We had a glitch in the ether this morning streaming Kjord Davis’ SolFlo Kundalini class!
Never fear, we’ve posted the full class on our Livestream Replays page, right here! Sat nam 🙂
1The post Kjord Davis’ SolFlo Kundalini posted to Replays appeared first on Wanderlust.
We hope you’re loving the new redesign on Wanderlust TV!
You may have noticed we’ve created two new categories: Collections and Courses. What’s the difference? We’re glad you asked.
COLLECTIONS are groupings of related classes that can be taken in any order. If you already know your jam, here’s where you’ll find a large collection of classes of similar style and level. In our larger collections, there’s enough freshness to never get bored — and with our live collections, there’s a new class every week.
COURSES are thematic journeys to be taken in order. This includes everything from co-founder Schuyler Grant’s epic 21-Day Yoga Challenge series to Rosie Acosta’s Journey through the Chakras. If you’re craving something that challenges you to go somewhere you haven’t been before, exploring our courses is the way to go.
The post Surfing WLTV: Collections vs Courses appeared first on Wanderlust.
We’re excited to unveil the newly re-designed Wanderlust TV, re-imagined for ease of use. We aim to bring you closer to the classes tailored to your practice level, and to make it easier to go deeper, finding relevant content that will challenge and inspire you.
What’s new? Glad you asked.
The post New Wanderlust TV Design: Wander at Home With Ease appeared first on Wanderlust.
We’re proud to announce a new design and improved functionality for Wanderlust TV. Content level and class length is immediately visible, classes are better organized into collections or courses, your account settings are all easily accessible in one place, and many other functions have been added. There’s much more to come. Please email us with feedback at tv-support@wanderlust.com.
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Sat Siri’s 11:00am ET Kundalini yoga class could not be streamed live due to technical difficulties. Sorry for the inconvenience, but the recording of the class is available for on-demand viewing here.
1The post 103120 Status Update appeared first on Wanderlust.
Silence gives rise to peace and with peace comes security. ~ African Proverb
The need to explore this question has come to me at a time when the world has been forced to stop and reset this year, and we all have had an opportunity to listen to the silence within us. When you think of silence, what comes to mind? Is it boredom, being alone or lonely, or do you ask “why would I want silence?” Seeking silence is not something that we have been taught to embrace in this society, we have been conditioned to see the noise and the chatter as normal. However, the more we try and cultivate stillness and silence, the more our lives acquire a whole new meaning, which we may have not seen before – silence gives us a chance to stop. Stop being in our heads, and be more within our bodies, connecting with the life force of nature. When we tune into the silence, it can stir up many layers inside, neither good nor bad, but it allows for a shift and transformation to happen.
“We are sound, we vibrate, we feel, we release, we are sound” – Jaha Browne
This quote reminds me that is it a wonderful thing that life is, and always will be, moving, even in the stillness. Despite this concept being quite new to modern science, it was discovered and recognized thousands of years ago by the great master of Egypt. By default, we associate silence with stillness and no movement, but nothing ever rests, and it can be very powerful to tap into. The vibrations you feel in a sound meditation are not only coming from the sounds received through your ears, you feel the sounds vibrate through your body. We feel, smell, and touch vibration. Synthesis are common during sound baths, as it can be a multi-sensory experience for some.
“In sound, we are born, in sound, we are healed” ― Mehtab Benton
Sound healing is an ancient practice dating back thousands of years, and it is deeply rooted in many cultures across the world. A sound bath is a meditative experience where those in attendance are “bathed” in sound waves. Instruments such as gongs, singing bowls, chimes, rattles, tuning forks, and the human voice are used as part of the experience. Sound is vibration. And we are vibration. So when you are in a sound bath, things you cannot explain or understand are shifted within you. Sound healing helps to lower stress levels and blood pressure, and it can improve sleep. These sessions can be used to
treat a number of conditions, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, and dementia. This practice is yang and yin, combining silence & noise.
Image: Arron Watson -McNab
“Use the silence at the end of a bath as a silent Gong” – Leo Cosendai
The daily noises can become overwhelming – from Whatsapp notifications to the millions of voices online, the visual noise can get too much. Sound meditation can be that one place to find silence and stillness. Through the vibrations created through powerful sound tools, we can release and facilitate our own healing. On a more profound level, the sound allows us to create the silence within, as cocooned by the sound, we are allowed to be still. This is why I am so in love with sound meditation and its unique transformative powers. When the sounds bathe you, time disappears, and the non-rhythmic beats flow through you. When the silence occurs at the end, it can be the most impactful and it can propel an internal evolution.
“The loudest noise in the world is silence”- Thelonious Monk
Tuning into the power of silence is truly a gift that your body, mind and spirit will appreciate when you allow yourself to become present to it. We have been conditioned for the noises to comfort us, and in the noise of the hustle and bustle, we feel connected to the external. Even when we are not fully engaging or liking the noise, we know it as productive and entertaining. Yet it is the silence that allows us to heal. Both noise & silence are important, as the polar opposites allow us to stay balanced, and create a rich foundation for exploring the layers within ourselves. We cannot hide in sound meditation and we are confronted with ourselves and it can be deeply uncomfortable, depending on what needs to be released, if anything at all. Sound meditation is a chance to seek our truth, a truth that is usually clouded by internal and external factors.
I truly believe that sound meditation is an accessible portal for us all to try, through which we can tap into the power we all have within us to do what we need to elevate ourselves in this lifetime.
