Monday Motivations: The Magic of Mandala

Dear Britomart yogis,

Sometimes we get the opportunity to practise yoga without focusing (for the most part) solely on our own eyes in the front mirror. Last night was one of these opportunities with Connie and Jammin' Yoga leading us through a Mandala yoga practice after the 4pm Bikram session.

For those of you unfamiliar with Mandala yoga (as most of us were!) it may help to look at the following video link ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga5s_qYgJS8 ) which beautifully portrays the process of creating a sand mandala. The mandala is probably the most discussed and admired symbol in Buddhist art. The word itself means circle and its shape is supposed to remind us of our 'relation to infinity, extending beyond and within our bodies and minds'. (http://spiritualawakening.weebly.com/mandalas-what-are-they.html)

mandala

During our 90-minute Mandala yoga practice we played, worked together, trusted each other, helped one another, laughed, held hands, impersonated bunny rabbits (!), and tried earnestly to create something similar to the above shape.

10926369_397377783756379_8464817078530159469_n

All in all it was light-hearted and a lot of fun. The mood was mellow, the music (some of it live, and provided by Fernando) was meditative but upbeat, and whatever apprehension some of us might have experienced at the beginning quickly dissipated. Getting up close and personal with the bodies that you always remain at least one sweaty arm's distance from in your Bikram class is, believe it or not, a great way of relieving any initial awkwardness. And awkward pose sitting on your neighbour's lap anyone? While someone else is sitting on yours? Well, we did it! ;-) And it was definitely easier than awkward pose, which we all know should look like this:

AwkwardPoseWordpress

but more often than not... looks and feels more like this:

Awkward joke

I'm with the cat on this one!

Anyway, awkward jokes aside... After our Mandala practice we enjoyed yummy raw treats and lovely filtered water to refresh, rehydrate, and replenish while we seized the opportunity to get to know our fellow yogis a bit better. It got me thinking about how rarely we get the occasion to connect to the people we sweat beside in class, and how nice it is to share our experiences of the practice. There are as many yoga experiences as there are yoga practitioners and everyone has their own personal perspective to share. And that's the beauty of a community-focused yoga practice such as Mandala yoga. Be sure and come try the next one!

See you on your mats! :-)
Tags:

Yoga Clothing of the Week

weowWith all our summer classes coming up and a full week of JFC Training with Esak Garcia, it is time to lighten and brighten up your Yoga Clothing wardrobe. These wonderfully printed hot yoga short shorts from Onzie are our favorite this week. They look fabulous and feel even better to wear. Get comfortable! Treat yourself this Bikram Yoga season :)

Come see us at the studio. We have a wide selection of bits to suit every body's shape, style and comfort level. See you at 13 Commerce St!

Namaste
Tags:

Monday Motivations

New Image

 Here comes another week full of days and hours and minutes and hopefully some more summer temperatures. As the days get longer and warmer it seems our calendars get fuller faster, regardless of the extra sunlight each day. From every which way we look there is an increase in activity in early spring and summer; from sports to dinner parties and barbecues; this time of year seems to be when outdoor gatherings are in bloom and it can become quite challenging meeting everyone’s needs, including our own. In fact by the end of summer, many of us will be feeling exhausted from all of the activities and will be gladly awaiting the darker, shorter days which allow for more time to reflect and plan.

But now that we are aware of the pattern, we can begin to develop solutions before they turn in to problems. Now is the time to be thinking about how to have a fulfilling and healthy summer that is rewarding for you, your body and your mind, so that when the colder days swing back around, you are ready to face them with zest!

Time management is one of those common, everyday phrases that only some of us are actually making the most use of. Time management is about asking yourself first thing in the morning, or at the beginning of the week – any time is a good time to ask; what is it you want to achieve? The rest is about figuring out how to achieve those things, with the given time and circumstances.

Living a fulfilling, healthy life is about listening to our own bodies’ clock and living with the word’s clock as harmoniously as possible. For morning Yogis, a 6.30 am Bikram class as opposed to an afternoon one, is a fantastic way to start the day and keep motivated to stay healthy and fit. The start of the day is an important time to set your intentions for later, so make the most of that time.

