Pemma Does Yoga

08/11/2025

How can you take Yoga off the mat and into your life?

So it’s all very well and good to turn up to nice a week (or less, or more) and unroll your mat for a good yoga session with your favourite teacher (me?!? 😘) but perhaps you yearn for more, perhaps you recognise that this practice can be for you what it was originally - a way of life!
You don’t need to do an hour of asana a day to make yoga a lifestyle, there are many meaningful ways one can be a yogi.
So what are they?

Breath awareness - taking time in your day to recognise your breath and what it is doing for you in that moment. Is it serving you right now? What parts of your body are moving with it? Remembering to bring your attention to your breath for even a couple seconds multiple times a day is incredibly beneficial for over all mental health and nodding to that yogic feeling.

Loving kindness and compassion - towards yourself and others. One feeds the other; if you struggle to empathise with others then it can be difficult to do the same for yourself. This is linked with non-judgment - if you judge yourself harshly maybe you judge others harshly too. Think about small ways you can be kind to yourself - like not beating yourself up when you make a mistake!

Mindfulness- a simple thing to do next time you wash the dishes is to think to yourself - I am washing the dishes. This is level one mindfulness! Next time you walk somewhere, focus your attention on your legs or feet as they carry you to your destination. No labelling or judging, we witness life unfolding.
Eventually we take the blinkers off and widen our peripheral vision to be mindful, aware and connected to everything around us and everything inside of us.

Yogic outlook
In daily life, when we come up against difficulty, we can aim to use a yogic outlook. By bringing the self awareness, peace and patience we use on the mat into the difficult areas of our lives we can further solidify our practice. We can view all situations as practice, rising to the occasion and doing our best to respond, rather than react. This is a long game and no one gets it right 100% of the time though!!

31/10/2025

Our monthly restorative session will be held at Winchburgh Community Centre instead of Kirkliston, tomorrow 0900-1000
Bring your pillows and blankets and sink into some you time with soundbath, meditation and more.
Book: bookwhen.com/pemmayoga

16/10/2025

Unfortunately I have had to cancel tonight’s class - sorry for the inconvenience caused!!

23/09/2025

Exciting news! My husband at Edinburgh Karate Shizen, his wonderful colleague and our very good friend Alison and I are opening a Karate and Yoga studio and we are having an open door hour this Sunday the 28th September at 4pm. Soft drinks and nibbles provided, thank yous at 445pm.
Come along, have a look see at the space and find out what we will have on here.

New Studio nearly complete!

If any of our friends would like to join us this Sunday at 4pm to have a look and raise a glass for the opening of our new space then we would love you to join us. Drinks and nibbles will be provided and we'll say a few thank yous at about 4:45pm.
Would be great to see you if you can make it. 🙏

Unit 7, 2 Harvest Road, Newbridge, Edinburgh, EH28 8AN
Sunday 28th September - 4pm

19/09/2025

Yesterday my son and I found this very shiny dude in our Rosemary bush. I’d never seen one before, looking more like a hard boiled sweetie than garden beastie, so we had to look it up - it is in fact a Rosemary Beetle.

This week’s theme is new beginnings. This time of year is all about harvest and readiness for autumn. The fruits of our labour become apparent.
I invited attendees to today’s class to think about things they may have achieved this year. Now, this doesn’t have to be world domination style achievements. It can be much simpler than that. For me, having new experiences with my family has been my harvest.
But with the completion of goals/end of harvest we experience a new beginning as we look towards the rest of the year. Rebirth is a big theme in Buddhism and Hinduism which Yoga is often intertwined with, considering its mother country - India.

We see rebirth mythology in the west too - The Phoenix and Ouroboros, through Greece via Egypt, for example.

So now is a time to reflect on what we have had and what we have done, with gratitude. A pause before rushing on to the next thing.

For me, a new beginning is always best done s l o w l y. Our asana sequence today was a new one, but we built upon what we have learned over the summer. This new sequence was gentle and explorative, more so than the last couple of weeks, and we shall build upon it over the next 9 weeks.

You can join us at any time during our exploration of this new asana sequence, it is always easily modifiable to any body’s body and ability. I often have drop ins as well as block bookers.
Please do make sure you book online or contact me before a class to ensure a space - the Winchburgh Hatha Class is often full nowadays.
www.bookwhen.com/pemmayoga

08/09/2025

I am obsessed with this book that my son and husband brought home from a charity shop the other day!
Even if you don’t have kids this book is a treasure.
A beautifully written piece full of emotive photography for any avid pebble collector.

04/09/2025

How to practice Dirga Pranayama!

1. Find a comfortable position:
You can practice Dirga
Pranayama lying down, sitting, or standing, ensuring a straight spine and relaxed body.
2. Inhale:
Begin by inhaling deeply through the nose, first filling the abdomen, then the rib cage, and finally the upper chest.
3. Exhale:
Slowly exhale through the nose, releasing the breath from the upper chest, then the rib cage, and finally the abdomen.
4. Repeat:
Continue this three-part breath for several rounds, gradually becoming more fluid and natural with the practice.

Dirga Pranayama is a great step in learning ‘how to breath again’. We often underuse the diaphragm and lower lobes of the lungs due to a number of reasons including stress and lifestyle, so this is a great way to remind yourself of your actual lung capacity! Lowering stress response and much more.

29/08/2025

Reminder that there is no class tomorrow (Saturday 30th August)
Back to normal next week

14/08/2025

Reminder that there are no classes on tomorrow (Friday 15th August).
Back to normal for Saturday class.
Thank you!