Morning Glory Photography

Sun Salute

Life is exciting isn't it!
Two years ago I began taking pictures of the sunrise to basically let people know I was still around and share my favourite part of the day. I also wanted to try and draw attention to our beautiful environment and be a small voice for it.
Last year the local ABC radio station began to post my morning pics and so began a time of mutual backslapping and appreciation. Rob, the presenter has been really encouraging and supportive in my creative efforts and taking this whole thing to a new level.
Turns out Sunshine Coast tourism are very interested in my photographs and the support base through the radio Facebook page has been ultra encouraging.
So here I stand now on the cusp of a new and surprising venture. I have always thought the world to be an oyster of amazing possibilities just needing to be opened, but as I dip my toe into the world of web pages, promotion and general profile lifting I feel like Im standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon of opportunity and whilst very exciting more than just a little daunting!
With the help of Rob I am also looking at being able to begin some clean up campaigns beginning with  Fraser Island and Wide Bay Bar area giving this whole energy some credence for the initial vision.
 I am trying to take little steps and I am sure there will be some falls on the way so I appreciate your patience and feedback as I enter into the unknown.

I love my I phone and its attachments

One other issue for me has been that being a tad lazy on the organisation front I have always taken my pics on the I phone so I could download them from their rather than having to come home and put on the computer to send which seemed like too much work. I am not sure if anyone else cares but I have started carrying around a real camera and booked into a photography course which I am very excited about and so not all of the pics will be from the phone now. I will try to tell when they are not but please enjoy anyway. One of the pleasures for me is to find something beautiful in each day and share.  No two days are the same and some days, lets face it are more challenging than others!!
Please feel free to visit Morning Glory Photography on Facebook - leave a comment or press the like button or share with your friends if you think they will like, but most of all ENJOY!!

Behind the dunes at Sunshine Beach

Back to the hot room!

I like to think I am a proactive kind of guy. This is a milestone year for me, I cant believe I passed forty nearly a decade ago, and although I feel in better shape now than I did back then something inside me is a little nervous about this one. I have been practicing Bikram Yoga now for two years and it is a testament to my general health. Alongside the radical transformation of my diet I have daily been stretching my ever so tight sciatic nerves in a slow but continuing effort to gain flexibility. It has had its benefits. My back has never been better and  the use of core strength has been nothing short of a revelation. Certainly, I have not had an exercise related injury in that time. It has also had a positive benefit to my other pursuits, surfing, paddling and even basketball and tennis have been turning back the clock with yogas help.

Sailing however, has been another story. Being 193cm means I never quite have enough headroom and so I seem to spend most of the time slightly bent over as to protect my forehead from the ravish’s of the beams supporting the deck above. I was really looking forward to spending quality time aboard my boat over Christmas and even had planned some yoga stretching as part of the quiet holiday routine.

 Life aboard has a lot of benefits and my muscles appreciated the manual labour of heaving up anchors, winching sails and pulling on the oars of the dinghy rather than starting the motor. Stretching however, wasn't one of them and each day I could feel my back gradually stiffening up. Sure, we tried to do some stretching on the beach like we planned and whilst it should have been ideal my mind was elsewhere,  leaving my poses shorter than they ought have been.

By the time we got home getting out of bed and even alighting the car required some effort to get past the stiffness in the back and my body was screaming out for a decent stretch.  Strangely though, I was having trouble getting my head into gear, maybe it was the hot summer days or the distraction of all the boat work I was inspired to pursue. I had eaten really well and the activities had lifted my spirits, all I needed now was for my back not to have me acting my age!

So this morning as I ached my way out of bed and began preparing my sunday morning coffee, I knew what I needed. It was funny then that I thought I might head down to the beach to greet the sun before realising there was a better place for me to be.

Despite the fact that I was stiff and struggled through the 90minute class it was so good to be back and as I headed home I felt refreshed and alive like only the hot room seems to be able to do and ready to renew my relationship with the mat!

It is often said in class that yoga will have the chiropractors chasing you and I often smile and think sure, sure,  but you dont realise how true it is untill you stop and see how quickly the body goes on holidays!

