Samastah Yoga

FIND ME ON THE MAT (OR IN THE WATER) THIS WEEK:

Monday 9am - Seniors - Kingsford Tce, Corinda
Monday 10:45am - Aqua Yoga, Carole Park
Monday 6:45pm - Breathwork & Meditation- Jindalee 24/7

Tuesday 8:30am - Mat Pilates - Jindalee 24/7
Tuesday 10:45am - Gentle yoga - YMCA, Jamboree Heights
Tuesday 6:30pm - Hatha - KDK, Kenmore - Cancelled

Wednesday 5:30am - Hatha, Jindalee 24/7
Wednesday 9:30am - Mat Pilates - Jindalee 24/7
Wednesday - 11am - Hatha -Girl Guides, Sherwood

Thursday 1pm - Aqua Yoga, Yeronga

Friday 10am - Aqua Yoga, Bellbowrie

Sunday 8am - Hatha, Girl Guides, Middle Park
Sunday 10am - Gentle yoga - YMCA, Jamboree Heights

🤍 THE WHY BEHIND MY RETREAT DAYS — The Gathering

Perhaps this is the part that matters most to me.

The women who walk through the door.

Women who spend so much of their lives doing

Working.

Parenting.

Caring.

Planning.

Remembering.

Supporting.

Holding everything together.

And then, for one day, we gather.

Some women arrive with friends.

Others bravely walk through the door knowing nobody.

Some have practised yoga for years.

Others are still wondering whether they really belong at a yoga retreat.

They do.

Because these days were never created for the most flexible person in the room.

They were created for human beings who sometimes need somewhere safe to put everything down.

Even if only for a few hours.

There is something very special that happens when women gather with no expectation to achieve anything.

We move.

We eat together.

We talk.

We laugh.

Sometimes there are tears.

And eventually the room becomes quieter.

Shoulders soften.

Breathing slows.

People begin to settle back into themselves.

This is what 'holding space' means to me.

Not filling every moment.

Not trying to fix anyone.

But thoughtfully creating the conditions where you feel safe enough to soften, rest and listen inwardly.

It's why I consider the food.

The practices.

The music.

The teachings.

The little details.

The pauses.

Even the way the day flows.

Because I want you to feel that from the moment you arrive, you don't need to take care of anything.

For this one day...

You get to be taken care of.

And perhaps that is the deepest meaning behind the name of this retreat:

*A Return to the Stillness Within.*

Not becoming someone new.

Simply creating enough space to find your way back to yourself. 🌿🤍

This is a quote, that framed my August newsletter.
The heart, being around Aparigraha - the ability to let go of attachment.

Right now, this is a limb, that is not just testing myself this month - but my family too. A mixture of feelings in welcoming a new puppy into our house.

Pure joy, unconditional love - but also impatience, frustration, new boundaries....
But, let this be a learning - that reset's us all.

We can either choose to hold onto cling to our old way of 'knowing' or we can adapt and embrace. I feel a little at times, we are wavering. Especially the 4am wake up calls, BUT we know it was pass and the love will continue to grow alongside pur puppy.

🌿 GINGER — A LITTLE WINTER FIRE

That unmistakable aroma when fresh ginger hits a warm pot...

Spicy. Fragrant. Warming.

Ginger is one of those wonderfully simple ingredients that Ayurveda has treasured for centuries — and during the cool, heavier months of **Kapha season**, it really comes into its own.

Ayurveda often refers to ginger as a friend of Agni — our digestive fire.

Why is that important in Winter?

Kapha carries the qualities of Earth + Water.

When those qualities accumulate, we can sometimes feel heavy, sluggish or slow — physically and energetically.

Ginger brings something very different.

🔥 warmth
🔥 pungency
🔥 lightness
🔥 stimulation

In Ayurvedic tradition, it is commonly used to kindle digestion, encourage movement and help counter some of Kapha's cool, heavy qualities. Modern research has also investigated ginger for its digestive and anti-inflammatory properties.

And it is incredibly easy to use.

🍵 Ginger Tea
Simmer slices of fresh ginger in water for 5–10 minutes. Add lemon once slightly cooled for a simple warming Winter drink.

🥣 Kitchari
Sauté or gently cook fresh ginger with your spices before adding your mung dal, rice and vegetables.

