Monthly Digest- April 2018
Hello! Welcome to our Yamala Yoga Monthly Newsletter for April!
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Term 2: With Term 2 just around the corner, and the cooler months *hopefully on their way…NOW is the perfect time to commit to a regular yoga practice.
✽ General Yoga at the Paddington Annexe. Our classic Yamala Yoga style class with plenty of flows, deep stretches and meditation suitable for everyone (including beginners, children and advanced yogis!). A reminder that Casual Classes are $15 or $100 for a 10 Class Pass. As always, please try to arrive at least 5 mins before the scheduled class time. This means we can start on time, and with less disruptions for everyone when the class is underway.
- Tuesday evenings @ 6:15-7:00pm
- Sunday mornings 7:45-8:30am
✽ Mums & Bubs Yoga at The Soul Pantry: Each Wednesday @ 9:30am at the Soul Pantry are a real treat! Prices for the Mums & Bubs Yoga is $20 for a casual class or $150 for a 10 Class Pass (which has a years expiry!). Tell all your mumma friends, kids from 0-5 years old welcome (but don’t fret! If your kiddies are in care…we would still love to see you!!) It’s a lovely class, with coffee and chats to follow. **Special note, we now have an extra pair of helping hands for each Mums and Bubs class! This means you can enjoy yoga while your littlest is having fun (playing with toys, crawling, practicing tummy time or relishing in a snuggle) with the other kiddies and the gorgeous Meg!
Just a reminder that unfortunately we don’t have eftpos facilities available at this time. So please remember to bring cash or do a bank transfer for your passes. Just ask us for bank details if you don’t have them already.
THIS MONTH’S
TOP STORIES
What’s the Go with Meditation?
How to help still your mind at the end of your yoga practice
Here at Yamala Yoga, we aim to provide you with quiet meditation time at the end of your yoga practice. While sometimes is just impossible to completely shut your mind down for 5 minutes (hello Mumma’s in our Wednesday class!), the benefits of settling the mind for a few moments is incredible.
There are many common barriers to meditation, however we want to give YOU the tools have a successful meditation at the end of every yoga class.
“I can’t make my mind go blank or empty”
Well, the good news is – you don’t have you! Meditation is about bringing all of your awareness to ONE thing. We usually try to bring our awareness to our breath as it is always with us, but you could also try a mantra (“I am enough” or “I am love” are nice ones to use!).
“I have too many things going on in my mind” –
Brilliant. We all do. It’s normal. It’s natural. What we need to try to do when we meditate is not hold any attachment to these thoughts or to this ‘mind chatter’. Let these thoughts come into your mind and imagine them flowing out again. Try not to dwell on any specific thought or give into the temptation that they bring (shopping lists, what’s for lunch….etc. We’ve all been there!)
“Focusing on my breath makes me self conscious” –
Meditation is all about being in the moment. If you feel a bit self conscious, that’s okay. Meditation is about accepting where you are at right in that moment. Being exactly where you are, exactly who you are in that moment and nothing else. Try and let everything else go.
“What am I supposed to think about while I meditate?” –
You’re breath is a beautiful place to start, as it allows us to bring our attention and focus on just one thing. Try slowly counting your inhale (1…2….3….) and then slowly counting your exhale (1….2….3…). Doing this means you’re unlikely to be able to allow other thoughts to enter your mind as you are already focused on your breath.
“I don’t get anything out of meditation” –
Try not to put too many expectations on your meditation practice, as it will end up driving you crazy. Try to focus your attention on the process and the rest will follow in time.
Eventually meditation will no longer feel like a chore. You will get to a point where you want to sit down and meditate. Not because you think you should, but because it actually feels so good. No matter what happens during your meditation session (and no matter how long!), you’ll remain peaceful, calm and happy.
Something a little extra….
Avoiding the Flu, Naturally
As the cooler weather approaches, so too does the dreaded cold and flu season! But there are ways to avoid getting sick this year, and they are much simpler than you think:
- Make sure you are getting plenty exercise – like a regular yoga practice and a daily walk in the sunshine! Keeping active boosts your immunity (and makes you feel like a million bucks! Win – Win!)