Christmas Goose

I am sitting here watching my cousin Simon play with his 12yr old daughter Natalie. She is her fathers daughter as she nervously jumps off the side of the boat into her waiting fathers arms. Together he passes on the skill of rowing the dinghy and coaxes her through the pulling and pushing action required to propel the inflatable dinghy in a forward direction. She proudly exclaims her dad cooks the best scrambled eggs ever and even her mother is chastised for criticising her hero - Dad!

It is said that for boys, their most influential person is their mother, or at least a female to nurture them through life, the opposite example of what is happening before me. Whilst this may be true I cannot help but think about the most influential female in my life. I loved her since I first lay’d eyes on her, full of rubbish floating around in her bilge as the rain poured in through the holes in her roof.

I lovingly restored her over 8 years to be the pride of my fleet. She gave us safe passage in 2004 as we left Sydney and cruised up to Lizard Island in Far North Queensland and then became home until 2010 providing me an Island of refuge in times of troubled waters. 

It hasn’t been all plain sailing. Like all females she requires plenty of attention and can let you know if she hasn’t received it. Whilst others have competed for my attention she has always seemed to win out in the end. That in itself has created various forms of conflict, despondency, rejection and pain, but still the reality is she depends on me and me ultimately on her. Sailing is in my veins and despite everything else I am drawn to the ocean like a moth to a flame, knowing that whatever the consequences I cannot be myself without it. 

Tin Cn Bay sunrise

I have been living the life of a land lubber in a normal house with unrestricted water, showers, electricity, heating, cooling, rubbish removal and everything we take for granted  for two years. Cooper, my son, having grown tired of the lack of space and general boating life vowed last year that for christmas holidays his only request was not to go anywhere near the boat! I hope that one day he will see the value and pleasure of boating life, but in the mean time we have taken our adventures on the road with a motorbike and tent searching different states, cities and towns in a fruitful quest to quench the thirst of travel. My sailing adventures with Eva have been absorbed sailing my friends beautiful Benetau 48 with all the modern creature comforts and space to burn in exotic locations up and down the East Australian Coast, caught up with his enthusiasm and willingness to make it really easy for us.

Meanwhile, my Goose has laid unattended and alone, its once proud paint and brightwork fading and covered in the droppings of the birds making the most of her layoff. With a quick visit whenever I can find time, my once pride and joy has become more a symbol of neglect, making the energy required to initiate restoration and full use of her all the more daunting.

So for better or worse we decided to make the overdue run up to Tin Can Bay where the lure of the Great Sandy Straits, Fraser Island and most importantly calm water and beautiful beaches beaconed in all but the foulest weather. One of my issues has been that all our sailing grounds, although beautiful, are also fraught with uncomfortable conditions the majority of the time making for unpredictable and and often unacceptable anchorages. Tin Can Bay was a logical new home for Wild Goose, within a reasonable driving distance and an easy sail to readily accessible stopovers. Maybe from here we can invite guests out without making them violently ill and throwing them off their beds at night!! Oh how I miss those quiet anchorages down the Hawkesbury River.

This amazing storm passed through on our second night

As Australians celebrated Christmas morning with excited children finally ripping open their presents that have been sitting ever so tantilisigly under the tree for several weeks, we leisurely made our way north to where the Goose was waiting eagerly for our arrival, wagging its tail in the 30 kt southerly wind winding down through Rainbow Beach and the coloured sands. Despite the wind and distance dinghying out to the boat it was reassuring to note the lack of waves or swell save for the chop whipped up by the bullets of wind as they angrily swooped over the sand bar and knocked a fine spray off the surface of the water. I was thankful to have taken the opportunity to sail north from Mooloolaba when we did because out to sea 5m waves courtesy of cyclone Fina had totally closed the Wide Bay Bar making any chance of arrival from the ocean now impossible.

Having had the chance for all but a scant clean on the way up we spent two days resupplying and cleaning the superficial crust off the boat before weighing anchor for our two week reconciliation. 

Oh how sweet it is to fall in love again. To have the mask removed and secure the time to just soak in the joy of life aboard!! Despite the TV blowing up on the first night, the prop being so crusted with barnacles we could barely move, and running out of water on the third night, we were out sailing, beginning our new adventure!! As a violent storm passes over us and we fervently catch water, it strikes me how polarising boat life can be both emotionally, physically, mentally and  even life stylly(I know, I know). 

