On re-reading it, it seemed like a fun story and an interesting insight into what crazy stuff advanced training in yoga offers! So I thought I'd share it with you guys. Hope you enjoy!
I was honoured recently to be asked to speak at the Clunes Probus Club monthly meeting. I had a good think about what I could talk about (yoga: obv) and remembered something I'd written years ago about some of the teacher training I'd done. On re-reading it, it seemed like a fun story and an interesting insight into what crazy stuff advanced training in yoga offers! So I thought I'd share it with you guys. Hope you enjoy!
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I am excited to announce that Lily Mason Yoga and Clunes Neighbourhood House will be welcoming a new member to the yoga and fitness team in Clunes!
Christine Schmidt is a registered fitness instructor/personal trainer who has recently moved to the local area. She has been teaching pilates matwork and studio sessions for 15 years, and for the last 11 years has taught "Fitness through Awareness" classes combining pilates matwork with yoga and meditation. While Lily is on maternity leave, Christine will be holding Fitness Through Awareness classes at The Warehouse, Fraser St on Monday nights at 7pm, starting on January 11th. Current yoga pass holders can attend these classes, and new members are very welcome. TRY A CLASS THIS WEEK! On Wednesday night at 7pm, Christine will be giving us a taste of what's to come. Join us on the mat at the Warehouse, Clunes. For questions, contact Lily on 0459 138 797 or Christine on 0417 336 378. Yoga mats for sale - just in time for Christmas :) New mats, just arrived, never used - $65 OR Used mats, btw 6 months to 3 years use, but they're so good you can't tell the difference! - $30. - All mats are machine washable (max 40deg) and NO detergent! (Never use detergent on your mat unless you like to slip n slide!!) - Truly excellent quality. They're studio-grade. I've been using this type of mat in classes for years. My own mat has travelled the world several times and I wouldn't use anything else. - They are 200cm long. 2 metres of mat. That makes sun salutations a lot more comfortable! No more stepping off the mat. Also, if you're tall, your feet and head fit for savasana! - Navy blue, 5mm thick, ~1.5kg weight. For more specs, see below. I love these mats and highly recommend them. Pick up Clunes. Please call 0459 138 797 or email lilymason75@gmail.com --------- ECO Latex-free The original and still the best traditional asana yoga mat from the same manufacturer as the VB & Maha mats in Germany. This non-slip sticky Oeko-Tex Classic Yoga Mat "EXTRA" is a high quality non slip mat offering a good balance of cushioning and excellent grip whilst remaining easy to roll up, carry and is machine washable at 40°C. European Oeko-Tex Yoga Mats are made in accordance with strict environmental regulations which minimise the impact of their production on the environment.With its orange peel like texture, excellent traction and toxix-free durability, even when moist, this long life mat will provide years of mat longevity for your practice. This mat is ideal to use with your Nintendo Wii Fitness Balance Board, especially if you have wooden or tiled floors. See review below: EXTRA mats have a raised texture which provides superior traction. Whereas general sticky mats have a texture only on one side and that wears out first, these EXTRA mats are textured both sides so the mat will last twice as long using both sides. Linen fibres add to the durability and comfort of this long life mat while helping maintain stickiness even when moist. These mats are porus which means that the grip increases as time goes on.EXTRA traction mat soaks up sweat to stay grippy (rather than slip like the smooth grip types). Ideal for Bikram / Hot Yoga. EXTRA is good for yoga on hard floors. Product Features:
Yoga in Clunes is back!
