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Everyday Yoga for Everyone

by Rebecca Novick

How we breathe has an almost immediate impact on how we feel? What do I mean by ‘how we breathe’? I mean the speed, the rate and the force of our breath together with the mechanism of breathing, the respiratory muscles that we engage and how we engage them. Most of the time we don’t notice our breathing patterns. Our breath just goes on in the background, unconsciously. But the fact is that most of us are breathing too fast, and this signals our nervous system to send out chemical messages for hyper vigilance that keeps us in a state of constant anxiety. When we habitually breathe too fast, we can get stuck in ‘sympathetic overdrive’ – where we are on high alert all the time. This puts a lot of pressure on the heart. It interferes with our concentration, our mood and our sleep, even our ability to properly digest our food. And, over time, it also suppresses our immune system. The good news is that we can re-learn, very easily, to adjust our breathing patterns to feel better almost right away. In yoga, there are hundreds of different breathing practices, generally classified as ‘pranayama’. A yoga teacher and breathing coach named Lucas Rockwood recognized that all breathing practices can be separated into three main categories: ones that calm you down when you’re too anxious, practices that lift and motivate you when you’re too low, and practices that balance you out from either being too anxious or too demotivated. Rockwood calls these three types of practices whiskey, coffee and water, respectively. These three categories of breathwork might seem a little odd for a yoga teacher, especially the whiskey and coffee ones! But the point is to understand the effect that these practices have on our nervous systems, and so on our internal experience.

I recently had the opportunity to train with Lucas Rockwood to become a certified Breathing Coach. I had done breathwork for decades, and had long been interested in how to make traditional yogic breathing techniques – which are often complex and esoteric - more user-friendly for Westerners but I had always found it challenging to distil these methods into their essence so they could be more easily communicated and understood.

Rockwood’s method is game-changing because it keeps all of the benefits of these techniques while dispensing with the complexity and esotericism that can create an obstacle for many people who simply want to feel better as quickly as possible. Keep it simple and make it effective were the mantras on the course. The first time I applied the techniques I had learned in his program in a real-life yoga class, the difference was noticeable. It was like a code had been cracked. Suddenly, people were ‘getting it’. They could easily follow and engage with the practices. Most importantly, they could access them any time of the day to self-regulate. I’m very grateful to Lucas to now have these teaching tools to be able to share the power and efficacy of these practices with others.

Try a very simple water category practice. This type of practice helps to bring you into balance. Sit comfortably. You can be on a chair but try not to cross your legs and place your feet firmly on the ground. Let your hands rest in your lap. You can also do this practice lying down. Take the focus of your breath from your chest into your belly. Allow the belly to rise and fall with the breath giving space to your diaphragm to do its job. You can place your palm over your belly to help you to connect with this movement. Close your eyes, and inhale slowly through the nose to a count of 4 like you’re counting between lightening and claps of thunder in a storm. Then exhale to the same count of 4 through the nose. Continue to do this for 5-10 rounds with each inhale and exhale being equal to one round. Try to make the breath even. Don’t gulp in the air and don’t sigh it out. Try to keep it even and steady like you’re playing a long note on a wind instrument. After the 10th round, bring your breath back to ‘normal’. This practice is perfect to do any time during the day and only takes a few minutes. If you’re interesting in learning how to breathe your life better, contact me for information on individually tailored 4 session breathing courses available online and in-person:

lavieenyoga@gmail.com

Respect yourself, explore yourself. Rebecca

Private courses available online and in-person For more information email: lavieenyoga@gmail.com http://www.facebook.com/groups/lavieenyoga

How to retire to France with financial peace of mind

by Catrina Ogilvie, Blevins Franks

Anyone recently retired or approaching retirement is entering a new and exciting phase in life. While some worry retirement will be boring, many embrace the freedom it offers. If you have chosen to retire in France, you probably fall into the latter category! France certainly offers a beneficial lifestyle for retired expatriates, but long-term financial security is crucial to help you enjoy your retirement years. To achieve this, take a good look at your finances and the way you hold your assets.

