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Perception

28/4/2015

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Yoga gives you the mental space needed to change your perception...

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Deep Abdominal Breathing

26/4/2015

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Have you ever seen a baby breathe? With each breath its little belly moves, not the chest. That’s our natural breathing method.  If you’re a chest breather, you’re taking shorter, faster breaths. By getting the air in the deeper part of the lungs, you’ll get 10x more air with each breath. This will be a slower, longer breath—but a normal sized breath.

Follow along with the questions below to retrain the breath and get the benefits of deep abdominal breathing.

Question 1: Am I a Chest Breather or a Belly Breather?


To check whether you are breathing shallowly or more deeply, do the following:

1. Sit in a chair, with an erect but comfortable posture.

2. Place one palm on your chest and the other palm on your stomach (below the rib cage and above the navel).

3. Take some normal breaths. Which hand or hands move? If you’re not sure, look in the mirror.

4. If the top or both hands are moving, then you’re a chest breather. If the bottom hand moves, you’re getting a fuller breath. In either case, follow along to get the most out of your belly breathing.

Question 2: How Can I Retrain Myself to Belly Breathe?

You are going to learn a movement that gently stretches muscles that run between the ribs—naturally hinging the ribs open so you can get a more full breath.

1. Reach behind your chair with your arms and bring your hands together.

2. Relax the abdominal muscles so your stomach can move outward as your lungs press on the stomach cavity.

3. Notice if there’s more movement in the belly. It’s that easy.

4. If you didn’t notice any belly breathing, try this posture: raise your arms above your head and clasp your hands behind your neck. This opens the chest area and makes taking a deeper breath easier.

Question 3: How Should I Practice or Use Belly Breathing?


1. Try practicing for 10 deep breaths, three times a day to start.

2. You can notice when you feel tense or stressed, and do 10 deep breaths right then.

3. Pay attention to your posture, especially if you’re sitting at a computer.

4. Practice while standing or lying down.

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Stillness in movement 

18/4/2015

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This image reminds me that there is both stillness and movement in yoga asana practise. In movement we seek stillness and calm. In rest we stay mindful and attentive.
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Simplicity

6/4/2015

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These quotes both contrast and compliment perfectly. 
Take on only as much as you can do today. Be completely present with each thing that you do and find the joy in simplicity. Simple is profound.
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Breathe

3/4/2015

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The breath is the bridge between mind and body. Regulating the breath conciously helps to reduce the intensity of thoughts and is one of the best techniques for cleansing the mind. Lengthening the breath, especially the exhalation, regulates the heart rate and soothes the nervous system. So take a moment now to breathe in deeply and exhale slooooowly and completely.
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Mental Hygiene 

3/4/2015

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Some people are metaculous about the quality of their physical lifestyle, but constantly allow negative input into their mind. With yoga, we develop the ability to stand back and look at what we are allowing in. We can then question: is this lifting us up or pulling us down? Is this energising me, or draining my energy? At the end of each day, take time for reflection and observe this.
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Patanjali's Eight Limbs of Yoga

1/3/2015

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Here's a little info-graphic if you are interested in learning about some of the philosophy behind yoga. In this case Patanjali's 8 Limbs of Yoga.
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Super Awesome Chocolate Meditation

28/2/2015

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Choose some chocolate - either a type that you've never tried before, or one that you have not eaten recently. 

1. Open the packet. Listen to the crackle. 

2. Inhale the aroma. Let it sweep over you.

3. Break off a piece and look at it. Really let your eyes drink in what it looks like, examining every nook and cranny.

4. Pop it in your mouth. See if it's possible to hold it on your tongue and let it melt, noticing any tendency to hurry the process along. Apparently chocolate has over 300 different flavours. See if you can sense some of them.

5. If you notice your mind wandering while you do this, simply notice where it went, then gently bring it back to the present moment.

6. After the chocolate has completely melted, swallow it very slowly and deliberately. Let it trickle down your throat.

7. Repeat this with one other piece 

8. Take a moment to reflect...
How do you feel? Is it different from normal? Did the chocolate taste better than if you'd just eaten it at a normal breakneck pace? Do you feel fuller than normal, more satisfied?

(ooh yes, my kind of meditation!)