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Image by Martyna Przybysz
Jaha Browne:
I’m a Reiki Master, Sekhem & Sound Healing Practitioner. I empower people to find the healer within. By holding space for them to explore the layers that are needing to unlock their potential to heal themselves with the support of Reiki & Sekhem energy systems and sound healing through 1:1 and group work. You can find me in person for Sekhem Meditations at Re:Mind Studio & House of Wisdom. Or my monthly Luna Circle gatherings for the Full Moon and Weekly Virtual Sekhem Gong Baths every Wednesday.
Follow Jaha on Instagram and check out her schedule on the website.
1The post Experiencing Silence Through Noise appeared first on Wanderlust.
Step onto the mat every Monday on Wanderlust TV as Ravi takes over the LIVE studio to host Traditional Hatha Yoga and Pranayama.
Ravi ‘the smiling Yogi’ was born in India into a family of spiritual teachers and from a young age he grew up with a yoga practice as part of his daily life. In his early twenties he lived at the Mahatma Yoga Ashram in Rishikesh where he studied Hatha and Ashtanga Yoga with well-respected Yoga master Yogi Ji.
During the last ten years, Ravi has been teaching all across India and the UK to thousands of students from all over the world and recently opened his own Yoga Resort in Goa. In his work as a yoga teacher, Ravi is passionate about making the original principles of traditional Indian Yoga understandable for everyone and combines movement, breath and sacred mantras in an accessible and playful way.
I started doing yoga when I was 9 years old. I grew up in India, my grandfather was an astrologer and spiritual teacher and he started teaching me how to chant mantras and practice mudras. From that moment yoga was part of my daily life and I realised it was my calling to live a life with yoga. In my early twenties, I moved to Rishikesh to study yoga in the Ashrams. That’s where my teaching also began.
I was living in an Ashram in Rishikesh where I practiced yoga with Master Yogi Ji and I naturally transitioned into teaching guests in the Ashram. That’s when I really started living the yogic lifestyle and it felt like I had found my destined path in life.
I think we are all forever students of yoga, the practice is mostly about understanding yourself which is an ongoing journey.
Personally, it changed a lot of things in my life. Once I got deeper and deeper into my practice, parts of my life that I didn’t need any more naturally fell away and were replaced by better things. Professionally it has made me more connected and patient and teaching yoga has allowed me to travel the world. Overall yoga has made me a more loving person.
Your class is called Traditional Hatha Yoga and Pranayama – is there an intention you put into this name, inviting students to come back to the Roots?
We are all connected to our roots and to the roots of yoga, it’s part of our natural being. Hatha Yoga is the most traditional form of yoga in India. Traditional means we don’t add our own spices to the practice it but we come back to the original recipes provided by the Rishis and Sages, the original fundamentals and essence of the asana and pranayama practice.
What is the intention you carry as you share these sessions online? What essence are you hoping is transmitted through the practice that goes beyond just watching someone on a screen?
My intention is to show that a practice can be very simple but very beneficial to your daily life. You don’t need any fancy clothes or an expensive mat or a long class. Yoga is about connecting with yourself in any place at any time.
What would be the one piece of advice you could give to the Wanderlust TV streamers to deepen the connection with a teacher during their online practice?
It’s not about the teacher, it’s about the connection to yourself. I’m only here to guide you to find your own practice.
If you could have dinner with an influential persona in the history of Yoga, who would it be and why?
I would like to meet B.K.S. Iyengar, maybe not have dinner but to ask him a few questions. I have watched many of his videos and although he has so much knowledge of yoga and I get a lot out of his asana guidance, he can be quite rude sometimes, he is often seen shouting at people. So my main question would be to ask him to be a bit nicer to his students.
1The post Meet Ravi Dixit: Not Adding Our Own Spices to the Practice appeared first on Wanderlust.
It’s a big day.
First, know that you’ve done your part. You’ve voted (right???), you’ve done the research, and translated your values at the ballot to make meaningful change. So, now, breathe.
It’s going to be difficult to disentangle yourself from the news stream in the coming days, but make a commitment to turn down the noise and hype at some point so that you can return to the emerging story with a sense of grounded calm.
Here are 5 fresh practices on that will help to shed some of the layers of anxiety and ground down into your true self. Grab our free 3-day trial to dig in to these tasty practices on Wanderlust TV today:
Even if you’re short on time, you can still give yourself this bite-sized piece of peace of mind. Ryan Leier guides us to find stillness in the mind by connecting with your breath, your body, and the ground that supports you. If this micro meditation leaves you wanting more, you’ll find two more short meditations with Ryan as part of his 3-min meditation collection on Wanderlust TV.
Anxiety is at an all time high right now, and understandably so. Anxiety, in and of itself is not bad, per se, and you are not wrong for feeling it. It is a reaction of the nervous system to internal and external stimuli. Join Erin Rose Ward for this transformational breathwork practice, offering yourself space to work through anxiousness.
Jnana is Sanskrit for “knowledge or wisdom”. As Rosie Acosta shares, “wisdom is about waking up to our own knowledge, to continue to be curious about the true nature of who and what we really are.” This hour-long flow concludes with a 15-min meditation on connecting to the source of our own wisdom.
While we tend to think that we separate the mind from the body in our practices, stillness balances the body just as much as movement heals the mind. In this calming session, Ona Hawk invites us to gently step out of our own way, and to invite in a harmonious and easeful integration between your thoughts and actions, your thinking and your being.
If movement is the medicine for you when it comes to busting stress, you’ll love our brand new Quick FIIT classes with Crystal Love. Take a slice of your day today to power through her signature class which features HIIT-style bursts of cardio, strength & resistance training, isolated movement & core conditioning.
1The post 5 Practices to Ease Election Day Anxiety appeared first on Wanderlust.
