A new Site

I am excited to announce my new site:

http://mindfulnesswithmegs.com 

Check it out and let me know what you think

A Love and Kindness Meditation

Love and Kindness meditation is honestly one of my favorite meditations, and it ties in so beautifully with Ahimsa (non violence) and our first Yama. 

I normally like recording my own meditation, but my voice is terribly sore so I downloaded a meditation from Tara Brach  she has lots of FREE guided meditations and I would recommend you go and check them out. This meditation is slightly longer than the 10 minute ones I normally do but it is definitely worth the time

The idea of the Love and Kindness meditation is that you are beaming love all over the world, and once you learn how to practice it - you can practice anytime and anywhere.

This meditation aims to evoke love, kindness and friendliness toward oneself and others. It involves visualization a number of different people along side repeat a phrase over and over again, letting the feelings permeate your body and mind. Be aware that this meditation may at times feel mechanical or awkward. It can also bring up feelings contrary to loving kindness, feelings of irritation and anger. If this happens, it is especially important to be patient and kind toward yourself, allowing whatever arises to be received in a spirit of friendliness and kind affection.

To practice this meditation sit in a comfortable position. Let your heart be soft and open. Let go of any cares or concerns. Spend a few moments centering yourself, by scanning your body, then anchoring your awareness on the breath.

The meditation begins with noticing the love you have within you, spend a few moments noticing the heart center, feeling the beautiful light and positive energy within your heart center.
Firstly you bring to mind yourself, you begin with yourself because without loving yourself it is almost impossible to love others. See yourself in your mind,  Breathe gently, and with each exhalation feel the love and light from within you completely surround you.

May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be safe Happy.
May I be Healthy.
May I be at peaceful and calm

As you repeat these phrases, picture yourself as your are now, and hold that image in a heart of loving kindness.

After a few moments bring to mind someone you love dearly, hold their image in your mind, see them there in front of you and imagine them becoming completely surrounded by the love and light from your heart center.

May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be Happy.
May you be Healthy.
May you be peaceful and calm.

After a few moments bring to mind your family and friends, hold their image in your mind, see them there in front of you and imagine them becoming completely surrounded by the love and light from your heart center.

May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be Happy.
May you be Healthy.
May you be peaceful and calm.

Bring to mind someone you dislike (this is one of the hardest ones), hold their image in your mind, see them there in front of you and imagine them becoming completely surrounded by the love and light from your heart center.

May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be Happy.
May you be Healthy.
May you be peaceful and calm

Bring to mind people in your community, hold their image in your mind, see them there in front of you and imagine them becoming completely surrounded by the love and light from your heart center.

May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be Happy.
May you be Healthy.
May you be peaceful and calm

Now see if you can spread the long and kindness all over your city, or your country, blanketing every place, person and animal with your love and kindness

Happy Meditating Yogis and Yoginis

Namaste  

The Yamas

The first limb of yoga is Yamas, of which there are 5. These 5 Yamas guide our interactions with the world around us.

1. Ahimsa This is the practice of non-violence, which includes physical, mental, and emotional violence towards others and the self. We create violence most often in our reactions to events and others, habitually creating judgment, criticism, anger or irritation. A useful took to foster non-violence is the Buddhist practice of compassion. Compassion is the ability to accept events as they are with an open and loving heart. It is a letting go of reacting to a situation in a conditional and negative way, and replaces those thoughts or feelings with kindness, acceptance and love. At first practicing compassion is hard, frustrating and not fun. But the key is to have compassion for oneself for not having compassion, and to smile at this contradiction.

2. Satya (truthfulness) urges us to live and speak our truth at all times. Walking the path of truth is a hard one, especially while respecting the first Yama, Ahimsa. Since Ahimsa must be practiced first, we must be careful to not speak a truth if we know it will cause harm to another. Living in your truth not only creates respect, honor and integrity but also provides the vision to clearly see the higher truths of the yogic path.

