The power of Yoga

From headaches and cramps to insomnia and a sluggish gut, yoga can help ease our most common health niggles

Anagging headache or grumbling tummy usually has us reaching for the medicine cabinet. But holistic yoga tools can be the answer, according to Hannah Barrett, a yoga and meditation teacher (on Instagram as @hannahbarrettyoga) who has helped celebrities such as Ellie Goulding and Binky Felstead.

“Stress is often at the root of common health conditions, but yoga and meditation calms our nervous system and deals with the pain and discomfort,” she explains.

Here, Hannah, who is also the author of Yoga Happy, shares her remedies for those everyday ailments…

insomnia

Difficulty sleeping can impact our daily life. A body scan grounds you in the present using the sensations of the body as an anchor.

Body scan meditation

Close your eyes, take a few slow breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. Bring your attention to your body, starting at the toes, tracing up through the feet. Notice all sensations on the skin and from within. Let your feet be soft and release. Trace your awareness up through the body, piece by piece in the same way – the legs, pelvis, torso, shoulders, arms, hands, neck and up to the crown of the head. At each point, notice any sensations that arise. Let each part of your body be soft and release. Once at the crown of the head, soften and release the body. Focus on the sensations of the breath and drift into a peaceful sleep.