Give yourself a gift this month and try meditation

I hate to admit it but I used to be one of “those” people who left the class before meditation.

I left as my brain went into immediate meltdown mode the minute that word was uttered.

My fatigued body was pleading with me to take those 5-10 minutes to relax, my brain was yelling at it to shut up.

Meditation; who has the time for that? I could be doing cardio, or something useful at home!

The naive old me thought meditation was some hippy chanting thing.

I remember the first yoga class I did, where the instructor told me to clear my mind of everything –
Everything my brain shrieked, is she nuts?

My brain was a jumbled mess, is everyone clearing their minds except for me? What is wrong with me? Why can’t I clear my mind?

Fast forward to what feels like a million years later to the girl who types this and teaches meditation and relaxation at the end of a workout, to the girl who feels so sad when people leave before the end, the people who will miss out on everything I missed out on for so many years.

Meditation for many can be a confrontational process, being still with your own thoughts can be daunting.

I am mindful not to ask people to clear their minds of everything, rather I invite people just to lie calmly and relax, to breath deeply and calmly, to focus on something that makes them happy, and to give themselves permission to do just that.

Our society is racing, each year goes faster than the last.

Stopping, relaxing, meditating in which ever form you wish to do it, is one of the most important gifts you can give yourself.

If you are unsure where to start; start by identifying what makes you happy, then close your eyes for a moment and draw upon that image, emotion or event.

Take 5 minutes on your journey to or from work to close your eyes, listen to music or just listen to the sound of your breath.

Sit in a park, the beach a place that resonates with you, and just be content in the moment.

There is no right or wrong, find what works for you and then indulge in it every chance you get.

Five minutes a day and before long you will notice and feel the benefits.

In this busy month of December give yourself the best gift of all.

The benefits of child’s pose

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The benefits of child’s pose:

Releases tension in the back, shoulders and chest.

Recommended if you have dizziness or fatigue.

Helps alleviate stress and anxiety.

Flexes the body’s internal organs and keeps them supple.

It lengthens and stretches the spine.

Relieves neck and lower back pain when performed with the head and torso supported.

It gently stretches the hips, thighs and ankles.

Normalizes circulation throughout the body.

It stretches muscles, tendons and ligaments in the knee.

Calms the mind and body.

Encourages strong and steady breathing.

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You are never too old or too young to be an inspiration to someone

Today I was inspired in class by an 78 year old man joining the gym “before his body gave up” – his words not mine.

I inspired and helped a young overweight girl who gets bullied for her weight, by helping her set small and achievable goals.

I overheard an amazingly flexible yogi telling someone how great she thinks I am while all the while I watch her in my classes in complete awe and admiration as she inspires me to push myself further.

At the end of the class I went up to my 78year old smiling participant and congratulated him on doing so well, and thanked him for smiling throughout the entire class.

He thanked me for teaching him that the mind is more powerful than the body, and he now feels more determined than ever to keep practicing and moving.

What a truly amazing man!

Earlier in the week, my friend took on a new client; a 93 year old lady who wants to keep active!

She inspired my friend greatly and without even meeting her, she has already inspired me.

You are never too old to be an inspiration to others!

A breathing and meditation coach explained to me at the end of class that my explanations of the breath and meditation were beautiful and told me I had a gift.

Today I really believe that I do, I believe my gift was given to me the second I started following my heart, the minute I started doing what I love.

The moment I thought less about myself and more about others.

That gift keeps giving to me each and every time I help someone to achieve a little more, to find a little calmness, a little more happiness and self-empowerment.

True inspiration is found, when you realize that you are never too young or too old to learn from others, that you should always be the best person you can be as you never know who you are inspiring.

Motivational Monday’s

Welcome to your regular Monday post.

Today’s post is about positive choices.

Happy Monday everyone and thanks for reading!

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As I type it’s 5:34 (precise much ??hehe) on a Monday morning.

The alarm went off at 5 and I wanted to punch it’s shrieking little reminder in the face.

I want to do this every Monday morning, until the grogginess subsides and I remember why I am waking up.

It’s now 5:36 and I am on the bus heading into the city to teach a class.

I often wonder if I wasn’t teaching, would I in fact have the motivation to get up at this time.

As a fitness instructor, I would love to answer yes without hesitation, but you see I am also human.

We get tired, we make excuses, we procrastinate.

We make choices.

We make choices, consciously or not, our choices form our habits, and if you don’t like the habits you have, you simply need to make different choices and form new habits.

Easy right?

Of course not, but possible yes- definitely!

What positive choice will you make today that can positively change your life.

It doesn’t need to be in a big momentous way, but it’s needs to set a new positive movement in your life.

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You are stronger than you think

I spend a lot of time thinking about my body, not in the conceited does my bum look fat in this way (although I am a girl so of course I do this as well) but what I am talking about here is just how amazing our bodies are and just what they are capable of.

We are all stronger than we think we are; we are always capable of pushing ourselves that little bit further, yet sadly there is something within most of us that allows us to give up sooner than we should.

Our bodies are designed to move not sit dormant, we are meant to be active, we are flexible as kids yet this seems to fade over time.

You can change that!

You are stronger than you think you are!

Last night, I tried a little experiment in one of my classes; I lied -something I don’t normally do, but stay with me here, as I lied for good not evil purposes!

During a particularly strong leg track, I lied about the duration. You see the class before I told people how long we were holding the poses, hearing the duration, the mind for some people immediately told the body it couldn’t possibly hold for that long, the result -people gave up!

Class two, same poses, different result; I told people they would be holding for a shorter duration, they held they stayed, they achieved more than they may have believed was possible.

You are stronger than you think you are!

Next step is believing it!