On one hand Eva is watching TV on the new HD flat screen, with full surround sound, and I surf the internet for weather, Facebook, etc, as you would anywhere. On the other, I wash the dishes in salt water before giving them a fresh water rinse in order to save our vital commodity that we have been dingying over from Kingfisher Bay Resort in our spare drink bottles!

sunset at Kingfisher Bay

Our days are spent swimming, paddling and reading with sundowners and showers at the resort before paddling back for dinner and movie as the generator hums away on deck. Its been so long since we’ve had such contentment and relaxation and I remember how good life can be aboard and the opportunities it can provide. Suddenly my to do list for the boat is being filled with enthusiasm and vigor again and with the prospect of so much more I look forward to tackling the tasks with relish. Eva has brought into the regime and suddenly the inside of the boat is sparkling as only she knows how, with plans and aspirations of her own; there is a wind of change around the Goose and it is all fair and sunny. I dive on the hull and clean the prop and scrub the scum line. The Goose seems to be preening in the attention.

The Barrett Family

As Simon and his family Kiersten, Natalie and young Ethan venture over on their runabout to spend two days with us, cleaning and preparing for guests forces us into a more thorough clean.  At the end of the session the only reminence of the mould and dust is the lingering smell of bleach that gives away our cleaning endevours. Still, there is a new freshness to the teak and beech floorboards and stained timbers that give the boat so much character. as our guests arrive we settle into a less introspective time as everyone explores and takes in their new surroundings and conquers the fears of the new environment.   All the things I take for granted are like a new miracle for them to behold and make an adventure off!

I was soon gushing with excitement as they first reeled in horror at the realization that the blanket of moving darkness on the waters edge were thousands upon thousands of soldier crabs marching in formation on the low tide mark. Their panick was soon turned to fascination as the harmless crabs drilled themselves into the soft white sand so as not to be squashed. Fascination quickly developed into curiosity as they held these brightly coloured crabs, being tickled as they attempted in vain to spin into the cups of their innocent hands.

A beach lined with soldier crabs!

The two days passed all too quickly and everyone seemed comfortable with the new surroundings and we agreed that there was much more exploring to be done and fun to be had at another time.

As the Barrett family headed home I think we were all enthralled with the bonds and familiarity of both the friendships forged and capabilities of handling the various craft surrounding us!  


After 5 glorious days mixing boating serenity with Kingfisher Bay hospitality it was time to replenish our supplies (not the least our water) and head off to our next major destination.

Fraser Island is the worlds largest sand island and is basically shaped like an enormous wedge. The southern extremity is the pointy end from where it expands out to around 90km at the northern extremity. Facing the north west it is perfectly protected from the prevailing south east trade winds, leaving a beautiful beach dropping into turquise water for as far as the eye can see. Think of those TV travel shows with people travelling half way round the world and spending thousands of dollars for some remote slice of perfection and you are on track except this is right on our back doorstep!! We found our spot with our nearest neighbours around a kilometre away and spent three days swimming, playing and combing the beach, left alone save for the occasional fishing boat passing by. This was our utopia.

Our Utopia!!

Eva and her Bo Derek moment!!

I took Eva here first several years ago in July during the annual whale migration. The mothers use this enormous protected bay as a playground for several months to feed their calves and prepare them for their long journey south to the cold waters of antarctica. Although empty at the moment, half way through the year the bay is full of these magnificent creatures allowing us and the the fleet of whale watching boats to get close and for us to stand awe of these truly magnificent levethians. 




Right now though, we get to soak up the sun and chill out in what we believe is our own slice of paradise as the sun sets somewhere over Bundaberg and the sky turns a rosella pink reflecting the extraordinary colours through the usually white sand!!

Sunset over Platypus Bay

Its strange how perceptions change at the point of turning the bow for home. Suddenly the focus shifts and I find it difficult not to start thinking about what is waiting for me when we get back. Even so, this has been a wonderful break and as we begin to retrace our steps and pick the favourable conditions to sail back in I am salvating at the thought of spending a lot more time it this truly remarkable waterway in the ensuing twelve months. We still have three more nights of magic on the way home and the oportunity to catch up with our new friends in Tin Can Bay and even a shower and meal at our now Yacht Club before leaving our beautiful boat and packing the car in preperation for the

                                                                                                           

                        Thank you sv Wild Goose, you do us proud.

