Josh’s Yoga Journey

Yoga is something I’ve come back to again and again at different times in my life for different reasons. 

I first dabbled with it when I was a teenager, I had been an elite gymnast and retired into the life of a rock climbing bum. Yoga helped to maintain some of the strength and flexibility from gymnastics and supported my climbing. Over the years I’ve managed to break my back a few times (twice snowboarding, once skydiving… the ground keeps winning and yoga has helped me to rehabilitate and manage that. 

When the passion for yoga began

I really came to fall in love with yoga in 2014. I was having a bit of a destructive journey with various substances at the time and my version of rehab was spending a month in the Peruvian Amazon working with traditional healers. It was a very intense & very confronting month, and some days it felt like the yoga practice that I was learning to cultivate was all that kept me going. A couple years later I decided it was finally time to dive deeper, I thought I’d have to go to India or back to the jungle to find the right teacher. However, a mutual friend put me in touch with Michael de Manincor, and in 2017 I started my first teacher training with his incredible 500hr program. 

Working as a private yoga mentor

There are operations of our minds that we are unaware of. These, at times, can work against us by repeating patterns of thought, feelings and actions that lead to unhappiness, or by interfering with healthy relationships.

Lately I haven’t been teaching many group classes but I really enjoy working privately with people, mentoring them in various aspects of the system of Yoga and to help them develop a personalised practice so that they can really learn to guide themselves deeper. 

Yoga really is a gift that has kept on giving and I’m intrigued to see what it teaches me next!

What is Josh doing now?

Currently I’m working in a private clinic offering Transpersonal Counselling and yoga mentoring at Qi Health and Yoga in both Manly and Freshwater. I’m also teaching a few classes and workshops. I’m also contributing to a wonderful online Yoga and Recovery program to support people recovering from addiction (emergerecovery.com).

Prior to COVID, I was playing music and teaching yoga at music festivals (places like Subsonic, Burning Seed, Dragon Dreaming, Rabbits Eat Lettuce). COVID has dictated that my dancing shoes are getting a little R&R. I’m really looking forward to borders opening up again so that I can offer yoga, wilderness and adventure-based retreats around the world. 

What opportunities are there for yoga teachers?

I hear a lot of people express frustration about the yoga industry and how hard it is, which I totally get. There’s a lot of teachers, there’s a lot of studios, people are hustling for work and having to teach massive days to make ends meet.

I do think, there is a lot of opportunity if you are showing up with your own flavour to be able to share that and carve out a niche. COVID has really pushed a lot of people to engage differently which I think has been challenging for many of us in a lot of ways. It’s also wonderful in how we are seeing more people exploring different platforms and different frameworks for connecting to students and supporting themselves. 

Anything else you’d like to share?

Lots! Come connect with me and allow me that opportunity 😉 I’ve got a bunch of yummy things coming up, check out joshcaple.com/events for details.

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How can we support you?

Since 2001 The Yoga Institute has taught and mentored hundreds of students who have gone on to become amazing yoga teachers. We’ve grown a beautiful community of people who have changed their own lives and the lives of others through exceptional yoga teaching. We are humbled to have been part of so much positive change.

Interested in Yoga Teacher Training? get prospectus and join our next information session

Sleep: an important consideration in personal practice design

A gift for maintaining health and wellbeing
A gift to assist in healing 

How is your sleep?

Sleep is an important area to consider in your self-care or healing regime. This is also a question that will be considered in some detail by a well-trained Yoga Therapist or Yoga Teacher, when working one-on-one with a client. 

Sleep is a vital aspect of our daily routine and a priority when it comes to looking after ourselves and others. Some sleep proponents express that sleep is one of the MOST important pillars for the protection and maintenance of health and wellbeing (Walker, 2017). 

Sleeping problems very common in adults

Despite the importance of sleep, experiencing sleep problems is very common in developed countries. Inadequate sleep (of either duration or quality) and its daytime consequences, affects 33-45% of adults in Australia. These problems occur across all age groups.

(https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/pdfs/surveys/SleepHealthFoundation-Survey.pdf)

So why do we need sleep?  

