Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 180 i WellBeing

Sparkle. Zest. Effervescence. This could be a description of the morning sun reflecting on the sea, twinkling across the ripples of the invigorating water. It could also be the way someone radiates when they talk about their passion. Poet Atticus wrote in Love Her Wild, “I think it’s beautiful the way you sparkle when you talk about the things you love.” When you move through life deeply connected to the things you love, which in yoga philosophy is described as living your dharma, you shine brightly. Your capacity to shine is always there for you, patiently waiting to be expressed, much like creativity. All you have to do is come back to it and allow it to freely flow through you. This internal light can also work as a guide…

Impermanence is the nature of the human condition. It is the only truth of life. If you draw your attention inwards, you can notice what is happening in your body, mind and breath in this moment, bearing witness to the transient nature of life. Nothing ever stays the same; all you have is the precious gift of this very moment in time. Life is constantly in a state of flux: both the world around you and who you are as a person. By embracing the truth of impermanence and opening up to the possibility of change, you can release the grip of tension and stress as you surrender to the discomfort of the unfamiliar and, as a result, expand, evolve and grow. Or at least that’s what I’m reminding myself…

Vitamin D & diabetes Recent studies have shown a clear relationship between vitamin D and blood sugar control, suggesting vitamin D increases insulin sensitivity and improves pancreatic beta-cell function. In this new cross-sectional study involving 680 Brazilian women aged 35–74 years, the goal was to evaluate the possible association between vitamin D deficiency and increased blood sugar. Of the women interviewed, 3.5 per cent reported using vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D supplementation was found to be negatively associated with high glucose levels. Habitual exposure to the sun also provided the same association, suggesting that vitamin D deficiencies are associated with high blood glucose levels. This study does not prove a causal relationship between vitamin D and poor blood sugar control but it does add to the mounting evidence suggesting a…

What inspired you to create Gather? The idea for Gather came to me the day I was told I would miscarry my first baby, in June 2013. I went along for my very first scan at about 10 weeks and was told our baby had no heartbeat. I was devastated and felt totally alone in my grief. What I needed was women around me who understood what I was going through. I didn’t have that. One year later, I gave birth to a baby girl with the love and support of a doula. I had a wonderful birth and felt very held and cared for by her during the experience. We found our doula at Carriage House Birth in New York where we were living at the time and when…

Supporting a global industry worth tens of billions of dollars, our quest for sparklingly clean, sweet-smelling homes has spawned a vast array of products. But dig beneath the familiar, friendly packaging and marketing claims so many of us inherently trust and you’ll find a scourge of chemical irritants, toxins and carcinogens. Ranging from petrochemical surfactants and solvents to antibacterials, fungicides and synthetic fragrances, most of these ingredients are unlisted and untested. As they say, out of sight, out of mind. An unregulated industry There’s no legal requirement for the ingredients in cleaning products (technically classified as industrial chemicals) to be listed on the container, says Jo Immig, co-ordinator of the National Toxics Network. “It may tell you some generic chemical class but won’t specifically list all the ingredients,” she says.…

I first met Guy Leech at a golf course. His beaming smile and speedy speech were captivating. At 55, Leech exudes the same charismatic energy as in his 1980s heyday. His golden years as undefeated winner of Ironman (seven times), Coolangatta Gold (twice), Uncle Toby’s Super Series, World Ironman Championships, World Ocean Paddling Championships, World Ocean Surf Ski Championships and the 2006 Australian Survivor series show his will to win. Dubbed Australia’s Fittest Athlete by the Australian Institute of Sport in 1993, Leech still prioritises health. Sports started for him at age six when he began swimming on doctor’s advice to overcome chronic bronchitis. From the age of nine, he competed as a worldclass swimmer before leaving school at 16 to be a professional athlete. Ironman training was rigorous: “six…

