The Ideal Time to Practice Yoga

Most people tend to have a preferred time of day to practice. Some prefer starting the day with an early morning practice, whilst others struggle to get up and dislike how tight their body feels. On the other hand, you have those who prefer to wind down in the evening with yoga, when their body is also more open. However, some people find this interferes with meal times or is too energising prior to bed. You hear people proclaiming that they wish they were morning people and know that exercising first thing is ideal, but is this really the case? Is our practice any less beneficial if it is not first thing in the morning? The article below discusses both sides of the coin and what is most important.

The traditional view is that yoga should be practiced first thing in the morning, ideally as the sun rises and before breakfast. There are some real advantages to this. It can be the perfect way to start your day, with mindful awareness, which can set the tone for the rest of your day.

This certainly beats spending your precious waking moments on autopilot, checking your phone, emails and messages. Connecting with yourself first thing can place you in a position of mental strength, which has the potential to permeate throughout your whole day.

Physically, it can help your body to wake up and release the tension and inertia of sleep. Depending on your choice of practice, it can leave you bouncing with morning energy like a happy little yoga bunny, or calm and serene like the yoga god or goddess that you are.

Can't Do Mornings? Don't Worry!

However, there are times when early morning practice is not desirable, or even possible. For some people, their body really protests physical movement first thing.

This is especially true for anyone who suffers with back pain. The discs in the spine naturally are stiffer and tighter when you wake up. While gentle yoga may help, if you’re having to force yourself to do it, this is unlikely to be a pleasant experience.

There are also practical reasons why morning practice may not work. Especially people with families or jobs that start very early, their morning routine may mean they simply can’t carve out their practice time then.

The smug advice to “set your alarm an hour earlier” is unhelpful if it’s also not practical for you to go to bed an hour earlier, or if this would mean making an already early start to the day absolutely unbearable.

So, there’s no need to be down on yourself if early morning practice isn’t for you. Let go of the “shoulds” and find something that suits your own life instead.

Scheduling Options

Morning

Making a mindful start to the day is still a great idea, if you can. This can be as simple as a five-minute seated meditation, or even a couple of minutes of mindful breathing before you get out of bed. It’s better than nothing, and it’s still a great way to connect with yourself and maybe even set an intention for the rest of your day.

Other times of day to practice yoga have their own advantages. Personally, sometimes I like to meditate first thing, then write while my mind is at its sharpest.

After a couple of hours at my laptop, yoga is the perfect thing to stretch out my body and bring me back to myself. It leaves me energised and invigorated for the rest of my afternoon - like giving myself a second wake-up boost.

Afternoon

Late afternoon, before dinner can also be a lovely time to do yoga. That after-work window can help you let go of anything that’s gone on in your day. It can become almost a ceremony to mark the end of your working day and your transition into more relaxed time.

In addition, it can fire up your appetite for your evening meal. Not only that, but many people find that yoga at the end of the day feels better for their body. After spending the day moving around, your body is more supple and open than it is first thing in the morning.

Evening

Finally, late evening, just before you go to bed can be an optimum time for a gentle yoga practice. Nothing too extreme at this time - you’re not wanting to wake yourself up again.

However, some forward folds, supine twists and legs-up-the-wall pose can prepare your body and mind perfectly for sleep.

When NOT to Practice

The only time to really avoid practicing yoga is immediately after mealtimes. Try to allow at least two hours after eating before you practice. Headstand on a full stomach is not a pleasant experience and your body needs its energy for digestion at that time anyway.

The Most Important Thing - Have a Good Time

Whenever you choose to practice yoga, remember to hold it as a sacred time to honour your body. Be mindful of your energy levels and the state you want to leave yourself in by the end and adapt your practice to suit that.

Most of all, just enjoy it. There’s no one “right” way to practice yoga and a large part of the fun is in the experimentation.’

Life can be busy and everybody is so different. The take home message is to do what is right and what works for YOU! People will always have opinions but only you know what is right for your body and schedule and if you are able to practice at all, that is enough in itself.

To check out the This is Yoga timetables for the Clovelly, Randwick and Online studios click the link below. We have options to suit all schedules!

