Breaking my blog hiatus with a little video I made recently to share my favourite Qi Cultivation practice, 4-Parts Taoist Breath. It is a great one you can do as a stand alone practice such as in the morning to get the body moving and the Qi flowing, or one to start your yoga practice as a warm up or to move your practice from either yin to yang or yang to yin. 

It's based on the teachings of Paul Grilley and taught to me by my yin yoga teacher trainer Jo Phee in the Yinspiration Yin Yang Flow, Yin Yoga and Shoulder Anatomy module which I completed in 2016 and assisted with in Singapore in 2018 and Utrecht in 2019. 
 
Movement of the body in this way and practices such as yoga and Qigong is great for stimulating cells, circulation, rehydrating tissues and getting the Qi to flow in the body. 

Please note when practicing to allow the feet to pivot and the knees to bend if need be when moving from one part to the next to accomodate your unique skeleton. It can also be done seated, crossed on the floor or on a chair. Watch video for how to do it and written instructions below.

Would love to know in the comments how you went when you give it a go and if you have any questions. 

And if you loved it, please like the video on YouTube and Subscribe to my newsletter and to YouTube so you'll be first to know when I upload my next video. More coming soon.

Part 1 - Gather Qi
Stand with your feet comfortably wide apart. 
Inhale as you circle arms out to the side as you Gather/Cultivate Qi. 

Part 2 - Open Horse
Exhale as you squat, letting your knees and feet pivot as they need to, pushing palms out to the side extending arms at shoulder height.

Part 3 - Draw Qi from Earth to Heaven
Inhale folding forward at hips, let knees bend if they need to, backs of the hands touch the earth and you curl the spine up imagining you are pulling energy from your finger tips from the earth to the heaven. 

Part 4 - Descend Qi to Dan Tian
Exhale the hands descend to the front of the solar plexus/abdomen known as the Dan Tian to store energy there. 

On my birthday weekend in July, I was involved in the biggest event I have done since I became a yoga teacher. 
​The Funarium is the newest and one of the biggest kids festivals to hit Perth.

Not only was it an honour and privilege to be asked to be a part of it, it was also a huge step outside of my comfort zone.

This year has truly been all about stepping up and playing bigger, and here is what I learnt from this experience and some pictures I love from the event....

1. Believe in yourself
At some point you just have to step up and back yourself. There used to be a time when I would have turned away from accepting a big job like this. But something inside me said, "I can do this" and I trusted it. And not only did I do it, it went well and I also created my first relaxation audio (free for you to download).

2. Take one step at a time
Every big goal is made up of smaller bite size pieces that are so much more easier to "chew" so to speak. Rather than being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task at hand, which I often do, I find it helpful to break the bigger picture down into easily actionable steps that move you step by step closer to the end result you are after.

3. Ask for help
I knew from the start that this job was way too big for one person alone. I listened to my intuition and asked for help from the person that I knew would be perfect to help. I felt blessed to be able to partner with Michelle from YogaZoo as we were on the same page about the event from the very first call.  Along with the 4 amazing teachers she connected me with to teach for the 3 days, we were a dream team. Everyone worked well together, classes at the event were fun for all ages and the 3 days went as smoothly as one could wish them to be. 

4. Be flexible
Not everything will work the way you want or hope. This was true for our area. Despite all our preparation and planning, the event which was tailored to kids from 4 to 12 years old, our classes ended up becoming for all ages as kids yoga turned into family yoga. We even had a bub on a mat whilst mum did yoga with her older daughter and dad was yoga-ing on another mat beside her. It meant we had to be flexible to adjust the classes according to who was on the mat. 

5. Honour your self
With 9 classes each day over 3 days, I planned little else after each day to honour my body's need for rest. Even though it was my birthday on the Saturday, my celebrations were contained to a glass of red and a bit of chocolate with dinner (a gift from one of the teachers) that evening and a massage after the event to begin my body's rebalancing process. 

6. Don't forget to play
After participating in 27 classes with nearly 400 students of all ages, the reminder to play and enjoy the moment was well and truly etched in my mind by Sunday evening. Kids are the perfect reminder to us to enjoy every moment, to play and have fun. There were no shortages of laughter and smiles in our classes. If ever I have to work again on my birthday, then this would probably be the only way I would want to spend it. 

7. Connect with your family.
With over  40 activities in 10 themed zones,​ from science to cooking, action to craft, dancing to drumming, this event was huge! But what I loved was the feedback from so many parents who joined us for yoga who loved that this was one of the few activities they could enjoy with the kids. It was so heart warming to be on the mat with them and witness the shared connections, smiles and laughter between kids and their parents/loved ones. It was another beautiful reminder of what is important in life, connection with others, especially our family and loved ones doing things that are fun.