Discipline can be perceived as a dirty word, conjuring images of toil and labour as we strive towards impossible goals that we inevitably abandon. But discipline doesn’t need to be about deprivation and drudgery. It can become your ally, helping you to live your best life. The Dalai Lama suggests, “A disciplined mind leads to happiness, while an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.” Perhaps it’s time to become a disciple of discipline. Redefining discipline The word “discipline” has all sorts of connotations. You can instantly feel straitjacketed by a sense of strictness, regulation and restraint. Our lexicon for living well has changed in recent years and we now gravitate towards terms like “flow”, “acceptance” and “presence”, whereby we feel a sense of ease and calm. The notions of discipline and…

Water sizzles into steam as it hits the heated rocks, blasting up into the sauna and colouring the thick air with hints of lavender. Colin, almost in a trance, begins to wave a towel through the steam, weaving it around his body, taking long breaths in and out. It’s a hypnotising display. I’m aware of my own breath as he begins to slow down, turns towards me and suddenly whips the towel through the air as hard as he can. I brace myself as the towel flies down inches from my face, its energy tearing apart the steam to offer a brief respite from the heaviness of the sauna. But just as quickly, the steam rushes to regroup in the small space, pressing in over my body with vigour. It’s…

Cheeki Insulated Coffee Mug Whether you’re a matcha morning person or a flat-white fan, a BYO Cheeki insulated coffee mug will keep your brew nicely warm for up to eight hours. The unique pop-up lid is 100 per cent leak-proof and every Cheeki product is toxin free. W: cheeki.net.au Manuka honey, a natural cold & flu remedy Manuka honey is a famed antibacterial and renowned as one of nature’s unique superfoods, promoting good health and immunity. HoneyLife uses only “raw”, unrefined honey without any heat or chemical process. It is Australian sourced, made and owned. Each batch has been university laboratory tested for MGO active value. W: honeylife.com.au Henry Blooms Bio-Fermented Marine Collagen With 2500mg of marine collagen and a high dose of raw probiotics in each serve, Henry Blooms…

It’s a muggy Tuesday evening in Sydney’s inner west and I’m sharing the space of my local yoga studio for a 60-minute asana practice. Our teacher, Phoebe, is shedding new light on a Sanskrit word I had only ever thought of in a particular manner. Dharana, the sixth limb of yoga in Patanjali’s eight-fold path in the Yoga Sutras, is often translated to single-pointed focus or concentration. But one of its other translations is “to hold”. “Do what you need to do to be able to hold yourself in this space,” Phoebe guides, as we start off our practice sitting with the breath. “Sit in a shape that most authentically allows you to be held here in the room, with this group of people in whatever state you’ve landed in…

In the well-known book The Alchemist, novelist Paulo Coelho writes, “I have seen many storms in my life. Most storms have caught me by surprise, so I had to learn very quickly to look further and understand that I am not capable of controlling the weather, to exercise the art of patience and to respect the fury of nature.” When was the last time you tried to control something you thought wasn’t going your way, the “right” way? Did you notice that the tighter your grip, the less control you had? Usually when this scenario occurs, you’re resisting change, swimming upstream or fighting against the natural rhythms of life. It’s hard to recognise when this is happening, though, because you’re so spellbound by what you think you want. In these…

Ooh, ahh, emotion Spontaneous sounds that humans make, such as “whoa” and “oooh” seem so universal that they must have a meaning and purpose. To test whether this is true, researchers recorded more than 2000 vocal bursts from male and female professional actors and non-actors from the United States, India, Kenya and Singapore by asking them to respond to emotionally evocative scenarios. Then, more than 1000 adults listened to the vocal bursts and evaluated them based on the emotions and meaning they conveyed. A statistical analysis found that the vocal bursts convey 24 different emotional states, from amusement to ecstasy to relief. For example “whoa” indicates awe, “ohhh” communicates realisation, and “ah” shows interest. Based on this, the researchers created a sliding-scale map indicating what each vocal outburst communicates. Apparently,…

