Hello! Welcome to another Yamala Yoga Monthly Newsletter.
Term 2 Yoga Classes: Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Term 2 Yoga Classes. We have been absolutely humbled by the gorgeous souls who have been sharing the space with us each week. We are absolutely loving the community spirit we have got going on at Yamala Yoga and hope to continue to grow from here. We had a blast leading you through your practice, and hope you enjoyed each class as much as we did. As always- if you have any feedback (good or bad), please get in touch. We want to create a space where you feel comfortable and relaxed EVERY time you step through those doors.
Term 3 Yoga Classes: Meg has kindly offered to pick up Hil’s classes (as our smallest yamala yogi is due in August, Hil will be taking a break from teaching this term), so we are all set for Term 3! We will be running another 10 week block starting on Tuesday 11th July, same as always- every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:15-7:00pm. PLUS, we will also be adding classes this term on Sunday morning from 7:45-8:30am ! This will be a lovely relaxed way to start a sunday morning and there is always the option for a delicious coffee from The Letter Lounge Cafe upstairs after class! As always, Remember to arrive a few minutes earlier so you can enjoy a yummy pre-class stretch, meditation or time to yourself.
A reminder that Casual Classes are $15 or $100 for a 10 Class Pass. Don’t forget to tell your friends – your first class with Yamala is free!
THIS MONTH’S TOP STORIES
Creating a Magical Morning Routine
Morning routines are more than just habit we form, they are essential for overall wellbeing. The way we set up each morning is the way we set the tone for our entire day. Have you ever had one of those days, where you’re stressed out, frazzled and disconnected the whole day? Rushing around trying to fit in “all of the things”, leaving you feeling overwhelmed, burnt out or stressed the entire day. Those are the days when we don’t practice our morning routine….with Mindfulness. The key here is to be completely conscious and aware of being in the present moment as you carry out your morning routine.
Now lets not get bogged down with all the lemon water, meditation and body brushing….the fact is, just having a routine works. When we wake up, we’re foggy and usually lean towards stagnancy. A routine gets us moving, without having to use our brain too much. It’s not complicated and doesn’t require any gadgets or exotic ingredients. All you have to do is get out of bed.
Stuck for ideas….try this!
Write down 10 things you would ideally love to do in your morning routine (some examples might be):
- Watch the sunrise
- Do some form of movement (yoga, pilates, walking, gym, swimming…whatever tickles your fancy!)
- Meditate
- Dry body brush
- Read something inspiring
- Have a bath
- Scrape your tongue (we will discuss tongue scraping another time…we LOVE it!)
- Repeat some affirmations while you’re in the shower
- Sing/Dance to your favourite song
- Write down/say it aloud/simply “feel” everything you are grateful for
- Make a delicious wholesome breakfast and eat it mindfully
Now from this list you have created, circle the top 5 things that set your heart on fire- the things you would most love to do in your magical morning routine. From this list of 5, highlight the 3 things that inspire you the most. These top 3 are you non-negotiables for a magical morning routine. The other 2 are little bonuses, so if you get time and can fit them in- that’s awesome! But if not, there is no stress.
Now pick a time you would like to rise every morning (note that it’s best to aim to go to bed and rise at the same time each day for your body). Whatever that time is for you, it might be 5:30am or 7:00am.
You’ll need to decide how long you would like to spend on your morning routine (but be flexible, as this might change if you have a hectic morning getting the kids ready or racing off to a meeting etc). It might be 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, or perhaps you only have 15 minutes. It doesn’t matter how long.
With your top 3 non-negotiables in the order you desire to perform them, pop a designated time next to each one.
For example, Hil’s top 3 are;
- Doing some movement
- Making a delicious wholesome breakfast
- Tongue scraping
She usually wakes at 5:15am. This means that she can have a glass of water before getting into some yoga, or going for a run (she allows 20-30mins for this). Next up, she showers and makes a wholesome breakfast (as she’s usually short on time, having this pre-prepared really helps! Maybe it’s a smoothie, some overnight oats or a quick throw together of eggs on toast!) Its then time to brush her teeth and scrape her tongue before racing out the door at 6:10am to make it to work on time. Of course, there are days when she has to start a little earlier at work…so this just usually means she might just do a quick 5 minute stretch (rather than 30 mins of yoga or a run!) before getting stuck into the day.
Remember, you’ve gotta make it work for you. If its not working after a week or two, re-evaluate and try something else. Soon it will ‘click’ and you’ll find you are ready to jump out of bed each morning and get stuck into it. If you’ve got kids, why not get them involved too!? They might love coming on a morning walk with you, it’s great to get thim involved in the preparation of a yummy breakfast and we all really benefit from a little meditation/mantra to start the day.
Let us know how you go.
A Final Thought
The BEST Banana Bread
Try whipping up this delicious treat. It’ll get you up in the morning or have you humming through that 3pm slump! (It just so happens to be gluten free, grain free, dairy free and refined sugar free too!)
What you’ll need:
- 150 g coconut oil (or butter if you prefer)
- 3 ripe bananas mashed
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups blanched almond meal
- 3⁄4 cup walnuts chopped and 2 tbs. extra
- 1 tsp. 100% vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. baking powderHow to do it:
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 20cm x 10 cm (8 x 4 inch) loaf tin with baking paper.
- In a mix master cream the coconut oil/butter, eggs and vanilla.
- In a large bowl mix the almond meal, walnuts and baking powder.
- Add the butter mixture and mashed bananas and stir until combined.
- Transfer mixture into prepared tin, sprinkle with extra walnuts and place into the oven for 50 minutes or until it springs back when you lightly touch the top.
- Allow to cool before you turn out, slice and serve!Enjoy with a steaming hot cuppa!
[for more delicious recipes check out https://themerrymakersisters.com ]