Meet the HoY Therapy Room practitioners:

JEREMY DOTCH – ACUPUNCTURIST, CHINESE HERBALIST
I’m a fully registered, university-qualified (UTS) Acupuncturist/Chinese Herbalist. I feel my working knowledge of body movement, anatomy and physiology is well suited to help you fulfil your specific yoga/health goals. 

In addition, I have trained in a number of other healing modalities including:
Moxibustion, Cupping, Chinese Massage, Gua Sha, Reiki, Macrobiotic Diet Therapy, Chinese Medicine Diet Therapy and Yoga Correctives. I practice as a traditional Acupuncturist, however, I’m able to draw on my depth of knowledge to provide the best possible, therapeutic outcome, for you.

How can Acupuncture help you with your practice? 
Yoga is much like life, we constantly grow, evolve and learn physically, spiritually and emotionally. Sometimes there are times we may feel stuck in either of these three areas – they are usually one and the same. Acupuncture can help us move through these stagnant times of our life more efficiently, by creating free flow of energy and directing our body to the area that needs care and attention. Together, we can help your body and mind heal faster and more effectively. 

But I’m afraid of needles! It hurts right? 
We were all children once (some of us still are, in the nicest possible way) – I still remember my vaccination shots from decades ago – ouch! However, Acupuncture needles aren’t hollow, are super-thin, in fact they are almost as thin as your hair. Treatment is relatively pain free. If it was that bad it wouldn’t be a popular therapy and utilised by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

Book an appointment today!
Appointments are available Monday to Fridays 7am-7pm; Saturdays 10am-5pm.
Acupuncture treatments are 1 hour and cost $80.
Herbal Consultation is $50 plus cost of herbs.
To make a booking, call Jeremy during work hours on 0412 482 480.

MOLLY FURZER – MELIA INTUITIVE HEALING
Molly has been practising energy healing for over a decade, with substantial self-practice and training in Reiki and Qi Gong. Her most recent certification, in Meliae Intuitive Healing, has taken her skills to an exciting new level.
“I am thrilled to be offering intuitive healing sessions at House of Yoga’s Therapy Room, as I have seen amazing results in my clients. If you need a little help to reach a goal, are looking for support during a difficult time, or just want to feel really, really good, intuitive healing can help,” she says.
What is an intuitive healing session like?
An intuitive healing session is very relaxing – some people fall asleep! Clients simply lie on a massage table as Molly lays her hands above the body to channel universal energy. Holes in the aura, energy blocks in the body and deep-seated emotions from the past are examples of what can be healed during a session. Each session is like peeling off layers of an onion, reaching deeper blockages and older, significant hurts. After a few sessions you may see life through a new perspective and react much differently to life’s ups and downs.
How can energy healing help your yoga practice?
“I have personally found energy healing to be highly complementary to my yoga and meditation practices. As our sensitivity to our subtle energy bodies grow through regular yoga and meditation practice, we become more aware of stagnant energy and lack of vitality. This is when an energy healer can help to see things in you that are obscured by your own view of yourself and help to clear and balance your energy. Making strides forward in this way can offer holistic healing in sync with your goals for your spiritual and earthly life.”
Book an appointment today!
Sessions are 1 hour and cost $95. 
June/July SPECIAL OFFER! $85 (available to new clients at their first appointment) 
To book an appointment, call Molly on 0416 341 139.

1. Put yourself on a negativity diet
Negativity lowers your vibrations, and attracts more negativity into your life! Eliminate all negativity: don’t participate in drama or gossip; be careful in choosing TV shows, movies and music; select news sources that are balanced, not sensationalist; avoid people who are mostly negative. Make sure you start your day with positivity – meditate, do yoga, chant or read an uplifting book.
2. Practice meditation and yoga
These are daily practices to clear the cobwebs from your energetic body and bring fresh energy in. Let go of mental stress, physical tension and anyone else’s energy you’ve picked up in your day. You can only increase your consciousness, so keep practising and feel the benefits of raised vibrations.
3. Eat well
A healthy diet that is suitable for your constitution will enable you to feel your energy vibrantly and clearly. This means addressing any food intolerances; keeping variety in the foods you eat; and moderating your intake of stimulants and depressants such as caffeine, alcohol and sugar. Some suggest that eating dairy clouds your energy, so consider eliminating it for a period of time to understand how it affects you.
4. Exercise outdoors often
Regular exercise outdoors, such as walking in a peaceful natural environment, helps to move energy through your body. If you find you have been going through a fairly emotional period, walking will help you to release the associated energy out of your feet. And being surrounded by nature will revitalise your energy state.
5. Ask for protection
Every morning visualise a protective sphere around your body. Fill it with white light, then cover it with a layer of gold. Set the intention that you will keep your energy and not give it away, or take on other’s energy, unless you want to. If you feel you have taken on someone else’s energy, use the following statement as an intention: “I release any energy that is not my own.”
6. Get support
Most people intuitively know when they need to seek the assistance of an energy healer. You could be feeling unbalanced or drained of energy due to an energy block or leakage. Or you could be going through a difficult time in life and need support. For others, there are personal goals in place and a desire to achieve lasting change.

