You are an inspiration Emilia ! Thankyou for sharing. Penny Margaret (pictured with you) making herself at home Look forward to seeing you soon!

Stay tuned for more via our interview and chat with Emilia who will also be on the coast next year doing our Yoga NRG Mentoring Program ~

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CLICK HERE for more information of our mindfulness level 1 programme.

CLICK HERE for more information of our teacher training programme.

]]> http://www.yogaenergy.com.au/mindfulness-yoga-being-used-by-doctors-surgeons-for-clarity-and-to-help-cancer-patients/feed/ 0 http://www.yogaenergy.com.au/the-yoga-of-satya-setting-boundaries-discernment/ http://www.yogaenergy.com.au/the-yoga-of-satya-setting-boundaries-discernment/#comments Tue, 06 Feb 2018 23:09:53 +0000 http://www.yogaenergy.com.au/?p=4601 Challenge for your Tuesday ~ Go for the trifecta !

Boundaries. Honesty. Realistic Expectations.

Yes Satya is one of the Yamas in yoga meaning truthfulness & honesty . Yoga also teaches us discernment . For example realising …

You will not get honesty from everyone. The best way to accept this reality is to have clear boundaries and realistic expectations….this is part of creating “steadiness + ease” in the mind.

Sthira Sukham Asanam .

This is the Yoga Sutra that suggests how the quality of mind is while in a yoga pose regardless of the external conditions. That’s why Yoga is actually an inside job.

You can’t see Yoga , despite all the crazy poses out there. You FEEL YOGA in your heart.
For there to be steadiness & ease there needs to be both boundaries & freedom. This gives the mind a throne , so it can sit quietly.

No one is free if they are not being honest , but you are not responsible for someone else’s freedom. They are.

Strange as it may sound once we let go of our expectations new boundaries are born.

Getting clear on boundaries may take time. Putting them in place may feel foreign to begin , however healthy boundaries will also have a taste of authenticity.

A great way to practice Satya (Truthfulness / Honesty) is first & foremost to yourself. Feeling free (#moksha) has nothing to do with how others treat you and more to do with how you treat you.

You deserve to enjoy life rather than be tossed about by it.

Try the trifecta & who knows you may just win something extremely valuable that will help you live life to the fullest!

CLICK HERE for more info of our Introduction to The Eight Limbs of Yoga

by Tammy Williams

Waking up to the sacredness of the breath in all of its various forms can help us relieve tension created by a confused or misinformed mind. Learning about the intelligence within the breath is part of Subtle Body Training in Yoga , infact without awareness of the Subtle what we are practicing may not be yoga , but aesthetics.

It is the breath and understanding its many directions (Winds of change known as Vayus) and the impact this can have on our psychology that makes yoga different from other forms of exercise.

One of the entry points into the Subtle Body (in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Ashtanga meaning eight limbs) is Ujjayi Breathing.

The Subtle Power of Ujayyi

As you sit, notice a plumb line

Travelling from the crown

Anchoring into

The core of the ground

Let it be a reference point of stability and ease

Allowing the heart to float on this axis

As you begin to breathe

Sense the sit bones anchor

and coccyx drop

An effortless effort ,

Without letting the spine flop

As you ground through the root of the body

Allow the heart to feel buoyant and light

Notice the breath, set your drishti

By calming your gaze, setting your sight

As you breathe in, ribs expand

Mind settles into the zone

As you breath out, ribs drop

Pelvic floor starts to tone

If the mind drifts off the central axis

Bring it back to the breath making an aspirant sound

Lips soft, breath in and out of the nose

Helping you to ground

The eyes become steady, palate is soft

The gentle aspirant sound of “Ah”

