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CLARE LOVELACE’S YOGA POSES

for slowing down

1. Saddle Pose
   Saddle pose releases tension in the quads, knees and lower
   back. It stimulates the kidneys which, when we are
   exhausted, are the first organs to be affected. Sit on your feet
   with your knees in flexion and slightly apart. Lean back on
   your hands. Or sit on thefloor between your feet or on a
   raised prop. Use a prop under your spine or come all the way
   down to the floor. You want an arch in your lower back to
   stimulate kidneys. Hold for 3-5 minutes.


2. Child’s Pose
   Kneel with your back straight and your feet pointing in
   towards each other, arms at your sides. Sit back by moving
   your hips towards your feet, your knees slightly apart and
   then relax your head toward the floor. Your hands can rest by
   your sides or make a pillow with them under your forehead.


3. Legs up the Wall (Vipariti Karani)
   The queen of restorative poses, this will regulate blood
   pressure and stimulate the lymphatic system. Resting with
   your legs up for 5-10 minutes before bed helps activate the
   Parasympathetic Nervous System, preparing you for sleep.


4. Mindfulness Meditation (sitting or lying down)
   Sitting in stillness for a few minutes at the start and end
   of your day is a great way to slow down. Mindfulness
   meditation and observing the breath allows the mind to
   come out of analysis about the future or the past and
   grounds you firmly in the present.

TOP FIVE SLOW PLACES TO

VISIT IN YOUR VAN

with Jelena of travelleur.com

1. Port Lincoln National Park, South Australia. “We had
   the place to ourselves and with our camp set up on a cliff
   overlooking a beach, we woke to the sound of gently
   crashing waves every morning. No cars or sirens, just the
   sounds of peaceful nature.”


2. Robe, South Australia.“We felt like we really embraced
   slow travel. Here we recharged our batteries with simple
   pleasures such as cooking hearty meals with local produce,
   a lot of reading, and talking with each other.”


3. Termeil Point, NSW.“We met a group of friendly local
   fishermen who shared their catches with us, and other van
   dwellers who gave us some great inside information for
   quiet and off-the-beaten-track places to visit.”


4. Booderee National Park, NSW.
   “The smell of fresh eucalyptus-scented air and pristine
   bushland made us feel full of energy, life and creativity.”


5. Patonga Beach, NSW.“The smallness of the town and
   isolation made us feel relaxed and very peaceful, which
   helped us focus onbeingrather thandoing.”

MARTIN DOREY’S TOP TIP

FOR SLOWING DOWN
“Go star gazing! Go and lie out on your back! This means you
have to get away ... you need a place with no light pollution,
you need peace and quiet, clean skies, and time. It’s about
retaining a sense of wonder and reconnecting with our
wide-eyed selves. You ask questions and it opens your eyes.
You become less jaded.”

45

july 2016

yogajournal.com.au

A GO SLOW HOW-TO

Finding calm and embracing simplicity

FIVE TIPS FOR SIMPLICITY

with Ross from A Simpler Way documentary:

1.Take a break from your schedule.Go somewhere new and

go alone. Visit a new café, site on a park bench and observe,

and make sure you are intentionally not doing anything.

Prioritise unstructured time.

2. Arrange to spend time with friends and nourish your
   connections.We are talking three-hour chill-out sessions
   with pots of chai and plenty of chat.


3. Ensure you take space away from technology. Adhere
   to a strict technology fast.


4. Be creative and courageous in how you live.Live within
   your means and spend less than you earn. Be brave
   and question how you live and how you would like to live.


5. Reach out and discover entertainment within your
   community.Slowing down on your own can be confronting
   so join others in the local choir or help a gardening or tree
   planting group. Give passive entertainment such as watching
   television or going to the cinema a miss for a while.