3. Asteya (non-stealing) is best defined as not taking what is not freely given. While this may on the surface seem easy to accomplish, when we look further this Yama can be quite challenging to practice. On a personal level this entails not committing theft physically. On the level of society, Asteya would be in opposition to exploitation, social injustice and oppression. While not easy, practicing Asteya encourages generosity and overcomes greed.

4. Brahmacharya (continence) states that when we have control over our physical impulses of excess, we attain knowledge, vigor, and increased energy. To break the bonds that attach us to our excesses and addictions, we need both courage and will. And each time we overcome these impulses of excess we become stronger, healthier and wiser. One of the main goals in yoga is to create and maintain balance. And the simplest method for achieving balance is by practicing Brahmacharya, creating moderation in all of our activities. Practicing moderation is a way of conserving our energy, which can then be applied for higher spiritual purposes.

5. Aparigraha (non-coveting) urges us to let go of everything that we do not need. The yogis tell us that worldly objects cannot be possessed at all, as they are all subject to change and will be ultimately destroyed. When we become greedy we lose the ability to see our one eternal possession, the Atman, our true Self. And when we cling to what we have we lose the ability to be open to receive what we need.

After reading this I hope you have a deep understanding of the 5 Yamas. Over te next 5 days I will upload a daily activity you can incorporate into your life.

Namaste

Yoga goes deeper than just stretching

I am coming up to almost a decade of teaching yoga, every single day I am learning new things, deepening my practice. My personal practice has come a long way - my mum has always loved yoga, and has always been a very spiritual woman, so I began a love for yoga from a very young age, I can remember watching yoga videos (in VCH format) and just loving it. 

In my teenage years I began to attend a beautiful studio in Durban South Africa - so beautiful, with wooden floors, windows overlooking a lovely garden, and the beautiful smell of incense. From that time the practice of yoga (well the Asanas) have been constant in my life. Although the practice has been there, my soul has always yearned for something deeper. 

I began to learn how to deepen my practice when I began to study to be a yoga teacher. I began to learn that yoga is not just about the stretching and strengthening, but it can be a lifestyle if you allow it to be. Following the yogic lifestyle has been an incredible journey - my soul feels at peace and happy.

I would love to share this 'lifestyle' with you. Over the next few weeks I will upload posts detailing each of the 8 limbs of yoga. So here it is... 

There are 8 limbs of yoga 

1.  Yama: There are 5 Yamas. These Yamas are ways in which we should interact with the world.

2. Niyama observances of self-interaction.

3. Asana the physical yoga exercises.

4. Pranayama breathing techniques.

5. Pratyahara sense withdrawal.

6. Dharana concentration, which helps prepare for meditation.

7. Dhyana  meditation.

8. Samadhi absorption, where we are one with the eternal and divine, pure bliss.

Happy Friday Yogis and Yoginis 

Namaste 

Are you keen to give Ashtanga a go?

  I have had many people asking about getting into an Ashtanga Practice! So I want to start off by mentioning something you may come across in your Ashtanga research, many Ashtanga Yogis practice 6 days a week, but not everyone can do this, so I would recommend practicing about 3 days a week, to begin with. I must place a little warning here now, practicing at home takes a lot of dedication - and of course you must always honor your mind and body, I would suggest that if you enjoy Ashtanga find a teacher, that way you can get adjustments and tips that will help you take your practice to the next level (comment below if you have questions about finding a teacher).

  Always begin with the primary series (there is no better place to start than the beginning), Have a look at my post Ashtanga the Primary Series, It is definitely beneficial to look over the series to get an idea of what you will be doing!

  It can be very intimidating for a beginner, so I would definitely recommend starting off slow, unfortunately I do not have the resources to make this kind of video at the moment (Hopefully in the near future I will be making some of my own videos) - but this is a great beginners video to become used to the practice of Ashtanga.

 Once you have become accustomed to this video move onto the slightly more challenging video.

  Finally move onto practicing the full primary series

 
Happy Practicing Yogis and Yoginis, and as always comment below if you have any questions 

 Namaste 

Stepping from Downward Facing Dog to a lunge

  Hello my dear Yogis and Yoginis! 

