Day 1 Juice Cleanse

So what’s this juice-cleanse-detox-yoga-weekend thing that I’ve been talking about?

I’ll start with the juice. Yoga Circle has partnered with our local favorites  Noosa Cleanse to run one of their 3 day cold pressed juice cleanses. The difference between choosing cold pressed juice and other forms of juicing is that there are no fibres or ‘bits’ as we like to call them which means that you are able to give your digestive system a complete break for the full time that you decide to juice. This break is well deserved, and something that is talked about regularly in Auyervedic medicines (which have been around 1000’s of years). It’s not about starving yourself, but cleansing and clearing and relaxing some of your organs which are worked extremely hard every single day processing even the most simplest of foods.

The second benefit of using a cold pressed juicer is that the ingredients are truly kept raw. The machine is often much, much slower and quieter than your normal juicer. Normal juicers often process the fruit/ veg/ ingredients so quickly that the friction of the machine will heat some of the enzymes and nutrients, to prove my point think about the juices you’ve bought or made before and how it doesn’t matter how cold the fruit or veg is when you put it in, it always needs ice or chilling before you can drink it (if you prefer it cold and refreshing).

In addition to this Noosa Cleanse only uses certified organic products so it’s completely raw, completely organic and will give my digestive system a well-deserved break whilst flushing my system with nutrients and much needed enzymes to make my skin glow and my energy levels rocket! I’m very impressed…  so here I am.

Day 1: 

My first thoughts on only drinking juices, it’s not so tough… I started the day with warm lemon water, drank my Aloe Vera Elixir and finished my breakfast off with a Green A juice containing lettuce, celery, cucumber, apple, kale, spinach, lemon, supergreens. I also combined this with a little yoga photo shoot and practice amongst the sand dunes overlooking the vast ocean and realised that I could quite easily get used to that way of life.

After attempting and failing dismally to do a juice cleanse in the UK, I realised my first problem, I need to actually like the flavour of the juice. The one that I attempted required me to start by drinking 2L of predominantly beetroot flavoured juice, and in general I’m not a huge fan of beetroot (unless mixed with other ingredients). But the one I’m doing at the moment provides me with 500 ml jars of juice in 6 different flavours to drink throughout the day. This is much more achievable and  the flavours are amazing – the green is simple, not too strong but a neutral flavour, and the spicy lemonade was probably my favourite.

On day one I took the opportunity to relax and by midday I was torn… Lately I’ve been go-go-go with everything, long days, passionate conversations, moving, learning, working, and yesterday I was staying still, being present, and relaxing.  Often on those relaxation days I am also snacking, or baking but yesterday  was different, I could no longer turn to food in boredom or simply bake because I enjoy it, it was a real eye opener for me especially because it made me realise how much I may actually put in my mouth because it’s there, and I can. I wasn’t hungry, I did not have one grumble from my belly and I was in fact full of liquid but the temptation to snack on some nuts or just have something next to me as I chilled out in my lounge chair was strong. I resisted, but it was there.

So overall, I made it, not without plenty of temptation or thoughts about my next food adventures, I slept well and am now ready for Day 2 and 108 Sun Salutations. BRING IT ON!

Wanderlust Oz - February 2014

Australia’s single largest gathering of mindful living leaders in one place at 
one time! 

We’re excited to announce that Wanderlust Festival is coming to Cockatoo
Island Sydney, NSW Australia (Feb 20 – 22). Situated on the world famous
Sydney Harbour, this World-heritage listed island steeped in Aussie history is
newly gentrified and the perfect spot for an innovative festival. An island oasis
amidst Australia’s biggest city, Cockatoo Island is the ideal place to “find your
true north” with Wanderlust.

The multi-day retreat will gather together yoga enthusiasts, families, foodies
and mindful adventurers for an unforgettable getaway. Wanderlusters can stay
onsite in “glamping” tents or they can choose to stay with the plethora of
accommodation offerings just a short ferry, kayak or water taxi ride away. !
Attendees can practice yoga from renowned instructors, take in live music from
some of today’s best conscious artists, attend inspiring lectures, venture into
outdoor activities such as hiking and paddle-boarding, and indulge in organic
delicacies. An impressive line-up of both local and international talent will
bring together the conscious Australian community in one life-changing
celebration!

Hit the mat with world-renowned yoga instructors encompassing a vast variety
of yoga styles and personal tastes. The Australian line-up features big
international names such as: Maty Ezraty, Eoin Finn, Kerri Kelly, Pradeep
Teotia, Tiffany Cruikshank, Cameron Shayne and Suzanne Sterling join
Australasia’s own Duncan Peak, Mark Whitwell, Claudine & Honza Lafond,
Nicole Walsh, Emma Seibold, Nikki Ralston and more!

