Wow! The final day! 

Now what do we do?

It's celebration time!

Time to congratulate yourself on the making it to the final day of the challenge.

But it's also time to reflect….

Take a moment to acknowledge your commitment, your successes, your lessons.

Being able to look back and reflect on and answer these questions is important to acknowledge how far you've come.

It allows you to really imbed the lessons learnt and allows you to set new intentions from a place of empowerment.

So how was it for you? Here are some possible questions to ponder…

What can you celebrate?
Did you manage all 21 opportunities to pause, ponder and practice?
How many of the 21 days did you take 5mins for you to tune into you?
What successes can you celebrate, whether big or small?
Were there stumbling blocks?
What were your resistances?
Can you take something from your experience?
What new awareness can you use to take you forward into the next 21 days?
How can you continue to build on the lessons and positive benefits gained from the challenge?
Who do you wish to be and how do you wish to be in the world from this day forward?

Being able to answer these questions for yourself is an empowering step towards making more conscious self-loving choices for you and your future!

I hope you take the time to reflect on them.

My intention for the challenge was to encourage you to take every small opportunity you could to see where you could fit in a moment to stretch, tune in to the real you, and take care of you - body, mind and soul.

The stretches may have been simple, but,...
It is those small consistent steps taken that build into a regular daily practice over time.

Thank you so much for being involved, your comments, and sharing along the way.

I hope you have taken away one valuable lesson for yourself, as I too have learnt from the journey of creating this program for you.

For me this challenge has served as a powerful reminder that "doing" something takes a lot less energy than thinking about doing it or giving yourself  a hard time about not doing it ;)

Just focus on this step.

And then, this one. 

And most importantly, enjoy it. 

So here it is, the final video. 

A fun suggestion for how you can continue to fit in these 5mins for you.

Don't forget if you want to know more about how to incorporate more yoga into you life or set up your own home practice, I'm just a phone call and an email away and always happy to  help in any way  I can! 

Here's to you moving well, feeling centred and loving life!

In infinite gratitude and love
until the next time,
Txx

PS: And the Winner is… Suzanne Pontisso.
Congratulations on your prize of the 1hr Yoga Coaching Session.
I will be in touch with you soon to organise a time for us to connect. Thank You, x

So today is the 2nd last day and I wanted to re-introduce you to the Gita Style Sun Salutations. 

I say re-introduce as I have a "previous life" video which I made. 
{It's quite interesting to watch and compare how much I have learnt and changed in my video production} 

So today I have a new and "improved" video for you.

Sun salutations are a great way to start the day and I always encourage students to see if they can incorporate 3 rounds first thing in the morning. After your bed stretches, of course ;)

As my teacher always said "if you can't find 5mins to do 3 salutes to the sun, then someone else is running your life." 

The great thing about Gita Style Yoga is that it focusses on the endocrine glands in particular. These are the hormone producing glands of the body, and the hormones control all of the functions of the body and how we relate with the world. That is, how we feel, what we think, our digestion, heart rate, metabolism and more.

So, the Salutes are 12 postures in one sequence, making it a mini class for you. 
Add all the other practices from previous days and you start to have a decent sized yoga practice for yourself that moves and opens up most of the body.

Do be aware though if you do these first thing that the body is not as flexible, hence it is good to start warming up the body with some lying "bed" stretches at least and always move slowly through the first round.

If you are finding that you are not managing all the transitions smoothly, I have posted a second video with variations where you can get some ideas for how to adjust the sequence until you develop more flexibility and strength.

So, will you find 5mins for you today to work with these?

I hope so ;)

Enjoy & I'll see you here tomorrow for our last day,
Tx

PS: Didn't realise it's our last day tomorrow, you can read why here. 

Ok so today's video is not the easiest stretch to incorporate into everyday life situations, but it is definitely a most worthwhile one to incorporate into your life as often as possible.

Though if you need suggestions, you could add it to your lying sequence, aka "still in bed" stretches ;)
Or if you are putting it all together, you could add it after the spinal rolls.