Keeping the mind here with the body

Not drifting off afar

This breath carries intelligence

Known as Prana, connecting everything around

A doorway into spaciousness

That feels a little profound

The tongue is quiet, as you breathe

Notice the sensations in the mouth

The mind riding these waves with ease

Wonders what all the fuss was about

Noticing the complementary patterns of the breath

The upward and downward

A tool for relieving stress

Balancing prana and apana

The yogis believe

A doorway to Nirvana

Where the mind chatter is seized

Waking up this intelligence

In the centre of the chest

A non forced effort, the mind hovering effortless

Between the in breath and the outbreath

The resonance of the breath

Connecting inside and out

It’s subtle yet able to cut right through

Mistaken identity , relieving self doubt

Our breath is our best alignment

Connecting us to everything around

It helps us to sense our mind like clear blue sky

Yet with two feet on the ground

Yoga is not just about updogs and downdogs you see

It teaches us about the subtle body

To realise

We are already free

So if in doubt

Start with a few rounds of Ujayyi

From there we open up wisdom of the Chakras, Granthis, Vayus, Metaphors and more

Enhancing our asana and physical practice of yoga through the power of the subtle body as we begin to explore

Namaste

Tammy xox

To learn more about The Subtle Body and Yogic Psychology

500 hour Yoga NRG Teacher Training – click here 

Introduction To The Subtle Body – click here 

Private / Skype Mentoring for Remote Yoga Practitioners or Yoga Teachers available

teachertraining@yoga-nrg.com

The Subtle Body in Yoga teaches us about something we can do to bring about alignment that is far more sustainable in our Yoga Practice and in life.

We all have a Subtle Body because we all have a body, mind, thoughts, feelings, imagination.

There are many ways that the yogis expressed their experiences of the more subtle components of their bodies and minds.

The great thing about learning more about the Subtle Body is finding countless ways we can calm the reactivity in the mind.

Through certain poses, breathing techniques, certain and yet subtle placements of the eyes , we can learn to sharpen our awareness and minimize distraction to a point where we notice so much more within us.

By bringing our awareness to certain points along the spine and the more hidden regions like the upper palate, the inner most parts of the ears, the base of the skull to name a few anatomical doorways into the Subtle Body we can find places of rest and new sources of vitality.

What is most interesting about this area of study in Yoga is how our life experiences effect processing within the mind and functioning of our vital organs and body.

So often we can become stressed about external situations which can effect us internally.  We can learn the correlations of different areas of tension , for example the connections between holding tension in our gut and jaw.

Thankfully through various Yoga + Mindfulness techniques we can develop better awareness of asymmetry, causes of tension and how to release it so we enjoy life from having created more space for vitality.

When I originally started studying the Chakras it seemed to be left to the “imagination”. However as my mindfulness meditation practice continued and the simplicity of ‘just sitting’ regularly , I sensed very subtle sensations that seemed to be the doorway into a place of calm and stillness, of simple contentment.

After travelling a lot to seek out teachers of many lineages , I was able to find teachers who were able to explain the actual anatomical structures (or doorways “into stillness” as I felt them) and put into words and validate the experiences I was having in my practice through the ancient teachings / Sutras.

This has been one of the most interesting areas of Yoga I have studied and gained benefit from in my own practice and I look forward to sharing Techniques Training and Practices on Mindfulness of The Subtle Body, Mudras, Metaphors and more in our 500 hour Teacher Training .

To be able to diversify from a standard sequence and begin to know how to include the Subtle Body, both in group teaching and in one on one classes can be a great way to contribute to the health and wellbeing of yourself and your community of students.

Having said that we do not always have to know why or how something works for us to feel the benefits or a shift in our state of mind or energy levels. For those of you though who are inquisitive and find they gain more depth in their practice by understanding why things work and how things are part of the whole, I imagine you will get just as much out of this as I have so far in my journey (which as always is for ever unfolding) Affirming the more I see the less I know and yet there is so much we ‘all’ can experience.

During our Level 1 Yoga Teacher Training in Port Macquarie we were discussing the many ways that Yoga can be expressed and experienced. I invite the students to explore both the physical alignment of the poses and look at the anatomy and physciology of each of the poses which also offers safety.  There is also an invitation to explore the freedom in finding ways to express this inner body wisdom which can be done via story, poetry, music, or more physical and gross body approach.