  Today I want to address an issue a lot of students have approached me about, that is stepping forward into a lunge from downward facing dog! I love teaching a flow class, and when you have difficulty stepping forward into a lunge it can definitely disrupt the flow of the class.
 
  Perhaps you look at the yogi next to you and wonder how their leg can seamlessly float under their belly, and how they can softly land his foot between their hands, while you yank your leg and foot through like it’s a sandbag dropped on a bed of daisies, and maybe even still end up with your foot far away from the top of your mat, your front heel lifted off of the floor, and your front knee forward of your toes. Not only do you feel a bit like a beginner still, you know that a knee not quite in the right position (such as bending past the crease of your ankle) can wreak havoc on the joint. But how do you get that front foot where it’s supposed to be?
  Do not be discouraged, many people suffer from this problem, not only does this transition require strength and flexibility there is also a technique.

  To begin with you always want to make sure that your body (in particular your hips and hamstrings) is warm before you practice, so do some cat/cow, a few low lunges, a down dog, your favorite 3 legged down dog, a high lunge.

  Begin with the mind:
  Don't try and do it just yet, begin by getting into the right frame of mind, it is helpful to visualize what you need to do, visualize. image going from downdog, extending your right leg up into a three-legged dog, bend your right knee into your chest, rounding your spine like a cat stretch as you push the floor away from you.

  The Breath:
  Each posture in yoga is linked with the breath, the general 'rule' of this is that with each exhalation you contract your body, with each inhalation you expand the body. This means that you’ll inhale as you lift your leg into three-legged dog, and you’ll exhale as you draw your knee into your chest to step through.
  Before you practicing coming all the way through to a lunge, practice linking the movement with the breath. From downward facing dog, inhale your right leg up into three-legged dog; exhale, and bend your knee to your chest, shifting forward a little, like you would for plank pose. Stay here for a few breaths, keeping your hips lifted and level, your spine rounding up like a cat stretch, and your head relaxed. To create even more space, with every exhale, push the floor away and contract your abdominal a little more, thereby rounding up a little more. Then re-extend your right leg back to three-legged dog on an inhale. Exhale, return to downdog, and repeat on the second side.
  If it does not work for you to do this from downdog, try doing this on your hands and knees to begin with. Inhale the right leg up exhale knee to chest, repeat that a few times, then move over to the other side.

  The Body:
  Here is the final step. This is where you can actually practice the step forward, From downward facing dog, inhale your right leg up. Contract your abdomen as you exhale and bend your knee into your chest, rounding your spine, pushing the floor away from you with your hands. Press the ball of your left foot into the floor as well, this will help you draw your right knee even closer toward your chest. Flick your right foot forward (like you’re kicking a soccer ball), aim your foot towards the space between your hands, and gracefully, place your foot flat on the earth, ending up in your lunge.

  It is important to remember that each and every body is different - for some people this may be an easy transition, for some it may require more practice. Never give up! 
  

Happy practicing yogis and yoginis 

Namaste 

"Be the Change you wish to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi

  After Leo won his Oscar, and made that incredibly moving speech, I went on to watch the documentary 'Cowspiricy'. Wow what a moving documentary, so insightful. For those of you interested in watching the documentary, it is on Netflix, and I must warn you that it is confronting, but a definite must see.
  The universe must be sending me a message, this morning I logged onto Facebook and found the video at the end of this post
  I feel like my world has been turned upside down, at the same time I am extremely motivated to do everything I can to change the world! 
  Make wise decisions Yogis and Yoginis - We only have one earth, and one chance to get it right! 

Namaste  

A Vegan Change of Heart - Beautiful

A son of a British Farmer who had a change of heart reads an inspiring poem, directly from the depths of his soul.Find more at: vegansongs.com

Posted by Best Video You Will Ever See on Monday, February 22, 2016

Slow it Down

  Life can get the best of you sometimes - you can get busy, overwhelmed, anxious etc. In those busy times remember to slow down your breath - do your best, everything will be OK.

Namaste 

The Dhama Yoga Wheel

  So I had seen The Dharma Yoga Wheel all over social media. 

