by admin | Oct 18, 2012 | Uncategorized
You’ve likely heard of the word karma and know it is used when referencing something that appears to be either good or bad coming across your path. Perhaps you’ve heard that those with ‘good karma’ have an easier life and those with ‘bad karma’ suffer more. The saying “I must have done something awful in a past life” when referencing a tough situation is common. I’d like to suggest that our understanding of karma shift to a more day to day focus. Understanding karma can influence the way our lives play out. There are plenty of opportunities right now to attend to your karmas. What are Karmas? Karmas are those things that cross our path that cause a reaction. Instead of acting, we react. Our reactions are drawn from a whole history of experiences. An experience you had as a child, teenager or adult in the past can influence your REaction to an experience you have today. This REaction is the karma. Karmas are learning opportunities that come along, via experience. Karmas are the keys to liberating ourselves from pain. Go karmas! By observing our karmas (our reactions) to particular experiences, we can consciously shift from living in the past into the present moment, avoiding re-experiencing yesterday’s pain/lessons AGAIN. So instead of wanting them to go away, be grateful for the lessons, and be committed to learning and moving on. How to observe your karmas and move on: In each moment, check in on how you feel. When that person who pushes your buttons approaches you at work and you get that ‘oh no, here we go, I know what’s coming…’ feeling,...
by admin | Oct 4, 2012 | Uncategorized
There’s a Green smoothie phenomena being adopted all over the world. A green smoothie is a combination of dark green leafy vegetables and whatever else you like (fruit, nuts, seeds, honey, etc) all blended into a filling, hydrating smoothie. Now that the weather is warming up and porridge is not so appealing, I suggest you get into the green smoothie for breakfast. I first started with them when I did a detox that involved giving up my muesli and tea for a smoothie and was surprised at how energising and super cell-replenishing, blood-purifying, immune system supporting and generally overall-nourishing it feels! Now I love them and like to have them daily. Blending fruits and vegetables together breaks down the cells of plants and improves digestibility, maximizing their delivery to your body. Dark green leafy vegetables are, calorie for calorie, probably the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. An excellent source of many vitamins A, B, C, K and folate, as well as minerals such as iron and calcium. Dark leafy’s are also a great source of fibre. As a yoga teacher, I’m out and about during odd hours of the day and some evenings and my meal times can be a bit sporadic. By starting with the greens, I find comfort in knowing I’ve had a good serve of vitamins and minerals first thing. So if my day gets away from me and my diet isn’t quite as fresh or vitamin packed as I could have it, at least I’ve nourished myself well first thing in the morning. Particularly suited to a green smoothie include: Kale, silverbeet,...
by admin | Sep 28, 2012 | Uncategorized
This week in our yoga we worked on a set to relax and release fears. We did this by using postures and movement that work specifically on the liver, spleen and kidneys. These organs are affected by and connected to the emotions of anger, fear and worry. With that in mind, I want to highlight how important it is to care for the organs in the body to support us to feel more balanced in our experience of emotions, such as anger, fear and worry. The body reflects the emotions and the emotions are reflected in our bodies. As an integrated mind/body system, the emotions we experience can have either a helpful or a stressful effect on our organs. There’s plenty of good energy that comes from feeling the emotion of love. We feel energised and like life flows more smoothly. We feel less affected when things don’t seem to go our way. The emotion of love can create a sense of wellbeing and acceptance that things are ok. But what about the emotions of fear, anger and worry? Feeling angry or fearful or worried at times is part of being human and is a worthy expression of our good self. Any emotion, expressed consciously and with awareness, has a positive effect on our wellbeing. It’s part of life for us to feel emotion, the trick is to let the emotion flow through, be felt and acknowledged and then move out of the system. It’s not the emotion that causes the body system to become imbalanced, rather, if we get stuck in that emotion, this can erode the physical...