If you are a night or evening person, afternoon classes are a great way to get social and fit at the same time, and you will walk out the studio feeling full of natural energy, ready for the evening’s activities.

My challenge for you this summer is to keep doing what is good and right for you. Be the social or outdoor butterfly summer loves you to be, but do not forget to make your personal development goals a priority.

The extra sunlight we have is only as valuable as we make it; quality over quantity Yogis!

www.bikramyogabritomart.co.nz
Tags:

Monday Motivations

benefits-of-hot-yoga2

 The human body is a truly amazing organism. If we could each have a copy of our body’s ‘To-Do’ list every day, our own ‘To-Do’ lists would seem much less frightening. Our bodies are very complex and powerful tools that can either help us get to where aim to go, or stop us. Along with a consistent fitness plan, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle, we, endowed with the gift of such competent physical vessels, often tend to forget about or perhaps are struggling with the most important activity of them all – Sleep.

Without efficient sleep, a body is not going to perform very well and it will inhibit you from making the most of almost anything. In fact, often the case is; the more sleep we ‘need’ the more we struggle to get. For some more energetic people, the activity of sleep can become a game of tug and war. Then, there are those sleepers who think they are sleeping, but they don’t often enter Rem – a deep state of sleep where the restoration of your body and cells during ‘sleepy-time’ actually happens, typically when dreaming. Rem is the body’s daily 'dream' destination, excuse the pun.

If it for whatever reason doesn't get to Rem, in only a few days, the body will render you feeling very irritable, moody and obviously lacking in both physical and mental energy. Weight gain is often associated with poor sleep cycles as the body’s compensation for the lack of energy is found in food; more food than it actually needs. It is probably just wanting Rem.

There are good news to all this. Yogis around the world already know about the wonderful benefits Bikram Yoga has had on their sleep, but now, studies have also shown that Yoga can help improve your sleeping pattern.

The parasympathetic nervous system is accountable for rest and digestion activities of the body in rest state, and studies have found that sleep onset and Yoga are both associated with an increase in parasympathetic activity. Meditation is also linked to the increase in parasympathetic presence.

Bikram Yoga is a combination of physical exercise, release of tension, breathing development, meditation, self-awareness, strengthening of the muscles, heart and lungs, as well as detoxifying your body and mind. All these Bikram Yoga benefits can be related to a good night’s sleep and all the techniques learned and developed in class with yourself in from of the mirror, can effortlessly be transferred to bed.

Give it a go. If you are always tired, always lacking that extra deep sleep or dreading the time of day when you have to and close your eyes and thoughts – go to a Bikram Class in the afternoon and tell us how you slept :)

Happy Sleeping, Hot Yogis!

www.bikramyogabritomart.co.nz
Tags:

Monday Motivations

ddddd

 It is no longer news to us that regular physical exercise is one of the main ingredients needed to live a long, healthy and happy life. But what can words do for us when we are reading them? They only go so far as a moment or two beyond the page, while the reader 'chews' on them and then from then on, those words become a reference to the memory of the 'chewing' and the action part starts to get harder and harder and more distant for us to reach.

If ever you find yourself daydreaming often about improving your life - starting from the body and mind - but never feel like you have enough motivation to follow through with the required actions, this is probably because your memory is tricking you and preventing you from realizing your self-worth, your incredible potential and ability to achieve that which you focus on.

Next time this happens, try to remember a time when a posture was extremely difficult to finish, but you finished it. Or perhaps it took a few classes before you were able to finish it. How wonderful and accomplished did you feel when something that once used to be difficult, all of a sudden comes easily and naturally to you? That is the feeling of self-empowerment, self-development and being the best person to yourself that you can be :) Try to remember the first few Bikram Yoga classes you ever did - did it take a few sessions to feel like you are in complete control of yourself?