🌿 Warming Broth
Add ginger, turmeric, cumin and black pepper to vegetable broth for something wonderfully fragrant on a cool afternoon.

🥕 Winter Cooking
Grate fresh ginger into soups, dhal, curries or roasted vegetables.

And perhaps my favourite use...

Simply holding a warm mug of fresh ginger tea between both hands, breathing in the aroma and allowing yourself a few quiet minutes to pause.

Because Ayurveda isn't only about *what* we consume.

It also reminds us to notice **how we receive it**.

Slowly.

Mindfully.

With warmth.

With presence.

A beautiful little antidote to the heaviness of Winter. 🤍

This is something that has been a long time coming, a brand-new pivot for me.

I can finally say, I am also now ' A Reformer Pilates' teacher.

Sooo many hours have been put into play, to practice, refine, expand & step well outside of my comfort zone - but I did it.

I am mega proud of myself, for committing to the hours, the learning, the juggling - all on top of my already pretty full teaching schedule.

One thing I will say, is the support has been mind-blowing. A very special and patient handful of my yoga students gave up their time to support me with my teaching hours. To trust me, as I learnt this new skill.

Whilst it is one thing to feel it and experience it in your own body, it is a completely new level of depth to teach. I know this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Another thing that has been mind-blowing & reassured me that I am on the right path, is the support from the Pilates community in my local area. To make me feel welcomed, to answer all of my questions, to allow me the grace to fumble my way through as I find my transition to teaching.

Wow!! So, I am going to take a little bit of time to absorb it all.

Just as I did with Yoga, I am going to trust that the right opportunities will align alongside what I value holistically in yoga. This is just a growth phase & I am ready to embrace it, in my own time.

💛 **A LITTLE GOLDEN WARMTH FOR WINTER**

If there is one spice that seems to capture the colour of inner warmth, it has to be **turmeric**.

In Ayurveda, turmeric has long been treasured as a warming, bitter and slightly pungent spice — qualities that make it particularly lovely to reach for during **Kapha season**.

Winter can naturally bring more of Kapha's qualities into our lives:

❄️ cool
❄️ heavy
❄️ slow
❄️ damp
❄️ sometimes a little stagnant

Ayurveda teaches us to bring in the *opposite* qualities to restore balance — warmth, lightness, gentle stimulation and movement.

And this is where our golden friend can come in. 🌿

Traditionally, turmeric is valued in Ayurveda for supporting **Agni — our digestive fire**, healthy circulation and the body's natural cleansing processes. Modern research has also explored turmeric and its curcumin compounds for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

And it doesn't take much to weave turmeric into your Winter rituals.

✨ Add it to your kitchari with cumin, ginger and black pepper.

✨ Stir a little into soups, lentil dishes or a warming vegetable broth.

✨ Simmer with ginger and cinnamon for a beautiful golden Winter tea.

✨ Or make a comforting golden milk with turmeric, warming spices and your favourite milk.

There is something wonderfully Ayurvedic about opening the spice cupboard and realising that our everyday ingredients can become part of how we care for ourselves.

Food isn't simply fuel.

It can carry warmth, ritual, intention and nourishment.

And sometimes Winter wellbeing begins with something as simple as adding a little more gold to your bowl. 💛

🌿 **THE WHY BEHIND MY RETREAT DAYS — The Practice**

When I sit to create the yoga practice for our Day retreat, I don't simply choose a collection of poses that I think will feel nice.

There is thought behind every part of it.

I begin with feeling of the seasonal energy.

What is happening in nature?

What qualities are present?

What might we collectively be feeling physically, energetically and emotionally?

And then I begin to weave.

For our Winter retreat, I'm **Kapha, is our base** — Earth + Water.

Winter naturally calls us inward, yet too much stillness can sometimes become heaviness or stagnation.

So our morning practice needs a little warmth.

Movement.

Breath.

Enough energy to awaken us without pushing or depleting.

And later, our afternoon practice will ask something quite different of us.

To soften.

To surrender our weight into bolsters and blankets.

To move towards quieter practices, meditation and deep rest.

There is an energetic arc to the day.

**Awaken → nourish → soften → receive.**

And underneath it all is my intention that you never feel you need to perform.

There is nothing to prove on retreat.

No perfect pose to achieve.

No need to keep up with the person beside you.

I want the practice to meet you exactly where you are.