Molly Furzer has been practising yoga since 1999 and achieved level I and II Reiki in 2002. She has been practising Qigong (Chinese energy healing) since 2004. Molly is a certified Meliae Intuitive Healer, trained by Flying Souls in Melbourne.
Meliae Intuitive Healing sessions are available at the House of Yoga Redfern Therapy Room
Sessions are 1 hour and cost $95. New clients during May save $10
Bookings: Call Molly on 0416 341 139 or email mofu76@gmail.com

As you hang, swing and flip around a hammock, instructors say it helps decompress and realign the spine.

“The hammock is totally supporting you in the inversion so it allows you to gain spinal extension,” instructor Helene Lara said.

Joni Dropkin had back surgery in 2011 for a herniated disk and recently tried this class.

“I always did yoga and I loved standing on my head and I wasn’t allowed to do that anymore. Being upside down and having my whole spine decompress was the best feeling,” Dropkin said.

Upside down yoga classes are now offered across the country. We paid a visit to Asphalt Green in Manhattan.

“The decompression of the spine and joints creates space in that joint that used to be arthritic so that feels great,” Sheryl Dluginsky, who had a hip replacement, said.

“When you’re suspended, it almost acts like a traction of the back which can be therapeutic. However, if you have an area of the spine that inflamed, having traction at that segment can cause pain,” Dr. Elizabeth Manejias of the Hospital for Special Surgery said.

Dr. Manejias is a physiatrist. She also warns against overextending or arching your back.

“Patients who have spinal stenosis or arthritis of small joints of the lower back – Those particular maneuvers can place increased stress on the joints,” she said.

They say it’s for all fitness levels, but I found it takes some getting used to. The head rush can be a problem. Don’t take the class if you have high blood pressure or glaucoma. I know you’ve heard it before, but before you try this – you definitely need to check with your doctor!

Meditation practice promotes creativity, happiness, better memory, peace, love, self control and success. As change must begin within, meditation plays a vital role.

“Meditation is no longer mysticism. It’s not new-age mumbo jumbo there have been six or seven hundred studies showing this is very, very good for the human being.” – David Lynch.

- Acupuncture, Moxibustion, Cupping and Gua Sha
- Chinese Herbal Medicine Consultations
- Yoga Correctives

A wise sage once said:- ‘In ancient times those people who understood Tao (the way of self cultivation) patterned themselves upon the Yin and the Yang (the two principles in nature) and they lived in harmony’

To be in true health, we pattern ourselves according to the changing seasons. In Autumn time we welcome a natural contraction of natures energy as the days become shorter and cooler. We begin to look inwards and move indoors, letting go of the long summer days and warm weather. The Lung and Colon are the organ systems related to Autumn time and its important to keep them healthy and toned. It’s not surprising that the emotion of ‘letting go’ is governed by these organs. For some, it is hard to except the cooler, shorter days and we continue living as if it is a year long summer. This is not always sustainable. Therefore, to avoid illness and dysfunction, we assist the body to adapt and flow freely through Autumn. We can do a number of things:-

- Counteract the drying nature of Autumn by eating moistening, seasonal foods such as pumpkin, stewed pears, turnip and carrots. We consume less raw foods and begin to increase our daily intake of cooked soups and stews.
- Be more organised by designing a more structured routine. The intestines particularly love routine <– if you know what I mean
- Writing a journal can be helpful to verbalise and gain clarity on anything that has been worrying us for a while. This aids the letting go process. Acupuncture can be helpful if you feel stuck in a rut.
- Strengthen the Lung and Colon with Acupuncture, corrective yoga, core work and BREATHING EXERCISES!!! <– This last one’s really important

In fact, since your first breath, the art of breathing has been one of the most important biological functions of your body. The rhythm of breath helps regulate a number of your bodies systems:- cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal and metabolic.

When we are stressed or anxious it’s natural for our breathing to become shallow. Simply improving our breath, by breathing deep and slowly, benefits us at times of elevated stress and anxiety and helps improve with restless sleep and insomnia.