MUSIC – Jam out with conscious artists like Nahko & Medicine for the People,
Ladi6, Yolanda Be Cool, Yoyo Tuki and the yoga disco beats of DJ HyFi. Local
support includes names like Dubarray and Mighty Duke & The Lords with more
to be announced…

Pre-sale tickets are available until September 10th at which time the sage 4 day
tickets will go on sale for $360. Be quick as ticket prices will go up on
September 24th! For more information and tickets please visit:
cockatooisland.wanderlustfestival.com !!

About Wanderlust

Wanderlust Festival, LLC is a producer of large-scale lifestyle festival events
f ocusing on yoga, music and wellness. Its flagship festival, Wanderlust, was
first launched in Squaw Valley, California in 2009 and has already become the
largest multi-day yoga event in the world as well as a significant player in the
larger US festival market. The company was founded in 2009 as a joint venture
between Velour Music Group, an artist management company and event
producer based in New York City, C3 Presents and Starr Hill Presents, event
producers responsible for the top music festival brands in the country,
including Austin City Limits Festival, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Outside
Lands. For more information, please visit
www.wanderlust.com

Accept the Consequences

On the weekend I drank too much, it was for a celebration and a great one it was but my body did NOT cooperate the next day.

Want to know why? Let me explain.

For the most part I fill my diet with vegetables (mostly greens, but it varies), fish, fruit and some basics like rice and oats. In addition to this I will treat myself to chocolate and when invited to dinners or just because my boyfriend and I don’t want to cook we will eat out and choose a healthy option but we won’t say no to what our bodies are craving or a yummy dish on the menu. So all in all, I don’t eat a strictly 100% clean and organic diet, but what I do eat works for me.

Alcohol doesn’t work for me. It’s processed to the max, it is designed to make your body react and react it did. I didn’t even have what most people would consider too much, 5 champagnes and Mojito over the course of 5 hours isn’t going to send me into an alcoholic spiral and a lot of people will wonder why I was so unwell the next day. But it’s because my stomach can’t process the toxins or preservatives and the freshest thing that went into my body that night was the mint in the mojito (it was delicious by the way). Because it can’t process the alcohol I often feel bloated and that my stomach is full of sloshing liquid the next day and my body retains the everything that I’ve drunk for at least a week afterwards (after a big night).

I’m not saying I’m going to give up drinking alcohol, I love to have a drink to celebrate, or with food, as part of a catch up and a giggle with the girls or friends or even at different social gatherings or events. It’s part of the society I grew up in and I know that I don’t have to drink at any or all of those events but I will if the occasion calls!  

When I do drink from now on there is one thing that I am going to remember and I’d like to share this with you. Because all too often we fall into this cycle of drinking or eating something we know our bodies don’t like or accept or perhaps even downright reject, and in order to fix that we take something else, whether it’s a painkiller or medication or greasy unhealthy food in order to compensate and make our bodies feel better again. This creates a cycle, a cycle of masking the pain and the real problem, a cycle of masking how our bodies really feel, of pretending we’re ok when our bodies are screaming at us to say it’s not.  

I could have taken painkillers or anti-nausea tablets after my big night out, but I didn’t because I didn’t want to pretend that my body was ok with the alcohol I had drunk. This may be a punishment to my body and my brain, and sure there are times when it will be absolutely necessary to take medication or ask for help in order to get better. But as a society we are so fast paced that we forget to see the signs when our body or our mind is telling us that it’s not ok. We cover it up because we have to keep going, because we can’t afford to lie in bed all day, because maybe we aren’t tough enough to face what we have created ourselves?

This cycle continues, you feel pain, you take a pain killer, the original source of your pain isn’t necessarily resolved, the pain killer wears off, you take some more. By taking more you start to wear away at your organs, then you need more because you have more pain, maybe your stomach reacts so you take something different in addition to the pain killers… And so it goes on.

So next time you make a choice to eat or drink something that you know is not right for your body, and that you have felt a reaction to before, I challenge you to stop before you take something to mask the pain and at the very least consider a natural remedy.

Be wise, be conscious, be mindful and most importantly listen to yourself.

Inside Out Spring Clean

25.08.14

Spring is almost upon us. It is a time for renewal, and often the time when we start to look to our bodies and wonder whether we are ready for the ‘bikini’ hot beach weather to come.

But do we ever look inwards and consider if our minds or our souls or even our inner energy or prana is ready for summer?

