Say ‘namaste’ to Jane Kersel, British yoga and consciousness teacher and general all around warm-hearted free-spirit. Spending time with her and basking in her ambiance is basically as soothing for the soul as a giant cup of chai tea. Working out of her bright and beautiful studio, ‘Ishy Shala’ literally meaning “sanctum of light”, in the lower ground floor of her London home, you could be forgiven for thinking that you had stepped inside a spa in Bali, so zen is the vibe. Leading one-one-one classes and sessions for nearly 20 years, she knows her stuff: “Yoga allows you to know and appreciate your body from the inside out. Yes, you will get leaner muscle tone and increased strength and you will look great in a bikini—why deny ourselves that?—but actually this is a practice coming from a more mindful place. You could be having a bad day, but you do yoga and you will feel better.”
Championing her brilliant life philosophy that our inner state of mind is connected to our outer body (“I struggle to take anyone seriously who can’t touch their toes—if they aren’t flexible in their bodies, it’s doubtful they are any more flexible in their thinking”), she is firmly of the belief that yoga is for everyone, at any time of the day, which is why she worked with The Estée Edit on this exclusive yoga flow sequence to do before bedtime (it only takes about 15 minutes!). And the good news is, you don’t have to be an expert to do it, you just have to have the willingness to still your mind and bring in the calm. “This is for anyone trying to get some focus”, Jane explains. “It takes you inwards and will press the pause button on your day. You come out of logical thinking and step into a dream-like state, like you’re on the cusp of sleep and you forget what the time is”. Advanced Night Repair? This is the epitome of it. And, relax…..
Pose 1: Begin in child’s pose
Pose 2: Lift up into baby half-moon pose, supporting yourself on one knee and arm, the other arm extended skywards
Pose 3: Bring the raised arm down to the floor and move into downward dog and hold this pose
Pose 4: Drop your hips down (keeping feet and arms where they are) so that you are into a flat plank position. Hips should be level with your head
Pose 5: Remaining in plank, lift one leg up and back as you breathe in and bring your knee into your chest as you breathe out
Pose 6: Breathe in and lift the knee up and away again, and as you breathe out, bring the knee down as close to the back of your wrist as you can, lowering the hips to the ground and holding this half-pigeon pose
Pose 7: Lift up into a three-legged dog, moving forward into a deep lunge, all on the same leg and remain in this position. Then, raise your arms and move them forwards and backwards in a ‘wave’ motion, inhaling when moving forwards, exhaling when moving backwards
Pose 8: Go back into your child’s pose and repeat the entire practice on the other side
Pose 9: Get into bed and fall into a deep sleep (N.B. not captured in video)