Breathe with James every Thursday on Wanderlust TV as he takes over the LIVE studio to host ‘Breathwork for Resilience’.
James supports people to move beyond the conditioning of the mind and into an embodied and heart-felt space. Having spent years practicing meditation with teachers across Europe, he stumbled across a Conscious Connected Breathing Workshop and in his first session knew he had found the tool that he was here to share. Now, he spends his time teaching people to harness the power of their breath to alleviate emotional issues, improve their physical health and connect them to a deeper understanding of themselves.
How did you begin practicing breathwork?
I had been practicing meditation for years and on return from a silent retreat in Wales somehow ended up in a “Conscious Connected Breathing” workshop at a yoga studio in London on a Sunday afternoon. I didn’t know what it was, who the teacher was and I’d never been to the yoga studio before, but something inside me told me I needed to be there. It blew my mind and in that first session, I knew I had found the tool that I was here to share.
I don’t think the transition from student to teacher has changed my practice. I still very much see myself as a student and the transition in how I teach is better reflected by the growth and journey that I am on rather than the transition from student to teacher. For example, at the moment I am incorporating neuroscience and manifestation into my teaching because it’s what I have also been doing in my personal practices.
Your class is called Breathwork for Resilience. Are there specific techniques that students should expect to learn that help building resilience?
We use the breath as a vehicle to create a mild stress response in the body to better equip the body to process stress day-to-day. These techniques tend to be quite quick and often involve using the mouth to breathe so to create this activation in the body.
What essence are you hoping is transmitted through the practice that goes beyond just watching someone on a screen?
I’m not trying to transmit anything. I’m just being me teaching a practice that I believe has the ability to greatly improve one’s mental and emotional state. If someone resonates with my energy and the energy of the practice then amazing.
What would be the one piece of advice you could give to the Wanderlust TV streamers to deepen the connection with a teacher during their online practice?
Listen to which teacher/s they resonate with and spend more time practicing under them and listening to them through things like podcasts. I firmly believe that the relevant teachers will appear in one’s life when one is ready to listen to that and be guided by what they are saying.
Morning or evening practice – is one more beneficial than the other?
Nope. Depends on what you need and where you’re at that moment. If you’re looking to create energy in the body to start the day your practice is going to be very different from if you’re looking to wind down at the end of the day.
Is there a person, past or present, who has influenced you to study and ultimately teach breathwork?
My first mentor Alan Dolan. It was his Breathwork workshop that I first stumbled into. An amazing Breathworker and an even more amazing human.
1The post Meet James Dowler: A Teacher Will Appear When One is Ready to Listen appeared first on Wanderlust.
Breathe with James every Thursday on Wanderlust TV as he takes over the LIVE studio to host Breathwork for Resilience.
James supports people to move beyond the conditioning of the mind and into an embodied and heart-felt space. Having spent years practicing meditation with teachers across Europe, he stumbled across a Conscious Connected Breathing Workshop and in his first session knew he had found the tool that he was here to share. Now, he spends his time teaching people to harness the power of their breath to alleviate emotional issues, improve their physical health and connect them to a deeper understanding of themselves.
How did you begin practicing breathwork?
I had been practicing meditation for years and on return from a silent retreat in Wales somehow ended up in a “Conscious Connected Breathing” workshop at a yoga studio in London on a Sunday afternoon. I didn’t know what it was, who the teacher was and I’d never been to the yoga studio before, but something inside me told me I needed to be there. It blew my mind and in that first session, I knew I had found the tool that I was here to share.
I don’t think the transition from student to teacher has changed my practice. I still very much see myself as a student and the transition in how I teach is better reflected by the growth and journey that I am on rather than the transition from student to teacher. For example, at the moment I am incorporating neuroscience and manifestation into my teaching because it’s what I have also been doing in my personal practices.
Your class is called Breathwork for Resilience. Are there specific techniques that students should expect to learn that help building resilience?
We use the breath as a vehicle to create a mild stress response in the body to better equip the body to process stress day-to-day. These techniques tend to be quite quick and often involve using the mouth to breathe so to create this activation in the body.
What essence are you hoping is transmitted through the practice that goes beyond just watching someone on a screen?
I’m not trying to transmit anything. I’m just being me teaching a practice that I believe has the ability to greatly improve one’s mental and emotional state. If someone resonates with my energy and the energy of the practice then amazing.
What would be the one piece of advice you could give to the Wanderlust TV streamers to deepen the connection with a teacher during their online practice?
Listen to which teacher/s they resonate with and spend more time practicing under them and listening to them through things like podcasts. I firmly believe that the relevant teachers will appear in one’s life when one is ready to listen to that and be guided by what they are saying.
Morning or evening practice – is one more beneficial than the other?
Nope. Depends on what you need and where you’re at that moment. If you’re looking to create energy in the body to start the day your practice is going to be very different from if you’re looking to wind down at the end of the day.
Is there a person, past or present, who has influenced you to study and ultimately teach breathwork?
My first mentor Alan Dolan. It was his Breathwork workshop that I first stumbled into. An amazing Breathworker and an even more amazing human.
1The post Meet James Dowler: A Teacher Will Appear When One is Ready to Listen appeared first on Wanderlust.
Step onto the mat every Monday on Wanderlust TV as Ravi takes over the LIVE studio to host Traditional Hatha Yoga and Pranayama.
Ravi ‘the smiling Yogi’ was born in India into a family of spiritual teachers and from a young age he grew up with a yoga practice as part of his daily life. In his early twenties he lived at the Mahatma Yoga Ashram in Rishikesh where he studied Hatha and Ashtanga Yoga with well-respected Yoga master Yogi Ji.
