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yoga

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?’

Careers

How I’m going to sleep my way to clarity

April 15, 2014

I like to think of myself as a pretty good sleeper, and on these rainy Autumn days, there is nothing better than an early night, a cozy doona and a long sound sleep.

So this past weekend, on suitably Autumn day, I did a little more of what I do best and spent a couple of hours with our beautiful contributor Cora, to learn the art of Yoga Nidra or what she refers to as ‘the art of divine sleep’.

The art of divine sleep? sounds like beauty sleep fit for royalty – I was sold. And the best part of what I learned – you could ‘sleep’ during the day and change your thought patterns at the same time. Win win I say.

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?