Merry Christmas

 Well friends one and all, Merry Christmas!! I sit in my study waiting for Santa to visit the street having watched a mixture of people displaying extra ordinary acts of Christmas gratitude whilst others buckle under the pressure of the festive season!
Clyclone Fina(now ex) is lashing the coast with extraordinarily good waves with a good dousing of rain to boot, meaning we have had some great surf at Noosa Point. Wild Goose (my boat) is nestled safely under the lee of Fraser Island and waits our arrival.
As our German festivities wind down and we prepare for two weeks out on the boat, I have some time to pause and reflect on 2011.

The highlights for the year include's our motor bike ride from Brisbane to Adelaide and back taking in the breathtaking eastern seaboard, the Great Ocean Road, Kangaroo Island and so many legendary places on the way. Nearly 4000km were filled with bonding, bends and endless country towns and incredible coastlines. Having spread the journey over 6 months gave me ample time to plan and visit many places and was a definite focus for an extended time.

Stepping off the bike for a moment there was also a fantastic week at Airlie Beach for race week and the subsequent adventures bringing Razzamatazz back to Mooloolaba. Mike, Banjo and Mal put a taste for racing and the comradeship back that I had long forgotten.

Two years ago I decided I would take a picture of the sunrise and post it on social media to;
 a) remind people that I was still around
b) inspire people to see the beauty of each day
c) Having been reminded of the beauty to be motivated to clean up even just a little bit.
    Who would ever have guessed my humble action would lead to so much involvement with our local ABC radio broadcaster, a calendar and the early mumblings of a book! Such a long way to go but I am so motivated and appreciate the generous response from my morning photos!

The other creative side is this blogsite and to that end I am humbled that over 2,500 people have taken the time to read my stories. I am very conscious that there is a lot out there and try to keep my stories as interesting and informative as possible.

So as we head off to celebrate the past year, I look forward to 2012 with optimism that although there is so much stuff going on around the world, that we live in an inherently beautiful universe which has so much to offer if we can raise above all the rubbish trying to bog us down and get out there where the sun shines and the world shows its power and glory and majesty if you care to look!!

Please enjoy and I look forward to sharing my adventures in the new year
Thank You,
David

Rockhampton to Bundy Bash

North West Island

We all hear stories of the difference between potential and reality, and as an eternal optimist I guess I spend most of the time dwelling on the potential side of things which suits me fine.  Sometimes however, reality jumps up and bites me firmly on the backside.

Some of my most treasured cruising destinations lie in the stretch of water between Hervey Bay, north to the Whitsunday Islands. Included in the area are places that are inaccessible to people without boats and the ability to be self sufficient. There is no tourist investment so they are not promoted by anyone. Places like the Percy and Duke Islands in the North are beautiful anchorages lined with white sand and water clear enough to see the array of marine life that happens to float by. Below them are Port Clinton and Island Head Creek which are off limits at certain times because they happen to lie in the middle of a military training reserve, but when the military are not wreaking havoc are stunning locations that seem a world away from the exercises that get carried out there.

Just below them are the Bunker Group of which most of the pretty Islets are off limits in a strict marine park environment save for a couple of gems. These include North West Island, Lady Musgrave and Lady Elliot  

