The Living Room Coogee
Yoga
AT THE Living room we offer classes to suit all needs: whether you prefer strong classes or more relaxing classes - depending on your fitness level and health. Our classes are hatha and vinyasa based, each teacher is highly skilled and has their own natural flair in the way they teach. I suggest you read about each teacher and decide which class may be best for you and who you would feel most comfortable and safe with.
All teachers’ fundamentals are based on the same approach: taking you in and out of postures correctly and safely is one of our major attributes; using the breath for its many purposes such as dealing with pain which helps you in day to day life; to bring you out of your shell into self empowerment; to open your pranic (energy) body for optimum health and in preparation for meditation; to balance body, soul, mind and spirit to enhance all you do in life.
Please remember yoga is not about competition, every day will be different for every body. Be happy in your own practice and don’t worry about what the person next to you is doing - we are all different bodies.
Do not push yourself too hard and learn to know the difference between good pain and not so good pain. If there is a burning sensation it is probably good pain. If it is sharp pain, cramping, or discomfort then slowly bring yourself out of the posture. Only you know what your body is feeling and its thresholds. As you bring yourself into each pose connect with your breath instead of your mind and relax.
*A few general reminders: Please try not to eat heavy meals at least 3 hours before a class and light meals one and a half hours before. If you are really hungy have some yoghurt twenty minutes before or a banana.
Try not to drink fluids 20 minutes before or during a class - don't worry you will not dehydrate.
It is preferable you bring a towel with you.
All teachers’ fundamentals are based on the same approach: taking you in and out of postures correctly and safely is one of our major attributes; using the breath for its many purposes such as dealing with pain which helps you in day to day life; to bring you out of your shell into self empowerment; to open your pranic (energy) body for optimum health and in preparation for meditation; to balance body, soul, mind and spirit to enhance all you do in life.
Please remember yoga is not about competition, every day will be different for every body. Be happy in your own practice and don’t worry about what the person next to you is doing - we are all different bodies.
Do not push yourself too hard and learn to know the difference between good pain and not so good pain. If there is a burning sensation it is probably good pain. If it is sharp pain, cramping, or discomfort then slowly bring yourself out of the posture. Only you know what your body is feeling and its thresholds. As you bring yourself into each pose connect with your breath instead of your mind and relax.
*A few general reminders: Please try not to eat heavy meals at least 3 hours before a class and light meals one and a half hours before. If you are really hungy have some yoghurt twenty minutes before or a banana.
Try not to drink fluids 20 minutes before or during a class - don't worry you will not dehydrate.
It is preferable you bring a towel with you.
Beginner
Practicing the physical side of yoga has been used for preparation of meditation, the reason for this is that when you are meditating it is essential to have all pathways of the body open, clear and flowing efficiently. This also is essential through our daily life, when our energetic, lymphatic and circulatory pathways are functioning efficiently we can avoid dis-ease physically, mentally and emotionally, life becomes clearer, easier and more comfortable, in fact more enjoyable. The way to acieve this is through correct posture and working with the core muscles which milk the endochrine glands of the body, boosting the immune system.
There are many reasons for correct posture; relieve back ache, neck ache, anxiety, chemical imbalance, blockages of the organs and glands, just about everything is due to our posture. And sorry to say chairs are our worst enemy, they tend to shorten those lovely ligaments in the back of our legs called hamstrings and stop us from using our core. In fact a lot of our problems have been created from sitting in chairs for a prolonged time since we were children at school.
Beginners - this course is for fresh to advanced students wishing to correct their posture, students will be taught to move into, hold and come out of postures correctly, valuable foundations for continuing on the physical yogic path. Even long term students and teachers may need this as we all tend to create bad habits.
The course runs over 9 weeks, we do the same practices in 3 week blocks, concentrating largely on core muscles, breathing and relaxation.
We do not have a specific booking date you come when you are ready and after 9 weeks you will have completed the course. You may attend casually.
There are many reasons for correct posture; relieve back ache, neck ache, anxiety, chemical imbalance, blockages of the organs and glands, just about everything is due to our posture. And sorry to say chairs are our worst enemy, they tend to shorten those lovely ligaments in the back of our legs called hamstrings and stop us from using our core. In fact a lot of our problems have been created from sitting in chairs for a prolonged time since we were children at school.
Beginners - this course is for fresh to advanced students wishing to correct their posture, students will be taught to move into, hold and come out of postures correctly, valuable foundations for continuing on the physical yogic path. Even long term students and teachers may need this as we all tend to create bad habits.
The course runs over 9 weeks, we do the same practices in 3 week blocks, concentrating largely on core muscles, breathing and relaxation.
We do not have a specific booking date you come when you are ready and after 9 weeks you will have completed the course. You may attend casually.
Hatha Yoga
The meaning of Hatha is sun/moon, seeing the right side of the body as sun and the left as moon we are working towards a balance between the left and right side of the body, all the paired glands and organs which sits one on the right and one on the left side of the body, in turn balancing the left/right brain.