During the last ten years, Ravi has been teaching all across India and the UK to thousands of students from all over the world and recently opened his own Yoga Resort in Goa. In his work as a yoga teacher, Ravi is passionate about making the original principles of traditional Indian Yoga understandable for everyone and combines movement, breath and sacred mantras in an accessible and playful way.
I started doing yoga when I was 9 years old. I grew up in India, my grandfather was an astrologer and spiritual teacher and he started teaching me how to chant mantras and practice mudras. From that moment yoga was part of my daily life and I realised it was my calling to live a life with yoga. In my early twenties, I moved to Rishikesh to study yoga in the Ashrams. That’s where my teaching also began.
I was living in an Ashram in Rishikesh where I practiced yoga with Master Yogi Ji and I naturally transitioned into teaching guests in the Ashram. That’s when I really started living the yogic lifestyle and it felt like I had found my destined path in life.
I think we are all forever students of yoga, the practice is mostly about understanding yourself which is an ongoing journey.
Personally, it changed a lot of things in my life. Once I got deeper and deeper into my practice, parts of my life that I didn’t need any more naturally fell away and were replaced by better things. Professionally it has made me more connected and patient and teaching yoga has allowed me to travel the world. Overall yoga has made me a more loving person.
Your class is called Traditional Hatha Yoga and Pranayama – is there an intention you put into this name, inviting students to come back to the Roots?
We are all connected to our roots and to the roots of yoga, it’s part of our natural being. Hatha Yoga is the most traditional form of yoga in India. Traditional means we don’t add our own spices to the practice it but we come back to the original recipes provided by the Rishis and Sages, the original fundamentals and essence of the asana and pranayama practice.
What is the intention you carry as you share these sessions online? What essence are you hoping is transmitted through the practice that goes beyond just watching someone on a screen?
My intention is to show that a practice can be very simple but very beneficial to your daily life. You don’t need any fancy clothes or an expensive mat or a long class. Yoga is about connecting with yourself in any place at any time.
What would be the one piece of advice you could give to the Wanderlust TV streamers to deepen the connection with a teacher during their online practice?
It’s not about the teacher, it’s about the connection to yourself. I’m only here to guide you to find your own practice.
If you could have dinner with an influential persona in the history of Yoga, who would it be and why?
I would like to meet B.K.S. Iyengar, maybe not have dinner but to ask him a few questions. I have watched many of his videos and although he has so much knowledge of yoga and I get a lot out of his asana guidance, he can be quite rude sometimes, he is often seen shouting at people. So my main question would be to ask him to be a bit nicer to his students.
1The post Meet Ravi Dixit: Not Adding Our Own Spices to the Practice appeared first on Wanderlust.
Today, as we find ourselves living through a global infectious pandemic, where we collectively face daily uncertainty, we are simultaneously seeing the emergence of a mental health crisis, causing feelings of loneliness, fear and anxiety in some, leading to increased levels of stress and depression. Never before has it been so important to find ways to take care of both our mental and physical health!
Luckily for us, the human body is a beautifully intricate interconnected system and nowhere better demonstrated than in the brain-gut connection. The explosion of scientific evidence on the microbiome has helped us piece together how this second brain, hidden in the walls of the digestive system including the mouth, digestion, mood, health and even the way individuals think.
Historically, education led us to believe that our DNA is what makes us who and what we are, but what many of us don’t realise is that DNA does not exclusively come from our own human cells. It also comes from the millions of microbes (bacteria) that live on our skin, in our mouth, gut, and pretty much everywhere in the human body. In fact, their genes outnumber ours by a factor of 150 times! Making our microbiome, including our mouth microbiome, as individual as our fingerprint!
Honouring that individuality and taking care of our microbiome, which in turn takes care of us, is something we can all do daily – from our food choices to the products we choose to use for our oral health care. The enzymes and proteins found in saliva, and those in Zendium toothpaste, help keep a healthy balance between good and bad bacteria in the mouth, working to both promote gum health and target problem-causing bad bacteria.
Although research on the connection between oral health and mental health is relatively new, studies suggest a cyclical relationship exists whereby good oral health can enhance mental and overall health, while poor oral health can exacerbate mental health issues and mental health conditions can likewise cause oral health issues.
Taking good care of our mouth – teeth, gums and oral microbiome – does more than helps ensure a bright, white smile. The phrase “healthy mouth, healthy you” really is true and backed by growing scientific evidence.
Here is a list of ways you can take care of both your oral health while simultaneously taking care of your mental health:
1. Brush the last thing at night and at one other time during the day using a fluoride-based toothpaste to prevent tooth decay AND also consider using a mouthwash
The presence of fluoride in toothpaste works to attract other minerals (such as calcium) to the area thereby re-mineralising tooth enamel and preventing cavities. Maintaining our tooth enamel means we have strong, healthy teeth, giving us the confidence to smile all day long! Also consider using a mouthwash such as Zendium complete protection which helps in two ways: It cleans hard-to-brush areas in and around the gums, and re-mineralises the teeth. ‘Mouthwashes are a great way to perfect your oral care routine.
2. Look after your microbiome
Eat a diet rich in prebiotic and probiotic foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, live yoghurt, pickles, kombucha, garlic, onions, asparagus, bananas, oats and apples. Using Zendium toothpastes, which have been specifically formulated with enzymes and proteins to deliver a prebiotic benefit and boost the good bacteria in your mouth is another great way we can look after our microbiome which means we take care of our brain-gut axis and keep the bad bacteria from attacking our teeth and gums.