All classes are running again from this Monday as per the usual timetable. Look forward to seeing you all back on the mat for the Spring season! xx Lily Spring is in the air!! I'm so excited to be feeling a little warmer! We had a lovely class this morning in Clunes shaking off some of those winter cobwebs. Time to get the blood flowing, the breath moving and the mind a little more alive to the possibilities of summer! There will be a few changes to the class schedule over the next few weeks as I take a bit of time off. Only temporary, we'll be back to the usual schedule on Monday 5 October. Classes for the next few weeks look like this (I've highlighted days when classes are on): Monday 14 Sept - no classes Tuesday 15 Sept - no classes Wednesday 16 Sept - no classes Thursday 17 Sept - Miners Rest class going ahead as usual, 5.30pm at the Community Hall. Saturday 19 Sept - no classes Monday 21 Sept - no classes Tuesday 22 Sept - Creswick class going ahead as usual, 1.15pm at the Hammon Park rooms. Wednesday 23 Sept - no classes Thursday 24 Sept - Miners Rest class going ahead as usual, 5.30pm at the Community Hall. Saturday 26 Sept - no classes Monday 28 Sept - no classes Tuesday 29 Sept - Creswick class going ahead as usual, 1.15pm at the Hammon Park rooms. Wednesday 30 Sept - no classes Thursday 1 Oct - Miners Rest class going ahead as usual, 5.30pm at the Community Hall. Saturday 3 Oct - no classes Monday 5 October - all classes start back to regular schedule Save these dates in your calendar. Everyone welcome to the Creswick and Miners Rest classes! xx Lily To celebrate the International Day of Friendship, here's an article I recently had published in the Clunes Community Newsletter: Yoga is often seen as a solo pursuit. One of the key purposes of yoga is to unite the breath with the body, the body with the mind, the mind with the breath. How else to achieve this but to turn inwards, to close our eyes and take time to focus on ourselves. An essential and much-loved part of every yoga class. But our health and happiness also depends on our connection with others, on living within a supportive community. A face-to-face, eyes open, caring, sharing community. We heard this recently with the report that people living in small regional towns are the healthiest, happiest Australians. We know from studies such as that described in a book I’ve been reading recently, The Village Effect by Susan Pinker, that people who have more face-to-face contact with others live longer and report greater happiness levels than those who live online, or live with little contact with others. In yoga, the word for community is Sangha: a Sanskrit term we use to describe a small group of like-minded people. This is a group of people who understand the need to move, stretch, soften, relax with no pressure to perform or be anything other than ourselves. Perfectly imperfect as we all are. In a small town like Clunes, a Sangha is easily achieved. Classes rarely start or finish without a hug, a natter or just a smile in shared understanding. We connect and we offer the chance to be understood. If just for a moment we understand that we each need this time - whether it’s for exercise, to reduce anxiety, or to learn relaxation techniques. We wobble and shake, fall out of a balance - then we catch someone’s eye and share a laugh. We push ourselves or we take it easy and no one judges, no one minds. Sometimes we share a cuppa after class. A supportive community indeed. If you’re looking for a good way to meet new people and get healthy, or if you’ve ever wondered whether yoga is right for you, give me a call on 0459 13 87 97. I’ll let you know which class would be best for you to start off with and I will offer you your first class free during the month of August. Classes in Clunes are supported by the Clunes Neighbourhood House. Information on classes can be found here. This coming week we restart our Winter Yoga classes!
Whether you just want a good stretch, to relax or learn some breathing techniques, yoga can help. It creates space: space in your body & space in your mind. But yoga also creates harmony between your body and mind. Even attending just one class per week can make a positive impact on your wellbeing. Through practice, you will gain more energy and sleep better; feel more optimistic and less anxious; more calm, less stressed. It is a wonderful healthcare system. I hope to see you in class. Everybody is welcome. For timetable information visit the Classes page. The first class back will be the 7pm Hatha on Monday in Clunes. The time has come when Lily Mason Yoga must take a winter break. I'm heading to Bali for three weeks of sun, yoga, good food and time with Tim.
