My New Years resolution for you...

*This one is going to get really, real and does contain some explicit language, sorry Mum!*

I know, I know! I normally run a thousand miles in the opposite direction of new year resolutions and I’ll be the very first person to tell you that you don’t need to be a ‘new you’ in the new year! So stay with me on this one! Promise?

My New Years resolution for you is to allow your soul to feel safe.

Wherever that may be, with whoever that may be with!

What on earth does that exactly mean?

Well! Over the past year I’ve spent a good part of my energy finding people and places that I feel 100% safe with being myself, in all forms that it takes. Personally, professionally, in friendships and in relationships.

Over the past year I have stopped shrinking and watering myself down so that others will feel comfortable because for the longest time I wanted to make everyone else feel comfortable around me. I started saying no to people and invitations that I didn’t really want to accept. I lost a few friends and ruffled a few feathers and for a hot minute I almost reverted to old ways just to keep the peace.

BUT

I knew I could not do what I do and not practice what I preach every single day in my classes.

So I started carefully figuring out exactly where and with who my soul felt safe with and in the beginning I won’t lie, it was terrifying! Vulnerability is one of, if not THE hardest thing to do.

I stuck to it and - for lack of a better word - the COOLEST thing happened!

I started connecting with old friends in new ways, I started connecting with new people in the most authentic way and I culled the bullshit in between

!

Lets unpack that real quick - I’m not sure if its an “I’m getting older” thing but I simply cannot do the BS anymore and neither should you! I remind you in every class that your time is precious and step 1 of allowing your soul to feel safe is to cut out the BS! YOU DON’T NEED IT!

I get the absolute pleasure of chatting to so many of you each week; either before/after class, over coffee or just via social media. So many of you come to me to talk, download, vent or just to be heard! In an average week I will speak to about 10-15 students in depth about something that they are struggling with and I can honestly tell you 95% of the things people talk to me about could be solved if their soul felt safe. Thats an awful lot of souls not feeling safe out there!

“My friends don’t support this new path I’m taking but I don’t want to say anything and lose them all together.”

“My family judges me with all this ‘hippie’ stuff.”

“People tell me I’m ‘too much.’”

These are just a few of the conversations I have with people. That last one made me cry.

If people are telling you, you’re too much, remove yourself from that situation. Never, NEVER be okay with surrounding yourself with people who tell you that you’re ‘too much’.

I try to remind you all that at any time that the studio is open and you are always safe to be exactly what your soul needs to be at that point in time.

So my New Years resolution, should you choose to accept is to be incredibly assertive and mindful of who and what you surround yourself with. Ask yourself, does my soul feel safe here/with you? If the answer is no or even maybe, start re-arranging accordingly!

Wishing you an absolutely smashing 2020 gang! May it be abundant in love, health, happiness and magical moments of every kind!

Namaste,

Jess

2018 | a love letter

Dear 2018, 

You started much the same as any other year. On January first but you would soon show me that you were nothing like any of my other 24 laps around the sun.  

I learnt to be careful what I wish for because I just might get it. Infact 2018, you were insanely kind to me. Kinder than I could ever have imagined. You delivered everything I set out for and then a whole lot more! 

I was half joking when I said I wanted to start a yoga studio but you weren’t. I was half joking when I said I wanted to quit my full time job and work for myself but you weren’t. And I was about 3/4 sure I was absolutely dreaming when I said I wanted to take a 3 week international holiday when in the first year of business but you showed me that absolutely anything is possible.  

I think you threw almost every challenge at me. Both professionally and personally. 

You challenged me to work harder than I ever thought I could. You challenged me to be stronger than I have ever been. You challenged me to trust my gut and to just jump time and time again when I had no idea where I was going to land. You challenged me to push my body to its limits (sleep deprivation is no joke y’all) You challenged me to be wise how and with who I spent my time. You challenged me to become the happiest version of myself. 

You taught me to say yes to every opportunity.

You showed me that in 365 days I could completely change my life. 

You introduced incredible souls into my days so I didn’t have to do any of it alone, infact I could not have done this year without the help that I have had. I see a small business as a child and it’s true when they say it takes a village.