The reasons are many but the bottom-line is that sleep is a fundamental support for the vital functioning of many of our bodily systems. Put simply, sleep is integral to optimal functioning and health. Sleep is the process through which we rejuvenate, repair and revive our systems. This is the time when both our body and mind go through repair and rebuilding.

What happens when we don’t get enough sleep?

“…– routinely sleeping less than six or seven hours a night demolishes your immune system, more than doubling your risk of cancer. Insufficient sleep is a key lifestyle factor determining whether or not you will develop Alzheimers disease. Inadequate sleep even moderate reductions for just one week – disrupts blood sugar levels so profoundly that you would be classified as pre-diabetic.” from Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker.

What is the perspective of yoga and sleep? 

In the context of yoga, sleep is considered an activity of the mind and is termed in Sanskrit as ‘nidra.’ In the state of nidra (sleep) there is “a tamasic state” of mind cultivated. 

According to yoga this ‘tamasic’ state is one of three states of mind. These states are referred to as the gunas:

• Tamas – the ‘tamasic’ state is dull (heavy, stuck, sleepy)
• Raja – the ‘rajasic’ state is excessive (racing thoughts)
• Sattva – the ‘sattvic’ state is balanced (calm, ease, clarity, flow) 

As part of our humanness we all experience these mind states and they affect our functioning on both a physical (gross) and mental (subtle) level. These states of mind support us in our activities of daily life, they work individually and together to support balance and mitigate the effects of each other. 

How is your state of mind right now?

As you read this article – is your mind active and thinking about all that you can do with this information (rajasic)? Are you feeling sleepy and a little dull, ready for a nap (tamasic)? Or are you knowingly, calmly, present and focussed on all that I am sharing (sattvic)? 

The state of sattva is the middle ‘sweet’ spot – we aim to live in this state of balance as much as possible. Rather than a state of excess activity OR a state of excess inactivity. To live in these extreme states over extended periods is what leads to chronic imbalance and poor health.

Yoga and healthy sleep  

If we sleep in a state of pure TAMAS it is considered very healthy sleep. If our sleep is overpowered by tamas – no thoughts (abhava) then one wakes after a night’s sleep feeling fresh as a daisy!

A regular yoga practice can support us in reaching this deeply restful state during sleep and maintaining a ‘sattvic’ state more of the time during our waking hours.

A national survey found that over 55% of people who practiced yoga found that it helped them get better sleep (Harvard Health). Other studies have looked at specific populations – particularly the elderly where insomnia is commonly experienced. It found the impact of a long-term Yoga practice had a positive effect on sleep quality and quality of life.

As always with yoga, the practices that best support someone to improve their sleep will vary considerably depending on the individual – there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer.

Sleep as an aid to healing in yoga therapy

Because sleep has such a key role in rejuvenation and healing it is an essential consideration for Yoga Therapists and Yoga Teachers working in one-one settings. As such it is an important component of what yoga teachers and yoga therapy trainees learn about in our Yoga Therapy Training program.

Questions to ask about sleep in developing a personal practice

Whether considering your own sleep or a client’s in relation to developing a personal practice, there are some important questions to explore:

• How is the quality of your sleep? 
• Do you wake during the night?
• How many hours’ sleep do you normally get each night?
• After a night’s sleep do you wake up feeling refreshed? 
• Are you aware of / do you remember your dreams? 
• If so, How often? What is the content of your dreams? 

As a yoga therapist, understanding these aspects of ones  sleep routine and experience is very much part of the history taking process. This information provides a holistic view and  will further assist with the  development of an appropriate practice to support a person and if required focus on better sleep.

If looking to improve your own sleep through a personalised yoga practice, exploring these questions with the help of an experienced yoga teacher or yoga therapist, will allow them to design a practice that best supports you. 

Written by Lisa Grauaug,
Course Director of our Yoga Therapy Training program

Upcoming 100hr Yoga Therapy Foundations Module CLICK HERE

Meet Gemma Perry. Gemma is a graduate of The Yoga Institute, she has been practicing and studying chanting for over a decade, she’s currently undertaking a PhD to try to uncover some of the science behind chanting.

