There are no set benchmarks for this question, however it is a very common question. The good news is you do not have to be able to do advanced yoga postures, or even be able to touch your toes.

But there are important questions still to ask yourself.

+ Am I at a stage in life for a new direction or purpose?

+ Do I have the time and resources to dedicate to this?

+ Do I want to learn new things and step outside of my comfort zone?

+ Do I feel that yoga has the capacity to impact my life positively?

+ Do I feel I would like more knowledge of yoga to help others expand their lives?

+ Does this feel right for the next step in my journey?

If you would like to talk this through or have any further questions, please reach out to us.

We are here to help & to help you transform.

Why is it that new years resolutions don’t seem to stick for very long? Why is that?

If these New Years Resolutions are so important, why did we not start them earlier? Well whether it’s New Year or not, they can be tough to implement, which is why they did not happen earlier.

So why are they so tough? Because changing ingrained patterns which we have become accustomed to takes time. These patterns can be physical, mental or emotional. When you stop feeding a pattern or addiction, there is withdrawal symptoms. They can also be hard to shift because there are lifestyle factors involved. Family, friends, work, home life may contribute to & facilitate these patterns.

But possibly the real reason we don’t follow through is because we are not looking at the big picture. If we are changing habits & patterns but are not managing stress levels, if we do not have awareness in how we are reacting, if we are not making conscious decisions, if we are not shifting our perspectives to gain clarity on our desires, patterns & behaviours, really little will change.

So lets take a good look at ourselves.

Yoga is a system, a practice & a tool. It’s a way to spend time dedicated to yourself, so you can drop the small stuff & gain some clarity on the big picture. A yoga practice will support you through the multiplicity of changes that occur & facilitate & promote a healthy lifestyle. And since “like attracts like” you find that your desire to indulge in unhealthy behaviours starts to drift away.

When you commit to a yoga practice, positive change will happen.

You become the master of your own life.

So don't forget, there is still time to take advantage of our January Jump Start Pack:

10 Classes for $110 - which are valid until the 31/03/19.

Offer ends on the 31st of January 2019.

This is a paradox (absurdity), or you could say an enigma (riddle), or a puzzling contradiction that keeps arising for me, yoga and the concept of fear.

I encounter many wonderful souls in our local community that use words such as anxious, nervous, scared, intimidated, not flexible, when referencing the thought of entering our beautiful, warm, welcoming, all inclusive Yoga Shala.

There may be a plethora of reasons leading to these emotions.

Have some inquiry, what is it in reality that you could possibly be afraid of?

I encourage you to ask yourself this & drill down into it.

You may feel intimidated by the images you see in magazines & social media. That is not yoga, they are images. Yoga is not about what it looks like.

To sum it up nicely with a quote from BKS Iyengar "The study of asana is not about mastering posture. It's about using the posture to transform yourself".

Yoga is the practice of a lifetime so if you are waiting to find perfection before you enter the Shala, then you will be waiting for ever.

I can understand feelings of nervousness about trying something new & entering the unknown. Nerves are good, they show you have a healthy respect for your safety.

But lets keep it in perspective, we are talking about standing & sitting on a rubber mat in a warm room with a beautiful view & some cool tunes playing and you will get to make some shapes with your body. Yin classes you don't even get to stand up!

Yoga asks us to observe without judgement. There is no comparing to be done here.

Oscar Wilde said "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken".

He also said "Success is a science, if you have the conditions, you get the results".

He must have been referring to the practice of yoga too.

If entering the Shala evokes a felt sense of fear, anxiety or nervousness maybe you need to have some deep inquiry around being fearful of something that can only benefit you. Be fearful of the big scary stuff, not yoga.

Yoga is a transformative path of growth on many levels, energetic, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. You get what you need out of it, whether its the physical or another layer.

And the paradox again is that yoga is the perfect tool, its the medicine, to teach one how to deal with fear, anxiety, stress, nervousness & lack of flexibility.

So why not turn up. Surmount your fears. Free yourself.

With the holidays approaching most of us will be tempted by an abundance of food, much of it not very healthy and a full plate of social commitments.

Its easy to lose sight of Prana, when we get busy or when we start overeating, traveling and feeling less vital than we could. Sometimes when we sink into this state inertia kicks in. We start to create blockages in the subtle energetic system and these blockages obstruct the flow of energy within.

