Everything related to yoga – how it works, benefits and how to practise.

In order for you to be happy, centred and balanced, you need to be with yourself in silence. This starts with the simple need of taking care of the body on a day to day basis to ensure that the body functions and serves you well. Feed the body nourishing food, give it water. Exercise regularly and make sure the body is clean. Apart from physical needs, we, as humans, have emotional and mental well-being to take care of. When these areas get neglected, we risk running into health issues. Mental well-being includes the need to socialise with others, being part of the community. It also includes the need to be with yourself in silence. The amount of time one spends alone vs in the company of others depends greatly on a person’s temperament and character. Extroverts recharge their batteries by being among people. Introverts get tired when spending too much time with other people and need to be by themselves to regain energy.

Irrespective, whether you are an extrovert or introvert, you need your own company. Every night you disconnect from the outside world by going to sleep to give your soul a rest. In a similar way, taking short breaks during the day from all activities and distractions is important. This is the time when rejuvenation of your mental body happens. You can use this time for reflection, for reconnecting with nature, or simply for mindful breathing. It can be just a few minutes, if this is all you have or are willing to spare from your day. Consistency is the key. Make it your daily practice. Be with yourself in silence for a while. You need your own company. Take refuge in your breath.

Be with yourself in silence standing on top of the mountain

Nourishing and relaxing Yoga and Irish Fiddle retreat on Sunday, 16 June 2024 to release tension, gain mental clarity and restore balance.

Yoga teacher training

We have trained over 150 teachers across Australia over the last 30 years and most of them are now teaching their own classes, incorporating Yogahealth style. With so much experience, expertise, as well as lineage behind our instructors, we guarantee you personal growth and support along the way.

What we offer

  • Customised, flexible approach.
  • Training sessions are individual or in small groups.
  • Teacher training duration is 6-12 months depending on your commitment and how fast you would like to progress.
  • We guide you every step of your journey and provide lots of opportunities to practise in real class situations.
  • We help you with marketing and setting up your own classes.

Requirements and suitability

  • Suitable for anyone who has experienced the benefits of yoga and would like to share the benefits with others.
  • The only requirement is 3-6 months of previous Yogahealth class attendance and willingness to learn.
  • No need to be fit or flexible.

What others say about our yoga teacher training program

“The teacher training I completed with Anna from YogaHealth was intensive, personalised, and has provided me with an understanding of Yogaheath practice through written and practical assignments, teacher mentoring, attending classes and workshops. The shift from being a yoga class participant of many years and of different styles, to a YogaHealth teacher, was guided by Anna through a flexible program, and in a thoughtful and encouraging environment. I feel confident to teach my own classes and pass on this valuable knowledge to family and the community.” (Tonia, currently teaching online Zoom classes)

“My dream to become a Yoga Teacher came to fruition last year when attending Anna’s Yoga class in Willetton. YogaHealth’s style of Yoga was just what I was looking for. I indicated I was interested in becoming a Yoga Instructor and began immediately with Anna as my teacher.  This course is very comprehensive and equipped me with essentials to feel qualified to begin teaching my own class.  It covered theory sessions on the body systems including assignments, theory and practical instruction covering breathing techniques, yoga moves specific to particular internal and external areas of the body, meditation, as well as knowledge of setting up and delivering a Yoga class.  Anna delivered this instruction with confidence, sharing her vast knowledge of all things connected with Yoga.  On completion of my Yoga training early this year, I felt totally equipped with the essentials needed to begin my own classes and highly recommend Anna as your instructor.” (Sue, currently teaching her own private classes in Bullcreek)

So, are you ready to join our yoga teacher training program?

We can start training you, as soon as you are ready.

Email Anna at yoga-health@hotmail.com to find our more.

We provide corporate yoga classes across Perth. Our instructors are fully trained, experienced and insured.

Yoga is for all ages, not just the young. Yogini Tao Porchon-Lynch lived 101 years, out of which she practised yoga for 93. The secrets of the world’s oldest yoga teacher is in staying active and keeping positive mindset.

Practising yoga at home is a wonderful way to prioritize your health and well-being. Whether you do that in between classes or when you are unable to attend in person, yoga home practice is always beneficial. Convenience of rolling out your mat wherever and whenever you desire allows you to establish a consistent practice.

One of the advantages of practicing yoga at home is the flexibility it provides. You have the freedom to choose the duration and intensity of your sessions. If time is a concern, you will be delighted to know that we’ve developed a series of short yoga reels from 30 seconds to 1 minute in length. These reels focus on specific movements and postures. They allow you to target and refine particular areas of your body or aspects of your practice.

Don’t worry if you are new to yoga or lack previous experience. Most of the movements in our reels are suitable for beginners. Our intention is to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone can participate. However, if any movements require prior experience, we ensure these details are clearly mentioned in the video. That way you can make an informed decision about whether to give them a try.

Join us on this journey of self-discovery and self-care. Let’s embrace the beauty of yoga home practice. Together we’ll explore the depths of yoga and its transformative benefits. Remember, it only takes a few minutes each day to reconnect with your body, cultivate flexibility, and restore balance to your life. Roll out your mat, take a deep breath, and let’s practice yoga together!

Click on the pictures below to start watching. Didn’t find what you were looking for? Check the profile to view more videos.

What is balance?