Author: Jade Lizzie

Published: 7/9/20

Source: https://www.yogapedia.com/2/6017/yoga-practice/best-time-of-day-to-practice-yoga

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The Yogapod Sydney - Interview with Katy Graczer

We sit down with the legend that is Katy Graczer - founder of the Yogapod Sydney. You may have been to one of Katy’s classes at TIY and we are now lucky enough to be stocking her beautiful, high quality yoga mats! Read more about Katy and the Yogapod mats in our interview below.

Can you tell us a little bit about The Yogapod Sydney and your yoga background?

I have been a yoga enthusiast for over 20 years. The Yogapod Sydney was created when I became a teacher, to offer yoga options and info to those who want to start their journey. 

Now it is a hub, connecting students with teachers and studios through healthy holidays and retreats, we also feature workshops and a podshop where you can buy what you need to meet your yoga and travel needs.

What made you decide to design and create yoga mats? What did you take into consideration?

Finding a high quality mat which is affordable, comfortable and sustains both a yin and yang practice is tricky to find. I also wanted to ensure our branded mat is unisex, easy to clean and multi-purpose so you can use it for HIIT, roll and release and floor pilates if you want. 

What do you feel is special about the Yoga Pod mat? 

I think our mat is unusually comfortable for a 5mm 🙂 You can't feel the floor underneath it and it feels soft (but firm) under your hands, feet, head and spine. 

Do you sell any other accessories?

At The Yogapod shop, we also stock luxury cork mats and blocks alongside a range of locally owned sustainable accessories from great brands such as Wobble Yoga, Bondi Wash, Naked Soul and Destination the Label.

Your beautiful mats are stocked at This is Yoga?

Our Yogapod polyurethane mats are stocked exclusively at This is Yoga!

Find out more about Katy and the Yogapod Sydney here, or check out the Yogapod mat in studio!

Author: This is Yoga

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Yoga, Music and the art of Listening

At one time or another, most people have probably been disappointed when a teacher has not played music in a yoga class. Some people feel they need it in order to complete their experience and fully enjoy the class, others may not even notice the absence of music. So why would a teacher consciously choose not to play music, when so many people enjoy practicing to it? Ari Levanael explains below the impact music and sound can have on our practice of yoga, both on and off the mat.

We all love music, don’t we?

Music and movement have been united since drumming and dancing around the fires of our ancestors and more recently to the night club and festival party scenes of today. It can also really help create an ‘atmosphere’ in a yoga room, but lately I haven’t been playing music in my classes and there is a good reason why.

“When the mind runs after the wandering senses, then it carries away one’s understanding, as the wind carries away a ship on the waters. Therefore, the wisdom of whose senses are withdrawn from the objects of the senses stands firm.”

— Bhagavad Gita 2.67

So, what does this mean? The mind running after the wandering senses?

When the mind follows the relentless pursuit of stimulation and sensation is it at the expense of our physical, emotional, and mental health? Do we need more stimulation in an already often bombarding world? The above teaches us that when our senses are not disturbed or influenced by things that could possibly make our minds wander, we can stand firm or be calm in the stillness. Wisdom and understanding will come as a result of not being so easily led astray by our senses.

Over the past few years I have gone through stages with yoga playlists in my classes, but for 20 years I practiced in silence. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy music and the creative process like most, but when I’m practicing and teaching without music, I am able to dive deeper and listen clearly to the students. The silence helps me do that. I love the students that remember their attention to detail of our entire practice, and what I was actually teaching, not what song I played.

For me, yoga is a conversation with my body. I need my complete attention there in order to hear what it has to say. There is also a grace and art to moving and breathing as with any form of exercise and the way you carry yourself through your day in any given situation sets the mood of your mind. Your actions and responses (or reactions) will teach you about the person you are in that moment.

I am noticing that students are dropping into “the zone” easier without the music playing, when their focus is honed on their own practice and my alignment cues. I sense the difference at the end of practice, I feel it in the room. The sound of silence.

As a teacher it’s my job to help you listen. Not specifically just to me, but more-so listen to your breathing and the sound your feet are making in your practice. It will teach you so much about how you are progressing on your path. It will also teach me if you are listening.