The breath is one of the only bodily functions that can be consciously and unconsciously controlled. It’s not surprising that conscious focus of the breath is the foundation of most Buddhist meditation practices and yoga.

The average person takes up to 29,000 breaths per day so you’d think we would be experts at breathing. However, it’s common for many people to practice paradoxical breathing. This is an incorrect form of respiration that involves expansion of the upper chest and sucking in the abdominal muscles during inhalation. Paradoxical breathing is linked to many problems including:

- Reduced oxygen content
- Postural problems
- Digestive complaints and bloating
- Increased muscular tension especially neck and shoulders
- Lower back pain

Healthy breathing is when the area between the lower ribs bulge out on the in breath and deflate on the out breath. The upper chest often doesn’t move at all.
Drawing attention to your breath for 20 minutes per day will help improve the way you breathe and your general well being, strengthen your lungs, regulate metabolism and help eliminate negative emotional aspects of your life.

Jeremy is happy to send you a list of designed breathing exercises. Feel free to contact him for an appointment or with any questions on 0412482480.

If you’ve practised yoga for a while, you have probably become more sensitive to subtle energy, or prana, which is found in all living things.

Prana comes into our subtle energy body through our breath, and the food and water that we consume (a good reason to take in quality air, food and water!). Our energy body’s nadis (energy pathways) and chakras (energy centres, or spinning “wheels”) distribute prana to our emotional and mental bodies (which make up our aura).

When you have trauma, periods of high stress or don’t take care of yourself (physically, mentally or spiritually), your energy body can become “dirty” – literally bits and pieces (unprocessed emotions, other people’s energy you’ve taken on, etc) will cause blockages in parts of the body, resulting in the flow of energy slowing down or stopping altogether.

Our chakras perform specific functions in relation to their location in the body – the seven main chakras are located from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Each chakra is associated with the body’s organs and certain emotions.

When there is an imbalance in a chakra, it can show up as dysfunction or disease. A good example is heartbreak – that painful feeling that wells in your heart chakra; or the “choked” feeling at the throat when there is something that you want to say but can’t.

So, taking caring of you energy body is as important as getting a haircut, visiting the dentist, eating healthily, exercising and showering every day. Spiritual practices such as yoga and meditation nourish your energy body, helping to keep it in tip-top shape. Practice regularly, and when you need the support of an energy healer, call on one.

The chakras
Let’s take a closer look at the seven main chakras, so you can understand their role in your day-to-day life.

1. Base or root chakra (Muladhara)
Location: Base of the spine between the pelvic bone and coccyx.
Colour: Red
Function: To keep us alive! It’s all about survival and security, and having our basic needs met. When imbalanced, you may be possessive, self-centred, egotistical or frozen by fear.

2. Sacral chakra (Swadisthana)
Location: Below the navel.
Colour: Orange
Function: Reproduction and sexuality; giving and receiving pleasure. When imbalanced, you may feel low energy, poor health, clingy, guilt or you may behave inappropriately sexually or be unable to pleasure yourself or others.

3. Solar Plexus chakra (Manipura)
Location: Above the stomach.
Colour: Yellow
Function: Our personal power centre, relating to will and opinion. When imbalanced, you may experience fear and anxiety, have a sense of being lost, or feel anger and frustration.

4. Heart chakra (Anahata)
Location: Behind the breastbone.
Colour: Green
Function: Giving and receiving human love. When imbalanced, you may only give conditional love or behave in a selfish manner; you may feel sadness or depression.

5. Throat chakra (Vishuddha)
Location: Throat.
Colour: Blue or turquoise
Function: When developed, it enables us to speak out truth, express our creativity and vocation. When imbalanced, you may have an inability to communicate, fear of failure, or be judgemental.

6. Brow/third eye chakra (Ajna)
Location: Centre between the eyebrows.
Colour: Purple or deep blue
Function: Wisdom – intellectual and spiritual. When imbalanced, there is confusion and negativity.

7. Crown chakra (Sahasrara)
Location: Top of the head.
Colour: Violet or white
Function: Highest state of consciousness. When imbalanced, you may have depression, fatigue or a closed mind.

Healing imbalances
Often during a Meliae Intuitive Healing, imbalances in the chakras will show up. As a healer, I am able to release blockages and channel energy into the chakras to get it moving in the right direction.

After a Meliae Intuitive Healing, many clients report increased energy to do what they have been putting off for a long time. They feel more open to love; more self-esteem and self-power; greater will to achieve their dreams; and less fear and anxiety.

