Even though International Women’s Day (IWD) has come and gone, it doesn’t mean I am not going to finish posting all the blogs I had earmarked for this great day. Over the past few months, I have been busy helping to organise the 5th CFA State Conference called Women’s Health Through the Life Stages (Friday 9th March) at The Brisbane Convention Centre and a Diagnosing Birth Trauma workshop (Saturday 10th March) with Professor Peter Dietz at the Mater Hospital.
Hence the busyness prevented me from actually posting on IWD Thursday 8th March! Which is fine because we had lots to think about from the earlier great contributions from my staff (here), (here) and (here). The conferences were incredible and I know there are many more nurses, physios, fitpros, doctors and urogynaes who learnt so much from the presentations and this will inform their patient management behaviours in the future. We had a big section on Birth Trauma which was moving and enlightening and I will write a blog in the future on this.
Today’s contribution is from Marzena Skowronska, my new yoga instructor and she writes for us about what yoga has meant for her personally.
Marzena Skowronska our yoga teacher at Studio 194 Highgate Hill
“Yoga pose is not the goal.
Becoming flexible is not the goal.
Standing on your hands is not the goal.
The goal is to create space where you were once stuck.
To unveil the levels of protection around your heart.
To appreciate your body and become aware of the mind and the noise it creates.
To make peace with who you are.
The goal is to love, well… You.
Come to your yoga mat to feel; not to accomplish.
Shift your focus and your heart will grow💗 by Rachel Brathen
Child’s pose in our yoga class
Yoga came to my life during my first pregnancy and quickly became a passion assisting me not only on a physical level during two pregnancies and post-natally, but also on a deeper level, helping me to navigate with awareness in the myriad of roles I play as a modern woman (especially as a mother), and helping me to heal and grow.
What I really like about Yoga, is that it provides a platform of tangible practice on the mat, where we can learn how to be truly present and connect with ourselves, practise kindness towards ourselves (as often we are our own worst enemies judging, criticising and punishing ourselves), accept the limitation of our bodies, be content, do not judge, be grateful and love ourselves, so then we are able to extend it to others and incorporate in our everyday life off the mat.
What is more, through practising yoga I learnt and embodied self-love, self-compassion and became passionate about encouraging change, from a place of love and acceptance. I now support the notion that by healing myself, I heal and change the world. And because all that I see is a reflection of me, by working on myself, I mirror to others the healing they need. So by continuous work on myself through yoga, I am trying to do just that.
After only a few weeks of practising downdogs we are managing it so well as a group.
Thanks Marzena.
One of my resolutions this year was to try to get to enjoy yoga and not find it as a reflection of how stiff, inflexible and rotund I was. Marzena has helped me to do this and I certainly enjoy the peace that I feel at the end of every session.
Namaste
Yoga is held at Studio 194 on Tuesday and Wednesday at 6.15pm.