8. Celebrate & give thanks
Though I was pretty exhausted by the end of the weekend, I still took the time to reflect on our massive achievement and we did take time to celebrate with one another at the end of the month.

A huge thanks to Michelle, the teachers Leah, Julia, Renae and Genie and most importantly every pocket yogini and their families that joined us for a class. It was the most amazing weekend and a birthday spent with you all I won't forget soon. 

Here's hoping we get to do it all over again next year!
(and not on my birthday would be even better)

Like a blend of yoga and tai chi, I had the pleasure of learning this yin yang flow amongst many other beautiful practices at Jo Phee’s 50hr Yin Yoga Teacher Training (TT) last year. It was here my Yin Yoga teaching journey began and it was also a big turning point in making Perth feel like home again.
 
Having moved back "home" after 10 years in Melbourne, I was lucky to land on my feet with teaching, but I still didn’t feel settled. I was missing my soul family and the Gita International Yoga teachers where I trained in Melbourne. Flying East once a year just wasn't enough, so it was on my 2016 goals list to do a yoga training and make some soul connections in Perth. I just didn't know which course, or how to connect.
 
As life often does I was lead to Jo through my friend Laura, who attended Jo’s 2015 TT and was holding yin workshops at Momentum Yoga. I went to them all. My my yin love affair had begun. I loved how yin brought together my two loves - yoga and Chinese Medicine. So, when I heard Jo was returning, I sought her out but the TT was sold out.
 
But, when something is meant to be it will find a way to happen.

I originally planned to go to the Malaysian MotoGP that same weekend. However, every plan I tried to make kept falling through. Luckily I had put my name on the TT waitlist and one morning received an email to say a spot was available if I wanted it.  As clear as a Perth day, I knew in my heart in that moment I had to go. My heart leapt at the thought and I knew the GP plans hadn't worked out for this very reason.
 
And of course, it was the best experience ever!!!
I learnt a ton along with 50 other teachers, I made some beautiful soul connections and ended 2016 feeling like I had finally settled in Perth.

It was the perfect reminder to....
 
Make your intentions mindfully,
for energy follows thought...

What we think we create!

So finally, here is a video tutorial of Walk the Elephant to inspire your home practice, with instructions and added suggestions below to help you vary the flow according to your needs.

Note: allow your feet to pivot freely (and knees to bend) as you move from pose to pose as feels good for your body. 

Start with your feet a little wider than hip width apart.
Hands just in front of the solar plexus, often referred to in yin as the Dantian.
 
Inhale and circle your arms out to the side and up above the crown to Cultivate Chi.
(Chi, or Qi, is the subtle energy within every living thing, called by many names including ki in Japan and prana in yoga)
 
Exhale and squat into Open Horse, the feet pivot so the knees bend over the feet, the tailbone sinks down spine upright, whilst you push the palms out to the side extending the arms at shoulder height.
 
Pause here and inhale.
 
Exhale folding forward from the hips into Elephant, moving feet and bending knees as feels right for you, especially if you have tight hamstrings and tend to round the back in forward folds. Aim for the spine to lengthen out of the hips with head, neck, shoulders and arms relaxed.
 
Inhale, taking the left hand to the floor as you twist to the right into Twisting Elephant.
The right hand reaches up for the ceiling and/or as far back as feels good. Use a block or bolster on the floor for the lower hand to help maintain a long spine, if the floor is inaccessible.
 
Exhale, return to Elephant.
 
Inhale and repeat Twisting Elephant to the left, right hand to the floor (block or bolster) with left hand reaching up.
 
Exhale, to Elephant.
 
Inhale taking the left hand to the left foot or leg (same side) as you twist, the right arm reaching up and/or as far back as feels good into Reaching Elephant.
 
Exhale, to Elephant.
 
Inhale, right hand goes to the right foot or leg as you twist to the left into Reaching Elephant.
 
Exhale, to Elephant.
 
Inhale, the left hand moves to the right foot or leg (opposites) as you twist into Arching Elephant, right hand reaching up and/or as far back as is comfortable.
 
Exhale, to Elephant.
 
Inhale, the right hand moves to the left leg or foot as you twist to the left into Arching Elephant.
 
Exhale, to Elephant.
 
Inhale, draw in your abdominals to support the spine as you curl up, scooping energy up in your hands from the earth to the sky, raising the arms above the crown of the head with palms facing down.
 
Exhale, allowing your hands to float back down to the Dantian in front of the solar plexus.

Now, if you haven't already, watch the video to see how it flows. Remember energy follows thought, so even watching alone can have a positive effect!

I would love to hear if you gave it a go, how did it feel or do you have any questions? 
And if you’d like to learn more of these, pop a YES! in the comments below. 
 
Happy Practicing!