   Of course like everyone else, I have goals for my practice - one of them being that I would love to open up my thoracic spine, deepen my back-bends, and I would love to improve my inversions (like handstands, head stand, scorpions etc). From what I saw on social media this prop could help me do all of those things!

  I got one and have been using it for a few weeks, I want to tell you a little about to give you an idea whether this prop would be beneficial for your practice.

 
Getting the wheel:
  My wheel arrived pretty quickly, well packaged, the only thing that I found was it didn't come with any instructions on its use. You can download some short instructions (see the picture to the left) but they are not detailed - in fact I turned to social media and my imagination to figure out how to use it.
  Practicing with the wheel:
  I love practicing with the wheel, it has helped me increase my back-bends, if you are interested in improving your back-bends then lying over the wheel (with your thoracic spine on the wheel) for 5 minutes a day can really open the spine.
  I found that I can use it deepen my forward folds, and other poses. As you can see in the top picture I often prop myself up somehow to increase the stretch.
  This prop can definitely be a support for inversions - of course it does not take away from the fact that you need strength in the arms and core, and flexibility in the shoulders
  On top of all of that its a really fun prop to improve balances. I often challenge myself by balancing on the prop (this is not easy) it has improved my grounded balances too.

 Should you get it?

  Yes! If you want to deepen your practice, although I must warn you that it takes practice - it can be a slow process so don't be hard on yourself. Try practice a little every day and before you know it you'll be up in scorpion.
  Stay turned to see poses you can do with the wheel, I will be uploaded more pics over the coming weeks. If you have any questions comment below!
 Happy practicing Yogis and Yoginis

Namaste  

Yoga in the park

  I spent such a beautiful afternoon, with wonderful people, practicing yoga in the park. Definitely going to do it again!! 
I hope you had a beautiful Saturday! 

Namaste 

Breath Awareness Meditation

  Meditation starts today, and I am so excited to be guiding students through a meditation practice and hopefully helping people develop a daily meditation habit. To check out a few of the benefits of meditation check out my 'The Joys of Meditation' post.

  In today's class we are starting with a simple breath awareness meditation - This is a really great meditation for those of you new to meditation. It basically requires you to hold the awareness on the breath - just observing the breath. In this meditation I have uploaded you will observe all the different movements of the breath (the nostrils, chest and navel) and finally observe the whole breath. 

  One of the things I love about breath awareness is the calming effect it has on the mind and body (I often incorporate a small portion of this meditation into my yoga classes). 

  Don't be discouraged if you notice thoughts coming and going, a big misconception about meditation is that the mind needs to become completely quiet, this is not possible. In meditation you will learn to focus your awareness, thoughts may come and go, but we don't get carried away with them, we hold our awareness on the activity!


  In the audio I have uploaded there is no music, there is no particular reason for this other than the fact that some people prefer no music, this is totally up to you - Here is one of the playlists I love to listen to when meditating. You can find it on Spotify, or on iTunes

(https://itunes.apple.com/au/playlist/meditation-1/idpl.83fbdc348d61468db91040572d418e5b)

  Take 10 minutes out of your day to spend some time meditating - I promise you will not regret it

Namaste 

Ashtanga - The Primary Series

  I am so excited about today, it is the first day that I am teaching Ashtanga Yoga at the UNSW YMCA! Ashtanga has so many healing aspects for mind, body and soul. For me Ashtanga is like a moving meditation, and I hope to inspire you into developing a regular Ashtanga Practice, lets break down the practice of Ashtanga into a short and sweet summary:

  The physical practice of Ahstanga: 

  Ashtanga has a number of 'series' (I will go into the other series at a later stage) a good place to begin is the Primary Series. Each time you practice, you will practice the same series of movements. 

  The practice begins with Surya Namaskar A and B (1 and 2), if you're practicing at home practice 5 rounds of each. When practicing Surya Namaskar flow with the breath - each breath moving the body from one movement to the next. Following 5 Surya Namaskar As, complete 5 Surya Namaskar Bs. 

  The practice is followed by the standing series (3), each posture is held for 5 rounds of breath. 