by admin | Sep 20, 2012 | Uncategorized
In yoga, there is a strong focus on the breath. We practise breath control techniques (breath of fire, segmented breath, breath suspension) to shift our internal experience. The breath reflects our state of mind. If the breath is shallow and fast you will notice life reflecting that same experience, you may feel stressed or anxious. Adjusting the breath from shallow and fast to full and deep can transform our mental, physical and emotional state from one of feeling anxious and stressed to one of feeling more centred and relaxed. Even if you don’t consider the circumstances you are in at the time to be controlled and relaxed, the breath can trick the body and mind into feeling this way. Life can then begin to reflect that back to you, through the flow of breath. At the same time in our yoga practice, we learn to allow the breath to dictate movement. When we practice yoga we move with the breath, the inhale and the exhale. The breath comes before the movement and the movement reflects the breath. The breath reflects how we are feeling, whether we feel energised or more inward and nurturing. This can impact the speed of our practice and how deeply we extend into the postures. There is no right or wrong, only that moment and how your breath reflects your individual state in that moment. Noticing and respecting that is your yoga practice. To flow with the breath is to flow with life. The breath is a great detoxifier. We breathe oxygen and fresh air in and then out. We also breathe pollutants in and...
by admin | Sep 14, 2012 | Uncategorized
One big gift you can give yourself for an overall and ongoing tune up is to drink more water. The only nutrient more important to the body than water is oxygen. Drinking enough water boosts energy by helping to flush our toxins and waste products from the body. Otherwise the organs need to work harder as water helps transport nutrients and oxygen into cells, protecting the vital organs and helping us absorb nutrients better. It also protects and moisturises the joints. Hydrating the body moisturises the air in the lungs helping us to breathe more easily. When we breathe, we naturally detoxify/replenish the body, breathing out toxins and breathing in fresh life-force energy. By drinking enough water your skin will look clearer and fresher – more hydrated, more ‘shine’. You’ll also help your metabolism (supporting excess weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight) as water assists digestion and constipation. A healthy functioning system decreases the risk of many diseases and generally makes you feel well. Simply said, without enough water, the body has to work a lot harder to keep you going, so you feel more fatigued, more uphill-drag than smooth-sailing. When our body feels good, our mental/emotional state is more likely to also feel good. How much is enough water? The amount you drink each day depends on how hot the weather is or how dehydrating your surroundings are. In a moderate climate, you should drink at least 6-8 cups/glasses of water a day. On hot days you’ll need more fluids. Around 2.5 litres per day on average. On cooler days, herbal teas can hydrate you as well...
by admin | Aug 29, 2012 | Uncategorized
Excerpt from “Staying Healthy with Nutrition” by Elson M. Haas M. D. Vitamin L (the love vitamin) is commonly known as the “universal” or the “love” vitamin, as coined by humanologist, Bethany ArgIsle. One of the most important nutrients for optimum health is a daily dose (or more) of Love. The vital human emotion/expression/experience is necessary for the optimal functioning of people and all of their cells, tissues, and organs. It is found in most of nature – in foods, domestic animals, friends, and family – and is used to heal a wide variety of diseases. There are no toxic effects, but deficiency can cause a wide range of ailments. Sources: As stated, vitamin L is found in a great variety of sources but must be developed and nurtured to be available. Fear, anger, worry, self-concern, and many other human emotions can destroy vitamin L. It is found readily in most mums and dads and is very highly concentrated in grandmothers and grandpas. Sisters and brothers may be a good source of vitamin L, though often this is covered up in early years, develops in the teens, and is more available in adulthood. Massage therapy is a particularly good source of vitamin L. Vitamin L is also found in cats, dogs, and horses; in flowers and birds; and in trees and plants. In food, it is especially found in home-cooked or other meals where vitamin L is used consciously as an ingredient. It is digested and absorbed easily and used by the body in its pure state, being eliminated almost unchanged; in this, it is unique among the vitamins. It is also made...
by admin | Aug 22, 2012 | Uncategorized
On August 26th, we celebrate the birthday of Yogi Bhajan, a beautiful man whose love and energy helped transform countless people’s lives. His gift to all in this lifetime was Kundalini Yoga and White Tantric yoga. Yogi Bhajan was born in India in 1929 and became a Kundalini Yoga Master by the very young age of 16 years. In the 1960’s he brought Kundalini Yoga to the Western world by settling in America. In this hippy era, he wanted to teach people to ‘get high’ without drugs and to learn to find their spiritual centre and touch the infinite wisdom within. Did you know Woodstock Festival was opened with a Kundalini yoga kriya? It was! Yogi Bhajan was a Sikh, however Kundalini Yoga is non-denominational and is for everyone. Click on this image below for more about the great man: On his birthday, Kundalini yogi’s all over the world will chant together long Ek Ong Kars (Adi Shakti Mantra or Morning Call) for 2.5 hours before sunrise. My personal first powerful experience with this mantra was in India. I had gone to India to stay in the home of an older Kundalini Yogi who had spent many years with Yogi Bhajan as a member of his personal staff. I was lucky enough to spend time with her over the course of a few months while I experienced India and learned more about Yogi Bhajan and Kundalini Yoga. We chanted long Ek Ong Kars one morning at the end of our morning practice as the sun was just beginning to rise. The vibration of this mantra opened me up to...