Our hips really need a lot more attention than they get in many cases. 

I know I have said this before, but think about all the activities you do on a daily basis, and then think about the fact that there are 17 muscles that help the hip joint move in 6 directions…how many muscles/directions are you using?

It's funny how when you start thinking about something, you draw it into your world and notice it everywhere.
I've recently seen several kids squatting. I have a friend who is a big advocate for the squat. When you see kids doing it, it is just a natural position they move into with ease. I witnessed my friend's daughter doing it several times as she moved around the house changing the things she was playing with. Another was a child playing on the floor at the post office waiting for his parents, and then the other evening I saw an asian mother and her young daughter squatting on the wall beside the foot path talking and watching the world go past.  To all of them it looked so easy and natural.

It made me think about the way I sit and move my hips.

It might be because I have short legs and often can't touch the floor when seated, but I find that when I am seated on a chair I often have my legs crossed as if I were seated on the floor or one foot on the chair with the knee bent. 
Besides begin told it was rude to sit this way, I was told as a child when I sat with the one leg up that it was a Nyonya thing to do. Nyonya is the name for chinese malaysians which my mother is. So maybe it's inherited and not just a vertically challenged thing to do ;)

This may help me with my flexibility in the hips but I am still working on my squat.

So today, I am offering you one of many hip stretches available to you. 
This one in particular is said to aid in the relief of sciatica as it works on the piriformis muscle.

You may have encountered this in a different form in a yoga class, but I have chosen the lying variation as I find it easier to ensure you maintain the back flat on the floor, especially when you are starting out.

Any questions please email me or post them in the comments.

I hope you give this one a go.

And remember, no pain you gain.  Warm up first and listen to your body!

Here's to your happy hips,
Tx 

PS: it makes me think, that if we can maintain the flexibility of the hips and the health of all 17 muscles that connect to it, we might just be able to avoid hip issues, breaks, replacements in older age. What do you think?

If you read yesterday's blog post you will know that I have had to make the tough decision to end the challenge earlier. 

Having some big decisions to make in my life, whilst wanting to put all of my energy into this challenge has not been easy.
And I had to fess up to that.

I could no longer ignore my heart pleading for me to pause and ponder my own life and how its best for me to move forward to serve not only you but also my Self as I prepare to move home and possibly more. 

One thing I find when I don't take this time to pause, is that the thoughts escalate, along with the stress, further increasing the need to get grounded.

Get out of the head and reconnect to the body. 

Even better, to reconnect to the earth.

So in today's challenge I do just that, encouraging you to get back out in nature, bare feet on the ground and practice some stronger standing poses.

I do a short warrior sequence in the video, however as it started to rain on me I'm doing it a little quicker than I would normally. You can swap this with the side bends in the limbering sequence when you want a change.

Feel the connection of your feet on the earth. Keep the legs strong through the sequence, and tune into your body.

When we move in this way, we naturally lengthen and adjust as we listen to the needs of the body.

We are able to enjoy the simplicity of being fully present in the body and in the moment.

Though moving a little quicker, I definitely enjoyed practicing in nature, and even the cleansing rain, undisturbed by the walkers and cars passing by ;)

And it's in those moments when the mind is still that clarity and answers often come forth. 

Like that moment just as you lock the house door after minutes of rushing around to get ready. 
There is a moment of stillness and clarity and it's often then that we remember something forgotten, or something we had trouble recalling earlier.

So watch the video and make a plan for how and when you can integrate the practice into your day.
Even if you can't get out to nature, it is still very grounding to work with the warrior practice.

Enjoy and see you tomorrow,
Tx

Beautiful peeps,

Today I have a confession to make. 

This video nearly didn't happen at all and may be the last "video" of the challenge.
{Hopefully not, read on to find out why}

I created "5mins for you" because…
I know the power in tuning into your Self and taking action based on your own inner guidance and truth. The more you tune into the body and the more conscious you are about what you feed it in terms of food, thoughts, actions and environments, the stronger the inner guidance becomes for we draw not only from our mind, but also the immense wisdom of the cells of the body too.