That brings me to each and every student that has stepped foot in the studio. 

At the end of every one of my classes I ask you to thank yourself for showing up for your practice and I thank YOU for sharing your time with me because I know it’s precious. In this lifetime we can get more of nearly everything. Except time. So those hours that you choose to spend at the studio, know that I am eternally grateful for you doing so.  

I’ve nearly completed my 24th lap around the sun and as 2018 comes to an end I could not be more grateful for where I am and how I get to spend my time. 

So 2018, it is with an insanely grateful heart, I say thank you.  

2019, I cannot wait to see what you have in store.  

Yogis,  I thank you infinitely for your support. I have H U G E plans for Ayama in 2019 and I cannot wait to have you along for the ride! 

From my heart to yours;

Namaste

Jess

They call it 'Incredible India'

Do you have a place in this world, besides the place that you live, that feels like home? Maybe its your favourite rock by the ocean, maybe it’s somewhere off the trail or perhaps you're still searching? A place where your soul just craves to be? A place perhaps you didn't think you needed until you were there?

I do, and they call it 'Incredible India.'

I fell in love with India in 2016. Three weeks was no where near enough time to even start to scratch the surface. I had basically booked my next trip before I had even finished the first one. However, India captivated me long before my first trip there.

Years ago when I would spend my school holidays helping my mum out at the family Post Office, sticking stamps on hundreds and hundreds of envelopes, a staff member would hear me complaining and would often recite the final stanza of a poem by an American poet:

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep"

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening - Robert Frost

 So much so that I have not ever forgotten it! In between reciting the poem he would speak of his home town in Kerela with such fondness and I'm not entirely sure if it was the way he spoke about India or the things he said that held my attention each time I was there for the many years he worked there. When I was little it just seemed so far away, so foreign and unaccessible. Until I grew up and realised it was not really any of these things!

The first trip was a whirlwind. Three weeks in any country is just not enough time! So 2017 I returned. My flight was booked with the return date flexible. I packed the day I left, I was ruthless. My backpack was 9kg for a 3 month trip and honestly my old self wouldn't believe you as to what I had packed and what didn’t make the cut. 

I took no make up, no hair straighter, no hair dryer. I mean I didn't even pack a hair brush instead took my trusty comb. My bag filled up with my hiking boots, my jacket, a few pairs of pants, a couple of tee's, a jumper, my journal and that was it. I thought I would miss one of my luxury items at some point but the truth is I honestly didn't. It is incredible how many 'things' we use on a daily basis that we are told we need so we confuse them for essentials.  

The first 3 weeks were spent exploring spiritual sites, sunrises and sunsets in some of the most incredible places, temple hopping, Ganga Aarti's and countless Pujas. Incredible experiences that have to be felt to be understood, if its not on your bucket list, please consider it! Trust me on this one!

I often joke that you need to have at least one break down in India, often followed by a break through. For me it just happened to be three and a half thousand meters above sea level. I had done this trek the year before and knew that although it was short (8km round trip) it was steep and after hiking to and from Kedarnath (32km round trip) the past two days and still suffering slight altitude sickness from that my body was not ready for the trek to Tungnath. I just told myself I would try, if all else failed, I could get a pony back down. I will always be thankful to my walking buddy who stayed with me every step and another member of the group who appointed himself as our cheerleader, encouraging us and updating us on the progress as we refused to look too far ahead and just focused on each step at hand. Although this seems small, this was a huge thing for me. Our self appointed cheerleader said to me about 1km from the top 'Jess I bet you've had to do way harder things than this in your life, this is nothing in comparison!' And I'm not sure why this had such an effect on me but it did. Cue the break down. Each step to the top was an absolute struggle, my body and my mental state was done. Once we reached the top, I rang the bell and then absolutely broke down. Guys, I'm talking uncontrollable sobbing on the side of a mountain! I'm sure people thought I was nuts, I was a hot mess but a break down allows space for a break through! 