So what is Prana? We use the word all the time in yoga. Most people translate it as life force. Then when you ask what life force means many say "Prana." It's a circular definition. To me Prana is vital energy. It is more than breath, it is the life force that animates all existence. Its what allows the cells to reproduce in the most healthy and efficient way possible. The body is not busy being a janitor but can actually build vital tissues so we can up level our lives and thrive.

When we can get Prana (breath and energy} and Citta (mind and consciousness) to move as one we can start to dissolve the blockages and move towards optimum living.

So these Summer holidays remember its the season of long days, growth, light, joy and brightness. The heat can be intense, so eat seasonal fresh light foods that are ea

sy to digest and can keep your body cool, providing it with the fluids and antioxidants it needs in the warm weather.

Commit to live in harmony with the cycles of nature and adjust your diet, lifestyle and physical practices to the summer season to live in a state of energetic abundance.

So this summer

Make sure your plate is half full of green veggies.Get into the beauty of nature often, where Prana residesHydrate oftenPause to take a breath and maybe say no to some of those excess social invitationsMake the intention of your yoga practice not so much about the shapes you make but the feeling of Prana circulating.

All this will up level your life instead of skimming across the surface of your potential.

Check the timetable here for the Xmas period, still lots of classes on to keep cultivating and circulating that Prana.

If there's one thing I've learned about yoga, it's that there are no absolutes in this practice. What works for one person might not work for someone else. What works for you today, might not work tomorrow. It's an incredibly versatile practice that can be modified to suit almost any need or taste. So its frustrating when I hear people make generalizations or put labels on the practice of yoga. Here are just a few of the most common misconceptions I've heard-and why I don't subscribe to them!

1. I'm not ______________ enough. You can fill in the blank..

I've heard it all. "I'm not flexible enough. I'm not thin enough. I'm not young enough."

Yoga accepts you wherever you are. There are no prerequisites, no rules, no expectations, and no judgments. A byproduct of yoga may be better physical, mental health and well-being, but I assure you that it is not required to start. The best thing about yoga is that you can come as you are and let the practice tend to you in the most generous way. Anyone and everyone can benefit from the practice of yoga as long as they are patient and approach the practice with an open mind. And who doesn't want an open mind? Yoga can help cultivate that as well.

2. Yoga is easy, its just gentle stretching, designed for relaxing.

There's a great deal of value in gentle relaxing styles of yoga, but there are many styles and schools of yoga that are incredibly physically challenging & require a disciplined effort.. Some styles cultivate strength, stamina, and flexibility. That's why we have so many styles on the schedule. There's a class out there that will meet your needs, whether you're a skier, snowboarder, triathlete, teenager or a grandma, like me!

3. The purpose of yoga is physical fitness.

A lot of people put yoga in the same category as going to the gym because of its physical benefits. But one of the reasons that asana practice (the postures) is so great for you is that it mixes awareness and concentration with movement. In other words, yoga is a moving meditation! That's SO different from other fitness classes!

4. I'm injured, I can't do yoga.

Its quite the opposite. Many students come to yoga while they're recuperating from an injury and displaced from their regular form of exercise. Those who first try yoga as a means of rehab, typically stick with it because it not only helps them heal but can also help prevent future injury.

5. I'm too busy to do yoga.

Its the same analogy as I'm not flexible enough so I wont do anything. If time is an issue, look at the efficiency of ticking off all of these boxes in one go: fitness, flexibility, stress relief, skillful focus and mindfulness all in the one session. Try just 1 hour a week and observe the return on that investment. I promise you, you will be pleasantly surprised.

6. I will have to give up meat, alcohol & all my material possessions.Yoga does not tell you what to do. But it does make you more mindful about how you live in the world. You will find you will make more informed & balanced choices about your diet & lifestyle. You do not have to renunciate that good glass of wine. And when it comes to possessions, have you noticed how many pairs of leggings yogis have! But because of our yoga practice, we're okay with that.

7. Yoga is a religion.

Yoga is not a religion. Yoga is a science. Yes, some people become religious about participating in the practice, but there is no dogma or required belief system. To the contrary yoga will develop an inquiring, creative mind, develop a philosophy to ask the important questions, gaining insight, and making your own informed choices.

Many say you are only as old as your thoughts & the movement in your spine - and yoga positively affects these, so get yourself into a class this month. Know someone that needs to read this? Do them a favor & forward it to them.