When our life is in balance, this is when we are happy and fulfilled. Balance in life means that the opposites meet in the centre. You are not thrown from one extreme to the other. This relates to different aspects of our lives – mental, emotional, social.

Balance in the body

The symmetry of our physical selves can be seen in a mirror. The symmetry of left and right is apparent in our arms, legs, face etcetera. Even the dual-lobes that form the left and right brain hemispheres show amazing balance both in their form and function.

The functions of the body reveal themselves in the rhythms and cycles of activity over time. Breathing in is balanced with breathing out, waking is balanced with sleep. Balance is evident at every turn. Seldom it is absolutely perfect but it’s always dynamic – through movement and stillness, form and space.

How to find balance in life

To balance the body we need to provide the conditions of balance for the body – the appropriate food, exercise and rest. Three times a day the food choices you make decide how you will feel for the next few hours.

Finding a balance in your life requires that you become aware of that which is out of balance – perhaps, reducing your investment of time and energy in activities or relationships that are unfulfilling or unbalanced. Every step that you take to improve things in your life can serve to generate the energy needed to create more overall balance. Certainly, that change may be in your work or home life and may just as well be an inner change – a change of heart or attitude.

To begin, you may find it useful to look at different aspects of your life. Perhaps, list the different aspects that make up your sense of self. What are you? A friend, a parent, a son or daughter, a wife, a brother or sister, a yoga student, a soccer player, a work colleague, a love, an intellectual, a spiritual being…

Then step back and look at the big picture of your life. Notice which areas are most out of balance and calling for your immediate attention to make some changes?

Take time to reflect

Ask yourself the following questions, answer them as best you can. If you are not sure, just move onto the next one. Ultimately, you do not need to know the answers to all these questions. But by considering them from time to time you will begin to discover clues for how to live in greater balance. Really, you can take one step at a time on the journey towards creating balance in your life.

  • In which areas do you feel most ‘overextended?’
  • In which do you feel most ‘under-developed?’
  • In what areas is the most learning going on?
  • In which do you feel most challenged?
  • Are there any areas that you feel you need to raise the bar and challenge yourself more?
  • Which areas of your life are smooth and running well?
  • Which give you your greatest sense of joy or satisfaction?
  • What aspects are you most grateful for?
  • Which do you have the most grief or regret about?
  • In which areas have you been ignoring that call for your attention?
  • What are your top 3 priorities to give time to, in order to live a more balanced life?
  • What are the first steps in that direction that you could take?

 Awareness of a pond of lilies

What is awareness?

Yogically, the main focus of yoga classes is awareness. Even though a lot of people come to yoga classes and view yoga as a way to destress and relax, these are almost like side effects (not surprisingly, pleasant ones! 😊). But the main focus of yoga is awareness. What is awareness? 

Being aware means to know, to notice and to make connections between things and people, notice how everything is connected, notice what is happening. In a wider sense, being aware means fully be present in the current moment, be fully alive.

Awareness of the body and sounds

So, in yoga class we focus on awareness a lot. We bring your awareness to your body right from the beginning. We ask you to notice how your body feels lying on the floor, ask you to be aware of the contact between the body and floor. When you move in and out of the postures, the more awareness you can bring to the movement, to the way how your body moves and how it feels in a certain position, the more benefit you will take from class. For example, we ask you to feel the stretch into the side of the hips and lower back as you take the knees from side to side. Or we bring your attention to your lower back pressing into the floor as you lift your head. 

We also invite you to be aware of the sounds around you – inside the room, outside of the room you are in. We even suggest distinguishing many different sounds of the birds, traffic, people talking.

Awareness of breath

Most important aspect of a class is to be aware of your breath. If you can maintain your awareness on the breath for a long period of time, you might not even need yoga! It will mean that you are very much in touch with yourself and reality around you. However, most people don’t have that ability. So to learn how to be aware of your breath is a useful skill and ability. Only when you are breathing fully and you are aware of your breath, you are fully alive, enjoying life.

The effects of being aware

In class we teach you to be aware but the effects of that learning can be transformed into your every day life. When you become aware of your breath, body and mind, you will also start to pay more attention to what is happening around you. You will become more aware of your thoughts and emotions and how you interact with them. We teach you to notice whether you keep engaging constantly with your thoughts, keep ignoring emotions and feelings you might feel, or you notice them. Being able to fully live and experience everything that you go through is what distinguishes a person who is aware and alive from someone who lives on auto pilot. Life can be seen with more colours, can be tasted with more flavours and heard with more sounds when you are aware, when you pay attention, when you notice.

So, you become aware of others and how you interact with them and how your words, thoughts and actions have an effect on you and those around you. The more you are aware, the better the quality of those relationships are – the relationship with yourself, with your loved ones and family, the relationship with the bigger environment. 

Final words

So, as a first step in becoming more aware, you can start to notice your breath. Notice your in breath – without changing anything. Then notice your outbreath. And notice a pause – a gap – in between each breath. Breathe in, notice gap, breathe out, notice gap. The more you can be aware of your breath and particularly those gaps in between each breath, the calmer, more balanced, more alive and joyful you are. 

I hope you will give it a go and practice this – awareness of the breath, or perhaps, awareness of the sounds, awareness of your body right now.

Awareness of wheat stalks

How does yoga work? Yoga brings everything into balance. It happens in a few ways.