I hope you've been finding this occurring for you as a "side effect" of tuning into your body more through the practices.

Well, now it is time for me to practice what I preach, even more so than previously.

I need to pull back the reigns in areas of my life as I have some huge decisions to make in the next few weeks due to a big move, and my heart is asking me to find more time to be still in order that my next choice is directed from within.

There's been quite a long time lag between hearing this message and truly honouring it.

And a tonne of lessons in between.

As I write this tears well in my eyes, as I realise how long I have been pushing past this message convincing myself somehow that what I was doing was enough to heed it.

It probably started sometime in my relationship and then continued as I pushed to survive once my heart broke in two and the material stability of my life crumbled away. Pushing to get back on my feet, to regain some stability, to be strong and self sufficient once again, in order to make a home for myself again somewhere. Most probably fuelled by the lil story that plays in my head that goes a little something like this,
"I am a failure".

I know this ain't the truth, but it's there when I think about where I am in my life at this time compared to where I thought I would be, when I consider the possibility of moving back home to the folks, of starting again from scratch, of stepping away from the business, or the possibility of not completing the 30days of this challenge.

But as my fourth move in 8 months draws nearer, my heart is calling out for me to hit pause on the extra curricular activities, to practice some forgiveness and to know that listening to my heart is far from failure, but exactly what this life lesson is here to strengthen.

I realise now how naive I was with the process of producing this course with videos.
But I also acknowledge that I wouldn't have achieved this much if I hadn't taken that first leap of faith.

However, a data allowance limit maxed, visits to numerous libraries, borrowing friend's net access and staying back at work in a swelteringly hot staff room to use the work wifi, has seen me spending hours and many a late night, in attempts to upload the videos, on top of writing the blogs, filming and editing….and nothing is ever filmed in just one take, unfortunately. Though sometimes we get lucky ;)

So in a bold move of self love and acceptance, I need to face my fears of failure of being a quitter and a failure and confess that I can't finish the challenge for the 30days as I had intended & give you 100% whilst attempting to make some big decisions in my life and move at the same time.

I will continue to the 21day mark, allowing me a 10day sabbatical to pack before I must move from my current living arrangement and to prepare for the next step in my life, wherever that may be, and I will do my best to get videos uploaded for you, universe permitting.

Fingers crossed there aren't any more days like yesterday… Two hours sweating it out waiting for 5% to upload with the computer saying it was going to take over 1100mins to upload the rest. Then coming home to discover my own connection wasn't working.

However, interestingly, once I decided I would pull back and get honest with you, the internet worked and the video uploaded no problem. 

I'm hoping this means the last few videos can be easily uploaded for you without the past issues I've been experiencing.

So, go on, watch the video, take the challenge and this opportunity to pause & connect with you, & stop for a moment to hear what message your soul has for you today. 

Thank you for being a part of this "5mins for you" challenge so far, I'm sincerely sorry I can not fulfil my promise at this time, and I hope you understand.

Besides the challenges on other fronts, I have been learning a tonne and enjoyed bringing them to you.
And know this is definitely something I would love to do again when circumstances allow me to be 100% present to the process and prepared.

Hope you too have enjoyed the challenge. 
Even more so I hope you will continue the practices well past however many days the challenge may be :)

See you over the next 4 days.

Infinite gratitude and love,
Tx
 
Ps: I am still running the giveaway of a 1hr* yoga coaching session with me for one lucky participator.  
So, I'd love you to comment below about how your practice has been evolving! 
{*1.5hr Skype call for interstate or international participant}

Today's practice is all about getting you to continue thinking out side of the box in terms of how you fit in these moments of conscious connection and movement of your body.

Have you found yourself quietly tuning into your body more during the day?

I would love to hear in the comments below if you have and which practices you have been drawn to more.

Now as the challenge progresses it's about further integrating these practices so they become a bigger part of your everyday life, as well as showing you how you can double the benefits so to speak, like killing two birds with one stone.
Not that I like that image, especially as I am asking you to get out and earth yourself.