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Eight Limbs of Yoga: A Brief Introduction

27/2/2015

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The Tree of Yoga

1. Yamas tell us how to interact with the World, they are the roots of the tree because they connect us to others and everything outside ourselves. Without strong roots, a tree, no matter how strong in other respects, will fall.

2. Niyamas tell us how to interact with ourselves, they are the trunk of the tree, providing stability.

3. Asana are postures. Loosely translated asana means comfortable and stable seat. Feeling comfortable within the physical body. The main purpose of asana is to prepare the physical body for long periods of meditation. Thus asana represents the branches of our tree, the baby steps toward transformation, which happens through meditation.

4. Pranayama refers to breathing techniques and expansion of life-force energy; these form the bridge between our minds and our bodies. Pranayama are the leaves of our tree absorbing energy to nourish us.

5. Pratyahara is often translated as sense withdrawal. In a world of constant stimulation, distraction, and mental chatter, pratyahara represents an intentional withdrawing from the outside world, and with enough practice, our own racing thoughts. Pratyahara is the bark of our tree, protecting us from external distractions and diversions.

6. Dharana loosely translated as concentration or focus, is the life giving sap of our tree because where our attention goes, our energy flows, and for good health, energy must flow freely to where it is needed.

7. Dhyana or meditation, not the attempt to meditate but the state of meditation, forms the flower of the tree. It is the culmination of the preceding limbs.

8. Samadhi, or the state of true bliss, forms the fruit of our tree, the seeds from which transformation and new life ultimately flourish.
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Tasting Mindfulness: A Poem

21/2/2015

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Take time out of your day for this mini-retreat:
~ Tasting Mindfulness  ~

Have you ever had the experience of stopping 
so completely, 
of being in your body so completely,
of being in your life so completely, 
that what you knew and what you didn't know,
that what had been and what was yet to come,
and the way things are right now 
no longer held even the slightest hint of anxiety or discord? 

It would be a moment of complete presence, 
beyond striving, 
beyond mere acceptance, 
beyond the desire to escape or fix anything or plunge ahead, 
a moment of pure being, no longer in time,
a moment of pure seeing, pure feeling,
a moment in which life simply is,
and that 'isness' grabs you by all of your senses, 
all your memories, by your very genes, by your loves, 
and welcomes you home

(a poem by Tara Brach)
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Yoga is a Science

20/2/2015

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Be Soft Like Water: A Poem

18/2/2015

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Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.

The soft overcomes the hard; the gentle overcomes the rigid. Everyone knows this is true, but few can put it into practice.

Therefore the Master remains serene in the midst of sorrow. Evil cannot enter his heart. 
Because he has given up helping, he is people's greatest help.

True words seem paradoxical.

Tao Te Ching: Chapter 78
(Lao Tzu, approx. 500BC)
(Interpreted by Stephen Mitchell, 1988)
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Yoga: More Than Asana

10/2/2015

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These days when someone says the word “yoga”, most people think of asanas (yoga postures). They think of exercise classes that stretch the body and maybe incorporate some specific breathing practices. But there is SO MUCH MORE than this “asana thing". Asanas are but one of the eight limbs of the 'tree of yoga' as described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. A tiny part of a comprehensive philosophy and science of life.



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Yamas: Ahimsa in Daily Life

8/2/2015

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Norman, the Eco Warrior, shows us how to make a few tiny changes that have a big impact to our planet.
  1. Research renewable energy sources.
  2. Switch to reusable bags. Helpful tip: Attach a carabiner to your grocery store loyalty cards and reusable bags. If you remember one, you remember both.
  3. Conserve energy. Turn down the heat. Turn off your computer at night. Don't go out for just one thing but bundle your errands. Every bit of energy we don't use is some energy we don't have to produce.
  4. Upcycle junk. Have fun turning trash into treasure. 
  5. Conserve and reuse water. 
  6. Recycle! I know it's old news, but it still makes a difference. The energy used to make one brand-spankin'-new aluminum can makes up to 20 recycled cans!
  7. Eat fish that are sustainably caught or raised. 70% of the fish species we love to eat are dying out. 
  8. Tell your friends! If everyone who watched this video challenged three friends to make one tiny change, before you know it, it would make a big difference. When we combine our efforts, we make serious progress.
*Tips via Upworthy
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Yamas: Ahimsa

8/2/2015

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In the yogic tradition there are five moral principals known as the yamas (restraints). 