The summer time brings energy, but it also takes a lot of energy. Lots of social gatherings, getting outdoors, food, special events and celebrations, time with family, rushing to get work finished or achieve new year’s resolutions from last year, plus exercising our bodies in preparation for the shorter more revealing clothing we need to wear (let’s face it, it gets too hot in QLD to wear too much).

So what do we do to prepare for this? Often we don’t do too much more than pushing our bodies harder than ever in preparation, over using the energy that we should be slowly building ready to use for the longer more active days, and in turn burning ourselves out so that when autumn and winter hits the following year we crash.

In preparation and as part of my slow build up to the Spring Equinox I’m cleansing my body, I’m cleaning it from the inside out including an organic cold press juice detox, lots of rest and a moving mediation through yoga. I’ve never made it through any sort of juice cleanse before and I’m intrigued to see how invigorated and renewed my body will feel when resting my digestive system and yoga is combined.

I’m ready to take my body back to basics, in nature, barefoot, natural raw foods, fresh air and a fresh state of mind in order to create the most liberating and enlivening experience I can. It may not be a way of life for most of us, with corporate jobs and fast paced lifestyles but I believe it will most certainly be beneficial for the mind and soul in addition to the physical benefits.

Spring Cleaning your body and mind every once in a while, even if it’s only to cleanse and renew in line with the spring season, will provide those invigorating and energizing feelings we are all looking for after a cold, dark winter.

With winter, comes summer, with darkness comes light and so the circles and the movement of the seasons and our beings go. So let’s support our bodies to move seamlessly through this incredible world by allowing ourselves to flow with the seasons accepting them as they are and accepting ourselves as we are.

If you want to join me on my spring clean I am hosting a 3 day juice detox and yoga weekend at Noosa Heads in QLD. The weekend will include 6 x 500ml jars of organic cold pressed juice from Noosa Cleanse and 3 yoga classes including a Spring Equinox practice of 108 sun salutations to honor the spring time and the warmer months of the year. 

Every Body is Different

By Kat Harding 15 August 2014

Simon Park’s Fluid Power Teacher Training Day 2

And it was another amazing day of sharing, moving, chatting, aligning and learning with Simon. I often think about how much more there is to learn, and even sometimes doubt my ability to be as mind blowing or influential as some of the teachers I look up to and see. But experiencing and being part of such a wonderful teacher and student group this long weekend and hearing wonderful stories, anecdotes and interesting information is opening up so many doors in my mind. I’ve had so many ‘ah-ha!’ moments in only 2 days that I know this is where I’m meant to be and that I’m ready to take the next steps in what will be my continuous development as a student and a teacher.

The day started with an incredible, flowing class run by Simon where we had the 9.30am class join us to share the experience. From there we spent some time running through our manuals and asking questions about the different alignment techniques taught / written about and experienced during our own practice / classes. The great thing about getting such a varied group of yogi’s, bodies and levels of experience from across the world together was that there was a plethora of information to be shared – and that we did.

One thing that stuck in my mind was a comment by Simon because it reflects so much more than just our practice on the mat…

‘Every Body is Different’

I know this isn’t necessary a new thing, most of us have come to accept that, but it was one of those moments where someone says it out loud and everyone’s eyes in the room light up – like a whole world of inspiration / thoughts and opportunities to try things differently or to adapt and change had just flooded into our brains. Maybe this was just me.

I started thinking about what this means to me. I often find that on any given day my body may feel differently, it may feel achy, alive, sluggish, jumpy. This then translates on to the mat and I find myself doing movement that feels right at that point in time. Sometimes that’s a few stretches and practicing a headstand, sometimes its stretches then savasana, sometimes I end up walking, and clearing my mind and feeling satisfied and happy at the end.

This also translates to my classroom, you can feel the energy when your students walk in and it is important to cater for that, recognising that everybody is different, and could be feeling different on any given Tuesday. It’s challenging to find the right way to support or lead the movement in the class but consistency is the key, slowing down when you get the sense that everyone needs a break, using those moments of silence to contemplate the next flow of movements. I also often start my classes asking my students to take a moment to feel, and to recognise those feelings within their body throughout the class acknowledging where pain / tension may exist and moving accordingly, this is the most I can ask for of my students, and myself.

Each day it is important to listen, recognise and to accept that your body is different, different to others, different to yesterday, different to tomorrow. If you choose to ignore your inner workings it will backfire on you in ways that you may think are completely unrelated but actually they’re not. It’s your body telling you that it needs time, that you’ve taken it too far, that it’s time to slow down, smell the roses.

Listen, be content with your body and accept how it feels or looks, because Every Body is Different.