3. Limit sugary and acidic foods
Ultimately, sugar converts into acid in the mouth, which can then damage the enamel of your teeth. These acids are what lead to cavities. Acidic fruits, teas, and coffee can erode tooth enamel. While you don’t necessarily have to avoid such foods altogether, it doesn’t hurt to be mindful.
4. Drink more water
Water continues to be the best beverage for your overall health — including oral health. Also, as a rule of thumb, drink water after every meal. This can help wash out some of the negative effects of sticky and acidic foods and beverages in between brushes.
5. See your dentist at least twice a year
Your own everyday habits are crucial to your overall oral health. Still, even the most dutiful brushers and flossers need to see a dentist regularly. At minimum, you should see your dentist for cleanings and check-ups twice a year. Not only can a dentist remove calculus and look for cavities, but they will also be able to spot potential issues and offer treatment solutions.
6. Take care of our overall and mental health
By respecting our body’s symbiotic relationships and honouring these special intricate interconnections we in-turn get to support our oral and mental health and for plenty more tips and oral health advice to keep your oral microbiome in balance can be found here. Now that is worth smiling about!
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Kimberly Parsons is an Australian born vegetarian chef, food writer and qualified naturopath. Her series of cookbooks titled ‘The Yoga Kitchen’ and ‘The Yoga Kitchen Plan’ teach you how to tune-in to your innate wisdom which she calls ‘body intelligence’ using traditional yogic philosophy and eating principles for long lasting, vibrant health and happiness. Once the owner of 3 healthy food yoga cafĂ©’s dotted all over London, called ‘Retreat’, Kimberly now spends her time cooking on health retreats all over the world & resides in the English countryside where she cooks for many celebrity and private clients such as Lily James and Jenna Coleman, delivering her bespoke Yoga Kitchen healthy meals to her clients all over London. Connect with on her website.
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The post Healthy Mouth – Healthy Mind: This is How You Should Take Care of Both appeared first on Wanderlust.
Step onto the mat every Friday on Wanderlust TV as Pip takes over the LIVE studio to host Deep Release Flow – a practice that works on deeper levels than your usual Yoga class.
Pip Elyisum is an internationally recognized AcroYoga teacher, trained ballet dancer and performer. She’s been featured in Yoga Magazine, Om Yoga Magazine, The Telegraph, The Metro, London Evening Standard and is one of London’s top teachers for Wanderlust.
When not travelling abroad for Teacher Trainings & Retreats, Pip is a Yoga Teacher, Dancer & Facilitator for London’s Leading AcroYoga Studio & Events, School of AcroYoga. Pip brings the beauty of movement and exceptional quality of line (dance) to the demonstration of AcroYoga.
I started yoga, the physical practice at the age of 17 when I was professionally training for dance. I immediately felt the benefits and it was a lovely compliment to dance. However, when I REALLY started to find yoga, it found me. It first found me when I was going through a tough time emotionally and found it was a way to support that journey. Since then, yoga has taught me life lessons and a way to work with things in everyday life.
The focus of the classes may come across from the outside eye, as a way to become more flexible and working with the fascia. On a deeper level, I aim to connect with the student to work with their limitations. To help them to open the body, to then allow them to be open enough to release the tension that has been built up. Releasing this tension may also help release them from deeper areas of their life where there has been constriction, stress, strain, and other limiting beliefs built from the mind.
As you’re a teacher, you’re also a student. How does your personal learning journey continues as you step on the mat learning as opposed to teaching?
I tend to self enquire a lot. This brings up a lot of philosophy which stems from movement to life events and the way we perceive things. More recently, I was on my own for three months during lockdown which forced me to look at some very uncomfortable things, with a series of unfortunate events that followed. We are all spiritual warriors having to deal with everyday life, it’s how we respond and work with them long term is what matters the most.
Movement is the first thing that allows us to help change our physiology so we can be in a better state to manage all the different things going on. Stepping onto the mat for my personal practice allows me to visibly see the restrictions in my body that may also be constricting me in areas of my life. With this understanding, it allows me to bring a great sense of empathy and compassion to students and where they may be that day.
What would be the one piece of advice you could give to the Wanderlust TV streamers to deepen the connection with a teacher during their online practice?
Having three months on my own during the lockdown in London, live streams was a very exciting way to connect. Turning up on time for the class allowed me to treat this as a dedicated time for me, so I would encourage you to do the same. Interacting by messaging on the platform and connecting with others online brought a great sense of community and connection.
When I was attending a live stream as a student, I liked to treat it as a real-life class or meeting. I set up the room, stuck to the class the whole way and I turned off all distractions. This helped me connect with the teacher, the practice and myself. It was also exciting if I told the teacher beforehand (or after) that I was attending the class. I hope this piece of advice will help you to have an enjoyable online experience with a teacher.
If you could have dinner with an influential persona in the history of Yoga, who would it be and why?
Good question! Micheal A Singer. His book changed my life ‘The Untethered Soul’.
1The post Meet Pip Elysium: Overcoming Obstacles with Movement appeared first on Wanderlust.
Join Mariel every Monday as she takes over the Wanderlust TV LIVE studio with an intense HIIT Strength and Mobility class that promises to leave you feeling powerful and ready to start the week on the strong side.
Half English, half Mexican (with an American accent), Mariel has practiced Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow yoga around the world for over a decade. Leaving behind her high powered and high-stress corporate job that left her unfulfilled and unhappy, she achieved her longtime dream of becoming a yoga teacher in the hopes of sharing with others the countless ways it has positively impacted her life. Mariel shares a passion for life coaching and nutrition that together with yoga have become the pillars for her business Mindful Sonder – a holistic approach to wellbeing.
