Personally I don’t like yoga in the sun or out in the open around people and the elements.
I prefer to practise yoga so I can listen internally and connect with my intuition & become aware of a deeper awareness that may be stored up in areas within body – as it was said to me once – yoga is not a work out but a work in.
Sunday afternoon a headstand is performed in Bidigak park north Bondi beach – with many people picnicking with their loved ones and pets running around
Tao Porchon-Lynch, 98, has been getting up at 5am to teach yoga for more than 75 years.
Now, the world’s oldest yoga instructor, who was raised in India and lives in New York, has shared her advice and the mantras she swears by in life.
As part of the ‘Power of She’ movement for Athleta, Mrs Porchon-Lynch appeared in a video alongside Dr. Terri Kennedy, a ‘Master Life Coach’ she teaches with.
‘Anything is possible, nothing is impossible,’ Mrs Porchon-Lynch said.
‘When you wake up every morning say “this is going to be the best day of my life” and it will be.’
When Mrs Porchon-Lynch was just eight-years-old she was told yoga wasn’t ‘lady-like’ when she expressed interest in it.
But the determined yogi joined a bunch of young boys doing it and eventually convinced a yoga master to allow her to join his class.
‘I’ve been teaching now for 75 years,’ she said.
Dr. Kennedy said everything about Mrs Porchon-Lynch inspires her.
‘We met at a masterclass workshop… she shows us what almost a century of conscious mindful living looks like,’ Dr. Kennedy said.
‘Tao and I travel the world inspiring people through yoga and we often get comments that we are more powerful together.
It’s an incredible collaboration.’
Mrs Porchon-Lynch concluded the video by sharing a piece of advice.
‘Know that the joy of living is right inside of you,’ she said.
‘Live it, believe in it.’
Yoga isn’t the only craft Mrs Porchon-Lynch has mastered however, with the spirited yogi also talented at ballroom dancing.
She was also a fashion model in her youth and acted in movies including 1951’s Show Boat and 1954 film The Last Time I saw Paris, starring Elizabeth Taylor.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4100806/Tao-Porchon-Lynch-98-shares-mantras-swears-75-years-teaching-yoga.html#ixzz4VKC49ujb
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Mindfulness: how not to be driven to distraction in this modern world
Monash University Posted by Monash University
11 AUG 2015
Drs Craig Hassed and Richard Chambers of Monash University are lead educators on the free online course, “Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance.” Here, they discuss what mindfulness is and how it can help us use our attention in a more discerning way.
Eating at your desk – an example of unmindful behaviour.
Have you ever found yourself at the end of a car trip from point A to point B and don’t remember the journey? Have you ever eaten a meal without really tasting it? Do you ever get out of the shower and not remember if you used the shampoo? Have you ever been in conversation with someone and realised that you haven’t heard a word of what they said? Well, you know what it is to be unmindful.
Being unmindful comes at a cost
Being unmindful – distracted, inattentive, disengaged, unaware – comes at a cost. For example, it costs us time and energy, causes mistakes, impairs memory, reduces enjoyment, impairs communication, slows learning, and is associated with stress and poor mental health.
In the modern world, the main reasons for being unmindful are, first, complex multitasking such as texting while driving. It’s dangerous. Next, there is what happens to us when we are hassled, hurried and going too fast. We feel stressed, and lose focus and efficiency.
Then there is the situation where we slip into what is called “default mode” – where the mind has disconnected from what is happening and has gone into its own little imaginary world, which is often full of worry and rumination. We are living an imaginary future or reliving the past. In such a state, we are operating on automatic pilot.
The increasing interest in mindfulness
Given the speed of modern life – and the prevalence of poor mental health, multitasking and distraction these days – it is not surprising to see that an increasing number of individuals, as well as schools, universities, organisations, sporting teams and professional groups, are getting interested in mindfulness.
Mindfulness is a simple skill – learning to use your attention in a more discerning way. For example, it helps us to focus; to stay on task; to communicate more effectively and empathically; to not get caught in cycles of rumination and worry; and to enjoy life more, including life’s simple pleasures.
There is growing scientific evidence about the benefits of mindfulness, which has helped to attract increasing interest in it.
Mindfulness is not just a form of meditation. It’s a way of living. It’s life’s most important life-skill, because if we can’t get the attention bit right, then it makes it hard to get anything else right.
If you would like to discover more about what mindfulness is and to cultivate more of it in your life, join “Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance.” The course offers both background information and practical strategies for bringing mindfulness into your personal, study and/or professional life.
Call now