Savings and investments

When receiving a regular salary you can afford to take more investment risk and focus on growth. Retirees, however, need a balance between protecting their capital and outpacing inflation to help maintain spending power throughout retirement. The starting point is to objectively assess your risk tolerance, then identify your specific aims, circumstances, needs and time horizon to craft a suitable, well-diversified portfolio for you.

Taxation

How you hold savings and investments can make a significant difference to retirement income. While UK tax planning is unlikely to be effective in France, French residents gain access to investment opportunities that might provide much better tax-efficiency, plus other advantages.

Pension planning

Once you are no longer UK resident it may be less beneficial to leave UK pensions where they are. UK pension income is paid in sterling, which invites exchange rate. And UK pensions remain subject to UK regulations, which may change for non-residents after Brexit. Many expatriates transfer UK pensions to a Qualifying Regulated Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS) or reinvest funds into more tax-efficient arrangements for France. This can reduce taxation and unlock currency and estate planning benefits. Research your pension options and fully understand the implications through professional, regulated advice.

Estate planning

French succession law imposes restrictions on how you can divide up your estate. If the rules do not suit your family situation and wishes, you’ll need to plan ahead. Once you decide who to leave your assets to, establish the most taxefficient way to achieve this, taking both the French and UK rules into account. Look for arrangements that provide tax-efficiency for you today as well as your heirs in future. An integrated financial planning approach produces better results than just focusing on one element at a time. For example, the way you hold investments and pensions can affect how much tax you and your heirs pay and how the assets are passed to heirs. Cross-border tax, wealth management, pensions and estate planning is complex. For peace of mind, talk to a specialist adviser who will take time to understand your circumstances, needs and goals to help you secure a prosperous retirement in France.

Summarised tax information is based upon our understanding of current laws and practices which may change. Individuals should seek personalised advice. Keep up to date on the financial issues that may affect you on the Blevins Franks news page at www.blevinsfranks.com

Do you have assets and income in the UK? Will you find yourself paying more tax?

The UK’s autumn budget may not have included any new tax reforms, but the spring budget had a sting in its tail – the tax-free thresholds for capital gains tax, inheritance tax and the pensions lifetime allowance were all frozen until 2026. This is expected to increase tax bills in the long run, earning the government £2 billion. Contact Blevins Franks to explore how you could benefit from moving your capital outside the UK. Restructuring your assets to take advantage of the French tax regime could save you a significant amount of tax. Our strategic financial planning solutions cover taxation, investing, pensions and estate planning, all in one exercise. Talk to the people who know

05 49 75 07 24

niort@blevinsfranks.com

www.blevinsfranks.com

146-fr INTERNATIONAL TAX ADVICE • INVESTMENTS • ESTATE PLANNING • PENSIONS

Blevins Franks Group is represented in France by the following companies: Blevins Franks Wealth Management Limited (BFWML) and Blevins Franks France SASU (BFF). BFWML is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority, registered number C 92917. Authorised to conduct investment services under the Investment Services Act and authorised to carry out insurance intermediary activities under the Insurance Distribution Act. Where advice is provided outside of Malta via the Insurance Distribution Directive or the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II, the applicable regulatory system differs in some respects from that of Malta. BFWML also provides taxation advice; its tax advisers are fully qualified tax specialists. Blevins Franks France SASU (BFF), is registered with ORIAS, registered number 07 027 475, and authorised as ‘Conseil en Investissements Financiers’ and ‘Courtiers d’Assurance’ Category B (register can be consulted on www.orias.fr). Member of ANACOFI-CIF. BFF’s registered office: 1 rue Pablo Neruda, 33140 Villenave d’Ornon – RCS BX 498 800 465 APE 6622Z. Garantie Financière et Assurance de Responsabilité Civile Professionnelle conformes aux articles L 541-3 du Code Monétaire et Financier and L512-6 and 512-7 du Code des Assurances (assureur MMA). Blevins Franks Trustees Limited is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority for the administration of retirement schemes. This promotion has been approved and issued by BFWML.