0
Browsing Category

Active Beauty

Active Beauty

Heat Up Your Yoga Practice This Winter

June 19, 2014

Ujjayi Pranayama and ocean shot

Brrrr, it’s getting cold here in Sydney. We had such a warm start to Autumn I almost thought that we were going to skip winter this year. Alas, June has ushered in the bedroom heaters and hot water bottles in full force. This colder weather can make it harder to roll out your mat at home, or even to brave the streets in the dark to get to a yoga class before or after work. However, once you are practicing there is a surefire way to warm up – from the inside out.

If you are a regular to practicing any style of hatha yoga, you may be familiar with Ujjayi Pranayama (pronounced oooojayi). Ujjayi Pranayam, also called victorious breath is a style of breath work that is conducted throughout a physical yoga practice. This style of breathing has numerous benefits like clearing and focusing the mind, but the one we will focus on today is heat building.

Active Beauty

The Power Of A Personal Practice

June 5, 2014

Cora personal practice

Everyone comes to yoga with a different motivation – loosing weight, reducing stress and improving flexibility are usually what get us to show up in the yoga studio. However, recently I have noticed a shift – more and more students are telling me their motivation for practicing yoga has more to do with spirituality, than touching their toes. When I hear this, my ears perk up, my eyes sparkle a little brighter – and my response is usually,’what does that mean for you?’

Active Beauty

Desk Yoga – 5 Minutes To Relieve Neck & Shoulder Tension

April 24, 2014

desk with glasses resting on a mousepad

It’s a undeniable part of modern life – we all spend gigantic amounts of time sitting in front of computer screens, tap-tapping away. Honestly, as a book worm and introvert, I’m not complaining, I get lots of great stuff accomplished in front of my macbook. Regardless of how much I love what I am working on, at the end of a long day I feel a like I have been carrying bags of sand on my shoulders. Sound familiar?

Better posture, proper work set up and regular breaks are all necessary preventative steps to reduce neck and shoulder pain. However, no matter how much prevention you put in, we humans are still not designed to be fixated in front of a glowing box for hours on end. The following is what I call my 5-minute-fix for sitting in front of the computer all day.

Active Beauty

What style of yoga is right for you?

April 3, 2014

what style of yoga is best quote with yoga quote

One of the beautiful things about yoga is that there is so much variety, no matter what your taste, ability level or goals are, there is bound to be a style that speaks to you.

However, with so much choice there is often confusion about how to choose a style to practice. It really comes down to a few questions to ask yourself before you start to shop around for a class:

1. What are your goals – why do you want to practice yoga in the first place?

Someone who wants to reduce stress would benefit from a very different class than a new mum that wants to get back into shape. We all have our own reasons that draw us to the practice, getting clear on yours will help you make a more informed choice.

2. What are your limitations?

Do you have an injury or illness that will affect your ability to move in a certain way, or do you have medical concerns that you need to consider?

Active Beauty

Back to the the barre

February 27, 2014

ballet slippers and leg warmers

A good friend of mine and I have been speaking about dance classes for a long time, specifically ballet classes. We have never actually made it to a class… until now!

I’m going to be trying a beginners ballet class at Sydney Dance Company, down in the Rocks with some friends in March. I’ll give you an update on how the lesson goes & if I like it, will provide more of a progress report over the coming weeks.

I did ballet throughout childhood, along with tap & gymnastics, so am looking forward to giving it another whirl as an adult. I also love the freedom of dance and expression, throw in the discipline and the rigour brought by ballet and think it’s a wonderful mix.