Silence can be crucial in your yoga practice to help you listen to the sound and rhythm of your breath. Equally as important as I mentioned, is the sound your feet are making through your practice. Is there a heaviness to your step? To your breathing? How can you hear this with music playing? I’ve been in classes where I can hardly hear what the teacher is saying over the sound of the music and the thumping of people’s feet. With no music playing I hear instantly when there is heaviness and someone is pushing themselves to do something that maybe their body is telling them they are not ready for. We are aiming for grace and elegance and knowing how to listen is fundamental in achieving this in your practice. It is one of the most important things you could do on your mat. Sure, listening to music is also fun in the practice, we feel like we are dancing on the mat and that’s great. Maybe learning to listen to yourself amongst the noise and distraction of life is a good lesson also. There is a season for everything, right?

I understand that noise is around us constantly, there can be a music to the nature of our world. Even traffic could be a form of music. Students have often told me they love my playlists and sometimes I too enjoy moving and grooving, but now it feels different. I know noise is everywhere and the path of Pratyahara is not to be so easily disturbed by the external stuff. To not get so easily distracted. I get it now. I can remain calm in the cacophony of noise now that I’m older and more experienced, but maybe not so much in my 20’s easily influenced by the energies around me. Anxiety is in many people, they are absolutely over stimulated, and calm could be just what they need.

I notice it straight away when I hear huffing and puffing in the class, and when this has happened, students have lost the point of the yoga practice. Yoga teaches us to listen, to explore the depths of our potential and the workings of our mind. In order for the magic to happen we need to be able to direct our clear attention to the parts of the body asking for our attention. We direct this attention through calm intention and calm breathing. We know energy flows where attention goes right?

Let the practice be soft, strong yet calm and serene. Be gentle on yourself. You deserve it.

 I’m diving into Pratyahara, into the depths of silence, being in the world but not of it and not so easily swayed by the barrage of anything hoping to get my attention. I’m practicing yoga and finding a connection with my breath and movement of my body. Such a gift to be able to move as we do. In quiet I can tune into subtleties that with music is not as obvious. As a teacher, I’m connecting to the room of students in front of me, sometimes 70 people at once. I listen to each and every one of you. We are in it together.

With no music it makes students more conscious of the sound they are making in the practice. It’s like they know the rest of the room can also hear, so actively work to be quiet and calm, to not be the one making all the noise… (and I’m constantly reminding them!) When loud music is playing, the loud footsteps and thumping and huffing and puffing can get lost in a cacophony of noise. Already jacking up a nervous system bombarded with external stimulation.

What is pratyahara again?

If you are easily disturbed by the noise and turmoil of the environment around you, you will need to practice pratyahara. Without it, you will not be able to meditate. Yoga and meditation are no different.

Pratyahara, the fifth limb of the eight limbs of yoga, is composed of two Sanskrit words, prati and ahara. “Ahara” means food, or anything we take into ourselves from the outside. “Prati” is a preposition meaning against or away. “Pratyahara” means literally “control of ahara,” or “gaining mastery over external influences.” You could think of it as a type of sensory transcendence, where the calm waters don’t become massive waves crashing to the shore because a pebble was thrown in the water. It is during this stage of understanding yoga that we make the conscious effort to draw our awareness away from the external world and outside stimuli. Tricky in an era of social media, likes, follows, comments and buy my this or that.

Anything that takes your focus away from the external impressions and creates peaceful and positive inner impressions is pratyahara. So, take time to detox from the media and music in yoga, move yourself into a place of peace. Focus the mind and the senses will follow. If we are moving toward focus and meditation and ultimately an enlightened state of bliss then possibly removing (maybe temporarily) another external noise could help.

Always with patience and practice.

Author: Arian Levanael
Source: https://ari.yoga/2020/02/13/yoga-music-the-art-of-listening/

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Moving Beyond Asana with Morgane Stroobant

Morgane TIY’s very own Bhakti Yogi. She has been practicing yoga for 15 years and shares her learnings and discoveries beautifully with her students. We sat down with Morgane to find out more about her practice and the passion behind it.

Can you tell us why this is an area you are passionate about and want to share with others? 

