5f8dee8208726d5083a091ae/1603137199865/Yogadon+in+Las+Balsas2.jpg About https://www.yogadon.me/contact daily 0.75 2020-10-28 https://www.yogadon.me/classes daily 0.75 2020-10-27 https://www.yogadon.me/classes/meditation monthly 0.5 2020-10-27 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f8daa2b3d85ac07ef1f833b/t/5f92dd1aeb7c0b1e651e05ad/1603460410696/IMG_2871.jpg Classes - Meditation - Meditation Buddha was asked what have you gained from meditation? He replied, “Nothing. However let me tell you what I lost: Anger, anxiety, depression, insecurity, fear of old age and death.” I believe that everyone has the capacity to learn from this extraordinary practice, and that the secret to joyful meditation is to approach it playfully, as an experiment and exploration into your own being. I see our body as a prism through which a rainbow of colours should be reflected and the practice of meditation merely illuminates the clarity of these colours for us. Meditation is way of controlling the mind, moving from a state of thinking, to a state of being. I integrate aspects of Vipassana, mantra, visualisation and mindfulness into my yoga classes and also offer purely meditation classes. https://www.yogadon.me/classes/hatha monthly 0.5 2020-10-27 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f8daa2b3d85ac07ef1f833b/t/5f92b839c8d04c2380260de2/1603450954851/IMG_1140.JPG Classes - Hatha - Hatha My Hatha Flow is an alchemy class in bringing your body and mind back into balance. We achieve this through working with the physical body in order to release tensions and stored traumas, creating greater space within yourself. The polarities in the world and in ourselves meet one another in this practice; ‘ha’ literally means ‘sun’ and ‘tha’ means ‘moon’, so we integrate the masculine and feminine aspects by combining a dynamic heat-generating practice with gentler lunar restorative poses. I place a strong emphasis on the breath as a support for the movement and alignment in holding the light and dark in each of us, as ultimately that’s the wholeness of who we are. We close the practice with the meeting of the sun and moon at sunset as we fold the body forward, creating a metaphorical sunset on our own practice. https://www.yogadon.me/classes/therapeutic monthly 0.5 2020-10-27 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f8daa2b3d85ac07ef1f833b/t/5f92e007f1b8e540eaa12134/1603792005923/96424b8a-e207-4abf-8f08-9898dc936897.jpg Classes - Therapeutic - Therapeutic My Therapeutic Yoga class meets you exactly where you are, allowing you to begin inhabiting your body with courage and compassion. I cultivate a supported space where emotional regulation skills can be developed through connection to breath and increased body awareness. I teach poses, meditation and breathing techniques that are gentle, slow and encourage calmness, so that your body is encouraged out of “fight or flight” and into “rest and digest” - all taught with inclusive language and intelligent sequencing. Over time you will increase your window of tolerance which is the space where you meet discomfort and challenge this with compassion. My teaching combines ancient mind-body practices with modern scientific insight. https://www.yogadon.me/classes/vinyasa monthly 0.5 2020-10-27 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f8daa2b3d85ac07ef1f833b/t/5f92df1a2650ad2e676ed854/1603460991434/7e6a5a91-b1c4-45e2-b570-3ebcd8297128.jpg Classes - Vinyasa - Vinyasa I teach a strong Vinyasa Flow where postures flow fluidly from one to another, seamlessly using the breath. I balance dynamic strength building through energetic Warrior sequences & invigorating sun salutations with the search for space and openness in the body. It is a heart-centred practice, so we incorporate many postures that open up and soften the chest area. The heart can be visualised as a lotus flower with its roots deep in the mud, teaching us that even in the darkest of times, so long as we keep tapping into the heart space, we will continue to find the nutrients to grow and bloom on the surface of the water with remarkable beauty like the lotus flower. https://www.yogadon.me/classes/pregnancy monthly 0.5 2020-10-27 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f8daa2b3d85ac07ef1f833b/t/5f92dd993dbdcc03b47b7a4b/1603460521216/IMG_7221.jpeg Classes - Pregnancy & Post-Natal - Pregnancy & Post-Natal I offer pregnancy yoga for Mums-to-be and post-natal yoga for new Mums with postures and breathing that are designed to enable you to relax and unwind as well as strengthen and tone. The element of water is an incredibly important symbol in pregnancy, as it is a time that requires the body to be fluid without resisting or struggling, carrying you downstream on your journey with ease. The class is designed to create a space where you can slow down and truly connect to yourself, your body and your baby. I guide each class with ease, intention and the highest regard for you as a mother. Yoga is an incredible preparation for labour in encouraging the baby into the optimal position for the birth; certain poses help this in opening up the hips and getting the body into a more primal space. Yoga also helps purify the body like water does, cleansing out elements that have accumulated internally and need to be filtered out. The golden thread of breath is invaluable throughout pregnancy and is carried through to the birth, so our classes integrate a deep connection with breathwork. During pregnancy there is a reduced lung capacity, making it even more important to learn deep diaphragmatic breathing techniques. I am passionate about the power of breath in maintaining a state of calm connection to body and baby. Whether you are an experienced yogi or have never set foot on a mat, these classes are the perfect preparation for the labour and motherhood. My classes are also designed to support women through infertility, miscarriage and infant loss. https://www.yogadon.me/classes/breathwork monthly 0.5 2020-10-27 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f8daa2b3d85ac07ef1f833b/t/5f92e06e4419f77fe4a25940/1603461239848/f3c81a09-9403-43ba-bb2d-958e448e9bb9.jpg Classes - Breathwork - Breathwork Breathing is something we all know how to do, yet most of us have long let go of our natural ability to breathe fully. We are simply conditioned from a young age to control our feelings and emotions which tightens the muscles and restricts our breathing patterns. I have a deep reverence for the traditional knowledge of “pranayama” which quite literally means “controlling one’s life force”. I incorporate many of these ancient exercises into my teaching such as alternate nostril breathing, abdominal breathing, three part-yogic breath. By learning how to connect to our breath and encourage its natural rhythm, we can easily harmonise the body and mind. Around 70% of our toxins are released from our body through breath, so these exercises detoxify and strengthen the immune system. Deep breathing also activates the parasympathetic nervous system, shifting us out of “fight or flight” and into “rest and digest”.