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Take Your Yoga Off the Mat: An Introduction to ...

During this uncertain time, more than ever, our yoga practice has a LOT to offer us. The challenges we’re facing are various and different people will, of course, be suffering in different ways and to different degrees.

But if you practice yoga, or are interested in it, now is a really good time to find new ways of taking your yoga off the mat and integrating it into your way of life. Really, that’s what yoga is — it’s never just postures on a mat. Sometimes, we need the motivation of new challenges to make us see that.

Take Your Yoga Off the Mat: An Introduction to the Itties

Bali Like I’ve Never Seen It Before — What Lisa Had To Say

Bali Like I’ve Never Seen It Before — What Lisa Had To Say

I was pleasantly surprised, and it was not at all what I was expecting. 

I was surprised by Chetana’s knowledge of the area and the time and effort she put in to give us all an insight into the spiritual and cultural side of the Balinese people.

Every day was filled with new and exciting experiences, with enough downtime to fit in daily massages and pool time. 

Having done years of yoga in my pre-children days, I was having quiet palpitations when thinking about the retreat and how out of shape I was. 

An Unexpected Experience At A Bali Yoga Retreat — What Linda Had To Say...

An Unexpected Experience At A Bali Yoga Retreat — What Linda Had To Say...

My trip to Bali for your yoga and meditation retreat was amazing. I was astounded with the variety of your yoga sessions.


Each class was different and I couldn’t believe how many postures and variations my body could be twisted into.


The purpose built yoga room was a beautiful place to watch the sun rise. Each morning we quietly placed our mats in a circle around the floral tribute mandala in the centre of the room.


Each day the friendly staff would create a different coloured floral tribute and they were

Abdominal Breathing for Happiness and Health

Abdominal Breathing for Happiness and Health

One of the most important contributing factors to life, health and longevity is the way we breathe. In fact, breath is the very essence of our life force.

 

The best breathing technique is the one that is most efficient, moving the most air in and out of the lungs with the least effort. In this respect, abdominal breathing wins.

 

While infants and small children naturally breathe exclusively with their diaphragms, as we grow into adults, we tend to lose this habit and ability. This can be due to physical and mental tension, poor posture, tight clothing, and unhealthy lifestyle habits.

 

The first step to improving quality of life through the breath is to

The Profound Benefits Of Mantra Meditation

The Profound Benefits Of Mantra Meditation

In a study published by the BMC in 2017, researchers found that 3.6 million adults in the United States practise mantra meditation.

 

Each one of those 3.6 million people may have had a different reason for bringing mantra into their lives, but they are all undoubtedly experiencing benefits that they didn’t expect.

 

A mantra is a word, phrase, or sound that is repeated as a way to focus concentration and achieve a meditative state of mind.

 

Chanting mantras is a really wonderful way to start meditating if you’re new to such practices. It can be a kind of ‘gateway meditation’, as it removes the fear and frustration that comes with the idea of silencing the mind — which many people assume is the purpose of meditation.

Actually, very few people meditate with the intention of completely emptying the mind of thoughts. Instead, meditation allows us to hone our skills of awareness  so that we can

An Introduction to Pranayama and Natural Breath Awareness

An Introduction to Pranayama and Natural Breath Awareness

If you’ve ever been to a yoga class, you may have heard the Sanskrit word pranayama — but what does it actually mean?

 

Prana means ‘life force’; the energy that courses through the body. Ayama means ‘to extend’. So pranayama is the practice of expanding and extending prana, energy.

 

In yoga, this is done by learning techniques to control and direct the breath, as breath is the vehicle that carries the prana. These techniques allow you to alter your physical and mental state of being by controlling your breath.

 

There are a number of different breathing exercises that are typically practiced within yoga. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be exploring some of them in more detail — so come back soon for further pondering on pranayama!

 

WHAT DOES PRANAYAMA DO?
 