That could be written in a book, or many books. For me, although I need the physical practice to get into my body, the practice has never been just about the physical asana. So like everyone, I need the asana but I am not attached to it, I never really was so I don’t have this obsession that students can commonly have like ‘I need to nail this pose’, ‘I need to nail that pose’, ‘I need to go deeper’. 
I do the work and I do strong practices. I practice with Ari for that reason, because I need to get into my body and my breath and do a practice that makes sense and that actually allows you to go deeper into the asana practice, so you can let go of the asana practice. It’s one of the sutras - steady, effort, ease and surrender. We do the part that we need to do, we practice, we welcome all the limitations we face on our mat and we get excited about that. We encounter all the physical limitation in the asana but also the mental, emotional and spiritual limitations. These will present on your mat pretty obviously if you are open and curious, that is what I get excited about - how can we use the practice to welcome those limitations and beyond so we can live the yoga outside of the studio. That's where life happens, that's where pandemic happens, that's where losing jobs happen, relationship issues happen. So if we can’t take the practice beyond the mat and asana, we are not going to feel that peace and freedom when life gets messy, and it does all the time. I think finding tools to go beyond the asana, beyond the mat is how we find that peace. The asana is one tiny part of the picture so we can have all these tools in the box meaning we not only have the physical practice but we can also tune in to the breath, mantra and meditation at any time. Tune back in to that space of higher self - that inner wisdom, that internal landscape and when you're in a meeting with your boss, or driving, or dealing with drama/ trauma you're not going to break into an asana practice but you have these other tools ready to come and support and bring you back to peace, freedom and equanimity. You can use these in any situation and you can hopefully share that with others as well. There’s that ripple effect, like when you meet others who have this grace and wisdom, like Ari and some of my others teacher, they practice their yoga and they embody the yoga off the mat and practice what they teach, that’s what I try to do but it’s not easy, it’s difficult.

So many people can’t tap in to meditation and I wasn’t able to for a long time until I found mantra so it’s just giving people an awareness of what other tools are out there. I am excited to share what I love most and what works for me and to support the community and to help provide the tools to stay curious and work through stuff with strength and grace and wisdom. A lot of people feel they don’t have it but it’s there, we just need to tap into it.

For many, the physical asana practice is what draws them to yoga - as you touched on earlier. Why do you believe it is so important to grow beyond that?

For those who are attached to the physical practice, I think it is good to understand that as westerners, this helps us to find yoga because we need to move, it is important to move the body. When we move the body we can tap into the breath and it is much easier to breathe when sitting down than when the muscles start to shake or the mental constructs come into play e.g. I'm not flexible enough, I need to do more, I should push more, I'm not bendy enough, why is this person in a deeper backbend than me etc. So for those who love the asana practice, it is a great way to introduce you to yoga and then find out through that the tools that may lead you to something that is a bit more holistic.

It will still be a strong physical practice and we need to move, we need to be in our body and to get the breath and energy going, so that will be a big part of it. We’re not ignoring the physical part at all, we are just using it as our point of departure and then we see if we can go a little bit deeper, a little bit further than that.

Is tHIS PART OF THE PRACTICE SUITABLE FOR everyone?

Yes it is accessible to everyone, anyone with a curious mind. Whether you love a progressive class or you want a slow flow, there will be that, whether you have touched on meditation and mantra or not, there will be that as well. It’s worth mentioning that mantra is not religious, it is accessible to everyone, regardless of our background or culture. It was not religious the way I was taught it and that is how I teach it. We use mantra to transcend the mind, to go beyond the thinking mind, using sound to go back to that inner sound, that place of stillness and silence and equanimity. That is the mantra practice itself. They say it is the fastest journey to that space because we are using this practice that goes right deep in to the cells and parasympathetic nervous system, that’s why there's always silence after we sing or chant. That's what students have told me as well, for the 60 minute asana practice they have still been caught up in their head but then comes savasana and they hear me sing or chant and can just let go. So it is powerful but not religious. Pranayama is self explanatory, it's how to come to your breath. Meditation is the nectar, what happens after all of that. The asana practice should be accessible to everyone because I teach in a similar way to Ari, who is my teacher and mentor so we have a similar sequencing style in that you can choose if you want a more chilled practice or to spice it up.

What exactly is meant by ‘the higher self’?