Yoga entered my life because of my mom. Growing up I had a very fractured relationship with her and it wasn’t until I left for university (at the tender age of 16!) that we start to make amends. My family moved to Malaysia where my mom was introduced to yoga and meditation and it changed her life. Yoga became something we did together, to help us bond and heal. It’s been a long journey and no, it was not love at first sight. But yoga has a way of getting to you, whether you seek it or not. I was searching for myself and yoga brought me home.
I want students to connect with the joy of the practice, as well as its deep lessons that go beyond the physical. Growing, learning, evolving can be a challenging journey, so finding the lightness as we navigate the darkness is important. My intention is to inspire and empower and I hope that comes across in my classes.
I think the best teachers will always be the most dedicated students. The learning never stops so for me I will always consider myself to be first and foremost a student. It is through my own experiences that I am able to share my learnings in a relatable fashion.
We are all interconnected. Though we may not be in the same room, we move and breathe together—with one universal heartbeat.
I actually met and practiced with Pattabhi Jois when I was a teenager. I wish I had realized then what an important figure he was and perhaps because I didn’t, would love to be able to go back and get to know him a bit better. In truth, if I were not limited to yogis specifically, my all-time hero is BrenĂ© Brown. Her teachings in vulnerability, shame and belonging resonate so deeply with me and are so relevant in our practice.
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Serena Poon is a leading Celebrity Chef, Nutritionist, and Reiki Master. Find her on Wanderlust TV discussing the power of crystals, and if you’d like to explore these cyrstals at home, use code WANDERLUST to get 15% off crystals and self-care products on her website, Serena Loves.
Energy is the force of life, and sometimes that force can become unbalanced in the body, in our chakras, making us feel unhealthy.
After a busy day or a stressful moment, rebalance yourself and your energies by using the natural vibrational energy of crystals and stones. For example, you can combine rose quartz with your meditation routine and burn white sage and palo santo sticks to ward off negative energies and bring in new, positive energies for unconditional self love.
If you feel like your energy is unbalanced or you are going through difficulties either spiritual or physical, I invite you to harness the amazing properties of these 7 powerful crystals.
1. Howlite
Sharpen your awareness and lift your spiritual consciousness by calming your emotions with howlite. This beautiful stone will also help you express your emotions rationally.
photo by Ilze Lucero
2. Amethyst
Amethyst is a type of quartz with powerful negative-energy cleansing properties. It also provides comfort and protection during times of healing. Amethyst is also known for prosperity.
3. Pink Tourmaline
Also known as Rubellite, Pink Tourmaline will help your Heart chakra connect with the Earth emotionally as it promotes Universal love and helps your heart overcome difficult situations by breaking through worrisome emotional conditions you may experience with friends, family, and lovers.
4. Rose Quartz
Rose Quartz provides unconditional love and compassion for yourself and those closest to you. This healing stone helps you balance and find clarity and forgiveness in your emotions.
5. Aventurine
Great for purification and opening the mind to new possibilities, Aventurine can also boost creativity, calm the nerves before stressful situations, and ward off bad energies from “psychic vampires” in your life.
6. Sodalite
To boost your intuition, self-expression, and to calm oversensitivity, place Sodalite near your third-eye and throat chakras.
7. Fluorite
Fluorite is used to clean out bad energies, is great for upper-chakras cleansing, and promotes mental and physical coordination and positive mental processing. To learn more about how to cleanse your crystals, read more here.
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Serena Poon, CN, CHC, CHN is a leading Celebrity Chef, Nutritionist, and Reiki Master to the Hollywood elite. She started by creating contemporary meals and menus for the likes of Jerry Bruckheimer, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, and Kerry Washington. Her passion for integrative health and holistic nutrition led her to create Culinary Alchemy®, a method of functional and spiritual nutrition that integrates how food affects our bodies on a physiological and energetic level. Her work optimizes and heals the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of her clients. Serena is certified as a Reiki Master for Usui Shiki Ryoho and with Quantum Touch Healing, and is a member of the International Association of Reiki Professionals.
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Join Mariel every Monday at 8 AM UK as she takes over the Wanderlust TV LIVE studio with an intense HIIT Strength and Mobility class that promises to leave you feeling powerful and ready to start the week on the strong side.
Half English, half Mexican (with an American accent), Mariel has practiced Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow yoga around the world for over a decade. Leaving behind her high powered and high-stress corporate job that left her unfulfilled and unhappy, she achieved her longtime dream of becoming a yoga teacher in the hopes of sharing with others the countless ways it has positively impacted her life. Mariel shares a passion for life coaching and nutrition that together with yoga have become the pillars for her business Mindful Sonder – a holistic approach to wellbeing.
Yoga entered my life because of my mom. Growing up I had a very fractured relationship with her and it wasn’t until I left for university (at the tender age of 16!) that we start to make amends. My family moved to Malaysia where my mom was introduced to yoga and meditation and it changed her life. Yoga became something we did together, to help us bond and heal. It’s been a long journey and no, it was not love at first sight. But yoga has a way of getting to you, whether you seek it or not. I was searching for myself and yoga brought me home.
I want students to connect with the joy of the practice, as well as its deep lessons that go beyond the physical. Growing, learning, evolving can be a challenging journey, so finding the lightness as we navigate the darkness is important. My intention is to inspire and empower and I hope that comes across in my classes.
I think the best teachers will always be the most dedicated students. The learning never stops so for me I will always consider myself to be first and foremost a student. It is through my own experiences that I am able to share my learnings in a relatable fashion.
