H e l e n C a l l a g h a n
Instructor Outdoor Education, Naturopath, Remedial Therapist. Master Degree in Public Health (Health Promotion) Yoga Teacher, Mindfulness Stillness Meditation Teacher.
Welcome! Thank you for taking the time to look at the Purna Yoga Website.
The reason I teach Yoga and Meditation is simply because I know these integrative health therapies move people towards better health. I have studied a lot of areas of health over the years and I find along with a balanced wholefood diet, Yoga and Meditation is the most effective way for people to bring balance into their bodies on both a physical and mental level. Yoga helps people connect their mind and body. It teaches people how to breathe properly. Our breath coming in and out of our body is a tool which if used correctly can lead to improved mental and physical health. Our breath is a gift. This tool is with us all the time and is free. In clinical studies it has been shown to slow your heart rate down, reduce blood pressure and calm an anxious mind. Meditation is now recognised by the scientific community as having a positive impact on our health. I see yoga as creating space in the body and Meditation creating space in the mind. We need this space for healing to take place.
Life is so fast. We are constantly bombarded with information and stimulation. Pressure to achieve, pressure to be good parents, pressure to "look good" when you step out the door, pressure to pay the bills, pressure to cook and have a clean house and the list goes on. Somewhere in all of that we have to find some balance. We have to take a moment to come mindfully into our bodies and observe what is going on both physically and mentally. We need to make time to mindfuly observe the positive nourishing moments that happen every day. When you do this over time you will actually change the structure of your brain. Meditation, Yoga, gardening, connecting with the natural world, being in the presence of animals, walking, swimming and all the other wonderful things we can do help us bring balance into our lives.
When I teach Yoga I am not too fussed about people doing the various poses in the perfectly correct way. Some Yoga traditions really emphasise that a pose should be done in a certain way. I am more interested in people moving their bodies into stretches using their breath and linking the poses together with the breath. Over time you will naturally move towards the correct positions. As a remedial therapist I like to look at the human body and see what patterns have been set up over the years. Some people may have a collapsed chest, rounded upper back (Kyphosis) and a flat lower back where there should be a lovely gentle curve. Altenatively someone with a lot of lower back pain may have a very open chest and lack core strength. We are all different. Many people think Yoga is all about stretching and I often hear people saying "I am too inflexible to do Yoga". Yoga is actually about bringing about a perfect balance between strength and flexibility. You can be too flexible.
What I really love about Meditation and Yoga is that anyone can do it. In Meditation you can't make a mistake. Whatever goes on in your mind is ok. Everytime you move your awareness away from the excessive thinking mind you have had a win. You don't have to sit crossed legged, a chair is just fine. In yoga you work with your body. You feel the poses from the inside of your body to the outside. You can be sitting in a chair slowing your breath and gently stretching your body, or you can do an intense Ashtanga session where you push your body into powerful poses and finish the session covered in sweat. Your sense of wellbeing increases and you are a healthier, happier human being.
You can practise Meditation and Purna Yoga which intergrates Pranayam (breathing exercise), Meditation and Yoga Asanas (poses) anytime anywhere.
Remember Yoga does not have to be about fancy poses. It is about getting to know your body. It is about bringing strength into parts of your body that need strengthening and opening parts that are tight and have limited movement. It is about learning to breath with your whole body. Meditation and Yoga are about creating a healing space. Mobile 0437 092068
K a r a l i n a G a r w o o d
Yoga Teacher, Pre and Postnatal Yoga Teacher
As a mother of two young boys, I understand the challenges that women face from day to day, finding my own personal balance as a mother and woman is through my yoga practice.
Practicing yoga is a way to nurture and nourish the body, mind and spirit. I love practicing yoga and living the benefits that come from the practice. Teaching yoga over the past year now has opened my passion further which has led me to study Prenatal and Postnatal yoga with "Bliss Baby Yoga" situated in Byron Bay.
Prenatal yoga classes are a sacred space for women to move through the stages of pregnancy under safe guidance. Classes are designed to give the mind, body and spirit the nurturing that is needed along with many other benefits for pregnant women. Awareness of all aspects of being, not just the physical body but emotional and mental also.
Practicing yoga throughout the different stages of pregnancy will nourish a mother to be with
- General fitness and wellbeing awareness
- Restorative practices
- Relaxation practices
- Alleviate/prevent aches and pains of pregnancy
- Deep toning of the birth muscles
- Pranayama and meditation
If you are wanting to bring yoga into your lifestyle please call Karalina to discuss your pregnancy and classes.
Mobile 0400 094064