Rosella (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is a species of hibiscus, being an annual or perennial woody-based flowering shrub. As it has been in cultivation for at least 6000 years and in so many parts of the world, its origin is uncertain, though it may have come from western Sudan. Today (as in the past) it is grown and used worldwide. In Australia it grows wild in the Kimberley. There are more than 300 species in the hibiscus family. Hibiscus sabdariffa is a member of the mallow family (Malvaceae), grows in tropical and subtropical areas and is commonly known as rosella, or roselle. The main part used is the calyx (the structure around the petals) but the flowers, leaves and seeds and (occasionally) the root are used as a medicine, a tea, a…

Jenny Berry T: +61 409 771 813 E: mjktberry@bigpond.com W: bluethumb.com.au/jenny-berry For as long as I’ve painted, my love of the ocean and the undersea world has always been my inspiration and passion. I first started painting in acrylics while on holiday more than 15 years ago; a vibrant orange coral trout flashed past me when I was snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef. My passion was ignited and since then I’ve continued to paint marine life, coral reefs and underwater ocean scenes as a part-time hobby. I love the life the ocean holds, its fragility and its uniqueness. There are endless colours and shapes to be inspired by. Painting has also been quite a meditative practice for me, which has helped my wellbeing enormously. When I paint I can connect…

The first time you see them, crawling along the floor like yogi marines or standing in a row turning their spines into undulating waves, you’re more likely to think it’s an interpretive dance performance than a fitness class. And you’d be right about one thing: it’s not fitness. It’s movement. The “movement culture” is spreading. It’s making waves in the fitness world, asking important questions about traditional exercise programs, like “Why am I doing three exercises just for my biceps?” Its followers are ditching their restricting machines to crawl across the floor and flow with partners. They’re making use of real, natural movement, often with nothing more than their own arms and legs, the floor and maybe the occasional tennis ball. The result? They’re finding greater strength and mobility, and…

What do you keep in your first-aid “soothe” kit? Forget the typical headache pills and cough medicine collection that lives in the cupboard above the fridge; we can guess what’s in there. Instead, what do you reach for when soothing your mind? When you have symptoms of stress and worry, and your thoughts won’t take a moment of rest, what brings you relief and comfort then? It might be the medicine of mindfulness, a practice that helps you to calmly acknowledge and accept your feelings by becoming aware of them. Perhaps you use different pranayama techniques or breathing exercises to help you focus and relax. Maybe a few drops of your favourite essential oils in a warm bath help you to find stillness in your mind. Your soothe SOS might…

Deep in the tangled subtropical jungle that fringes southern Nepal, we bounce through Chitwan National Park on the back of a jeep, peering into the elephant grass where wild Bengali tigers roam. Watching and waiting in the muggy monsoon heat, the guide beside me falls asleep, lulled by this slow, lurching ride and the distinct lack of tigers. That’s when we spy her: a great, grey giant and her tiny calf by a trickle of a stream. Nose raised high, she sniffs us out and, despite her terrible eyesight, locks us in a piercing, silent gaze that is my undoing. This one-horned leathery beast may not be the reason I endured 10 uncomfortable hours on a crowded Nepali bus, but to eyeball this rhino — one of the world’s rarest…

When you feel out of balance on a physical, emotional or energetic level, there’s an element of you that needs to restore itself. In yoga philosophy, overexertion is a rajas state of energy, overloaded with action, change and movement. Another form of misalignment is tamas —a state of inertia or inactivity that can make you feel stuck. Both of these energetic qualities — or gunas —take you away from your restored natural state of balance and harmony, or sattva. How do you restore yourself? What practices help you return to your natural state of being? That place of ease, calm and connection? Perhaps taking some slow, deep breaths is your way to recalibrate. Or maybe it’s swimming in the ocean, allowing the liquid blanket of the sea to cocoon you…