What is earthing?
If you were with us last round, you'll know it is basically about going bare feet and connecting with the earth's surface. 
Be it sand, grass, soil or concrete, however you can connect, go do it, as the earth's energy field rebalances our own. 

It's funny when I think back to childhood and how I often preferred to walk bare foot, but was always told to put shoes on. Did this happen to you too? When in actual fact as kids we must have been onto something, as there is growing evidence that shows we need to go barefoot more!

 This is becoming all the more vital with the increase in use of electricity and technology in our culture. Our modern society has us cooped up in offices, houses and cars, wearing rubber shoes, talking on mobile phones and more, insulating us from the earth's healing nature.

 The practice that restores our inner balance is called Earthing or Grounding. It is based on the fact that our planet's surface has it's own subtle energy. When you connect to it it realigns your body's own electrical energy with that of the earth's. 
   
So check out today's video, find a space in your day for you, kick off  your shoes and let's do this!
Tx

Welcome to day 14. 

Two whole weeks.

I'm happy to say I am getting more comfortable with the whole videoing process, though it still makes me a little nervous posting them for all the world to see. I'm even getting a little more creative with them if you saw yesterday's video :)

I hope you have been inspired to take your practice into your everyday life in some way.

Today’s fiver is a great one to incorporate into your day if you sit for long periods of time, or partake in repetitive activities such as running or cycling.

In these activities the legs are bent for long periods of time and this causes the hip flexors and the hamstrings in particular to shorten. This creates an imbalance in the body if we don’t stretch them and can lead to experiencing other problems such as lower back pain just to name one common occurrence as we put pressure on other muscles to perform functions that they are not necessarily designed to do.

Have you heard people talk about muscle memory?

Think about what activity you do the most of and the position you hold your body in for the longest periods of time, and you will have a clearer idea of the messages you are sending your body about what functions are important for it to maintain and why it would be harder for you to move your body in the other directions.

Imagine you sit for 8hours a day at work with your legs bent at the hips and knees. The muscles that are usually long and extended are now held in a bent position for 8hrs a day 5days a week. That's 40hrs a week. Add to that travelling seated in the car, walking, sitting on the couch…. Little wonder so many of us are finding it harder and harder to open up. 

So it is about maintaining as many directions of movement as we can. 
When the body moves with grace and ease, the wellbeing is felt inside and out.

Today's 5mins may not be easy to fit into an office environment, a park maybe, but they are another great one for in front of the TV :)

Fit them in to your day on a regular basis,
 and let me know what a difference it makes to how you move and feel in the body.

Always remember to listen to the body, we don't want to go to the point of pain. Yoga is about no pain, we gain.
We are after that point where we feel our limit, we can then breathe into it and wait for the muscle to release and relax. That's when true progress begins.

Happy stretching!

See you tomorrow,
Tx

Congratulations on making it half way!

It's important to celebrate the milestones in life. They remind us how far we've come and what we've achieved thus far. Like the milestones we record as a baby grows a develops. The celebrations shouldn't stop there ;)

So well done, whether it is one stretch or a new body awareness, it is all a step on this journey to experiencing greater wellbeing in body and wholeness in life.

Today I thought it would be awesome to bring it all together for you so you can see if you were to weave each of the individual practices throughout your day you would actually be fitting in a 15 - 20min practice into your day! 

Thats almost half a yoga class.

My aim all along has been to show you it doesn't have to be hard to do.

If you've haven't been managing to find the 5mins for you each day, 
what is stopping you?

Sometimes we have to get out of our own way and simply do it.

Like these videos for me, if I had waited for everything to be "perfect", the right equipment, the perfect space, enough money, great outfits, perfectly written scripts, …..
 then to be totally honest with you, they would not exist.

I would still be stuck in my head thinking it through, working it out, and most probably talking myself out of it ;)

Flying by the seat of my pants, starting before I'm ready and taking imperfect action means I've been facing those fears head on, learning on the go and gaining invaluable experiences. 