Below is a poem shared by Rosalie Goodie (from Port Macquarie) read to us during her class that as we looked out to the waves seeing whales playing in the distance, the sun glistening on the water, hearing the words of this poem.

Enjoy , and if you’d like to know more about integration of The Subtle Body in your practice or teaching , I love sharing it. Details below.

Namaste

Tammyxx

Chakra Garden of Jewels

(by Julie Lusk with inspiration by Kabir’s ‘A Place to Sit’)

Don’t go outside your house to search for jewels. Don’t even bother with that excursion, my friend. There are jewels inside yourself. Precious, profound and ready to be discovered. These jewels are just like flowers. Some are taking root.

They are in the process of being fertilised and getting ready to sprout. Others are growing and budding, preparing to flower. There are also beautiful blooms inside, brimming with fragrance and lively vitality.

Others are in stages of decline, getting ready to retreat, recycle themselves, and naturally cycle back to the beginning. Like a bouquet of flowers, there are jewels within you. There is a sparkling ruby red jewel and it’s so stabilising and protective.

There is an orange carnelian jewel too. It lights up your senses, creativity and ability to feel. There is a beautiful amber jewel, radiating confidence, inner strength and courage.

There is an emerald jewel too. The glowing emerald green jewel is loving, forgiving and kind. There is a bright sapphire blue jewel shining with truth and sparks your creativity. There is an amethyst glowing inside that awakens your intuition and shows you the big picture.

There is a crystal clear diamond, shining with spirit, connecting the Holy Ones with you. Don’t go outside your house to search for jewels. Don’t bother with that excursion, my friend. There are jewels inside yourself, waiting to be discovered, polished and ready to beam beautifully.

Congratulations Rosalie on completing your Level 1 / 200 hour Yoga NRG Teacher Training

CLICK HERE to find out more about our 200 hour + 500  hour Yoga Teacher Training

CLICK HERE to APPLY NOW FOR MINDFULNESS & YOGA TEACHER TRAINING (Locations : Sunshine Coast. Gladstone/Rockhampton . Bowen/Townsville . Cairns)

(Emily Williams)

Mudras can have multiple meanings :

* Gesture

* Seal

* Closure

* Mystic position of the hands, eyes, body postures, breathing techniques etc

The great thing about Mudras is that they can influence our energy, therefore can be used as a great tool to compliment yoga or meditation practice.

Associated Benefits of Mudra Meditation :

• Increases concentration
• Improves co-ordination
• Improves clear thinking and mental alertness
• Cerebral activity is calmed and regenerated
• Synchronisation of the right and left hemispheres of the brain
• Promotes memory and general ability to recollect
• Improves creativity
• Improves emotional wellbeing and regulates mood
• When practiced consciously they activate the large areas of the brain.

As yoga teachers or students we can get caught up in thinking yoga is just about doing all of the fancy poses. Learning more about Mudras and integrating them into your practice or perhaps Mudra Meditation IS your practice, helps broaden the scope for how we practice yoga and how it can help.  This is one of the most accessible forms of Yoga , especially if someone is bed ridden or incapacitated in some way. The hands, breath and visualisation can become powerful tools in waking up and rebuilding new neural pathways that govern areas of the body that maybe compromised.

Coming out of the box of mainstream yoga that we have to be able to do a downward dog or a sun salute or even touch our toes to practice yoga. Bringing Mudras into our yoga practice and modern day lives can help us heal and give us a pathway to insight and transformation just as much as standing on your head or getting your leg around your head (if not better dare I say) as more people can access simple hand gestures or breath work.

Mudras are easy to learn, anyone can practice them, all ages, shapes, sizes.

They can be one way to help you practice Mindfulness because they can help relieve suffering and stress.