We are all interconnected. Though we may not be in the same room, we move and breathe together – with one universal heartbeat.
I actually met and practiced with Pattabhi Jois when I was a teenager. I wish I had realized then what an important figure he was and perhaps because I didn’t, would love to be able to go back and get to know him a bit better. In truth, if I were not limited to yogis specifically, my all-time hero is Brene Brown. Her teachings in vulnerability, shame and belonging resonate so deeply with me and are so relevant in our practice.
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The post Meet Mariel Widmon: Yoga Brought Me Home appeared first on Wanderlust.
Come and sit every Thursday at 7.30PM UK on Wanderlust TV as Maude takes over the LIVE studio to guide you through an Explorative Meditation class.
Maude Hirst is the founder of the company EnergyRise: on a mission to find a unique path into mindfulness for everyone. Her passion is to empower people by lovingly connecting them to their unique expression of who they truly are.
With a background in yoga, meditation, intuitive movement meditation and Theta Healing, she believes that introducing a daily mindfulness practice into your life can bring a life changing calm, clarity and direction to your external world.
I saw a family friend meditate when I was a child and was fascinated but never quite understood how I could sit still for any substantial amount of time, so parked that interest until much later when I started practicing yoga. I would feel in those few moments of Savasana at the end of each class, such a deep sense of calm and that peace would stay with me for hours after. I wanted to explore more. So yes I would say it was love at first sight, it just took me a while to fully commit to the relationship.
Yes absolutely. For me, the acting industry was a place where I could hide behind scripts and characters and never really have to be myself. It was also a life of so many ups and downs and lots of uncertainty, so I think I was searching for something that could bring inner stability and space to discover myself. And meditation has definitely brought that and more.
My intention is to connect people back to themselves. To help switch your attention away from the external world and the over-thinking mind and into a place of inner awareness and peace. I believe that once we have inner awareness of who we are and how we feel, it empowers us to create the life we want to live.
I believe we are always students in this game called life. Meditation is called a practice for a reason, it’s an ever-evolving practice. Every time I go into meditation it is a new experience, an opportunity to understand myself and connect on a deeper level. I recently did a 10-day silent meditation retreat, meditating for 10 hours a day and I am amazed at the depths and wisdom that can arise within us from just sitting in stillness. I am always looking for new ways to evolve my practice, myself and my teaching so I think it is so important to always remain a curious student.
Consistency is key. Meditation is simply a practice in shifting your awareness away from the external world and into your internal world. The more you commit to the practice, the deeper your experience and connection will be both to yourself and the world around you. After a while meditation becomes like a comforting massage. Don’t think of it as another chore to add to your life, think of it as a healthy new habit.
1The post Meet Maude Hirst: Evolving in Stillness appeared first on Wanderlust.
Step onto the mat every Friday at 8AM UK on Wanderlust TV as Pip takes over the LIVE studio to host Deep Release Flow – a practice that works on deeper levels than your usual Yoga class.
Pip Elyisum is an internationally recognised AcroYoga teacher, trained ballet dancer and performer. She’s been featured in Yoga Magazine, Om Yoga Magazine, The Telegraph, The Metro, London Evening Standard and is one of London’s top teachers for Wanderlust.
When not travelling abroad for Teacher Trainings & Retreats, Pip is a Yoga Teacher, Dancer & Facilitator for London’s Leading AcroYoga Studio & Events, School of AcroYoga. Pip brings the beauty of movement and exceptional quality of line (dance) to the demonstration of AcroYoga.
I started yoga, the physical practice at the age of 17 when I was professionally training for dance. I immediately felt the benefits and it was a lovely compliment to dance. However, when I REALLY started to find yoga, it found me. It first found me when I was going through a tough time emotionally and found it was a way to support that journey. Since then, yoga has taught me life lessons and a way to work with things in everyday life.
The focus of the classes may come across from the outside eye, as a way to become more flexible and working with the fascia. On a deeper level, I aim to connect with the student to work with their limitations. To help them to open the body, to then allow them to be open enough to release the tension that has been built up. Releasing this tension may also help release them from deeper areas of their life where there has been constriction, stress, strain, and other limiting beliefs built from the mind.
As you’re a teacher, you’re also a student. How does your personal learning journey continues as you step on the mat learning as opposed to teaching?
I tend to self enquire a lot. This brings up a lot of philosophy which stems from movement to life events and the way we perceive things. More recently, I was on my own for three months during lockdown which forced me to look at some very uncomfortable things, with a series of unfortunate events that followed. We are all spiritual warriors having to deal with everyday life, it’s how we respond and work with them long term is what matters the most.
Movement is the first thing that allows us to help change our physiology so we can be in a better state to manage all the different things going on. Stepping onto the mat for my personal practice allows me to visibly see the restrictions in my body that may also be constricting me in areas of my life. With this understanding, it allows me to bring a great sense of empathy and compassion to students and where they may be that day.
What would be the one piece of advice you could give to the Wanderlust TV streamers to deepen the connection with a teacher during their online practice?
Having three months on my own during the lockdown in London, live streams was a very exciting way to connect. Turning up on time for the class allowed me to treat this as a dedicated time for me, so I would encourage you to do the same. Interacting by messaging on the platform and connecting with others online brought a great sense of community and connection.
When I was attending a live stream as a student, I liked to treat it as a real-life class or meeting. I set up the room, stuck to the class the whole way and I turned off all distractions. This helped me connect with the teacher, the practice and myself. It was also exciting if I told the teacher beforehand (or after) that I was attending the class. I hope this piece of advice will help you to have an enjoyable online experience with a teacher.