A growing body of scientific research highlights the benefits of pranayama practices; for example, this study by Bangalore University suggests that when practised correctly, breathing exercises can have a positive impact on mental and physical health.
 

Pranayama can:

•    Reduce emotional and physical tension

•    Help with stress and anxiety, and be a useful tool for managing... 

Yoga Nidra For Stress Relief And Finding Peace

Yoga Nidra For Stress Relief And Finding Peace

The idea of ‘relaxing’ may sound simple, but in busy modern life, many people don’t really know how to relax.

 

Lots of the things we do in the name of relaxation actually increase brain stimulation and raise stress hormones — including activities like watching TV, browsing the Internet and scrolling through social media.

 

And we spend so much time working, rushing around, and tapping into online networks that if given a comfortable but technology-free room and an hour to ‘relax’, we’re more likely to

3 Reasons To Do A Beginners Yoga Course

3 Reasons To Do A Beginners Yoga Course

Yoga is big. And by that I mean, there’s more to it than initially meets the eye — both in a physical sense and in an emotional sense.

 

If you’ve decided you want to start practicing yoga, you might be unsure whether to start with a beginners’ course or throw yourself into an open level class.

 

You’d certainly be welcomed in both; but here are three reasons why starting with a specially curated beginners’ yoga programme will benefit you long after the course is finished.

The Power Of A Sankalpa (A Resolve)

The Power Of A Sankalpa (A Resolve)

In the practice of Yoga Nidra, you are asked to mentally repeat a resolution known as a Sankalpa. 

This happens at the beginning and towards the end of the practice and is the ‘cherry on top of the cake’ that makes the practice of Yoga Nidra so special.

Your Sankalpa is a powerful tool to harness the mind. 

It is perfect for achieving your goals, changing behaviours or habits, and directing your life in a more positive direction.

Sankalpa is a Sanskrit word, and the meaning is broken down like this:

  • San is an idea formed in the heart
     
  • Kalpa is “the rule that I will follow above all other rules”
     

NEWS FLASH ~ download your FREE YOGA NIDRA at the bottom of the page... 

How it works

Yoga Nidra begins with deep relaxation in the first four stages, moving into a full meditative state in the last four stages. 

This takes us to a place where we can release pain and stress at the unconscious level, and also reinforce positive thoughts and beliefs.

SWAN Meditation ~ Gaining Clarity

SWAN Meditation ~ Gaining Clarity

Do you feel a pull to deepen your understanding of yourself, and by extension, the way you interact with the world?

Perhaps you have a sense of disconnect; your internal world and your external life aren’t quite in harmony.


If so, SWAN meditation is a wonderful practice to work with.
 

If you came along to my New Year’s Yoga and Meditation Immersion at South Narrabeen Surf Club, you’ll already have a solid grounding in the SWAN technique, and I hope you’re starting to feel the benefits.
 

For those of you who weren’t there, I wanted to offer a brief introduction so that you might be inspired to try it, too.
 

SWAN is an acronym for Strengths; Weaknesses; Ambitions; and Needs.
 

SWAN meditation concentrates on these elements of the self, providing an opportunity to take a close look at what’s   

The Science Behind The Mantra Aum

The Science Behind The Mantra Aum

Chanting the mantra Aum or Om is a sublime process and, the word is said to express the threefold division of time, which is the waking state, dreaming state and the deep sleep state.
 
Om is considered to be one of the most significant sounds in the universe as it is said to the Source or Universal Consciousness.
  
You must understand that there are things your eyes cannot see, but your innate awareness can sense.

And going after these things provides the highest of knowledge, bliss, and self-realisation.
 
Om is considered to be the sound of creation and said to represent all creation, obtaining the energy that flows through this medium yields boundless benefits.


 Let me guess, this is a bit overwhelming, and you're wondering if any of this is even valid.


Well, although the mantra Om has been chanted for thousands of years, you will be amazed to know that our modern science has agreed with all the therapeutic, psychological and even spiritual benefits that can be derived from this yoga practice...