By Amy Fallon Shared from ABC app

Chanting is an ancient practice with mental health effects that might apply to our busy lives.

Scientific studies have found that chanting can decrease stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as increase positive mood, feelings of relaxation and focused attention.

The first time Gemma Perry tried chanting, she had no idea what to expect.

“I was at a yoga studio and everyone was chanting a particular phrase 108 times and I didn’t know what was going on,” she says.

But Perry, who was suffering from severe depression, says she found chanting to be so therapeutic she tried it again the following week.

A decade on, she’s undertaking a PhD to try to uncover if science can explain it.

Despite having been practised for thousands of years by almost every culture in the world, many consider chanting to have only spiritual advantages.

It’s only now that its physiological and psychological benefits are being accepted more widely in the West.

“Scientific studies have found that chanting can decrease stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as increase positive mood, feelings of relaxation and focused attention,” Perry says.

“It is possible that, regardless of the tradition or belief system involved in the chanting practice, chanting may have a physiological and psychological effect no matter what you are chanting.”

Repetitive vocal chanting can have a direct effect on the parasympathetic nervous system, Perry says, as it can slow breathing and activate the vagus nerve.

“We still don’t know scientifically if it matters what you chant or not,” she says.

Chanting can improve attention and lift mood

For her PhD, Perry is studying the psychological effects of chanting from many diverse traditions, as well as the differences between styles of chanting, such as silent or vocal mantra repetition, done either individually or in groups.

According to the results of a 2016 study by Perry, Professor Bill Thompson and Dr Vince Polito, also from Macquarie University, chanting the universal mantra “Om” for 10 minutes improved attention, contributed towards a positive mood and increased feelings of social cohesion.

The study found that a positive effect and altruism increased more following vocal chanting than silent chanting.

Another study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 2018, found that “mantram” repetition therapy — which involves silently repeating a spiritually-related word or phrase selected by each individual from a recommended list — was effective in treating veterans diagnosed with military-related post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD).

A separate paper published last year in Federal Practitioner concluded that similar practices such as mindfulness, meditation, and yoga aided health care workers with “small-to-moderate improvements in emotional exhaustion, sense of personal accomplishment, and life satisfaction”.

Other research has found that chanting increased cerebral blood flow in areas of the brain known to deteriorate in Alzheimer’s patients.

Perry says ancient Egyptians believed chanting encouraged flooding of the Nile and would yield successful crops, while Indigenous Australians used the practise to aid them in finding water and navigating land.

Her research has taken her to Hare Krishna, Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh temples in Australia and abroad, while she’s also shared chanting practices with a high school and big corporation in Sydney.

“I’m discovering new traditions and practices all the time,” Perry says.

“Someone got in touch recently who was a Zoroastrian priest, from one of the oldest practiced religions in the world.”

Chanting combines music therapy with meditation and mindfulness

As a musician and avid music fan, Professor Thompson has benefitted enormously from meditation, which he started aged 16 after spending 12 months training under a yogi.

He is now studying a range of music-based interventions that benefit wellbeing, quality of life, and cognitive-motor functions.

“Chanting is one example of how music can enhance wellbeing and quality of life — and an interesting one, because it combines many elements of other music-based activities, but also includes meditation and mindfulness elements which may add fuel to the power of music,” Thompson says.

“Vocal group chanting provides more opportunity than silent chanting for deep connection with other people, and this might help to explain the enhanced impact on altruism.”

Thompson stresses that while chanting can bring a range of psychological and cognitive benefits, it will only work if people are genuinely interested in the practice, and enjoy it.

The perseverance, though, is worth it.

“Once you’ve practiced meditation for many years, most people tend to change the way they approach daily life, placing value on a sense of equanimity and mindfulness that is not restricted to an actual meditation session,” he says.

Chanting is simple and easy to learn!

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How can we support you?

Deepen your learning with us online

Yoga Sutra Studies online: commences Thursday 30th April
Teacher Training Rolling intake: start TODAY! 