If you could have dinner with an influential persona in the history of Yoga, who would it be and why?
Good question! Micheal A Singer. His book changed my life ‘The untethered soul’.
1The post Meet Pip Elysium: Overcoming Obstacles with Movement appeared first on Wanderlust.
Dance, release and lighten up with Dirish Shaktidas Friday at 6PM UK on Wanderlust TV as he takes over the LIVE studio to host an upbeat, Prana-boosting Shakti Dance class.
Dirish is a London based yoga teacher immersed in the world of holistic healing. Internationally trained by world-renowned teachers he has been practicing yoga dance and meditation for over 10 years. Having grown up within a Hindu household with sacred mantras, Dirish combines his deep knowledge of movement, mindful meditation and sound.
I always wanted to do Yoga. A family friend was practicing Yoga and it always intrigued me. Also my 93-year-old uncle was a yogi and had been practicing for 50 years. So you could say it was passed down through my family. But I truly got into Yoga when I was traveling around Asia and stumbled across a Yoga Retreat in Thailand and it was a Big Fat YES!
I did a whole week and completely altered my attitude to myself and life. It was something that just filled in the gap for me. For so long working in Fashion and Design I was around so much stress and pressure I didn’t have something that could give me the juice to reboot and relax me.
Being true to myself, my life and others around me. Learning my boundaries, learning all aspects of myself. How to align with what feels authentic. Being a better listener to what goes on within me and without. I am calm, I am relaxed and empowered by all the different practices of yoga and meditation that have exalted me.
I carry the intention to lighten and brighten the hearts of the people. Bring themselves into their full selves to remind themselves of their divinity.
I love it, people always think that I created it, which is a huge honor to uphold but Shakti Dance is the Yoga of Dance and it was created by my teacher Sara Avtar. The origins of this practice derive from Kundalini Yoga. It has eight specific phases to this dance:
It’s hard to pinpoint a specific feeling, I would choose the feeling of Sacredness. We all want that reassurance of safety but sacred takes it to the next level. Before we bare our souls we want that security, especially if you are new to the form of Shakti Dance. I want students to take away the feeling of freedom to express their soul self and feel Lit on the inside and out.
Do your best, stay present to all the sensations without judgment and trust the process.
I would say Mata Amritanandamayi aka Amma (The Hugging Saint). She has one of the most inspirational stories I have heard. I would love to know how she processes living her life and how she has the capacity to hug and help thousands upon thousands of people, travelling the globe for decades and doing everything selflessly with the utmost Love and Grace. I would also ask the big questions:
“What is the soul?”
“What is the purpose of the human experience?”
“How best do we handle uncertain times?”
“How do we handle 2020?!”
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We are creatures who do not like change. However, this year has proven that change is the only thing that is certain nowadays. As we move into a new season let’s take a moment to stop and take stock.
Where has Summer gone?
Ok, let’s face it, we are entering into this season and with that we are also going into a new form of ‘normality’ as schools are back again and workplaces are welcoming more and more people back in the office.
As we mostly scrapping and changing our plans there is certainly less that we can control.
So, before this month disappears in a blink of an eye, let’s take a moment and imagine how you want to step into tomorrow?
I think you would feel pretty damn AMAZING!
So, let’s do this and amongst all the odds and uncertainty that we have to face, let’s ground ourselves and find a moment every day to connect back to who we are. With deep, nourishing breaths, and mindful movements as that is the only thing that we can certainly do.
It is time to shake off what held you back in the past and find your flow to start creating conscious actions towards your big dreams! For the shake off, I suggest putting your favourite music on and dancing your heart out. And to get the most out of the rest of 2020 you can choose to get focused, and committed.
Mindful movement linked to mindful breath can help you get grounded and make the most out of the next few months.
I love this pose because it is grounding and empowering at the same time.
There is an unstoppable force in a strong and calm warrior that is rooted firmly into the ground but rises high with elegance and pride. We gaze with intention and we focus with softness.
According to the yogic teachings “Reverse Warrior teaches us to stand strong on our mats, just as we strive to stand strong in the highest, most benevolent truth of who we are. And as we gaze upward, as if toward our potential, we also reach back for support; we are thus encouraged to call upon the tools we need to navigate the inner realms of ego.”
So after your dance party, take a few moments to set up your pose. Take a wide stance. Bend the front knee in line with front toes if possible. Keep the back leg rooted, straight and strong. Switch on glutes. Lift naval up. Chest lifted. Torso in the center. Arms wide, gaze in line with the fingertips of the front arm. As you lift the front arm up, try and shift the gaze too. For an extra challenge, try and lift the front heel off the ground. Stay here for 5 deep, long, full breaths.
Then switch sides.
In my personal practice as a teacher, Reverse Warrior helps me concentrate with all my senses. It helps me get focused and become open to all possibilities through creating space in my side body and in my hips.
Give it a go on both sides and comment below how it goes.
With love as always,
Rita
Rita Cox has been experimenting with different yoga and movement styles including yoga, crossfit and calisthenics since 2015. She has been trained with many worldwide known teachers that helped her find her passion within the combination of yoga and mindset priming techniques. She is passionate about mental, physical and physiological wellbeing and has great interest in post-traumatic stress disorder as well as post-traumatic growth. She is keen to bring versatile classes and teachings to reach your true potential. Her bundles of energy will empower you on and off the mat. Her unique approach has transformed many lives over the past years.
Watch the 20-minute flow with Rita – a quick Vinyasa Sequence that opens up and strengthens the body and the mind.
Follow Rita on Instagram and check out her work on the website.
1The post The One Asana To Get You Focused This Season appeared first on Wanderlust.