My break through happened a little closer to sea level at a cafe in Rishikesh. I had just said goodbye to my travel buddy of 3 weeks and was alone for about a week until my course started. A book had caught my eye in a book shop I used to walk past every day. I finally bought it. Silence by Thich Nhat Hanh (side note: would recommend) I read the entire book in one afternoon over many cups of chai. (Stay with me this might sound super corny) As I put the book down I noticed that the sun was setting. Its hard not to ponder life in such a moment. I thought about many things but specifically when I used to suffer terrible anxiety. Something that I struggled with a lot during high school. Something I still deal with but do not struggle with. I never imagined I could be so far from home. I thought back to when I was a lot younger and my number one personality trait was shyness. I could not have a conversation and now most people struggle to get me to be quiet! I couldn’t help that think life had come a long way from where I was. Through years of practice of mediation and yoga I learnt tools that work for me, to allow my anxiety fall away as a  personality trait and yes, I do sometimes still get anxious, I’m only human. But the change is that now, I sit with it, acknowledge it and then release it with yoga and meditation. Yoga and meditation isn’t for everyone and it doesn’t always work for everyone either but if you can find something that works for you, learn all you can about it. Implement it in every way possible and I promise you that it will be worth it. 

Far too many people asked me "Why India? It's so dirty." "But you're a girl... in India..." "Will you be safe? What about if something happens?" These questions always baffled me and every question like this came from people who had not been there. It was interesting to see the way they judged a place by simply what they had heard. Yes be aware, yes be smart and vigilant but that is nothing that I wouldn't do if I was on a night out in Sydney. 

So you see, its not just that I happened to pick India as a holiday destination and loved it, it was much more that it was years of wondering and imagining what adventures were waiting to be had there!

Most of my adventures cannot be put into words without diluting the experience. I've still not found a way to adequately describe the sunrise on the mountains in Badrinath, the roaring sound and the colour of the Alakananda and Bhagirathi rivers meeting to take the name of the Ganges, the site of Kedarnath temple covered in flowers or hearing baby elephants trumpet in the jungle in the middle of the night. 

I had someone tell me the other day that they wish they could afford to start travelling more and start ticking off bucket list items.  My friends, money will come and money will go. The more you seek, the more you will feel like you don't have enough. I am well aware that we need money to survive but there must come a time we're we can't afford NOT to travel more. To discover, to grow, to expand, to learn...

I will never tire of the sound of the Ganges roaring in Rishikesh, I will never tire of the feeling of reaching the top of the mountain after everything in me says I wouldn't make it. I will never tire of the chants echoing across the villages at dawn. India is ever changing, you can resist and be knocked down or dive in and swim out the other side. You could spend a lifetime exploring and still never experience everything!

"I pray you too will travel the world, not for selfies but for self knowledge." 

Namaste,

Jess

Sole/Soul

I've been thinking lately about a phrase my Nanna used to tell me when I would complain about her parking in the furthest possible spot from wherever we were going (generally grocery shopping)

"A walk is as good for the sole as it is for the soul" she would say.

At 8 years old, lemme tell you, I just didn't wanna go food shopping, regardless how good she tried to convince me it was.

But I've been pondering this lately (anyone else a 2am thinker when you know your alarm is set for 5am?) 

So I started researching how on earth do the two possibly go together?

Well my dear friends, here's what I found! 

When you walk barefoot on the earth the negative ions found in the earth can help balance the positive ions in your body improving your overall health.

Most of us have heard of pressure points in the foot, by walking barefoot on the earth this activates certain acupuncture points in the foot energising our body and improving the nervous system. By improving the nervous system we in turn improve the blood circulation in the body and in doing so we strengthen the cardiovascular system (that good old ticker of ours!) 

There is a certain pressure point in the foot that connects with the nerves in the eye so by walking barefoot we are activating this pressure point which helps improve our eyesight too! 

Our feet hold the highest concentration of sensory neurons with over 200,000. These are constantly sending back essential information to the brain about our body's position and posture. Combined with our eyesight and balance receptors in our ears, our feet make up a part of a pretty sophisticated network that helps us navigate our way through all kinds of terrains! 

So not only are we strengthening our feet and ankles, there are also all these hidden health benefits! 