Boost your wellness in Byron Bay Byron Yoga Retreat Centre offers affordable eight-, five- and three-day wellness programs designed to give you a relaxing break and instil healthy habits you are inspired to continue. The tranquil eco haven is just a short walk from the beautiful beaches of Byron Bay. W: byronyoga.com Dr Cabot 15-Day Cleanse Increase energy, improve mood, burn fat and boost immune function! These are just a few reasons for doing the Dr Cabot 15-Day Cleanse, a three-powder program that improves liver and gut function and alkalinises your body. Designed by Dr Cabot to improve your overall health and wellbeing! W: drcabotcleanse.com Did you know? In Australia, we throw out more than 30 million toothbrushes each year, most of which are made of plastic. The Environmental Toothbrush…

If you’ve been going to yoga classes for more than a couple of years, it could be time to look at options to take your yoga practice to the next level. Even if yoga teaching is not a current aspiration, you don’t need to actually want to be a yoga teacher to do yoga teacher training! Check out these motivations and, if any of them resonate with you, head to byronyoga.com for more information. 1. The yoga plateau You may have found that your practice has plateaued. Perhaps after experiencing a steady progression in your physical aptitude you start to feel that you are stagnating. It could time for a residential teacher training or perhaps a retreat. As well as teacher trainings, Byron Yoga Centre offers eight-, five- and three-day…

This is what my journey has taught me so far: struggling and pain are a part of life. But struggling and pain can teach us so much. Good can come out of our struggles — if we let it. I never truly remember feeling normal. I was never bounding with energy and I was always missing school, known as the “sick kid”. For many years, I unknowingly suffered from chronic conditions. When I told doctors of my struggles with light-headedness, fatigue, difficulty sitting or standing, troubles walking, heart palpitations, low blood pressure, digestive problems and daily headaches, they ran some tests and found that nothing “sinister” (ie life-threatening) appeared to be wrong. In my experience with countless doctors and specialists in Western medicine, nothing dramatic showing up in tests means…

What do you want? I’m sorry if that question sounds a touch abrupt but I don’t mean it in a “Why are you at my door?” kind of way. I mean it more in the “What are your deepest desires?” sense. Don’t answer out loud. The other people in the coffee shop don’t need to know of your longing for a species of kale that tastes like a full-cream cheesecake. Just keep it to yourself for now as you ponder this. If you observe kids for any length of time you will see that they live life much more openly than we do as adults. The trials and tribulations of time teach us to veil and minimise our desires until as adults we live in a carefully modulated emotional range,…

Holey glacier, Batman! The size of a hole under a glacier plays an important role in glacial melting. As more heat and water get under the glacier, it melts faster. A new study of the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica used airborne ice-penetrating radar and spaceborne radars. Researchers expected to find some gaps between ice and bedrock at Thwaites’ bottom where ocean water could flow in, melting the glacier from below. What they found was a massive hole around 300 metres high and big enough to have contained 14 billion tons of ice — and most of that ice melted over the past three years. About the size of Florida, Thwaites Glacier is currently responsible for approximately 4 per cent of global sea level rise. It holds enough ice to…

“Feel what it’s like to be in your body,” guides Bryony. Even though my eyes are closed —pratyahara if you follow the eight limbs of yoga — I can feel kindness, compassion and warmth radiating out of this yogini/mother/business owner who is our mindfulness teacher this morning. We’re called The Breakfast Club. Every Sunday morning for a month we roll out our yoga mats, sit on a bolster and breathe. We learn about the four pillars of mindfulness so we can cultivate a deeper relationship with the closest person in our lives: ourselves. Week 1: mindfulness of the body Bryony Lancaster, co-founder of yoga studio and wholefoods cafe Egg Of The Universe, guides us through our mindfulness journey. We begin with a body tapping exercise to get into a “feeling…

Nutritious nut oils are food for the skin. Some contain agents that nurture and heal, helping to lock in the skin’s moisture or add shine and fullness to hair. Depending on the type of nut, many can offer natural healing properties for dermatological conditions such as eczema or psoriasis. Humans have been using nut oils in a variety of applications for thousands of years. An early Greek physician said walnuts combined with onion, salt and honey could heal bites from dogs or men. It’s said that King Tutankhamun went to the afterlife with a handful of almonds. In Roman times, newly married couples were liberally sprinkled with nuts (and dried fruits) and the bride would remove her veil as part of a ceremony. Nowadays, nuts are nibbled raw, added to…