Tomorrow (Saturday 9.30am) will be the last class for Clunes and Creswick for a while. (Classes at Miners Rest will continue, with the wonderful Jane Southwell covering those 5.30pm Thursday sessions.) Classes will be back on their regular schedule on Monday 13 July at 7pm (this is the Hatha class at the Warehouse - Clunes). I hope you all have a wonderful winter break and I look forward to sharing some new ideas with you on my return! x Lily The Fourth Limb of Yoga: Pranayama
According to Patanjali’s Sutras there are eight limbs of Yoga. We tend to think of the practice of Asana (the poses) when we think about yoga. But Asana is just the third limb. The practice of yoga is far more than what you see on Instagram or Facebook selfies - breathing doesn’t make for a very interesting photo. So what is Pranayama? Put simply, Pranayama is the technique of controlling the breath. Prana translates to ‘life-giving force’ which makes sense to me as ‘that which gives me energy and flows in and around my body’. Ayama means control. During our yoga practice, we use techniques to control the breath and connect the body to the mind. The Benefits of Pranayama There are breathing exercises that increase lung capacity, balance the nasal passages, firm the abdominal muscles and quieten the mind. Through learning a few simple techniques you can increase your energy levels and improve your yoga practice. Our breath guides us through our yoga session. If your breath becomes strained or irregular, it is a sign that your body needs to slow down. In this way, the breath is a fantastic tool, offering us information about how we are travelling during our practice - and every day life. Control of the breath allows a degree of control of the mind and this can be enhanced and improved with practice. You know this - imagine you’re in a stressful situation or you are tense or anxious or angry - you know that taking a breath will help - it will calm your body by ‘tricking’ it into believing it’s ok and your mind is given a chance to relax. If we can learn to breathe in such difficult times, we are better equipped to deal with those situations. Practice During Lily Mason Yoga classes, we practice several Pranayama techniques: Ujjayi breath Also known as throat breathing or ‘victorious breath’. This is where you breathe in and out of your nose, but with the back of your throat constricted, as though you’re breathing through a little hole in your throat. It’s also often helpful to imagine you’re fogging a mirror with your mouth closed, on both the inhale and exhale. One of the major benefits of this practice is its ability to heat the body. As with most pranayama exercises, it works on your parasympathetic nervous system to soothe the mind. Nadi Sodhana Or alternate nostril breathing. Hover your right thumb over your right nostril and right ring finger over your left nostril. In this exercise we alternate between closing the left and right side of the nose. Begin by breathing into the left nostril for a count of four, hold the breath in for a count of four, breath out of the right nostril for a count of four, breath back in through the right, again hold the breath in and finally breath out through the left nostril. This cycle is one round and ideally we’ll practice for 10-15 rounds. The ratios of breath can change with practice where the exhalation is twice the length of the inhalation. In this exercise you are balancing the left and right nasal passages as well as the left and right hemispheres of the brain. It is also a soothing exercise to calm the mind. Kapalabhati Also known as the shining skull breath. During Kapalabhati you focus on your exhalation – forcing the breath out of your nose sharply and using your abdomen as a bellow - pulling it in as you exhale. The inhalation will happen automatically. Start out gently with 10-15 breaths, resting and then completing another two rounds. If you start to feel dizzy it’s a sign that you are stressing your body, so be aware of any physical reactions and take a break when needed. When done correctly, it is a very soothing practice, but also increases awareness and focus and if you're feeling sluggish and tired, or your sinuses are blocked a few rounds of Kapalabhati will really help. Khumbaka AKA Breath retention. Your breath can be held inside and outside your body. During practice, gently place your tongue on the roof of your mouth and lengthen your exhales. Without force, gently make your exhalations twice as long as your inhalations. Hold your breath at the end of your inhalation and exhalation for increasing lengths, but without strain. There are many different versions, but the one most commonly taught during a Lily Mason Yoga class is inhaling for a count of four - a retention for a count of four, and exhalation for a count of four, and a retention of a count of four. Khumbaka can also be practiced as part of the above three exercises. The practice benefits us by slowing down our heart rate. You should be aware though, that if holding your breath increases your heart rate it is a sign you should ease off the practice, recover your breath and come back when you’re ready, at a gentler pace. At least one of these practices will be done during a Lily Mason Yoga class, and there are many others we will play with, too. For more information on Pranayama, find a copy of TKV Desikachar’s The Heart of Yoga. This book offers a beautiful chapter on Pranayama, benefits, types, purpose, etc. It’s an amazing text for anyone keen to learn more of yoga philosophy and practice. If you would like a copy, let me know and I'll track one down for you. Inhale, exhale, repeat... x Lily Hello yogis and yoginis,
It's that time of year that I must update my CPR and First Aid training. This means I'll need to cancel a few classes in the next few weeks, and unfortunately it's Creswick that will lose out :( Here are the dates and times of classes that will be cancelled: 9.15am Thursday 21 May (this week) 9.15am Thursday 28 May (next week) Also, I will be taking leave from all classes during the next school holidays. We're heading to Bali! I'm considering this Professional Development, as I fully expect to spend a great deal of time at the Yoga Barn in Ubud! Bliss! Classes between 21 June and 12 July will be cancelled. However, if I can find another teacher to cover for any classes, I will let you know. Stay warm and stay bendy! xx Lily |
AuthorLily is a qualified Hatha Yoga instructor (RYT500), trained in Kerala, India. She has been leading yoga classes since 2011. Archives
February 2023
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