We hope that you and your loved ones have been doing well. The last few years have been quite unprecedented. Take a moment to acknowledge just how strong you have already been!

We are delighted that training in our Cammeray premises is full-steam ahead in 2022 and we are ready to adapt to whatever comes, just as we have done in 2020 and in 2021.

We know, however, that people are curious how we approach times of restriction, both to accomodate training and to keep everyone safe, should restrictions ever come again. We hope you find the following information helpful.

The Yoga Institute philosophy & approach to living with Covid

We believe our approach in times of restrictions has highlighted our commitment to high-quality yoga education and exemplifies how we put your best learning experience at the core of all of our decisions. It’s just who we are!

Our founder and director, Michael de Manincor, may be best known as one of Australia’s preeminent trainers of yoga teachers and yoga therapists, and as a psychologist, but he also holds a degree in Education.

Adult education is both a science and an art.  Core to a great learning experience is for education providers to truly understand the different and varied ways people take in and process new knowledge.

We know not everyone learns the same. We also know how important it is that people feel empowered to have some freedoms to manage aspects of their own learning.

Online plays an important role 

A component of online training has long been an important cog in our education wheel, since well before the pandemic.

Online learning has two main parts:

a) live online learning (similar to a classroom), and
b) self-directed learning (including pre-work & homework)

Online learning greatly increases people’s accessibility to high-quality education and training. Across a broad range of training programmes and courses, we have long been able to condense vital studio time into manageable chunks of travel and commuting.

Online learning also allows for self-paced absorption, reflection and processing of information, crucial for long-term retention.

Regardless of the pandemic and whatever the future may bring, we love that online learning is an embedded part of our processes and being able to give people far-reaching access to our experienced and caring faculty.

Face-to-face learning remains powerful 

At The Yoga Institute, we are passionate about producing yoga teachers and therapists that can truly guide other people towards transformation.  Which is why delivery of content is as important as the content itself.

While we do offer some of our shorter courses entirely online, many of our training offerings are a hybrid model combining online learning with powerful face-to-face learning. This is certainly true of our 2 flagship training programmes: our 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training diploma, and our 650-hour Yoga Therapy Training.

Why? Yoga is about transformation. There is a significant mantle of responsibility on a yoga teacher or therapist who wishes to guide other people towards transformation.

Our online learning capabilities makes us nimble to sudden changes, and we have been able to deliver high-quality training to people over the course of 2 calendar years full of twists and turns, by harnessing the power of online learning. However, it is important to note that we don’t simply move all of our lessons onto an online learning environment when faced with lockdowns.

We are thoughtful and selective about which classes migrate to online learning during restrictive times such as lockdowns. 

For some topics within our bigger training courses, we prefer to go to the trouble of rearranging certain classes during a lockdown so that particular classes we truly believe are best delivered face-to-face, can move to a time when we can give them to you in the studio.   This ensures that we stay true to our education philosophy and that you get the best quality learning experience possible.

Can I complete any of the courses totally online?

Yes! Some of our shorter courses are available entirely online, from anywhere, including:

6-week Yoga Sutras Studies course (new dates coming soon)

Advanced Pranayama workshop suite (March 2022)

Our longer programmes involve some face-to-face:

100-hour Teacher Training Foundations,

500-hour Yoga Teacher Training, and

650-hour Yoga Therapy Training

We genuinely believe the programmes are better for this inclusion.

In the case of the 100-hour Teacher Training Foundations course and the 500-hour Teacher Training Diploma course, you can concentrate your studio time with us into small, immersive blocks of time (instead of more regular visits to Cammeray), perfect for those based outside of Sydney or those just needing a little more flexibility. As us about our Hybrid/Immersion training intake.

Whatever may come, we plan to remain selective about which classes or topics migrate online, and which may be better suited to re-scheduling so that we can all be together.

Peace of mind in our Cammeray premises

We take wellbeing in the studio very seriously.  Whenever our premises are open: 

• Staff and faculty regularly sanitise and disinfect all areas of our Cammeray location, including doorhandles, light switches, staircase railings, counters, desks, waiting room chairs etc. 
  