Lady Musgrave Island

With Razzamatazz, my friends beautiful Bavaria 48 foot yacht, sitting in Yeppoon and needing to come south on its way to Sydney, I gladly volunteered my services, dreaming of the opportunity to spend some quality time in this magic part of the world. I sold the concept to Eva with a plan for a leisurely cruise down to Lady Musgrave Island for an overnight stop and the chance to take a bottle of wine to the beach and watch the turtles nest on the remote shore at sunset. Maybe, with a good run we could even find time for some snorkeling on the reef. I always enjoy negotiating the small entrance into the lagoon and anchoring with a 360º view of the ocean crashing onto the reef protecting the turquoise water inside, miles away from civilisation and free from the world.  The second day plan was a run into Hervey Bay via  the waters off Platypus Bay, playground of the whale's who stop there with their calfs to build up enough strength before making the long journey into antarctic waters. Both of these trips I have done several times before and although a longish stretch, the Razzamatazz is a bigger and faster boat capable of covering the distances.
Part of these exercises is the logistics of a one way trip to the boat and then transport back to your  vehicle home. In this case we were already at the finish end so it was a simple matter of a Greyhound bus from Hervey Bay with a driver that passed away the boredom of the 7hr run by giving commentary all the way to Rockhampton. As with my experience of these things we arrived in Rockhampton at 7.20pm with the last connecting bus leaving for Yeppoon at 6.30 leaving us with a $150 cab fare out to the coast. Undeterred, on arrival at the Rocky coach terminal Eva negotiated with a backpacker company picking up two people in a bus heading for Emu Park for us to hitch a ride with them,  leaving us with a much cheaper taxi fare at the other end. Our driver, a young English lad, keen to catch up with his mates at the pub after the run put his foot to the floor and we rattled and bounced our way through the darkness only to see the blue flashing lights of the local police who didn't seem to appreciate his cavalier enthusiasm. Eventually we were dropped into Emu Park, a small village which was deserted by this time (9.00 pm)

Percy Island 

Eventually a cab ferried us to the marina where we busily prepared for our early morning departure.
By the time my 3am alarm rang out the sound was lost to the rumbling of the diesel engine as we motored out of Rosslyn Bay Marina and straight into 15knots of wind on the nose! The forecast was still insisting that the breeze would back further to the east and my hope was that as daylight warmed up the land, we might actually see it backing further again from the north, giving us our armchair ride south. My hopes were still not dented as a storm cloud swallowed up the sunrise and then soaked us for the privilege!
The Keppel Islands slid relatively effortlessly behind us as we punched our way on. It was apparent even then though that my hope of Lady Musgrave was not going to happen. Never mind I thought, my back up plan was almost as nice. Pancake creek lay not too far south of Gladstone and would provide great shelter surrounded by lovely beaches and a magnificent headland, so I altered course and soon enough we were crossing the Tropic of Capricorn. I have always been fascinated by this circle of latitude even as a small boy. There a 5 significant circles of latitude including the equator, tropic of cancer north, the tropic of capricorn south and the the two poles. The tropic of capricorn represents the most southern latitude that the sun can appear directly overhead. Sitting at approximately 23º south of the equator we share the circle with the Andes in Argentina and  Chile, the Kalahari desert in Namibia and the Kruger National Park in South Africa. (forgive me for not mentioning them all) and I always feel the need to acknowledge its crossing even when I fly over it by plane. Cape Capricorn, our landmark, is a steep, barren headland that people attempted to settle on a long time ago and there are still visible remnants of the carving of rocks and lines that were layed to tie the ships alongside and drag the materials up the the steep embankment to build the lighthouse and small community that existed to keep the beacon lit.

Cape Capricorn

On this day however, it was overcast and the whitecaps persisted in blowing the spray onto our  demoralised faces.
Having passed the cape we altered course enough for us to be able to pull some sails up and we motor sailed right down Curtis Island and the entrance of Gladstone Harbour. A major shipping channel, we needed to pull the sails in and slog our way into the tide throwing up a short and nasty chop reducing our headway to crawling pace.
As the sun began to sink alarmingly close to the horizon it was clear we were not going to make either Pancake Creek or the small town of 1770 by nightfall. The good news was that the coast veered significantly south allowing us to turn the motor off and sail. Not only was this significant for our sanity, it also helped relieve the  problem that we did not have enough fuel to motor all the way to our destination.
The sailing did wonders for Eva's seasickness and she perked up immediately even to the point she insisted on cooking us a beautiful and much appreciated dinner which we ate as the sun sunk below the horizon. With the last dashes of pink in the sky I was wondering how far we could get before the sun reappeared on the eastern horizon.

Sunset off Bustard Head (Pancake Creek)

Really? Its 3 o'clock!!