The yamas are not about 'moral law' per se, but are part of a ‘practice’ to live a more harmonious life. The five yamas make up the first of the eight limbs as outlined by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. 


The first yama is AHIMSA: non-harming and having compassion for all living beings (including ones self). It's not all about ‘hugging trees’, or becoming a vegetarian. By simply making small steps to refrain from harming, and becoming aware of our thought patterns that lead to harmful behavior, our lives become more harmonious.




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Namaste: The Meaning

6/2/2015

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Literal Translation of the word: Nama means bow, as means I, and te means you “I bow to you.”
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Mindfulness with Kindfullness: A Story

5/2/2015

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There was once a mindfulness institute that placed an advertisement in a daily newspaper and in various social media sites. The short ad read as follows:

One-day Enlightenment. Guaranteed. Call: 0800-Mindful
A woman saw this ad and got very excited. She had been dealing with daily stressors, a new job, and even health issues. She called to get the address and the very next morning she went to the institute and found one of the instructors.

“I saw your ad. What do you mean by enlightenment?” she asked.
“Clarity of mind,” said the instructor. “Also, a sense of peace and inner calm, even in the midst of life’s difficulties. All you have to do,” he explained, “is to follow your breath completely, noticing the in-breath, the pause, and the out-breath—without any distractions for the next seven hours to realise your goal.”

The woman glanced at her wristwatch, smiled and said, “Fabulous, I’ll have my enlightenment by dinnertime! Sign me up.” She was given a cushion to sit on, and so she began. The first in-breath was fantastic, and she was present with it the entire time. Right then, however, a siren blared outside. The woman’s sense of hearing grabbed onto the siren and brought it inside her mind, where it started to spin a story: That’s loud. Don’t they know we’re trying to get our enlightenment in here?

Just then she realized she had forgotten about her breath. And so she started again, noticing the complete in-breath and then being present with the pause. She was just starting her out-breath when a fly buzzed by. She opened her eyes and her sense of sight went and grabbed the fly and brought it inside her mind. Again, the mind spun an elaborate story: I wonder if we’re going to have lunch, because having flies isn’t a good idea. Maybe someone left the window open. Who should I talk to? Finally, she remembered about her breath, and so she started again . . . and again. As the story goes, she was still there ten years later trying to get her seven consecutive hours of breath awareness!

That’s why mindfulness is more accurately called re-mindfulness. It’s totally okay to remind yourself to come back to being aware of the mind and body and environment time and time again. Remember, there’s no being perfect with mindfulness. You don’t have to stop your thoughts, either. Just noticing them is good enough. In fact, when it comes to learning mindfulness good enough is always good enough. Because mindfulness is re-mindfulness, there’s never any failure with it. And it’s why mindfulness is a way of inviting and practicing kindness toward yourself.

Reflections: If you have critical or distracted thoughts during your mindfulness practice, just notice them, smile inwardly, knowing that by noticing thoughts you are actually doing the practice! Then, just think of the words “good enough” to release the thoughts and return to your practice. 

Namaste,
Yoga Wellness Clinic 

(Adapted from: Mindfulness Toolbox)

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Body Care: Maintaining a Healthy Spine

3/2/2015

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Our friends at Built for Motion offer an excellent way to mobilise the thoracic spine while protecting the lumbar spine from rotation:
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Peace

2/2/2015

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Mind-Body Connection

17/1/2015

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The body and mind are not separate entities. Every mental knot has a corresponding physical knot in the body and vice versa. The aim of yogic practices is to release these knots and to connect us with the joy, love and creativity that we are, integrating and harmonising the body and mind.

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True Healing

1/1/2015

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Meditation: How it Works

1/1/2015

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Asana: Exploring the Edge

19/12/2014

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There is so much wisdom wrapped up in this two minutes. The speaker neatly merges the concepts of ahimsa (non-violence) and tapas (determination) as practiced on the yoga mat and in daily life. The aim is to seek the middle path that neither calls us to withdraw into ourselves nor fight with ourselves or the world around us.
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Are you Happy?

18/12/2014

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Meditation: Your Brain on Meditation

10/12/2014

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“I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. 
I feel your feelings. My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you. 
Let us work together for unity and love.” - Mahatma Gandhi

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