  Next comes the seated, core, back bend and inversion series (4,5 and 6), once again each posture is held for 5 rounds of breath, with the exception of the inversions which can be held for a longer, following each posture in the series is a Vinyasa (see my post on Vinyasa for more info). 

  Always complete the practice with a Savasana - hopefully within the next few week I will be able to upload a guided Savasana. 

Take your practice further:

  The Breath: Ashtanga is not just a physical practice, and by just focusing on the physical aspect of it you lose some of the deeper benefits. Focus on linking your movements on the breath, focus on the breath when holding each posture - Do not allow the mind to wander off. 

  The Gaze: Each posture has a drishti (gazing point) this has the aim to focus the mind. It will take time for you to learn each gazing point, but with practice it will become a habit. 

  Ashtanga is a beautiful practice which with practice can become a moving meditation, traditionally it has been suggested that Ashtanga is practiced 6 times a week, if you decide to do that be prepared to sweat, and be stiff, but that is one of the joys of Ashtanga, it will pass with time. 

  Please remember to honor your body! Do not over do the practice - take rest! 

  Happy Practicing Yogis and Yoginis 

Namaste 

What is Vinyasa?

  I teach a Vinyasa class and I love it! I love designing classes where the poses flow from one posture to the next. Between the different posture series a 'Vinyasa' is completed, throughout my class I will give the instruction "Flow through a Vinyasa or rest in Down dog" and there have been a number of students who become confused about what a 'Vinyasa' is. So I am going to explain in some detail.

  "Vinyasa” originates from the Sanskrit term nyasa, which means “to place,” and the prefix vi, “in a special way”— Linking one Asana to the next. A Vinyasa class is a progressive, unfolding class, where each posture (Asana) is linked to the breath, stitched together with the breath. Ashtanga yoga is by far the most well known, and popular forms of Vinyasa Yoga. Without going into too much more detail I am going to talk about my Vinyasa classes specifically.

  I deign classes which links poses together to build up to a peak pose, in between the specific asana sequences I have stitched together I encourage my students to practice what I call 'a Vinyasa'. In this case I am referring coming forward to a high plank, lowering down through Chatagrunga, lifting up to an upward facing dog, then rolling to a downward facing dog.

  Here are a few importing things I would love to encourage when practicing a Vinyasa:

  Be strong in your plank, make sure the body remains in a straight line, many people make the mistake of lifting the hips up high, or dropping them down low. If you feel that you don't have the strength lower the knees down onto the mat, keeping the torso straight.



  When lowering down in Chaturanga Dandasana keep the body straight, never allow the shoulders to drop below the below the elbows. I see a lot of below drop down, the hips hit the mat followed by the chest, if you feel like you do this I would recommend dropping the knees down until you build the strength.

  Roll up into Upward Facing Dog on an inhalation, if coming to upward facing dog push into the mat allowing only the hands and top of the feet to be in connection with the mat. If this is too uncomfortable in the back, or strenuous in the arms it is perfectly fine to come to a cobra and work up to an upward facing dog from there,
  Roll back to Downward facing dog.
*A little tip, I roll over my toes to increase the flow

  These demonstration pictures are from Sherin Bual!

  Happy Practicing Yogis and Yoginis 

  Namaste 

One of those days

  You know when you have one of those days where you wake up in the morning with a number of goals and task to achieve. That was me this morning, and as the hours of the days have rolled on I have checked off less than I would of hoped. Although time is limited it is so important to make time for one or two sun salutes, a little bit of yoga can make a crazy busy day bearable! 

  Tomorrow is another day... Hopefully I will have enough time to film a little yoga class to upload 

The Down Dog test on a lululemon Mat

  There is nothing more frustrating than being in a class, getting your flow on, and you keep slipping all over that mat in Down Dog. I don't know about you but I get really sweaty hands during a yoga class, when I am investigating a new mat I do the Down dog test!

  I am currently using the Lululemon Yoga Mat and I am going to tell you what I think about this mat.
  This mat passed the down dog test with flying colors - there is no slipping and sliding on this mat! The grip is absolutely incredible, the whole time I am using it I feel grounded and steady.