Unfortunately it wasn't long before the breeze veered back into the south east, the same direction we needed to go and the long dark night passed closing in on the unlit shoreline before digging back out to sea, forcing us to sail two miles for every one gained in our southerly quest.
I have never been so grateful to see the first signs of light penetrate what was a pitch black night sky giving me my first point of reference for the past 12hrs.



And so my question from sunset last night was answered. Exactly 16.7nm north of Bundaberg was the answer and so my next decision was made through the fog of three hours sleep in the last 40 odd hours. We needed to pull into Bundaberg for fuel, with a decision as whether to continue or not made after that.
In an attempt to preserve the alarming low amount of fuel we had left, we inched our way painfully into the breeze which was rapidly building again into our frustrated faces.
At 10.45 we finally tied up at the marina, where once the boat secured I fell asleep with the soft clean pillow approaching my salty unshaven skin, but I was in no mood to care, it could be washed later!
The boat is safe and I'll be back next when the wind direction has a N in it!!

Sunrise video

As probably most of you by now would have figured out, each morning I get up and trot down to the beach and take a photo of the sunrise. Why do I do it?
Well, for a start its not to try and make anyone jealous or prove any silly games of one up man ship, its because I am an early riser by nature and I find so much solace in that part of the day. No matter what has happened the day before this is a new day! It is a clean slate free from any of the baggage or emotions from the past. It is ready for us to make of it what we will. I get so much peace at that time of the morning and am constantly amazed by how many days are spectacular.
 So my friends, this is my humble little offering to those who care to take the time to have a look each day or at this video to such an apt song. I hope you find it inspiring, beautiful or even just a time for a few deep breaths to remember how good life really is.
thank you
David
sunrises (please click on this)

Ps. This is my first attempt at posting a link so I hope it works. Please let me know if it doesn't happen!

Strength, fitness and flexibility

Looking at my blog site Bikram yoga is the first thing that I mention. I was thinking of changing it around as at the moment I am trying to take a more balanced approach to life and not go five nights a week as I have for the past eighteen months. Then I got absolutely hammered in a recent class and as I showered after, I remembered, this is why its front and centre in my blog header!

I was always skinny

I was always the tall, skinny one growing up. The beanpole who looked like I would break in half if someone looked at me the wrong way!  As a youngster I would somehow curl up on whatever boat I was sailing taking my cue from the ropes on deck. Even as I left high school I was 190cm and still couldn’t manage to raise the scales to 60kg wringing wet. 

My only saving grace was that in yachting leverage is everything and the fact that my disproportionate, lanky legs allowed my to swing further out from the centre line meaning boats could be sailed flatter and faster

Just after leaving high school I moved into a much bigger, faster class of boat, and although having filled out a little I simply wasn’t strong enough to deal with the class’s extra weight and pressures. Really wanting to break into the class I took myself off to the gym and took a season to prepare myself for the extra challenge. Over the next ten years I was able to excel and I prided myself on being one of the fittest and strongest sailors competing. 

Trouble was, I only trained specifically for my boating, focusing on upper body strength. Allowing my torso to remain straight and my arms to do all the work meant I utilized my leverage to the maximum. That however came at a cost. I had no flexibility, and as my strength built I would constantly be dealing with niggling injuries and despite the best efforts of my physio’s, stretching remained boring and just not on my radar. To make matters worse I had an accident on the water that involved spending half a day in hospital with no movement in my legs, forcing me to consider life as a paraplegic. Luckily it was just a shock reaction and full movement returned but my back would never be the same again.

My sailing career in full flight 

Middle age spread is a term I hear bandied around a lot. Apparently its an insidious disease that has no cure and just cannot be stopped. After retiring from my professional sailing career and getting involved in more domestic life the weight suddenly piled on. Being tall I could carry the extra 50 odd kg with no more than empathetic understanding from peers going through the same problems. I hated it and knew that despite the social understanding of its occurrence I had to do something about it.

Although divorce perhaps not the most desired solution, it certainly has the benefit of weight loss, well, for me at least. Living on my yacht again I had never plumbed in hot water so each morning for 6 months I would lie in bed thinking, I can stay here for an extra  hour and have a cold wash out in the open, or I can get up, go to the gym and enjoy a warm shower after. Funnily enough, at the end of that time I had hardly missed a day in the gym, and long after the hot water had been installed I was in such a routine and could see such a difference that I was addicted to my morning workout.