The higher self is that space of, well, some people call it love, soul, spirit, higher consciousness. Something that is greater than the self, greater than the personality, the body, the meat suit in this lifetime and that is something that we try to connect to. That's the practice of yoga, the practice of connecting to oneness. Whatever we want to call it - soul, love, god, universe. We have our personality in this lifetime, our karma, our purpose, but we also have this place of oneness, connection to something greater. Something that is divine without being religious, if you get what I mean. So you don't have to be religious to understand that there is something a little greater, you may be connected to the earth, the ocean, just that place that is bigger than us and that we reconnect to, where we step out of our way and find a little peace. Once you connect to that space you find more freedom and equanimity and that's the space where there's no fear, anxiety, wishing, resentment, holding on to the good stuff. That's the higher self.

is there anything else you want to share?

As we know, the asana is only one tiny 8th of the yoga tree. I want students to gain the tools they can explore further and that have hopefully I made an impact on them to take their practice beyond the asana. Also understanding that the physical practice doesn't matter in the end, it's how you breathe and how you sit. The point is to come back to silence and that space in between where there is peace and freedom, which is definitely not relying on your level of asana practice or whether you can get into a handstand, do full splits or a deep back bend. It’s not about what you see on Instagram. It's about how we can bring the yoga into our lives when things get complicated. That's the yoga and hopefully these tools can support students in their lives and perhaps make them a little less asana obsessed in that if they can’t make it to their mat for whatever reason, they understand that there are still other ways they can practice yoga regardless.

Click here if you would like to learn more about Morgane!

Author: This is Yoga

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Nutrition to Support Mental Health

Our bodies are extremely complex. Far more than we often appreciate. At any one moment, there are thousands of different systems working in synchrony together, just to keep us functioning and performing our day-to-day tasks. It is therefore natural that such a complex organism requires the right balance, quality and quantity of fuel in order to keep it performing to the best of its ability. When we neglect our diets, it can very quickly take its toll on many different processes within the body, including our brain functioning – mood, concentration, energy levels, memory and so on.

So what dietary measures can we take to ensure we are supporting our mental health? There are many nutrients and dietary characteristics that play key roles in our brain and mood, this article will introduce the gut microbiome and omega-3 fatty acids.

The Gut-Brain Axis  

Simply put, your brain and gut communicate with one another. Gut microbiota play an important role in these exchanges. The gut microbiome is an area that has been receiving a lot of attention recently. We have learned a lot about it but there is a lot to still be explored! What we do know is that our gut houses trillions of microorganisms with thousands of different species, some beneficial and some harmful, but in the healthy individual they coexist quite harmoniously. Each person has a very unique microbiome that is cultivated before we are even born and can quite quickly adapt to our changing lifestyles and conditions [1,2,3].

Changes in the diversity of our microbiota can actually directly affect our mood. Fortunately, diet is one way we can enhance our microbiome ecosystem. Our gut microbiota love prebiotics, which are readily available in many common foods. The same foods lower inflammation in the body, which can decrease the risk/ severity of numerous mental health disorders, as well as many other lifestyle related diseases [2,3]. In order to nurture happy & healthy gut microbiota, try incorporating more of the following prebiotic rich foods in to your diet:

• A range of different colours and varieties of fruit and vegetable – ideally leaving the peels on where possible! Aiming for at least 5 serves of veg and 2 serves of fruit per day.

• Legumes

• Nuts and seeds

• Wholegrains e.g. oats

• Healthy fats e.g. nuts, avocado, olive oil

Probiotics can also be beneficial as they contain live microbiota. Probiotics are generally found in fermented foods such as; yoghurt, kimchi, kefir and kombucha. It is not essential to take a probiotic supplement if you are eating a varied diet, however, there are circumstances where one may be beneficial to encourage growth of healthy bacteria within the gut [2].

Conversely, a diet higher in processed, more indulgent foods has been linked to low grade chronic inflammation and gut dysbiosis (imbalance of gut bacteria leading to common digestive issues), which increases the risk of mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, and heightened risk of other disease [2].

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fats are also linked with lower rates of inflammation in the body and reduced levels of anxiety, depression and memory dysfunction [1]. They are essential for brain development and functioning throughout the lifespan. The brain consists of a high concentration of lipids (fats) and omega-3 fats play a key role in the structure of cell membranes.

Some countries that follow diets incorporating a lot of fish have remarkably lower rates of depression, which is thought to be partly influenced by the omega-3 content of fish and its role in brain functioning [1].