The same is true for you. 

Saying you can is the first step. 

And then you take another step.

The next step could be making the decision to replace each thought of "I don't have time" or "I'm no good at that" with a pause for one conscious breath or stretch to reconnect with your body!

It only takes one second, one choice.

If that's it for you, celebrate that. 
It's one more conscious choice taken for You!

Well done.

So what's your next step? 
Please go ahead and share it in the comments below.

And may you enjoy bringing it together,
Tx

PS: As we're bringing it all together, it is a little longer video, therefore a little longer practice. Make some space in your day for you. Take your time, listen to your body and always heed it's message. It will feel different first thing in the morning to doing it later at night. It will feel different to those that move more often to those that are getting back on the wagon. Listening to your body is doing yoga! Practice this and you're right on track :) xx

There're are a few different perspectives to today's 5mins for you practice...

You can see it as a way to widen your perspective through integrating a new movement.
Or you could see it as a way to widen your perspective as in where or how you integrate the practice into your life.
And finally, it will widen your perspective by allowing you a wider range of movement in the neck ;)

If you have ever woken with a stiff neck, you will know how restrictive it is to see the world around  you, as well as physically painful.

So today's 5mins is encouraging you to incorporate conscious neck movements into your every day.
But even more so to think outside of the box to where you can fit them in. 

In day 4 I talked about stretching when you're waiting for the kettle to boil or the toast to pop. 
Today I make a new suggestion!

Let me know if you give it a go ;)

As we start to use these practices in small ways it is interesting to note the changes we start to notice in how we move and our awarenesses of the body. 

Recently at an osteopathy appointment, my osteo mentioned how tight my neck muscles were and to take note of when I noticed myself tensing them. I knew I had been stressed of late, but this insight made me realise just how often I tensed my neck and shoulders unconsciously. This new awareness has allowed me to change the unconscious habit and create a new more beneficial movement habit.

 Have you discovered any new awarenesses for yourself that when changed have improved your life in some way? 
Even if it is in some small way.

Please share your comments and questions below so we all can learn from one another.

Thanks everyone. Really enjoying sharing these practices with you and hearing of your insights and successes.

Looking forward to sharing another 5mins with you tomorrow.

Enjoy today's fiver,
Tx

If you have been following me for a while you will know this breathing technique quite well.

It seriously is the simplest and most transportable practice I know and it's super effective too.
Whether you're at your work desk, at home or on the tram… This is one you can do anywhere really.
Except for driving ;)

Controlling the breath really does lead to us controlling the mind and hence our experience in that moment. 
I hope you have started to notice this in your practice. 
As we quieten the mind, the breath stabilises, and body relaxes.
As we steady and calm the breath, the body relaxes and the mind quietens.
And so on.

So at any given moment, you can reconnect, recenter and reground yourself by focusing on and stabilising your breath!

In today's video we aim to control the breath by using a count to make the four "sides" of the breath even.

Take a moment to notice your breath right now, as you read this. 
Does it change as you observe it?
How is your posture? Do you need to adjust your posture? and as you do so, does  your breath change again?
How are you feeling as you do this?

Then watch the video, practice along with me as your guide.

Then pause.

Just notice what you notice.

What has changed for you?

Sit and enjoy the benefits for a while longer if you can.

Share your experiences below in the comments if you are drawn to. 
Sometimes it helps others to hear the stories of fellow travellers of the yoga path.

 A few things to note - 
Ensure you are comfortably seated with an upright posture as we practiced in Day 10.  
Breathe in and out of the nose gently using the abdominal breath. This will be a quieter more controlled breath, than when you forcefully suck the air in through your nose. You want it to feel smooth and relaxed.
And finally, as you move your mind around the square, be sure not to move your head as well. This ain't such a bad thing if you're in your room alone, but might draw unwanted attention if you are sitting on public transport ;)

Enjoy!

See you here on the blog again tomorrow,
Tx

PS: if you are a meditator or one who wants to start, this is practice is a great to do beforehand. You may notice why for yourself at the end of the practice!