  The mat comes in different thicknesses which is really great for those Yogis and Yoginis who like a little more cushioning. I have had the 5mm and the 3mm mat, and personally I prefer the 3mm mat, it helps me feel more ground and stead throughout my whole practice (and especially during those balancing poses). The 5mm is very heavy - which makes carrying it around pretty tiring, my partner on the other hand prefers the 5mm mat, he feels uncomfortable on the hard ground when he's on his knees or on his back so the thicker mat definitely helps him. I would suggesting going into the store, rolling out a mat and giving it a try yourself.
 
  The problem with these mats is they have a very strong smell when you first get them - for the first few classes every time you get your face close to the mat you will definitely smell it - however this does go away. I hung my mat up in the shower for a few days and it aired the smell away. I was tempted to use some essential oil to help the smell subside a little faster.. DON'T DO THAT haha. The oil is not absorbed into the mat, it just forms a thin layer on the top of the mat, and because of that you lose the grippiness (I am not even sure if that is a word :-P)

  As you can see my mat is in desperate need of a wash. Washing this mat is pretty easy, if you just want to give it a little wash after a sweaty session all you need to do is submerge it in the bath or throw it in the shower and rinse it off. If you want to give it a good clean every once in awhile sprinkle some baking soda on it, pop it in the shower and give it a good wipe down - this will clean it and remove any sweaty smells :)

  In my opinion the Lululemon Mats are the best mats to use, for many different reasons, I know they can be pricey but it is definitely worth the investment, if you take care of them they will last years!

  If you have any questions about any mat, or perhaps you have an amazing mat you would suggest I would love to give it a try, comment below

  I see Lululemon now has a reversable mat... looks like I will be going in there this weekend to give it a try... maybe even walk away with one :-P

Namaste

A Morning Routine

  There is no doubt that the way you start the day can influence the way you feel for the rest of the day. So spend a few moments reflecting on how you start your day.
  I have tried many different morning rituals to try find the one that will fit into my lifestyle and here is what I have found:

  1 - Don't get attached to your routine. Sometimes you may have to change it to accommodate a busy morning. Some mornings you may not have time to do it. Just let that go, accept it and make the most of the time you do have in the morning.

2 - Make time before you start your day to meditate for 5-10 minutes. To understand some of the benefits of meditation read my post 'The Joy of Meditation'. Stay tuned on my blog for different meditation techniques.

3 - Practice some gratitude, write down what you are grateful for.

4 - Drink some warm water, with lemon, ginger and honey
  This has helped me more than you can imagine, The ginger gives my immune system a boost, the lemon has many benefits but what I love most is it wakes up my digestive system. The warm water warms up the whole body, and the honey makes it taste good. To make the drink:
    1 Slice of Lemon.
    Fresh grated ginger (as much ginger as you would like).
      Fresh ginger is definitely a much better option than a jar of grated ginger.
    1 tsp of honey
    Warm water - use warm tap water instead of boiling water
  *Warning - When the lemon is combined with the warm water it can make your teeth sensitive, I would suggest drinking it with a straw to avoid any contact with the teeth.

  5 - Matcha Tea, I follow my lemon drink with some matcha tea. If you have any drink it in the morning, for an boost in energy, and a high dose of anti-oxidants to start the day.

  6 - If you have time practice 5 Surya Namaskars  to warm up the body for the day

  7 - Most important have some breakfast, some oats, toast, muesli, give the body some much needed energy.

The Benefits of Surya Namaskar

I just love this GIF, and it highlights a few  of the benefits of Surya Namaskar! LOVE IT! 

The Meaning of OM / AUM

I have been teaching yoga at a gym for a few years now, and have never know whether chanting would be appropriate, or whether it would scare people away, but I have desperately missed chanting the beautiful mantra "OM/AUM".
  A few weeks ago a student of mine approached me and expressed an interest in chanting at the end of the lesson - a smile came across my face, and my heart was jumping for joy. This began an interesting debate in my mind, 'to OM or not to OM'!!