- Drink plenty of water, even though it’s getting a bit cooler. Staying hydrated will keep you healthy and glowing all autumn!
- Eat well – think lots of fresh fruits and veggies especially garlic, citrus and ginger…these all boost immunity and taste delicious!
- Make sure you get plenty of sleep each night. More sleep = less stress, and less stress means higher immunity.
- Reduce alcohol consumption. Letting your body function at the best of its ability will mean that it can fight off colds better. If you can’t forgo that glass of wine (ha! we totally understand!!), just make sure that you don’t overdo it 😉
- Keep your gut happy. Taking a specialised probiotic or including fermented foods in your diet such as kombucha, sauerkraut or miso will boost immunity.
- Wash your hands often, especially after touching surfaces that others may have touched. These germs love to spread, so we’ve got to stop them in their tracks!
And of course, if you can’t manage to keep the sickness at bay (golly, it happens to us all!), the BEST thing you can do is REST. Avoid going to work (you don’t want to share that cold around the office!) and just take it easy at home. Sleep in. Drink tea with honey and lemon. And give your body the time it needs to heal. Honestly, it’ll be over before you know it 🙂
A Final Thought
Living the Simple Life, Sustainably!
Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce our use of Earth’s natural resources. It is done by reducing the carbon footprint by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet.
We believe we should be aiming to live on Earth as lightly as possible, meeting our needs in the present moment without compromising the needs for our future generations- so that they too can enjoy a beautiful high quality of life that we enjoy today.
Some simple changes to the way we live everyday can ensure we are assisting to give our future generations the future they deserve!
At home- Changing our light bulbs to energy efficient bulbs and simply turning the lights off when we are no longer in the room all contribute to reducing our carbon footprint.
Instead of using plastic ‘Gladwrap’ to keep our food fresh, try investing in some beautiful beeswax wraps. They are amazing for storing food in the fridge and keeping it all mighty fresh!
Unfortunately for us ladies….that time of the month is plagued with plastic wrapped Pads and Tampons. It used to really bug us, until a few years ago we stumbled across Lunette Menstrual Cups. Honestly, using these have changed our lives. We no longer dread that time of month, Periods are easier and dare I say- more enjoyable!? A brilliant investment that works out a whole lot cheaper than buying sanitary products each and every month and we are no longer adding to landfill! Perfect.
Out and about- Remembering to take our reusable bags with us to the shops is a brilliant and simple little hack. Just keep them in the car and you’re good to go!
Its estimated that Australian’s throw away a staggering 1 billion takeaway coffee cups each year too! Don’t add to the landfill and remember to use your KeepCup or simply sit in the cafe and use their beautiful cups. Also- remember to pack a reusable water bottle too…they are also massive contributors to landfill (and they simply don’t need to be!)
With our food- Making our food choices sustainable means choosing seasonal and locally grown food (as it reduces our carbon footprint caused by transport!). Choosing organic where possible will also minimise the risk of pollution to the environment caused by chemicals such as pesticides or herbicides. Local farmers markets are a great way to buy your weekly fruit and veg, plus its a great way to learn about how our food is grown direct from the farmer themselves!
Why don’t you experiment growing your own fruit and vegetables at home if you have the space? You can even try trading with your neighbours if they are growing fruit and veg too. If you’ve got the space, why not invest in some backyard chooks? Fresh eggs everyday and a perfect use for some kitchen scraps. Win, win.
Recycling plays a massive role in living sustainably….reusing products will minimise the addition of waste in landfill. Go electronic where possible to reduce paper waste and turn food scraps into compost. Before you throw something away, think about how it could possibly be reused. Old t-shirts could become cleaning cloths or rags for the shed. Empty glass jars make great storage containers or tealight holders!
It is our responsibility to contribute to the preservation of our beautiful planet, by following sustainable living practices- every little bit counts. Smart and easy little hacks like the above are a brilliant start…but there are so many things you can try too! For more ideas and some great products, visit Biome- instore or online (https://www.biome.com.au). One of our favorite shops. Enjoy.
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❝Imagination is everything. It’s the preview of life’s coming attractions.❞ — Albert Einstein.