It is in the challenges we set ourselves, for ourselves, that most of our rewards come from; and the beauty of challenging ourselves is that there really is no beginning and no end to the possibilities :)

In everyone's Bikram Yoga journey, there is a journey of the self and how powerful it really can be. Sticking to a regular exercise plan will make you feel your self-worth, it will give yourself and your life value - because during exercise we learn about what our bodies and minds are doing. We learn how they are functioning and most importantly we begin to discover how to help ourselves go oven further, be even healthier, and live even more positively.

MentalHealth.org.uk has outlined just some of the proven benefits of regular physical exercise and these are; less tension, stress and mental fatigue, a natural energy boost, improved sleep, a sense of achievement, focus in life and motivation, less anger or frustration, a healthy appetite, better social life, having fun.

So what are you waiting for? The time is Now to be the best You, because nobody else has been given that privilege :)

See us Today at 13 Commerce Street, Britomart, Auckland.

Or for our Latest Class Schedule please visit: www.bikramyogabritomart.co.nz
Tags:

Monday Motivations

mirror

 It is the end of another period of elections and regardless of the outcome - the time is now to focus the energy and attention back on to yourselves. And much like choosing weather to vote or not, nurturing a healthy and more youthful 'you' is also a choice.

Do you care enough about the physical vessel that is your body, the mental vessel that is your mind and the emotional vessel that is your heart and spirit? Do you care about it enough, to put a towel and yoga mat into your bag once a day, or once every second day and go Downtown?

A healthy and joyous life can be achieved through a collection of positive choices, aimed at giving all your 'vessels' the love and nurture they need in order to provide you with a fulfilling experience of life.

First, it is important to bring any energy that has been scattered here and there; weather it be politics or the family or work, and focus it back in to the things that mean something personally to you and your 'vessels' (heart/spirit, physical and mental).

A vessel is a vein or artery that carries blood through the body. But your body is also a vessel, that can carry you through to the achievement of your dreams, and so is your mind and heart.

So the next time you are faced with yourself, in front of the wide studio mirror, take a deep look at the wonderful vessel standing before you. Take a moment to appreciate it for getting you to where you are today, and realize that you are nurturing it and giving it the fuel it needs to become the best performing vessel for you reaching your goals.

Appreciate yourself for making the right decisions in your life; your reflection is there to support you. The studio mirror can tell you a lot about how wonderful you are - yearn to be before it, and do not miss the glow!

Happy Hot Yoga, Yogis :)
Tags:

Monday Motivotions

IMG_0114.JPG

Look out your window, open the curtains, step outside, take a deep breath. The warmer part of the year is upon us! Longer periods of daylight, warmer mornings and evenings, warmer oceans and rivers, warmer skins and complexions!

Do you feel excited about the prosperity of Summer?
With the dawn of warmer, sunnier months upon us, it is important to feel excited. Do you want a healthier body and mind? Do you desire a happier outlook and a fitter and more toned and flexible physique? Any time of the year is the right time to work on ourselves, our bodies and minds. But summer is when our job is at its easiest and most rewarding!

The possibilities to make positive changes and improvements in all aspects of our lives that are opened up with the seasonal change are endless, and it is up to each and every one of us to do our best to make the most of this time. Make plans - write them down, feel excited about achieving them and the benefits that each achievement will bring you. 

When the days are extra picturesque, warm and long; challenging ourselves becomes a harmonious experience between effort and reward. 
Britomart is on the end stretch of Auckland's gorgeous sea-side. Why not incorporate a swim in the ocean after your next Bikram Britomart class? Or a walk along the sea-side?

Utilise this summer to your advantage. Get the rewards you work for faster and enjoy them! Why not pack a beach towel with your yoga mat and head to the beach with some sunscreen after class for a natural tint to your freshly toned and shaped body?
Incorporate Bikram Yoga into your summer vitality fitness plan - the rewards will speak louder than words. But don't take My word for it, better yet, see you in Class! 

Visit us for daily class schedules, 7 days a week : www.bikramyogabritomart.com

Happy Hot Yoga!
Tags:
Copyright © 2012 Bikram Yoga Britomart