I myself am guilty of not spending enough time barefoot. So this week my goal is just 15 mins a day, barefoot, soles on the earth!

Namaste,

Jess

x

What is a yoga teacher ?

"The main duty of a yoga teacher is to serve. To serve your students and yourself by hastening your spiritual evolution. Service is done with gratitude. Gratitude of the divine who has chosen to make you a instrument of good. 

To your teachers who have imparted their wisdom.

To your students who by coming to you give you an opportunity to be of use to humanity, benefiting the life around you.

A teacher is not just a teacher but a YOGI. One who based his or her life in lofty and sublime principles. Being an ideal representative of all this stands for so that everyone around you will understand what yoga is and develop there own respect for it.

Continue to be students; continue to learn.

There is NO end to knowledge.

Be Humble.

A definition of Yoga is perfection in Action. What ever you do in THOUGHT WORD & DEED, let there be perfection

And what is a perfect act You ask ?

It is an Act: that brings Someone Benefit and Harm to: NO ONE"

The Science Of Life - Swami Sivananda

I stumbled across this quote the other day and thought it was perfect. 

Ayama is three months old today and I can't believe how quickly its gone. I am in love with the space that we have created, yes WE. Before it was simply 4 brick walls. 3 months later, it feels like home when I walk in. That's all I ever wanted for Ayama, for it to feel like home to anyone who came, for you to feel comfortable, for you to want to show up for yourself and want to work your hardest, even on the days when it might be harder than usual. 

I try my best to make my classes a combination of all of my experiences, a mix of hard work and fun and in turn making you want to work to your ability at every class. I have felt the benefits of yoga, I have seen the benefits of yoga. Students show up with a sore back, knee, ankle or tightness here or there and I see them loosen up throughout class and leave saying they feel like they can move again. I see students show up stressed, rushing in from their day and then I see them walk out the door after practice calm and focused. I see your little smiles and the relaxed faces after savasana and it never fails to make me incredibly grateful whether I have one yogi or ten. 

Yoga has a different meaning for each person that practices. Each time we step on the mat, its a completely new experience, regardless if its the exact same asanas (postures) used. We are not the same, we change, our bodies are formed differently, our experiences shape us in different ways. So it's important that we remember this when we step on our mat, not to compare and not to judge ourselves. Its easy to get caught up in the mindset that everyone else is watching you or judging you SPOILER, they're not. They are in their own practice. They are focused on keeping their tail tucked under, their shoulders back and down and on top of that to continue breathing. 

So every time you show up for your practice, know that I am grateful that you're there. That I do not take it lightly that you chose to spend your time at Ayama. 

If this is just the beginning, I can't wait to see where we go from here fam. 

Thank yourself for showing up for your practice,

Thank you for sharing your time with me, I know its precious.

Take a deep breath,

Namaste.

Welcome to MAY!

Hey Yogi's,

Just a few exciting things to update you all on for the month of MAY! 

Firstly, how did we get here? How is it already May? Wasn't it just New Year's like last week? If you're like me and struggling to comprehend how its nearly winter, never fear! We have a few exciting things happening in the studio to warm you up :)

May 6th - We have the beautiful Lisa from Intergrated Yoga starting her weekly Yogalates classes!

Yogalates is the fusion of Yoga and Pilates. Taking the alignment and core strength from Pilates into the asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing techniques) of Yoga. 

8am-9am | weekly on Sunday |  $15 

You can learn a little more about Lisa and book your mat HERE 

May 18th - Get ready to relax your way into winter with Wendy from Soulfire Yoga!

Restorative yoga is a calming and peaceful yoga practice. Utilising props, it allows the individual to maintain balance and activate the parasympathetic nervous system to relax the body and calm the mind.

7pm-9pm | Friday 18th May | $40

Learn more about Wendy and book your mat HERE

May 25th - Join us for our monthly women's circle. Gather with a group of like minded ladies as we create, share and delve a little deeper.

7:30pm-9pm | $30

Bookings can be made with Emma from Your Balanced Life HERE

And as usual we have our normal weekly timetable which you can check out HERE

We also have a super exciting announcement coming very soon! We are fine tuning the details to make it perfect so stay tuned!

