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Yoga & Jikiden Reiki

18/10/2026

🌿 Sometimes the most important part of a yoga class isn't the yoga.

It's the people.

The familiar faces who smile when you walk through the door.

The conversations before class begins.

The encouragement of practising alongside others, even when everyone is having a completely different experience.

In Buddhist traditions, there's a beautiful word for spiritual community: Sangha.

Traditionally, it refers to the community of practitioners who support one another along the path.

Although yoga and Buddhism have their own distinct traditions, I think there's something valuable here for our modern yoga communities too.

We might arrive on our mats for different reasons, but there's something special about sharing that time together.

We don't necessarily need to talk, compare our practice or even know one another particularly well.

Sometimes simply being part of something is enough.

As a teacher, it's a privilege to watch those connections develop.

And it's a reminder that while yoga can be a deeply personal journey, we don't always have to travel it alone.

🙏 What does being part of a yoga community mean to you?

15/10/2026

🌿 Have you heard of Jikiden Reiki?

Most people who follow Asana & Aura know me through yoga, but there's another practice that's very important to me.

Jikiden Reiki.

Jikiden means “directly passed down”, and this traditional Japanese approach to Reiki focuses on preserving the teachings and methods passed through its lineage.

A treatment involves gentle touch, or hands held close to the body, while you remain fully clothed and comfortably resting.

There's nothing you need to do, achieve or concentrate on.

People often seek Reiki as an opportunity for relaxation, quiet reflection and a little time away from the demands of everyday life.

For me, what I particularly value is its simplicity.

No complicated rituals or expectations.

Just an opportunity to be still and receive.

I offer Jikiden Reiki treatments through Asana & Aura, and I'm always happy to answer questions if you're curious about the practice.

🌿 www.asanaandaura.com

14/10/2026

We do love Wednesday morning with Mark. ☀️🌿 These yoga classes provide a beautiful balance of movement and philosophy, leaving you feeling more connected both emotionally and physically.

Whether you’re an experienced practitioner or new to yoga, everyone is welcome to join us. 🧘‍♀️✨

Join us every Wednesday 9:30am - 10.30am.

Link to book your space: https://www.theserenitybarn.co.uk/event/vinyasa-power-flow-with-mark/

13/10/2026

🙏 Namaste — but what does it actually mean?

It's a word many of us associate with yoga, often spoken at the end of a class.

But have you ever wondered what it really means?

Namaste comes from Sanskrit. Namas expresses a bow or respectful greeting, while te means “to you.”

Together, it can be understood as “I bow to you.”

It's a simple expression of respect and acknowledgement, deeply rooted in Indian culture.

In modern yoga, it's sometimes given a more spiritual interpretation — recognising the shared humanity or light within one another.

But Namaste isn't just a yoga word, and it isn't something we have to say to make our practice authentic.

For me, it's a lovely reminder that yoga also teaches us about how we relate to others.

With respect.
With humility.
With kindness.

Perhaps something we could all carry a little further beyond our mats. 🌿

Did you know the meaning behind Namaste?

11/10/2026

🌿 Maybe you’ve been thinking about trying yoga…

Perhaps you’ve followed my page for a while.

You’ve seen the classes, thought “I’d quite like to try that”… and then another week has passed.

Sometimes the hardest part of starting yoga isn’t the yoga.

It’s walking through the door for the first time.

You might worry that everyone else will know what they’re doing.

That you won’t be flexible enough.

That you won’t be able to keep up.

But you don’t need to arrive knowing how to practise yoga.

That’s why you come to a yoga class.

My classes are welcoming, adaptable and open to different levels of experience. There will always be options, and you’re always encouraged to practise in a way that works for you.

I teach throughout the week in Southam, Leamington Spa, Bascote and Rugby, with both Vinyasa and Yin available.

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to start…

Perhaps this week is it. 🌿

🧘‍♂️ Full timetable & booking:
www.asanaandaura.com

10/10/2026

🌿 World Mental Health Day — A little closer to my heart. 🌿

Some of you know my story. Others may only know me as the person standing at the front of a yoga class.

But there’s a lot more to my journey than yoga.

After almost 20 years as a frontline police officer, my life took a very different direction. Living with complex PTSD has brought challenges I never imagined I’d face, and there have been times when simply navigating everyday life has felt incredibly difficult.

Mental health isn’t always something you can see.

Someone can appear happy, confident, capable and completely in control, while quietly struggling with things nobody else knows about.

For me, yoga became so much more than a physical practice.

It became somewhere I could reconnect with myself. Somewhere I could begin to find moments of calm when my mind and body struggled to feel safe. Somewhere I could learn to be a little kinder to myself.

Yoga hasn’t magically fixed everything. I still have difficult days, and I’m still learning how to navigate them.

But it has given me something incredibly valuable, and being able to share that practice with others has brought a sense of purpose back into my life.

It’s one of the reasons I care so deeply about teaching yoga beyond the physical postures.

Because sometimes the most important thing someone takes away from a class isn’t greater flexibility or strength.

Sometimes it’s simply an hour where they feel a little more at peace.

On World Mental Health Day, I want to remind anyone who might be struggling that you never really know what someone else is carrying.

Be kind to others. And perhaps most importantly, remember to be kind to yourself. 💚

Mark 🙏

YogaBeyondTheMat AsanaAndAura

08/10/2026

🌿 Teaching yoga has changed my own practice.

When I first started practising yoga, so much of my attention was naturally on myself.

My posture.
My breath.
What I could do.
What I couldn’t do.

Teaching changed that.

Now I can look around a room and see ten, twenty or more completely different practices happening at the same time.

Different bodies.
Different experiences.
Different reasons for being there.

And it’s been a wonderful reminder that there really isn’t one “correct” version of a yoga practice.

My job isn’t to make everyone in the room look the same.

It’s to create the space, offer guidance and hopefully help each person discover something within their own practice.

I’m still learning every time I step onto the mat.

But I’m also learning every time I step in front of a class.

And I think that’s one of the things I love most about teaching. 🙏

06/10/2026

🧘‍♂️ Why do we finish yoga with Savasana?

You’ve spent an hour moving, breathing, building heat and concentrating…

…and then your yoga teacher asks you to lie on the floor and do absolutely nothing.

But Savasana isn’t simply the bit at the end where we have a rest.

After the movement of our physical practice, Savasana gives us an opportunity to become still.

No posture to improve.
No destination to reach.
Nothing else we need to do.

It’s a chance to notice the effects of the practice rather than immediately moving on to the next thing.

And for many of us, that can actually be one of the hardest parts of yoga.

We’re very accustomed to doing.

Yoga also asks us to practise simply being.

So next time you reach Savasana, perhaps don’t think of it as the end of your practice.

Think of it as part of the practice itself. 🌿

04/10/2026

🌿 Looking for somewhere to practise yoga this autumn?

My weekly timetable now gives you a few different ways to join me on the mat.

From an energising Vinyasa practice to the slower stillness of Yin; from a gym environment to smaller countryside studio classes — there’s no single way your yoga practice has to look.

You’ll find me teaching across:

🧘‍♂️ Southam Leisure Centre
🌿 The Serenity Barn
🧘‍♂️ Brixton yoga

And from November, I’ll also be bringing weekly Vinyasa and Yin classes to The Wellbeing Warehouse in Rugby.

If you’ve been following for a while but haven’t made it onto the mat yet, you’re always welcome.

You don’t need to be flexible.
You don’t need lots of experience.
You just need somewhere to begin.

🌿 Full timetable and booking information:
www.asanaandaura.com

Perhaps this is your week to start. 🙏

Address

Southam

Website

http://www.asanaandaura.com/

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