The Africa Yoga Project.

This is such a great cause... 

The Africa Yoga Project aims to use yoga to empower communities in Africa. The programs include the Baptiste Power Yoga on the Streets; where free yoga classes based on Baptiste Vinyasa are available to young Kenyan's. The project also offers financial support to train aspiring yoga teachers from the slums, who then go on to teach yoga in their own communities. Another program is the Beads for Change- Yoga Inspired & Women-Driven. The program supports women to use the traditional Masai art of beading, to create and sell beaded t-shirts.
 

Be Present Every Day...

I love this print!
I just bought it from the Etsy store Groundwork. 

Such a simple statement which has so much relevance to yoga. It will be perfect to hang in my yoga studio one day!

101 Cookbooks

  Black Sesame Otsu

*Image credit: www.101cookbooks.com

Have a look at Heidi Swanson's blog, 101 Cookbooks. This recipe for Black Sesame Otsu looks great.
Her recipes' focus is natural, whole food ingredients, which are styled and photographed beautifully.
This article, Can this woman make quinoa sexy? from Salon.com, defines it well.

I often find great contemporary, exciting vegetarian recipes here. There is also some yummy chocolate recipes to try...

Teach Us to Sit Still

I have just finished reading Teach Us to Sit Still by Tim Parks. As in the title, this book is about 'A sceptic's search for health and healing'.

The author, an academic who teaches translation at university, definitely wasn't into anything 'new age'. Yoga and meditation were for hippies, and the last place he thought we would find the answer to his pain.

"Just when the medical profession had given up in me and I on it, just when I seemed to be walled up in a life sentence of chronic pain, someone proposed a bizarre way out: Sit still, they said, and breathe..."

It seemed to highlight how we have lost touch with our bodies, and how this can eventually lead to illness. For Parks, meditation was a last resort, almost in desperation to find some sort of relief from his pain.

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to sit still in silence for 5 or 10 minutes a day - try it!

Teach Us to Sit Still: A Sceptic's Search for Health And Healing
Tim Parks

Find the book here

New Timetable.

I have a changed my class timetable slightly...

Morning classes are now on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the Yamba Surf Club at 6.15am.

I am also going to hold 4 week beginners courses on Monday evenings; 6pm at the Yamba Wellbeing Centre. These are suitable for complete beginners, but also beneficial for everyone - it's always helpful to go back to basics and work on the correct alignment of the basic yoga postures.

I am going to take bookings for this one and limit it to 6 people. That way everyone can get the attention they deserve!