Below is one of my most practiced Mudras

This Ganesh Mudra not only helps remove obstacles for the year ahead, it helps build a healthy perspective, confidence & trust that obstacles you’ve come across are put on your path to redirect you when you need it. Appreciating the challenges from this year is one way to take the practice of yoga into your own hands. The path that is your true path is one that is created step by step by you.

Namaste

Tammy

For those wanting to learn more about Mudra Mindfulness and More or Take your teaching of Yoga to the next Level

• Contact support@yoga-nrg.com for more info
• Click here for our private training programs and mentoring or for our 500 hour Teacher Training program

Thanks Brene Brown for sharing one of Martin Luther King quotes: “There comes a time when silence is betrayal”

This  reminded me of one of the key reasons I teach Yoga in the form of Personal Development , not just about the poses(

This quote also prompted reflection on my own experiences witnessed of staying silent or speaking up & Satya (Truthfulness) part of the Eightfold Path of Yoga .

I was challenged by this when working as a School Based Youth Health Nurse with young people who were being abused, being afraid to come forward (and rightly so because those who are eventually brave enough to speak up are not always supported, not even by our ‘justice’ system. In fact people that speak up are often the ones that are ‘judged’ instead of those that harm.

You can only stay quiet for so long until everything in your being tells you that staying silent is the wrong thing to do, not just for you but for your community.
Yoga can help us when making big decisions that we are fearful about making .

Yoga can teach us how to read the Subtle Body & follow its messages.
The belly may tighten, and there maybe worry of what others may think.
This is the “belly brain” (your gut) telling you something is not ok.
The Yogis sometimes say if we can master this centre , our solar plexus (the seat of the will) and transform our attention & focus from it all being about “me” to “we” then the work of all of our other energy centres is done.

Listen to your belly brain .
Your intuition that speaks up when something is not OK.
That’s the gut raising it’s hand asking the heart to take the reins .
Speak up for the sake of helping others. We sometimes hold back out of fear or shame.
If you fail to follow your gut, you disrespect your self and let the ego win the game.
What I’ve learnt so far from nursing is causing harm or keeping things bottled up can make people sick and cause disease
What I learnt from my yoga Mat & mindfulness was to speak up to help people see

There maybe that old school notion of shut up & keep the peace
This strategy is temporary at best
Your gut feelings do not cease
Putting you to the test
Are you strong enough to listen when the gut says “what about the rest”
Shutting up when harm is being done to others does not help a single soul
It feeds the disease & prolongs the problem when truth is not being told.

In yoga there is a Yama “Satya” / “truth” that can be practiced in different ways.
Maybe to practice this is to realise ~
“There comes a time when silence is betrayal”
The day you realise it’s not just about me but “we” is the day you cannot fail.

Happy Martin Luther King Day.
Namaste
Tammy xox

As for those who find themselves judging those who speak up ~ think about who you are supporting and the ripple effect that has on the community.

For the brave souls who have encountered trauma not only from those who caused harm , but from the judgement or lack of support from others or our legal system I will leave you with a quote from Gandhi

This is one of the many reasons my Yoga journey , teaching and training others focuses on Personal Development, Integration & Mindfulness Based Modalities within Yoga. Because our little people are worth it! And we’ve all been little people.

Yes you may learn some fancy poses along the way, how to deliver fun Classes with great music (because we all deserve to have fun, after all we learn better and heal better when we do) BUT the deeper focus is HOW can we be of best service to our own health & well-being, so we understand what causes dis-ease.  From that experience we can help remove unnecessary suffering for ourself and others.

Once you begin how to read the more subtle aspects of our energy centres (like the brain in the gut, which has a strong evidence base now on the impact of food, emotions and processing) you will begin to realise there are ways to be free of pain in many forms and be in good relationship with yourself.

The irony of this whole blog is , it’s spending time in silence and listening is how you learn a lot more about why yoga works .