• We limit the number of people in the studio in accordance with NSW Health regulations to allow for appropriate spacing regulations.
  
• We follow NSW Health advice about masks and other protocols.
  
• In the studio, everyone brings their own yoga mat, and we provide sprays and sanitising wipes and other cleaning equipment for people to clean their mats, blocks and such. 
  
• Our chairs and lounge area allow for spaced seating and when our premises  are open, if people cannot be 1.5 metres from one another when regulations require this, we may close off certain parts of our facilities such as the kitchen. 

The quality of our students’ learning experiences and their wellbeing have always been –  and remain –  at the heart of all of our operational decisions

For people racing to simply receive the piece of paper, we may not be the best fit.  But for those seeking to equip themselves with high-quality education, those wanting to feel a sense of care and community as they enjoy their learning experience, and those who want to prepare themselves to guide true healing transformation in the lives of other people, then The Yoga Institute may be a great fit for you.

Sign up for our newsletters here to easily stay in touch with us!

More questions?

Contact us for a chat on 0477 021 219,or email us at teachertraining@yogainstitute.com.au.

“Allow a gentle smile on your mouth, you can kind of feel how it shifts the entire physiology. So that’s kind of a concrete, physical way of shifting into this attitude of welcoming and safety.”

Insights at the Edge’s Tami Simon speaks with Shauna Shapiro about the neurology of self-image and why conscious acts of self-compassion greatly enhance our well-being. Shauna comments on practicing mindfulness with warmth and open affection, as well as how this gradually cultivates empathy. Tami and Shauna also talk about “trusting the good heart” and the possibility of changing our baseline levels of happiness. Finally, they discuss why changing ingrained habits is so difficult and the subtle power of the daily self-affirmation, “Good morning. I love you.”

Dr. Shauna Shapiro is a professor, author, and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and compassion. Nearly one million people have watched her TED talk called “The Power of Mindfulness,” rated one of the top ten talks on mindfulness.

With Sounds True she has written a new book called Good Morning, I Love You: Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Practices to Rewire Your Brain for Calm, Clarity, and Joy, where she brings alive the brain science behind why we feel the way we do about ourselves, each other, and the world, and she explains how we get stuck in thinking that just doesn’t serve us. What I loved about talking with Shauna Shapiro is that here she is, a scientific researcher, PhD clinical psychologist, and she helps us understand the brain science behind how a very simple act, an act any of us can do each morning and say to ourselves, “Good morning, I love you,” might be one of the most powerful acts we can take on a regular basis.

What we practice grows stronger. Good morning, I love you.

Listen to conversation

Enjoy!

We all get the feeling of being overwhelmed at some point or another. For some, it may be once a year while for others it’s a daily occurance. If there’s ever an article to give you the words of wisdom you need to overcome this overwhelming world we live in, it’s this one.

By: Judith Hanson Lasater via Yoga Journal

Patanjali writes in his most famous Yoga Sutra (1:2): “Yoga is a state in which the agitations of the mind are resolved.” This means that through yoga, we can stop identifying with fear and anxiety, for example, and begin to settle into the now—into an internal silence. Perhaps you have had a glimpse of this state on the mat, walking in the woods, or while worshipping or praying. This deep state of silence Patanjali describes is the residue of our practice but not the asana or meditation practices themselves. We miss the real practice when we are attached to the techniques instead of the residue, or the aftertaste of the practice. When we start to understand that the asana is not the yoga, we realize that the afterglow the asana leaves in our nervous system is the true yoga. This can lead to the radical awareness that refuge can be experienced anywhere, anytime, because it can truly be a choice.