Much love and as always,

Namaste,

Jess

x

Welcome to AYAMA YOGA

Hey gang!

Welcome to AYAMA, thanks for stopping by!

Let me tell you the story of how Ayama happened, it goes a little something like this...

I remember walking Cronulla Esplanade years back talking to a friend about doing my yoga teacher training (I was having a mid life crisis at 18, unhappy with my job and wanting to do something new!) I remember saying that I wanted to eventually create my own space, that could be safe space for like minded people to come together and just be! Whether it was a yoga class, a meditation, a satsung (talk) or just hanging out in a soul circle. 

I then went through the whole argument with myself that I couldn't, I wasn't experienced enough, I wasn't old enough, I wasn't 'this' enough, I wasn't 'that' enough. You get the idea. So I told myself to give it up and re visit it in 10 years when apparently I thought I would be all of those things.

Flash forward to when I was 22 and I went to a manifesting workshop, which I had no idea would change my life. When asked what we wanted to manifest in our lives, most girls said a relationship, a new job, a new car, their dream wedding. I actually realised I didn't even know why I was there, I kinda just went. I was in a pretty good place in my life at the time, I had great friends, I loved my job and my car! So I went absolutely ridiculous, I had always wanted to go to India, it seemed so foreign, ridiculously far out of my comfort zone, so much so it kind of scared me. So I blurted out I want to go to India. For the next hour and a half we learnt about how to manifest and the law of attraction. We spoke about our plans like they were happening, like they were already a thing. I have to be honest, I was skeptical but it was fun! It was fun to get carried away with these crazy plans that lit us all up! We were so excited for each other, for the new job someone had, for the new love another had found, for the perfect wedding that had been booked, for my crazy India trip!

So from then on, I spoke about India like I had already booked the ticket, people thought I was nuts. My family definitely couldn't comprehend it and I'm sure mum nearly had a heart attack when I announced I was going to India! (note: I had no idea when this trip was happening/if it was ever going to happen)

I went to a satsung (talk) just after returning from Bali in March 2016 and the person running it just so happened to be a monk from India, who was holding a retreat later that year. I enquired about it and it snow balled from there. It was all too easy! Everything fell into place. Flights were on sale for the exact time I was going, my tax return was the exact amount I needed for the retreat (to the dollar!) I got the time off work, like I said, it was all too easy!

October 2016, bags all packed, a belly full of butterflies and a travel buddy who I hardly knew but would soon become a very dear friend of mine, it was India time! As I walked on the plane I had a pinch me moment. I couldn't believe I was really about to do this! How had I created this? 

I fell in love almost instantly with India, just as I knew I would. I had never felt more at home, away from home until we got to Badrinath. If you ever get the chance in this life time, go! No photos could ever capture the magic that is there. After coming from Rishikesh (the home of Yoga) and spending 2 weeks learning about the philosophy of Yoga, I decided whilst walking into town that I would return again, stay for longer and finally do my Yoga teacher training. 

Flashforward again to October 2017, my bags again packed, a new travel buddy and giddy with excitment to return. A whole lot of hours later, we landed in Delhi! Immediately I was home again. I spent the first month of my trip travelling around, hiking mountains, visiting temples, bathing in the Ganges. What a dream!

November 1st rolled around, 1 month, 200 hours and a whole lot of chaturanga in front of me, it was go time!

My month of yoga training  was the most challenging thing I've ever done, also the most rewarding. My body ached but its funny what you can do when the mind decides it will. My teachers were tough but made me want to work harder than I ever have!

Every morning we had a Pranayama class in which we learnt different breathing techniques, cleansing techniques and was just an over all great way to start your day! 

Prana | Life force/life energy

Ayama | Expansion/extension

Together Pranayama can be translated as the practice to expanding and extending life energy.

Hence Ayama was born shortly after returning home.

I am beyond excited to share my love of yoga and its ancient philosophy. I can't wait to see where this journey leads and I hope you'll join me!

Namaste,

Jess