Because yoga, for me, has always been less about what a posture looks like...

and much more about **how it allows us to feel.**

Present.

Grounded.

Connected.

And perhaps, underneath all the noise...

a little closer to the stillness that was there all along. 🤍

P.S This is my cute little puppy dog, all curled up in a ball in her cosy space, nestled on the couch. This is how it is done!

FIND ME ON THE MAT (OR IN THE WATER) THIS WEEK:

Monday 9am - Seniors - Kingsford Tce, Corinda
Monday 10:45am - Aqua Yoga, Carole Park
Monday 6:45pm - Breathwork & Meditation- Jindalee 24/7

Tuesday 8:30am - Mat Pilates - Jindalee 24/7
Tuesday 6:30pm - Hatha - KDK, Kenmore

Wednesday 5:30am - Hatha, Jindalee 24/7
Wednesday 9:30am - Mat Pilates - Jindalee 24/7
Wednesday - 11am - Hatha -Girl Guides, Sherwood

Thursday 1pm - Aqua Yoga, Yeronga

Friday 10am - Aqua Yoga, Bellbowrie

Sunday 9am-4pm - Return to the stillness within - Day Retreat. Temple retreat, Pullenvale.

🥣 **THE WHY BEHIND MY RETREAT DAYS — The Nourishment**

There are some things you can rush.

And some things you simply can't.

The Kitchari served at my Ayurveda Day Retreats takes around **12 hours to lovingly prepare**.

Twelve hours.

Slowly cooking. Allowing the mung dal and rice to soften, the vegetables to meld, and the beautiful warming spices to infuse throughout.

It would certainly be easier to serve something simpler.

But that's not really what these days are about.

I want the food you receive to feel like another part of the practice.

To sit down after our morning together and have a warm bowl placed in front of you that somebody else has thoughtfully prepared.

No deciding what to eat.

No cooking.

No feeding everyone else first.

Just receiving.

My beautiful friend prepares our Kitchari each retreat, and while it has become a little bit of a tradition, no two pots are ever quite the same.

The ingredients, spices and vegetables are thoughtfully adjusted to suit the **season and Dosha** we're exploring.

For our Winter retreat, that means considering the cool, heavy qualities of **Kapha** and bringing in warmth, lightness and gentle stimulation through our food and spices.

This is Ayurveda beyond the textbook.

It's nourishment you can smell.

Taste.

Feel.

And perhaps that's part of my **why**.

I don't want these days to simply teach you about nourishment.

**I want you to experience what it feels like to be nourished.** 🤍

🌿 **SUPPORTED CHILD’S POSE — AN EMBODIED PRACTICE OF APARIGRAHA**

**Aparigraha asks us to loosen our grip.**

To release the need to hold, control or cling—and to trust that sometimes, there is freedom in simply allowing ourselves to be supported.

Supported Child’s Pose offers us an opportunity to explore this yogic principle through the body.

Place a bolster lengthways along your mat. Bring your big toes towards one another and allow your knees to widen comfortably around the bolster.

Slowly fold forward, allowing your belly, chest and head to be completely supported. Turn your head gently to one side, changing sides halfway through.

Let your arms rest wherever they naturally fall.

Stay for **3–5 minutes**, and begin to notice…

**Where am I still holding?**

Perhaps the shoulders are subtly lifted.
The jaw is gripping.
The belly is holding.
Perhaps even here, there is an urge to adjust, improve or somehow *do* the pose better.

See if you can soften one layer at a time.

Let the bolster hold a little more of you.
Let gravity do some of the work.
Let the exhale become an invitation to release.

There can be an interesting moment in Yin when we realise that **nothing more is required of us.**

For those of us accustomed to doing, achieving and moving towards the next thing, simply receiving support can become a practice in itself.

With each exhale, imagine gently opening your hands—not necessarily physically, but inwardly.

Releasing your grip upon how today was *supposed* to unfold.

Releasing something you’ve been trying to control.

Releasing the expectation that you should be somewhere other than exactly where you are.

You don’t need to throw anything away.

Simply hold it a little more lightly.

**Inhale — receive.
Exhale — release.
Inhale — soften.
Exhale — let go.**

Aparigraha reminds us that surrender isn’t giving up.

Sometimes, surrender is simply recognising that we don’t have to hold everything quite so tightly.

As you slowly rise, pause and ask yourself:

**What could I hold with a little more softness today?**