Hatha yoga aids in healing lethargy, depression, anxiety, obsession and all other ills and ails of the body, mind and emotions.
In hatha yoga we usually begin with a short meditation, warm up exercises, breath work, moving into a 'salute to the sun'; a set of free flowing movements matched with the breath which runs the lymphatic system as well as cleaning and nourishing the organs and glands, it is these that rule our emotions and minds.
We then move into deeper, static postures which challenge the mind and deepen the breath and work intensely with the organs and glands and it is this intensity that our mind and emotions become calmer and clearer having the opportunity to create a change that is much more comfortable for our entire being.
We end the practice with 'savasana' where you just lay down being guided into a meditation and absorb all the good you have just done for yourself.
Hatha yoga aids in healing lethargy, depression, anxiety, obsession and all other ills and ails of the body, mind and emotions.
In hatha yoga we usually begin with a short meditation, warm up exercises, breath work, moving into a 'salute to the sun'; a set of free flowing movements matched with the breath which runs the lymphatic system as well as cleaning and nourishing the organs and glands, it is these that rule our emotions and minds.
We then move into deeper, static postures which challenge the mind and deepen the breath and work intensely with the organs and glands and it is this intensity that our mind and emotions become calmer and clearer having the opportunity to create a change that is much more comfortable for our entire being.
We end the practice with 'savasana' where you just lay down being guided into a meditation and absorb all the good you have just done for yourself.
Vinyasa Yoga
Catherine's classes begin with a short meditation on the breath, a brief pranayama practice and then proceeds to focus on asana practice. The breath is integrated with each asana and emphasis is placed on alignment and developing profound body awareness. Starting with simple stretches to open the body and calm the mind the class progresses to a series of flowing sequences that become more challenging depending on the level of the class. Each class works on building strength, flexibility, balance and stamina with particular focus on building core strength. The aim is to inspire students to cultivate a deeper understanding with in their own practice by encouraging an exploratory attitude.
Yoga Alchemy
In this class we are aiming to move through the body's fluids, to increase circulation and the flow of the lymphatic system, concentrating on the organs and glands of the body. This class has a mix of yoga, chi kung and breath connecting with movement, all aiding you to move and contact deeper within the self. This class is a flowing style of yoga which has tremendous benefits toward self healing and letting go. The most common outcome of this class is that you finish with a feeling of happiness and well being no matter how you felt when you first walked in the room.
The yoga is based on the seasons and the elements of nature, balancing body, soul and spirit and the chakras. You will develop a deep understanding of yoga and your inner (universal) nature.
Alchemy is the ability to change one substance into another. Some may believe that if it is hereditary there is no chance for change, whatever we believe strongly enough is our truth and that is the way life works for us.
If we can change one substance into another through chemistry why can’t we do this with the chemistry of our bodies and minds?
In alchemic yoga we break down the ‘salute to the sun’ (Surya Namaskar). Instead of repeating right, middle left over and over again we break it down; working on the right side for a length of time, then we move to the middle and finish on the left. So we are only working on each side once.
Working the right side (spirit);
The organs on the right side of the body create or release alkaline substances; the right lung absorbs negative ions through the breath, taking them to the liver which makes these alkaline substances and the gall bladder releases them to counteract the acid created by the stomach and to break down fats, the ascending colon releases the alcohols from the food we have eaten and puts it back into the liver. We see these organic soaps relating to spirit, just as we drink an alcoholic beverage we feel light headed and high, when we create and use our body's organic soaps (alcohols) we feel a natural high without the harmful effects of drinking alcohol, this is the way spirit energy feels; light and clear and enthusiastic. We use this spirit energy to wash away old unwanted patterns created by us and our ancestors, to counteract the acids in the body and to calm and relax, to lift our spirit. reducing the risk of anxiety and depression.
Working the middle (soul);
Our endocrine glands run up through the centre of our body, most of them in pairs, so here it is about keeping balance. The main substance in the endocrine glands is the hormonal oils which are a make up of acid (body) and alcohol (spirit/mind).
Our hormones are ruled by our emotions; so we program ourselves by the way we think, act and react, which is the way we feel. So if we think light which is more ruled by spirit we remain soft, and fluid, when we react harshly or rigidly which is more ruled by body we become tight and rigid, more acidic. So trying to keep a balance of our actions and reactions; our feelings is what keeps our hormones and endocrine glands balanced.
Our bodies' hormones are the oils which nourish, moisturize, rejuvenate and broaden the options of our entire being, so the DNA can reset in a new pattern and this is what we call soul energy.
The hormones are full of information about the state of our organs and glands, this hormonal information is taken to the pituitary gland where the messages are fired off into the brain, then tells our bodies what we need to do next to maintain our state but remembering our hormones are programmed by the way we feel, if we are not acting and reacting in accordance to a healthy mind and body this is what we will get.
