Luxe Wellness: Yoga, Meditation and Pilates

MEDITATION

Slip into a world of total relaxation and let everything around you dissolve. Meditation is a habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. Need help shutting your mind off before bed? Or staying focused during work? Not only does meditation do wonders in reducing stress, depression and anxiety but it can also improve your concentration and attention span. The wonderful team at The Open Mind Space offers meditation, yoga, movement classes and personal healing as well as full moon meditation sessions down at Bar Beach, Newcastle, every full moon. They aim to experience, share, connect, learn and grow together as a community. The Open Mind Space is online with all of its different classes, including sound healing and meditation, streamed live!

“We have always based our offerings on the 'ripple effect' concept. To create a shift, no matter how small, in one person's life will ripple out to affect their immediate family and friends, and so the ripple grows. Our priority is to be present for our community, reminding them of mindful practices such as meditation, yoga and self-inquiry, to set a strong foundation for being present in their daily life. By supporting the individual, we lift the wider community as a whole.” – Renée, Murray and Cat from The Open Mind Space.

PILATES

Pilates has quickly become a popular way to exercise, improving abdominal endurance, flexibility and balance. It offers plenty of benefits to your body, regardless of your fitness background. Fleur Wellbeing is ahead of the trend. As a Newcastle mat and reformer Pilates studio, they have a passion to inspire the community to live with vitality, encouraging everyone to take care of their mental and physical health through movement. Their classes include mat Pilates, pre-natal Pilates and reformer Pilates as well as Barre, TRX and stretch classes. They even have a Barre and Bubbles class, where you can bring in the weekend with a glass of bubbles and a workout! How amazing is that? The lovely team at Fleur Wellbeing provides support and guidance, paying close attention to detail ensuring that everyone achieves the most from their classes. Conscious of lockdown restrictions easing, they reopen on June 15 with a reduced timetable and smaller class sizes. Encouraging everyone to prioritise both their physical and mental health, pre-recorded online class memberships introduced during isolation will continue to stay.

“Through live classes it was really useful to be able to still teach people but being one-on-one offers more intimate training. We can correct people more, see what they’re doing a bit easier and adjust their alignment in a more personalised setting.”

To find out out more about the new timetable as well as online memberships, simply head to www. fleurwellbeing.com.au

YOGA

"The main reason we continue to offer ourselves, our space and our teachings is because I have every confidence that as long as we pull together, we’ll make it through. The stronger we are in our mental, emotional and physical self-care, the healthier we will stay. The healthier we stay, the stronger we’ll be for our families, friends, co-workers, and the greater community. Sending love and strength to you and your community." – Cveta and the Yoga Loft

Yoga isn’t technically considered a form of exercise but more of a way to bring together physical and mental disciplines to achieve a peaceful mind and body. Not only does it manage stress and anxiety but it also improves respiration, energy and vitality. The Yoga Loft is Newcastle’s premium yoga spot providing a safe and nurturing space for the community. They offer classes of all strengths aiming to relax your body, mind and spirit. Classes such as the Prana Vinyasa, a liberating and rhythmic flow class and Yin & Yoda Nidra, a guided sleep meditation, are made to help relax and care for your body and health. As we continue to isolate and work from home, the amazing team at the Yoga Loft have been streaming online daily classes! Continuing to provide the community of Newcastle with all their favourite classes that can now be completed from comfort of their own home.

INNER HEALTH

Tea drinking is an excellent, yet often overlooked, inner health practice. During the winter months, settling down on a cool evening with a warm cup of tea is an ideal way to unwind from life’s daily stresses. Golden Wattle Tea’s Signature Blends are the perfect choice of tea to wind down with. Operating since 2015, Golden Wattle Tea grows and hand crafts their own teas in Australia from a blend of natural botanicals, herbs and adaptogens. With a variety of unique flavours to choose from, each tea from the Signature Blends collection offers individual health benefits accompanied by an amazing taste. With this selection in mind, enjoy Façon’s edit for the perfect tea for every occasion. For an afternoon pick-me-up, look no further than the Linden and Elderflower Organic Blend. With ingredients that aid in strengthening the immune system, the blend can be enjoyed on a daily basis as well as an aid in times of sickness. For a soothing experience, Façon loves the Rose Green Tea. The natural rose aroma combined with hints of pine sets the serene mood while the century-old combination hosts infection-fighting and cleansing properties along with added skin benefits. For a relaxing day in, Lavender Spirit is the ideal cosy tea. The soft floral taste is suitable for all times of the day but is most optimal for a cosy night in. With lavender’s endless natural properties, a key benefit of the tea is its ability to aid in stress relief.

For more information visit: Golden Wattle Tea www.goldenwattletea.com