Yoga practices help us get there. By helping to change what we are focused on, asana can become the foundation for us to find the courage and awareness to turn toward our lives with curiosity and presence—to take refuge in the moment. When we try a new, sometimes scary, pose, we are practicing courage, and when we are present to bodily sensations on the mat, we create a new habit of awareness. Restorative Yoga poses are particularly helpful. For example, time spent reposing in a supported Savasana (Corpse Pose) can reinforce that you are “enough” and have value simply because you exist. That’s because Savasana tells your nervous system that it is OK to let go: that you do not have to be doing and producing all of the time in order to feel full and content with who you are. The Savasana practice here helps foster the unimaginably important and radical understanding that you are not your thoughts. As you lie still with your eyes closed and nothing to do, all you have to focus on are your thoughts. You can learn to watch your thoughts rise and fall like clouds in the distant sky. The ability to be even slightly free from the tyranny of one’s thoughts is the beginning of moksha, or the only true freedom.

Pranayama can offer us a way into a state of even deeper contentment. Besides inhalations, exhalations, and breath retention, there is something else that you can contemplate during your breath practice: the utter silence that presents itself between the inhalations and exhalations. Focusing on the moments when you are not inhaling, exhaling, or holding your breath (the natural state of suspension in between the inhalation and exhalation) can have a profound effect on your mind and nervous system. When I practice this focus, it verifies for me that true refuge can only be found within myself and does not come from outside sources. When I’m in this state, I have no worries; I’m totally content with what is.

Finding Acceptance

If you meditate, you know too well how powerful the constant barrage of arising thoughts can be. But meditation can help you create refuge in the midst of your mind. Here are three ways it can work:

1. During meditation, cultivate the habit of accepting things as they are. You may not like the noise outside your window right now, but you can stop fighting it with your mind. 
2. Cultivate the willingness to love your judging mind instead of fighting it. This is very powerful. Taking time to be quiet and aware can help us see clearly that we live with a constant and unremitting critical mind. We judge ourselves with ferocity, and we judge others without surcease. It’s a radical practice to notice this and actually contemplate the opposite—loving the humanness of our judging mind. This is a form of self-care that is especially liberating. 
3. Simply be present. Wrap yourself in the mantle of the present moment. When you sit to meditate, allow yourself to feel the moment, hear the moment, and be the moment.

Click HERE to read the full article

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Meet The Author: Judith Hanson Lasater

Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.d. in East-West Psychology and physical therapist has taught yoga around the world since 1971.  She is a founder of the Iyengar Yoga Institute in San Francisco, CA, as well as of Yoga Journal magazine.  

Ms. Lasater trains yoga teachers in virtually every state of the United States, and is often an invited guest at international yoga conventions.  She is president emeritus of the California Yoga Teachers’ Association as well as the author of numerous articles on yoga and health for nationally recognized magazines.  

Her most recent book is Restore and Rebalance: Yoga for Deep Relaxation, Shambhala Press, December, 2017. A complete list of Ms. Lasater’s nine books can be found here. She has also created numerous digital courses about teaching and practicing yoga.

Here’s your chance to meet The Yoga Institute’s talented, passionate and highly experienced Yoga Teacher Training & Yoga Therapy Training Faculty on a deeper level!

We asked each faculty member the same 5 questions, so you can truly see their unique personality, perspective, and experiences shine.

Michael de Manincor

1) Please write your brief yoga history and involvement with The Yoga Institute?
Brief??? 40+ years worth … many wonderful and sometimes challenging teachers and experiences. 
Most significantly, studies and practice in India, under the guidance of my teacher and mentor, Mr TKV Desikachar.
Founded The Yoga Institute in 1999 (originally called Integrative Yoga, then Yoga Sanga), and have remained Director for 20 years.

2) What’s the greatest benefit you have gained from your yoga practice? 
Whilst I love the practices of asana, pranayama, meditation, chanting and more, the study and sharing of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras constantly keeps me both amazed and humbled about what these teachings offer us in understanding our human condition, suffering, and opportunities for personal and collective transformation.

3) Personal shoutout! What lights you up?
Seeing the journey of change and transformation in people’s lives.

4) Where’s your happy place?
At home, in the ocean, in a forest, or in Italy.

5) What are your qualifications?