  Over two weeks I asked my students about their feedback, and have slowly introduced the chanting of one OM at the end of the lesson (I am hoping to slowly increase this to 3 :) )
Since the introduction of OM into my class I have had many students come to me questioning what it means, how to correctly chant it (some people chant "ooommmmm" some "aaauuuummmm" so I thought I would address these questions here for those of you who are curious.

What does OM / AUM mean? 

  This is a pretty interesting question, with many answers. To keep things simple... Om does not have a meaning, it is not a language, it is a sound, music - it is the music of the universe. As you chant, and the incredible vibrations flow through your body it calms the mind and body, and brings you closer to the whole universe. 

When cats are in pain, or giving birth they purr and the vibration helps calm them, helps alleviate the pain - the vibration of chanting OM can have a similar affect on humans, it is very calming, and healing.

The OM symbol 

  There is a symbol for OM with many meanings, personally I think of the symbol as symbolizing life. The top section symbolizes the beginning of life (A). The bottom (big section) symbolizes the body of life (U). The section going off to the left symbolizes the end of life (M). The top detached section symbolizing the after life (stillness). 

  Because of how I view the meaning of the symbol of OM, I usually chant AUM instead of just OM. 

A - the beginning of life 

U - the middle of life 

M - end of life

  Most of the time it sounds like OM anyway so feel free to chant whichever way best suits you if you ever chant with me. 

If you have any questions comment below :) 

Namaste 

30 Day Gratitude Challenge

Give this super simple challenge a try, every day, for the next 30 days, write down what you are grateful!
To begin with set a time aside each day, set a reminder on your phone (I would recommend first thing in the morning)
Write it down on your phone, on the wall, on scrap pieces of paper - wherever you want! After a few days the practice of gratitude will become a habit - it will increase your health and well-being, it will also encourage your mind to be positive... which is ALWAYS good :-P

Comment below some of the things you are grateful for!! 

Namaste 

The Joys of Meditation

I have always encouraged the practice of meditation, I have experienced the transformational qualities of the practice myself, and on top of that, in my degree of Psychology and Neuroscience, I have learnt about the benefits of meditation, in recent years the discovery of these benefits have led to conventional medicine integrating the practice of Mindfulness and Meditation into treatments for a variety of physical and psychological disorders.

Starting this week, I have the privilege of teaching a meditation class at the YMCA gym (UNSW branch). I cannot express my excitement at this opportunity, my excitement is coupled with slight anxiety.

How can I ensure that the amazing benefits of meditation can be translated to each an every person who steps into the class?

 My anxiety has subsided with the realization that the practice of meditation will work its magic on each person willing to put in the effort. So if you are wondering what meditation can do for you, or you're just looking for reasons to start a daily meditation practice, here are just a few of the incredible benefits: 

Increasing concentration 

One of the things I love about the practice of meditation is that not only does it have incredibly calming effects on the mind and body at the time of the practice, but long after you have completed  the practice you will still reap the benefits. The Journal of Frontiers in Human Neuroscience publish findings that a 10 minute daily meditation practice can increases your ability to concentrate of every day tasks.

Manage anxiety, depression and stress 

Goyal, at John Hopkins, conducted a meta analysis and discovered that meditation can be on par with antidepressants in the treatment of depressive symptoms. A regular practice of meditation improves your ability to regulate your emotions, and therefore has the ability to decrease stress and anxiety (for links to the papers where these finding were published comment below) 

Ease Pain

In 2011 Zeidan and his colleges publish findings that meditation can decrease the perception of pain by approximately 57%. The ability that meditation has to increase cognitive control, and regulate emotions results in the perception of pain as being fleeting.

Increase Grey Matter 

The Journal of Psychiatry Research publish findings in 2011, which demonstrated that an 8 week program of Mindfulness-Based Stress reduction, significantly increased grey brain matter. By increasing grey brain matter we improve learning and increase memory, concentration.

These are just a few of the many benefits of meditation! If you have any questions about meditation, or how it can help you comment below!!

Hopefully I'll see you all in class on Friday :)

Namaste