We use this soul energy to change the way we and our herd have programmed us to feel.
Working the left (body);
The organs on the left side of the body are more acid based; the left lung absorbs positive ions, taken to the spleen to create acids and the transverse and descending colon release the salts and acids from the foods we have eaten to the spleen, some of these are converted into acids that break down the food in our stomach, some are used to make adrenalin, some are used to make amino acids.
Too much acid tend to make our body and mind tight or rigid. Just as all that we see including our own body are matter ‘a crystallized form for the soul to live in’.
Salts hold patterns so with the left side we use these to hold the new pattern we created through the soul energy. If we have a balanced spleen we have focus without the obsession.
The soul’s experience in a human body is through the senses and feelings, if we are too acid our experience becomes fixed and rigid to the point of obsessive and anxious and losing focus, leading to depression. If our bodies become too alkaline (which is difficult in this day and age) unless we don’t eat enough, we then become light headed, a little too carefree, leading to feeling disconnected.
So by keeping the left and right side of our bodies balanced we are left with a calm focus; a comfortable soul.
The meaning of hatha is
‘sun – moon’.
right left
male female
light dark
yang yin
and so on...................
Natalie Almond
The yoga is based on the seasons and the elements of nature, balancing body, soul and spirit and the chakras. You will develop a deep understanding of yoga and your inner (universal) nature.
Alchemy is the ability to change one substance into another. Some may believe that if it is hereditary there is no chance for change, whatever we believe strongly enough is our truth and that is the way life works for us.
If we can change one substance into another through chemistry why can’t we do this with the chemistry of our bodies and minds?
In alchemic yoga we break down the ‘salute to the sun’ (Surya Namaskar). Instead of repeating right, middle left over and over again we break it down; working on the right side for a length of time, then we move to the middle and finish on the left. So we are only working on each side once.
Working the right side (spirit);
The organs on the right side of the body create or release alkaline substances; the right lung absorbs negative ions through the breath, taking them to the liver which makes these alkaline substances and the gall bladder releases them to counteract the acid created by the stomach and to break down fats, the ascending colon releases the alcohols from the food we have eaten and puts it back into the liver. We see these organic soaps relating to spirit, just as we drink an alcoholic beverage we feel light headed and high, when we create and use our body's organic soaps (alcohols) we feel a natural high without the harmful effects of drinking alcohol, this is the way spirit energy feels; light and clear and enthusiastic. We use this spirit energy to wash away old unwanted patterns created by us and our ancestors, to counteract the acids in the body and to calm and relax, to lift our spirit. reducing the risk of anxiety and depression.
Working the middle (soul);
Our endocrine glands run up through the centre of our body, most of them in pairs, so here it is about keeping balance. The main substance in the endocrine glands is the hormonal oils which are a make up of acid (body) and alcohol (spirit/mind).
Our hormones are ruled by our emotions; so we program ourselves by the way we think, act and react, which is the way we feel. So if we think light which is more ruled by spirit we remain soft, and fluid, when we react harshly or rigidly which is more ruled by body we become tight and rigid, more acidic. So trying to keep a balance of our actions and reactions; our feelings is what keeps our hormones and endocrine glands balanced.
Our bodies' hormones are the oils which nourish, moisturize, rejuvenate and broaden the options of our entire being, so the DNA can reset in a new pattern and this is what we call soul energy.
The hormones are full of information about the state of our organs and glands, this hormonal information is taken to the pituitary gland where the messages are fired off into the brain, then tells our bodies what we need to do next to maintain our state but remembering our hormones are programmed by the way we feel, if we are not acting and reacting in accordance to a healthy mind and body this is what we will get.
We use this soul energy to change the way we and our herd have programmed us to feel.
Working the left (body);
The organs on the left side of the body are more acid based; the left lung absorbs positive ions, taken to the spleen to create acids and the transverse and descending colon release the salts and acids from the foods we have eaten to the spleen, some of these are converted into acids that break down the food in our stomach, some are used to make adrenalin, some are used to make amino acids.
Too much acid tend to make our body and mind tight or rigid. Just as all that we see including our own body are matter ‘a crystallized form for the soul to live in’.
Salts hold patterns so with the left side we use these to hold the new pattern we created through the soul energy. If we have a balanced spleen we have focus without the obsession.
The soul’s experience in a human body is through the senses and feelings, if we are too acid our experience becomes fixed and rigid to the point of obsessive and anxious and losing focus, leading to depression. If our bodies become too alkaline (which is difficult in this day and age) unless we don’t eat enough, we then become light headed, a little too carefree, leading to feeling disconnected.
So by keeping the left and right side of our bodies balanced we are left with a calm focus; a comfortable soul.
The meaning of hatha is
‘sun – moon’.
right left
male female
light dark
yang yin
and so on...................
Natalie Almond