• BA (Hons, Psych), Grad Dip Ed, M Psych, PhD
• Registered Senior Yoga Teacher and Yoga Therapist, Yoga Australia
• Registered Psychologist, AHPRA 

 

Lucy Karnani

1) Please write your brief yoga history and involvement with The Yoga Institute? 
I came to yoga, or rather yoga came to me, in the late 90’s while I was living just outside New York City. I practiced with increasing frequency throughout the next decade; predominantly by attending classes. In 2009 I learnt the amazing benefits of a daily personal practice when I was introduced to a specific pranayama, breath and mediation series which I committed to for 90 days. After having experienced a whole milieu of health challenges (some of which needed specific medical intervention) I found myself feeling truly well and vital in my mind and body for the first time in over 10 years. Inspired by this, I completed my first YTT in the USA and soon after moving to Sydney in 2011 found my way to the The Yoga Institute where I studied further with Michael de Manincor. In this last decade I have had the great good fortune to study with many teachers both here and in the USA such as Richard Miller, Leslie Kaminoff, Ganesh Mohan, Amy Weintraub, VidyaMa Caroline Dell’Uomo, Devarshi Steven Hartman, Donna Farhi, Heather Plett and many more. Given my background in the corporate world where I coached, trained and consulted in face-to-face communication skills, Michael asked if I would develop workshops in this area for yoga teachers and therapists and as such I have joyfully been part of the TYI faculty since 2012.

2) What’s the greatest benefit you have gained from your yoga practice?  
The greatest benefit I have gained from my regular personal practice is an ability to slowdown, pause, come in the moment and be in the witness – after which I can more consciously make choices about what I say or do next. The movement and breath aspects of my practices have also helped my still sometimes “health challenged body and mind” become and stay strong, flexible and vital. I also get a lot of personal joy and nourishment from teaching yoga – both to small groups and individually.

3) Personal shoutout! What lights you up? 
Spending time with like-minded and like-hearted people who are curious about this journey called life!

4) Where’s your happy place? 
With my family when everyone is getting along 😀!?

5) What are your qualifications? B App Sci – Physical Education

 

Ute Koehler

1) Please write your brief yoga history and involvement with The Yoga Institute? 
My passion for Yoga started when I was in my teens. I very soon developed a love for this ancient practice and its many styles and tools. After completing my first teacher qualification in a Power Vinyasa Style, I have continued my studies with The Yoga Institute. Under the guidance of Michael de Manicor, I have completed the year long Diploma of Yoga Studies & Teacher Training as well as the Advanced Diploma of Teacher Training. Since then, I have continued my practice and the study of yoga including yoga therapy (3 year course), yogic mindfulness and the Yoga Sutras. Apart from teaching general classes, I focus of teaching seniors with the aim of healthy ageing.
I am committed to teaching and sharing Yoga, making it accessible for each and every individual, whatever their experience.

2) What’s the greatest benefit you have gained from your yoga practice?  
My yoga practice has encouraged me to become more mindful in my daily life. A regular yoga practice is so effective in helping you with a wide range of illnesses and stressful situations. It is so much more than ‘just a simple exercise or stretching routine’. Using the breath to connect the mind and the body has such a powerful impact on the mental wellbeing. For me that was one of of the key factors that I have learned when training with Michael.

3) Personal shoutout! What lights you up? 
Learning more about the philosophies, world views and teachings that emerged in ancient India. I also enjoy long walks in nature and spending my time with my family and friends.

4) Where’s your happy place? 
If we try to define ‘happiness’, the dictionary would probably say that it is a ‘state of being’. I am personally not too sure about that – I would rather refer to it as a temporary emotion. Happiness is centered around what you think will bring you happiness, but as life shows, it might never be enough. Once we acquire or find what we think will make us happy, it tends to loose its meaning very quickly. So very often people spent their lives in this never ending pursuit of happiness. I therefore think that the expression ‘contentment’ is much better. Striving for contentment, a state of balance, allows your mind to focus on living a more meaningful life – not a life in constant pursuit. And that place can be everywhere.

5) What are your qualifications?

• 200hrs Power Vinyasa
• Diploma of Yoga Studies and Teacher Training & Advanced Diploma of Teacher Training with the Yoga Institute
• 3 years of Yoga Therapy studies
• Yogic Mindfulness Training
• Studies of the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita
• Certificate in Restorative Yoga and Meditation

 

Rosie Caunt

1) Please write your brief yoga history and involvement with The Yoga Institute? 
I have been practicing yoga for 35 years and teaching for 20 years.