So here I am. I've been skinny, fit, fat and now bulked up and strong. I stretched just enough to keep injuries at bay although my back periodically still played up on me.

As the cycle of life continued to turn I became more and more interested in yoga. John, a work colleague was training to be included in the Australian track and field team and was a huge inspiration. I kept meeting people who’s life perspective and body form I admired all sung the praises of this mystical and passive exercise I didn’t understand. 

All the universes aligned when I met my partner Eva. She is a yoga junkie whose journey had led her to Bikram Yoga. 

Bikram yoga is a series of 26 postures all done in a room heated to 40º with 40% humidity.

I was assured there was no chanting or weird stuff, just a good solid 90minute workout.

Lying on my towel covered mat in the dense heat reminded me of being in the tropics on a really hot day, and as I prepared for my first class I closed my eyes and thought about swaying palm trees and surf crashing on white, sandy beaches. Turns out I was the only thing swaying as I huffed and puffed my way through 90minutes of discomfort! Whilst everyone around me seemed to rotate gracefully and almost effortlessly into these impossible positions, all I could think was, I can press 130kg and pulldown 280kg, how come I cant stand here with my arms over my head for a few minutes! 

And so began my journey in life with yoga. I have since included some more traditional yoga to help improve my understanding of the postures but am drawn to the heat and challenge of the heated studio. I am still nowhere near  the most flexible person in the room and it would be so much easier to give up and go back to a gym and the familiar rewards it offers, but that is not my path. I have also been able to take away so many lessons into my life outside the room I often wish that I had started a lot earlier.

  The breath is such an important part of life. We all do it all day, every day, so the ability to stop struggling and allow what we have so naturally to take us places our will power never can is, and probably always will be my biggest source of learning and wonder! 

      We have such a strong core. It holds our body together and allows us grace and fluidity, yet we focus on muscles and external power to the detriment of the source that makes everything else possible. Not using our core is like treating the symptom rather than the cause, but like most things important remains in the background and needs to be sought. Once tended to, will help solve so many other issues.

      Integrity of posture has always been a mystery to me. Like most of us, I tend to be goal orientated and so when someone says for example, touch your toes I struggle and strain to touch my toes and I get frustrated because I can’t. The situation and ego is made worse when seemingly everyone around can flex so effortlessly which makes me struggle even further, when really it doesn’t matter, what matters is the journey to the toes, being kind to my super long legs and just breathing till I can. 

One of the things I have had trouble getting my head around is the whole concept of using postures to cut off circulation to specific parts of the body (internally and externally) before lying down to let fresh oxygenated blood rush into the starved organ/limb to help revitalize and heal it. With that is part of the dialogue which says posture is more important to depth. My egotistical world of striving for maximum depth just means that because the posture hasn’t been achieved the circulation has not been cut so the healing benefits are not maximized. So I have to swallow ego and constantly adjust for alignment and breath whilst allowing depth to find itself (despite the fact that the person alongside has effortlessly folded themselves in half!).

Yoga is a journey!

When I trained at the gym I could not seem to dip below 100kg. Instructors assured me it was because muscle is heavier than fat and so not to worry. Still ,some of the little rolls remained and didn’t want to shift. Eva, who is a nutritionist changed my diet completely, basically removing all sugar from the diet. What happened was nothing short of amazing. With no weights the bulk quickly disappeared and suddenly maintaining 80kg was no problem. What also went were the sugar highs and lows that have dominated my whole life! 

Although the bulk disappeared my strength remained as the benefits of yoga lengthening and redefining muscle tone kicked in. Still paddling my surf ski, I actually started going faster as I began to utilize chore and muscle without the burden of weight and bulk.

After two years of Bikram Yoga at Noosa and Nundah (both fantastic studios) I am by no means an expert and the steps forward are small, but the journey is evolving and I am constantly amazed at what the human body is capable of. From just being able to get my hands down past my knees, on a good day I can actually touch my toes. More importantly, in two years I have not had any back trouble, and I feel healthier than ever before. There are so many good and beautiful experiences to be had out in that big oyster called life and yoga has become an integral part of the shell!

Namaste