You can then go back and integrate this insight & sensitivity with the postures and realise each of the postures when practised with Mindfulness (no not just paying attention) can have a therapeutic benefit for your mind, body and heart. And most of all your relationship and the ripple effect you have on your broader community.

This is why I am passionate about offering more private mentoring & programs such as the 500 hour to compliment the 200 hour program that many from around the globe have completed. The most common response being “Ive realised there is so much more to Yoga” 

People are not always aware of the impact of the choices they are making, until something happens to make them pay attention.

(Doctor Dauway, a surgeon in Gladstone who completed our Yoga NRG Teacher Training will be sharing in our next Blog  a little more about this and Mindfulness in regards to her role as a Surgeon.

If you we wish to learn , or wish for others to learn , then it is our duty to teach.

Click here for Yoga Teacher Training
Click here for Mindfulness Teacher Training
Also available for those who do not wish Teach but who want to do this for themselves ~ Private Mentoring Program

Contact us for more details

Yoga NRG will be running a series of programs for Mums to Be or wanting to be, integrating Yoga and Nutrition Education with a qualified Naturopath and Pre Natal Yoga Teacher.  Below Talita Sheedy shares some points to consider :

Preconception nutrition is not only about getting your body fertile but can prevent and reduce the symptoms of morning sickness, give your baby the BEST start to life and by having the correct nutritional status you can prevent miscarriages and complications through the pregnancy

Eating in a way that gives your body and your baby what it needs to ensure adequate growth and weight gain (without being excessive), vitality during pregnancy, contribute to an easier labour. Pregnancy can be rough with symptoms from physical to emotional but a lot can actually be prevented or treated through the correct nutrient status. 

Post-natal nutrition is a vital key to milk production for breastfeeding and the repair of the mothers body. Also with the new lifestyle with change of sleep patterns and new demands it is essential to support the body with the fuel it needs to keep up with this new chapter for a woman.

 Those who are already pregnant or preparing to be can be potentially stressful times, where there is the added pressure of dealing with change, not knowing and making space for this new chapter of life.  Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Programs and private Mindfulness Training is also a great option to help women and families build coping mechanisms and a healthy perspective.

 Tammy Williams (Founder of Yoga NRG + Mindfulness Training Australia) also shares :

 Mindfulness can help expectant Mums and Dads understand how to better manage stress and the fight , flight , freeze or please response and cultivate tools that build an attitude of Non Judgement, Acceptance , Trust to name a few of the Pillars of Mindfulness Practice.

The reason I am passionate about including Nutrition Education in our Yoga Programs and Teacher Training Programs comes from a quote that I have always remembered:

 “You are not what you eat, you are what you absorb”

There is a lot that goes by the way side when it comes to nutrition and understanding holistic health.

I just got a call from Toni Childs (singer / song writer) who is also raising awareness about educating ourselves when it comes to what we eat and how we cook and the associated health issues that come from the absorption of heavy metals.

 No matter how good the yoga class, yoga teacher or meditation is, if you are not eating well and absorbing then the mind and body will not function at its optimum level.  The way we perceive, process, and relate is all effected.  Therefore Nutrition effects our ability to be mindful.

And being Mindful helps us process, digest and make healthy choices. It’s all connected.

Click here for our next program of Yoga Nutrition for Pre Natal and Fertility

Click here for further information on our Mindfulness Training

Contact 0439 418 571 or support@yoga-nrg.com for further information on our Private Programs or to arrange us to deliver training at your organisation.

It became clear to me that to trust another, I had to trust myself. To trust that I would no longer abandon myself in the midst of how I felt, comfortable or uncomfortable. This practice of self trust and non abandonment was birthed from a past of escape, distraction and fixing?mentality.

I also began to trust people with there own lives, and adopted the idea that what they were doing was best for them at the time and rather than try to fix? Then, I could only love them.

I did all I could from my side without over stepping my boundaries. This gave me a great deal of peace and the balance between kind action and kind acceptance.