I have been involved with The Yoga Institute since it was Yoga Sanga around 17 years ago. I taught a little on the teacher training course then and a lot on the Friday course when The Yoga Institute began. I taught asana pranayama meditation sometimes energetics and professional yoga teacher. I also had my own studio for 10 years or so in Lindfield then Mona Vale.

2) What’s the greatest benefit you have gained from your yoga practice?
Yoga for me is about the way I live my life. How I interact with everyone and the environment and how I care for my body and mind.

3) Personal shoutout! What lights you up? 
Teaching and training mentoring running workshops lights me up. My creativity flows and I love that. I also love to ocean swim and read. I am a curious person and enjoy to keep learning

4) Where’s your happy place? 
My happy place is in the water and camping in the bush.

5) What are your qualifications?

• Cert in Education
• B ED hons
• Cert 4 in training
• Cert in health yoga
• Kinesiologist
• Certificate in studies of death and dying
• Yoga therapist
• Thousands of hours of yoga training (Some with Desikachar and Kausthub Desikachar)

 

Michela Caselli

1) Please write your brief yoga history and involvement with The Yoga Institute?
In 2010 I enrolled in the Advanced Teacher Training Course with The Yoga Institute. The same year I started teaching general classes and in 2015  I joined the faculty and mentor team. My dream came true in 2016, Michael and I, with our family heritage and love for Italy achieved our dream of running yoga retreats in Italy. Savour Italy has since been an annual retreat. 

2) 2) What’s the greatest benefit you have gained from your yoga practice?  
The understanding that it’s all in my hands, that the change I desire in my life depends on me. My daily personal practice plants the seed for my transformation.

3) Personal shoutout! What lights you up? 
It lights me up to see people passionate for something and making efforts to contribute to their direct environment.
It lights me up finding the time to be in the ocean and see that every single wave is different and I have to adjust to their uniqueness.
It lights me up dancing in the lounge room with my husband and and my son.
A proper made TiramisuIt lights me up… very rare thing in Australia!

4) Where’s your happy place? My family 

5) What are your qualifications?

• Master degree in International and Diplomatic sciences
• Diploma in Business
• Diploma of Yoga Teacher
• Yoga Therapy
• Italian Diploma of Sommelier

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How can we support you?

Since 2001 The Yoga Institute has taught and mentored hundreds of students who have gone on to become amazing yoga teachers. We’ve grown a beautiful community of people who have changed their own lives and the lives of others through exceptional yoga teaching. We are humbled to have been part of so much positive change.

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One of The Yoga Institute’s teachers, Gill Kamsler, made almond & honey oat bars for a recent teacher’s get together. Gill is ALWAYS making delicious food, she has a real reputation around the centre for her cooking! 

Ingredients

Make it your own and try adding coconut!

• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup siivers of roasted almonds
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1/3 c berries
• 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 tbs butter

Steps

Less then 10 minutes of prep time? Say no more!

1. Grease and line a standard sized (approximately) 17X28cm rectangular baking tray with baking paper, allowing the edges to overhang.
2. Place the peanut butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter into the thermomix bowl.
3. Mix for 5 minutes 80 degrees, Speed 2 or until the mixture has thickened slightly.
4. Add the oats and almonds.
5. Mix for 30 seconds on Reverse, Speed 2 or until the mixture is very well combined.
6. Add the berries into the mixture and stir with spoon.
7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tray and press down very firmly with the back of a spoon.
8. Place the tray into the fridge for 2 hours.
9. Take out and cut into long bars.
10. Place the bars into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Gill’s Advice

• It’s a thermomix recipe but I think you could do the first part on the stove top, then combine everything in a mixing bowl.
• As the bars have butter, they stay firm when taken from the fridge- but may not hold for too long.
• If you’d prefer oat slices instead of bars, make the same recipe in a bigger pan!

Enjoy!

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