Breathe in, Breathe out and escape

breathe

When life starts to become hectic, as it always will; sometimes we need to just stop!

Stop and find solitude.

Inhale  new peaceful calm energy.

Exhale the drama, the negativity, the pressure, the tension.

Sometimes you just need to let go and escape.

After what can only be described as a hectic crazy year, I am doing exactly that, I am escaping for 2 short weeks to London.

I am running an event there to help others escape so if you live in London and you need a little break, then check out the events page of this site and let me help you escape through yoga and mediation to relax, to take some time out for you.

For those not in London, I hope you can find some time in your busy lives to find some inner peace, to find solitude and happiness.

You owe it to yourselves.

x

 

Blissful in Bali

I have just returned from a 5 day mini sabbatical to Bali.

Taking time out of your normal routine while a luxury I believe is also a necessity. Seeing a world outside of your own can only help to change the way you see your own world.

Not only is this energising it helps to change your perspective or confirm for you what you already knew.

If we keep doing what we have always done we will obviously keep getting the same results. If you want to break a habit you need to change.

Bali was blissful, not just for the idyllic scenery, the relaxing massages, but having the time to slow down, the chance to be still and spend some time alone with my thoughts allowed me to contemplate what is working well in my life, and what can be improved.

While taking a 5 day mini overseas trip is not the most achievable way to change this perspective, taking a drive to a different location, or sitting outside in a different room is.

Try new things, give yourself permission to relax, find your own blissful moments within your everyday life.

Isn’t that what life should be about?

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Give yourself permission to slow down

I didn’t really understand until this year, just how stressful this time of the year can be for people.

I am fortunate that Christmas for me is a joyous time, yet for many the thought of spending time with family they may not really like can be a forced and stressful situation.

The thought of racing from one family function to another is tiring before it even begins.

The act of running around; shopping, cleaning, fitting in as much as possible is exhausting rather than exhilarating.

If this is all ringing out true for you, then please know that it is ok to just slow down for a moment, it is ok to sit still and breathe.

It is ok to take it easy at the gym, rather than push your fatigued body.

You are the master of your own destiny and if you need to slow down, then give yourself permission to do just that.

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Resting your body is just as important as moving it – true story

Anyone reading this post who knows the amount of classes I have already done this week, may find this hypocritical and as my mum reads my blogs and always worries I am overdoing it (hi mum, love you) I am not going to actually tell you how many classes I have done.

What I am going to tell you is how I am coping with doing x amount of classes.

Aside from walking like a zombie, speaking as though English is my second language and spilling things all over myself frequently I am in fact coping!

I am coping by resting in-between classes.  In fact this week has felt like a crazy blur and I think on Tuesday I had convinced myself it was already Thursday.

I have been doing 5:45am classes, I will then come home and sleep for an hour or two then do my next class, rest, eat, teach again and repeat the process all over again.

As much as we all like to think we are invincible, and as much as I promote the theory of pushing and challenging yourself, there are limits.

We are human, we need rest, our muscles need the correct nourishment to thrive, and that nourishment comes in the form of eating well, drinking water to re-hydrate and resting.

It is counter productive not to do so!

As always I learnt that the hard way.

If you are exercising frequently you NEED to eat and rest frequently or I dare say you are without knowing it, undoing all the good work you set out to do.

Think about your computer, your smart phone – they perform well until they don’t! We reboot them and then wallah, they leap back into action refreshed reawakened.  Our bodies are the same!

The more we work them, the more we need to treat them with the rest they deserve.

Resting your body is just as important as moving it!

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.