In my Yoga practice:
I was able to use Yoga as an opportunity to cultivate more self trust by deeply becoming mindful of my body and feelings. Yoga helped me to show up as I was and be ok with that.

To feel my feelings through a greater awareness and willingness to experience life. The more I felt, the more I trusted life was offering what I needed in that moment. As I trusted my feelings, I was better able to act on them and regardless on the outcome, I came back to trusting the unfolding of life.

Trust, to me really became about observing and listening to life, inside and outside, and being courageous enough to be willing to fall and be caught. And if another wasn’t there to
catch me, it didn’t matter because I was there.

During my practice of yoga, I listened and trusted in the inner guidance of my body, and adjusted my practice accordingly. The messages from my body were never a problem, it was the loudness of the mind that distorted the messages. Yoga was my time to train and befriend my mind so I could find more stillness to listen to my body and breath. I trusted my body was telling me the truth, and it hasn’t failed me once.

In my yoga teaching:
When I sink into self trust, I feel a great sense of ease in my teaching, helping me feel more centred. Trusting in what I deliver, and how I deliver is extremely important to me in
my teaching. This avoids any self condemnation or judgement after a class.
When I can stand in the mentality that whatever class I present to students, no matter how good or bad, is what needed to unfold. Perhaps to teach me more about what I need to change, what more I can bring to a class next time or what I need to keep. Whatever it is, I trust myself to follow this guidance and continually learn from it, time and time again.

Katie Grice

Click here for further information on our Mindfulness Training

Thought to put into action -You can meditate in a lot of ways, for many different benefits. One of the most useful practices is to spend some time on the question:

WHAT DO I REALLY LOVE?

~ NOW PUT THEM IN ORDER
Here’s the game changer….Ask yourself:

AM I SPENDING MY TIME ON MY HIGHEST LOVES?

When the answer is no, there will always be a sense of dis-ease. This is where the work of yoga on the form of mindfulness really begins.

To turn the no into a yes
We need to get our loves in order
Spend more time on our higher loves not less
The work known as Tapas in yoga can be doing the work to bridge the gap
Between knowing our loves but having the courage to follow through, to act
There will be obstacles in the way
Taking an honest look at how you are loving day to day
Mindfulness can be confronting but worth it all the same
Learning to spend the time on your loves
Is what changes the game
“Life is a game made for everyone, and love is the prize”
Meditation is like supervision for the soul. Listening is the goal .
As best as you can today Sometimes we need guidance in choosing what goes and what stays. And we all need help with letting go .
Namaste
xox Tammy

#actionsspeaklouderthanwords
#mindfulnessteachertraing
#yoganrg (Inspired by David Brookes, a hint of Avicii and as always my cup of tea Meditation)

Our Mindfulness & Yoga Teacher Trainings look at why the mind gets in the way of us following through on priorities and gives you the tools to overcome these challenges. Find out more here

Take time to learn to sit and navigate the mind and heart~ Mindfulness Introductory Courses , Teacher Training and one on one mentoring ~ book now www.yoga-nrg.com

One of my most favourite quotes ever that has been one of the motivating factors to continue to meditate has been from Gandhi “Do not let people walk through your mind with their dirty feet”.

Here is another way to put it: You wouldn’t let arseholes live in your house so why let them live in your head” Yoga & Mindfulness has a great way of shaking you enough to leave the bullshit behind.

It helps you see the cause of your tension is not “them” as it is up to each of us who we invite in and who we let stay.

Ask them to leave their shoes at the door , show respect or don’t come at all. We forget sometimes we are in charge of our own mind.

Train it to be the best door keeper it can be. After all what you let stay in your mind will effect your heart.

Choose wisely right from the start. Sometimes the wisest thing to do is to open the door not to let them in, but to finally let them go.

A lesson I’m forever grateful for (that takes daily practice) as reality would have it there will always be arseholes ~

Just focus on your own though.

CLICK HERE FOR NEXT MINDFULNESS TRAINING COURSE