by admin | Aug 17, 2012 | Uncategorized
Did you know that most of the time we are only breathing through one nostril? One nostril opens for a certain amount of time and then the other, this alternates approximately every one hour and twenty minutes. It’s a way of systematically regulating the brain and the nervous system by channelling prana (life force) into the body via each nostril. When we breathe through the left nostril, we are connecting to the right hemisphere of the brain, creating a calming, relaxing effect in the body, integrating unwanted negative emotions and easing stress and tension (excellent to do before bed). When we breathe through the right nostril, we are connecting to the left hemisphere of the brain bringing clarity and focus and a positive mood (great for when feeling sleepy and we need to wake up and take action). The left and right nostril channels meet at a point between the eyebrows. At this same point, another energy channel also meets. This channel is the central channel (called sushumna nadi) that runs up the centre of the body. When we make both left and right nostrils active through alternate nostril breathing, this central channel is activated. When this happens, our mental and physical energy becomes even and rhythmic, thoughts are stilled and the mind becomes calm. We connect to spirit. Nadi Cleansing breath meditation. This meditation is perfect for creating a sense of total internal balance. I also love it as it gives me great clarity and focus, combined with a super-chilled calm overall sensation. It creates a powerful purifying and cleansing effect in the body. Breath suspension is used in...
by admin | Aug 9, 2012 | Uncategorized
Visuddha chakra, also called the fifth chakra or throat chakra sits in the throat, neck and shoulders area. It is shown as a bright blue colour. It represents voice, communication and expression. When working with Visuddha chakra we work on releasing blocks and held tension so that we can speak honestly and express ourselves clearly. We’re also working on how we listen to others and take information in. It’s particularly about how we communicate to ourselves. Does our inner voice speak kindly or critically? From a place of love or from fear? In any given situation we’re always listening for what that inner voice has to say. This inner dialogue affects our energetic field. This energetic field is communicating all the time. Feedback we give ourselves has a direct and immediate impact on how others feel about us, by picking up on our energetic field. Growing awareness of our internal dialogue and creating a space of non-judgement around that can lead to a kinder inner voice. Choosing to direct compassion and forgiveness towards our own selves can have a deep and powerful effect on our ability to give this to others. It can also have a profound effect on how we’re treated by others. “How we speak to ourselves creates our reality. How we speak to others results in how they respond in our reality” (Harijiwan Singh Khalsa) The associated element for Visuddha chakra is ether. Ether is subtle matter, the non-physical element beyond earth, fire and air. It’s that feeling you get when you walk into a room; you feel like you want to be there or you...
by admin | Jul 27, 2012 | Uncategorized
The thyroid gland is one of the major glands in the endocrine system of the body. It sits in the neck below your larynx (or below your Adam’s apple). It plays the important role of producing the thyroid hormones involved in regulating your metabolism, and in the growth rate and function of other bodily systems. It also effects the careful stabilising of body temperature and energy levels. Both these things effect us continually throughout the day. If the thyroid gland is not functioning optimally, it doesn’t produce enough of the important hormones needed by the body. Your thyroid’s functions are directly linked to your mood. Excessive thyroid hormonal secretion produces nervousness, irritability, excessive hunger and an abnormally fast digestion. An underactive thyroid results in apathy and tiredness. Kundalini Yoga is an excellent way to maintain a healthy thyroid. Designed to work on the entire endocrine system, the practice of Kundalini yoga helps keep the whole glandular system healthy and functioning optimally. This maintains our internal balance and enhances our mood and feelings of stability. Support for your thyroid: Breath of fire is a key breath that supports the thyroid gland. Alternate nostril breathing also supports healthy thyroid hormone production. Simple neck rolls and figure 8 head rolls wake up the thyroid. Mantra is one of the key supports for the thyroid gland. There are numerous specific kundalini kriyas for the thyroid gland. Other...