We have known about the connection between the gut and the brain for a little while now but more recently there has been an explosion of research into the effect of your diet on your mental health. Perhaps you instinctively know that what you eat affects how you feel — for instance, that when you eat plenty of vegies and are well hydrated, so too are you energised and balanced. Alternatively, when you go a little crazy on the sugar, you might see that reflected in your behaviour, your mood or your digestion. What we have not had until recently, though, is solid evidence that diet can directly affect mental health, supported by specifically designed intervention trials. It is therefore wonderful to see this evidence published, shining a light on…

Have you ever sat? Really sat? Sat in silence, fully present in your body, with your breath and with clear comprehension of the matters of your mind as you were sitting still? Sitting down to meditate may seem like a simple matter to accomplish — but then why do so many of us find it so hard, get overwhelmed so easily by what physical stillness stirs in our beautiful minds and give up before we reap the benefits? One of the most-talked-about hindrances to establishing and continuing a meditation practice is the specious belief that meditation process should be calm, leading to the assumption by many that unless your mind is serene and focused you feel you’re doing it wrong; you feel frustrated and conclude it is not for you.…

According to Beyond Blue, one in four Australians experience anxiety at some stage of life. As someone who has experienced anxiety, I know that when you’re in the grip of anxiety it can feel like you will never get on top of your life or mindset. Anxiety can feel incredibly isolating and overwhelming. The thoughts that drive anxiety often undermine what you believe you are capable of. Anxiety can limit what you do and achieve, “shrinking” your life and what you believe is possible. Now that I’ve come through the other side of anxiety, I know it’s possible to overcome and manage it by understanding the basics of neuroscience. By using brain-based strategies you can rewire your brain for greater calm, clarity and control. The anxious brain When you become…

Drawn to the water’s edge at day’s end, dusty red feet dangling in the current, we wallow in delicious, croc-free pools, watching azure kingfishers hunting on the wing. Beyond the birds, two tiers of irresistible Twin Falls tumble above us, feeding the mist and colouring a startling emerald scene that turns the brawny persona of this Cape York adventure completely on its head. For blokes who yearn to grow out their stubble and test their mettle battling washouts and croc-infested rivers, a trip to the Tip screams “boy’s own adventure”. But among Cape York’s bulldust and corrugations we discover a smoother pathway to blissfully deserted tropical beaches, rock art galleries and waterfalls gorgeous enough to make those bearded men swoon. Not only is the famously faraway tip of Australia accessible…

Ikatan Spa Summer Ceremony Let Ikatan Spa restore your skin with its pregnancy-safe, two-hour Ceremony treatment. While cocooned in a body wrap, we soothe away stress with a mini-facial and scalp massage and then enjoy a relaxing Balinese-style massage. Valued at $270, includes complimentary organic Inika mineral makeup application. W: ikatanspa.com Eco Tan Certified Organic Glory Oil Certified Organic Glory Oil™ is a drenching blend of omega-abundant super seeds that harnesses their phenomenal healing powers to help reduce the appearance of scars and fine lines. The oil is hydrating, calming and soothes irritation as well as restores moisture balance to your skin. W: ecotan.com.au We keep natural real! Our hair colours and treatments don’t just contain organic ingredients; they ARE 100 per cent certified organic with NASAA and USDA. Give…

Paradise is a grapevine. Imagine the leaves covering a pergola, dappling all beneath, the grapes hanging ripe and luscious so you can pluck them as you sit in the shade with a glass of something cool. The reality is a bit messier. The birds peck the grapes and the bees sip the sweet juice. The vines will probably also get a touch of downy mildew and some of the leaves will curl brown at the edges or fall off. Then winter will come and they will all fall off and you need to sweep them up before they turn sludgy. But the wonderful thing about having your own grapevine is that you will get that dappled shade under your pergola. You should get some grapes and they will taste of…