The fish pose is a pose in supine (face up) where one initially leans on the elbows to allow the shoulders to roll inwards underneath the back. Slowly the hands slide lower towards the buttocks and move centrally. When more advanced the hands can be placed on top of each other (hand palms down). The shoulders are challenged to roll in internal rotation and are encouraged to depress and retract:. The rhomboids work, the trapezius is relaxed and stretched. The cervical spine appears more than ever, with the muscles on the front stretched completely. These are all positions which are beneficial for extension and straightening of the back.

From a physiotherapy point of view I like this pose, because it stimulates the client to extends the back in both a longitudinal way (along the spine) as well as in a transverse way. It is the active brother in relation to the passive sister pose, backwards over the Swiss ball and stretch completely relaxed. The spine extensors are a big group of muscles which love to bend all three ways, even sideways. We move three dimensional.

Our thoracic spine is the most immobile part of our spine because the ribs form the protective cage around our heart, vital organs and part of the intestines. The cervical spine is most mobile followed by the lumbar spine. We still need to move it all directions, so it is a nice treat for your body to counteract the rounded shape which we tend to create in our thoracic spine when we work, bike-ride, sit in the car, behind a computer or stand.

So after we have positioned the arms and shoulders we are going to lift ourselves up through the sternum. This stretches our Pectoralis muscles and opens up the chest by pulling it up and lifting the ribs. This semi inversion tips the chest over to the top of us. The rib cage automatically lifts up, and we can focus on letting the breath happen deep in our abdomen. The Psoas muscle works through the lift of the hips. In variations w also lift the legs and come into a V-shape.

We then tip the head back and lean on the top so the position becomes most effortless. The anterior part of the neck stretches out. If you find the pose too strenuous and you need to ease yourself into this, try lying on a bed or table and position a chair or bench on the top-end so you can let your head hang down supported. You can roll up and towel and place this between your shoulders LENGTHWISE OR TRANSVERSE. This pose is slightly more passively done, but a good start to get yourself used to the active one.

The fish pose id usually done in the end of a yoga session and might or might not be accompanied by a big sigh out to stimulate the Ujayi breath. This can be perceived as weird, but it is a freeing move and worth a try. Our facial muscles love to be re-positioned and I often think yoga for the face is more beneficial than having a pot of night creme, Botox or other expensive short lasting remedy.

Nothing wrong with being a bit fishy now and then. Enjoy.

Carla

Beyond the obvious reasons for yoga's increasing popularity, what's fascinating is data shows those who practice yoga have measurably better perceptions of their individual strength, balance, dexterity, and mental clarity versus non-practitioners. Those who practiced yoga were also more likely to be involved in other forms of exercise.

A 2016 American study found that, "More people than ever across all age groups are realising the benefits of yoga, from stress relief to flexibility to overall well-being”.

Wouldn’t you like to develop more strength, balance, co-ordination, stamina and flexibility in your life?

A perfect complement to an active mountain lifestyle, yoga helps with maintaining optimal joint health, recovering from injuries, reducing stress and boosting mood as well as increasing mental alertness and encouraging an overall sense of wellbeing for the practitioner.

So how do all these wonderful benefits happen?

Yoga is a mindfulness practice and when practiced with good alignment, it safely stretches the belly of all the main muscle groups, building within them a greater elasticity and strength and aiding a healthy range of motion in the joints.

Combining mindful movement with co-ordination of the breath, referred to as Pranayama – translating to “breath cultivation and regulation” or “life force control”, creates a powerful breath body connection and intensifies focus. Energetically, harnessing the power of the breath combined with the contraction and tensioning of the muscles, areas of high and low pressure are created, improving the flow of all our circulation systems, not just the heart.

The mind is drawn away from the everyday chatter and directly into the here and now of the practice. A reduction in stress and anxiety levels results and an increase in mental clarity occurs as you breathe through the challenges that arise on the mat. This strengthens your mental focus and your ability to stay in the parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest mode) whilst you face the challenges that arise in your life off the mat.

Mindfulness is the new buzz word. Why? Because when we take a break from the busyness of our lives and connect with the natural flow of our breath and the immediacy of our environment, everything changes. We stay calm under pressure; we listen more attentively; we increase our capacity to focus and we create space by releasing tension and clearing the obstacles that we build up in our minds and bodies.

Yoga is medicine for your wellbeing, physically, mentally, energetically, emotionally and spiritually. If your time poor, or just looking for the right practice to compliment your life; it’s a one stop shop.

J