Find omega-3 in:

• Oily fish e.g. salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines

• Nuts and seeds e.g. walnuts, flax seed, chia seeds

• Plant oils e.g. flaxseed oil

• Fortified foods

Not only is omega 3 great for our mood and brain function but it also promotes cardiovascular and ocular health.

The mechanisms of how different nutrients and dietary patterns influence our mood and brain function are also very complex and can be deeply explored. The above provides a brief overview of just two elements to take into consideration, again supporting the idea of a balanced, varied diet focusing on wholefoods. Stay tuned for further information!

Author: Belinda Elwin, Dietitian & Nutritionist

References:

1. Swaney S. Nutrition and Mood – What’s the Connection?. NSW: Nutrition Australia. Source: https://nutritionaustralia.org/division/nsw/nutrition-and-mood-whats-the-connection/

2. Harvard School of Public Health. The Microbiome. MA: The Nutrition Source. Source: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/microbiome/#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20family%20genes,of%20microbiota%20in%20the%20intestines.

3. Clapp M, Aurora N, Herrera L, Bhatia M, Wilen E, Wakefield S. Gut microbiota’s effect on mental health: The gut-brain axis. Clin Pract. 2017 Sep 15; 7(4): 987.

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Friendships Founded Through Yoga

Forming friendships as an adult can be challenging. This has even been confirmed by social scientists! It may be harder to find likeminded people, or simply to make time for each other in your busy lives. Life can get complicated. This is just one of the many reasons yoga is so special. Whether you were looking for it or not, it provides you with an immediate community. You start running in to the same people each week and in time, strangers become friends and studio chats become meaningful conversations. Neal Pollack shares his experience with forming and solidifying friendships through yoga…   

I gave up quite a bit when I left L.A. last year, but I really regret leaving behind my yoga community. My friends and I had been practicing together for years under the guidance of one teacher. Some of us became teachers ourselves during that time. We attended one another’s classes, supporting, assisting, and sometimes filling out the room when not a lot of other people were laying down their mats. There was occasional outside socialising, but mostly we saw one another at the studio. It wasn’t a party crowd, but we had a lot of laughs anyway. I sure missed them when I moved.

Now I’m back in Los Angeles for a bit to attend a family reunion, but I’ve been able to attend another, much more informal affair, a yoga reunion of sorts. As I write this, I’ve been back to see my teacher Patty twice in the last five days. It’s been great to study with her, of course. Her sequences and adjustments are as intricate and challenging as ever. But much more importantly, I got to see some of my yoga friends. We laughed at the usual jokes, helped one another out where we could, chatted for a few minutes, and then we went about our yoga lives, just like the old days.

The New York Times ran a sad piece a few weeks ago about how hard it is to make real friends as an adult, but that actually runs counter to my experience, largely thanks to yoga. I’ve made many permanent friends in the eight years I’ve been practicing, at teacher trainings, retreats, and just hanging out at the studio. These aren’t “situational friends,” either, but people with whom I can have deep discussions, if the need for such a thing actually ever manifests. Adulthood places limitations on your social life, but yoga can remove them.

Just because a person practices doesn’t mean they’re automatically going to become your friend. But at its core, yoga is supposed to help you see reality as it truly is, joyous and impermanent. If you’re sharing that knowledge and feeling with other people, it makes friendship, if not inevitable, then at least a lot more possible. Even if I stopped doing asana or meditating tomorrow—which I won’t, because I’d go nuts shortly thereafter—yoga would have already paid me back a million times in fellowship.

As I type this, I finished a yoga class with my teacher (and friend) Patty an hour ago. After class, Zoe, who’d been just in front of me in class, approached to say hello. She had been a reliable friend to both my wife and me. We’d known each other pretty well. But I was in the mood for more than just a two-minute chat. Some yoga people have busy schedules, but lots of them don’t. Besides, yoga friends are always up for anything. They also know that once you get off the mat, that’s when the real yoga starts. Zoe and I talked and laughed and ate pizza for almost an hour before I had to head off.

It’s been a great yoga reunion. I look forward to more in the week to come, and beyond. Yoga friends, despite what The New York Times might say, are for life.

We look forward to seeing you and your friends in studio!

Original article:
Author: YJ Editors
Published: 9/8/2012
Source: https://www.yogajournal.com/tourblog/yoga-with-friends/

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