To book a Meliae Intuitive Healing session at House of Yoga’s therapy room, call Molly Furzer on 0416 341 139 or email mofu76@gmail.com

Sessions are $95/1 hour or 3-session package $270 (save $15)

SPECIAL: New clients – your first session (booked and taken in April 2013) $85 (save $10)

While moving house recently I came across a ragged, flimsy A5 book titled:

‘Illustrations on Yoga. Absorption in Bliss’.

It is a small travel relic I picked up in India many moons ago, and it is filled with straight forward insights into Yoga, Love and Consiousness. The illustrations are also a hoot.

As I haven’t written any posts for a while, I thought today I would share some insights on ‘Why Yoga’ from this book. Enjoy!

* BLISS

Every person in the world aspires for happiness and peace. These goals have in fact, less to do with material objects and more to do with states of mind. Moreover, there is another kind of experience: BLISS, the highest experience, independent of worldly objects and senses. If there’s one thing you should practice yoga for, it is bliss. Bliss is a ‘super-sensuous’ joy that enables a person to break free from habits and addictions. The relaxation achieved, in turn leaves a yogi with less worries, fears and spoilt relationships. It lets calmness blossom.

* BEHAVIOURAL TRANSFORMATION

Further, yoga brings about a behavioural transformation without any therapy! The thoughts and ‘mind-calm’ achieved through yoga and meditation work like mental surgery. Positive virtues are planted in place of negative traits. Outlooks change and in-toe, bad habits loosen their grip. That surging energy in your body is now used for constructive and useful work.

* RELATIONSHIPS

These changes bring about an overall blossoming of one’s personality. Shyness is replaced by a feeling of confidence; a connection and understand of you body and mind and it’s place in the world. All this goes a long way to improve relationships with others. This new confidence and happiness, brings about fulfilment. A yogi is someone who is in harmony with Nature, at peace with his own self, in concord with others and in unison with the Creator. His mind is not in conflict.

“Look inside yourself. Everything that you want, you already are.”

- Rumi.

9 AYURVEDIC RULES FOR EATING

• Eat only when you are hungry. That is to say, when your previous meal has been completely digested. Sometime we might think that we are hungry, however, it could only be that we are dehydrated. Be in tune with your body and re-discover how it feels to be really hungry.

• Eat in a calm and comfortable place. Sit down when you eat and eat with as little distraction as possible: no tv, no book, no phone, no laptop…

• Eat the right quantity. We are all different, with different needs and different stomach size and metabolic speed. Listen to your body and eat only to point when you feel satisfied.

• Eat warm meals. Ideally freshly cooked but as long as you avoid anything coming out straight from the fridge you’ll preserve your digestive power (Agni). This allows your digestive enzymes to work efficiently.

• Eat quality food. Make sure that your meal is juicy or a little oily as this will facilitate digestion and improve nutrient absorption. Avoid foods which are too dry.

• Do not eat incompatible food items together. This might lead to an upset stomach. Here are some food combinations to avoid.

• Be present when you eat. Use all your 5 senses. Take time to appreciate the smell of your meal, the look of your plate, the texture of your food, the different flavors, and the sounds that you make when you eat.

• Don’t eat fast. Don’t just swallow your food, take your time to chew. Chewing is an essential step of digestion.

• Eat at regular times. Nature likes cycles and regularity so you should abide!

Here are a few foods that have been proven to lower anxiety & stress levels:
1) Blueberries: The high potency of antioxidants in these berries counteracts the production of cortisol, the number one chemical that is released during a stressful time.
2) Peaches: This fruit is a fantastic super food. Peaches include phytonutrients that give you healthier skin and help fight cancer. They also have a natural sedative that can help reduce stress and anxiety. Plus, since they are sweet, they can work wonders when you need that sugary treat.

3) Acacia berries: This superfood that should not be ignored. The acacia berry has phytonutrients that have been shown to enhance your mood. They have additional health benefits, such as leveling your blood sugar which therefore reduces sugar cravings.

4) Cacao: Raw cacao is the ingredient found in chocolate. It is high in flavonoids. Flavonoids are potent with relaxation properties. It also contains phenethylamine, a chemical that enhances mood. You can add raw cacao to your smoothies, your macaroons or you can get the nutrients by eating a dark chocolate bar. The darker the chocolate, the more of these substances you are getting. Generally, opt for bars with 70% cacao or higher.

5) Maca root: Maca root is a powder made from a Peruvian root and can be found in certain supplements and drink mixes. Maca root, in its unprocessed form, contains a phytonutrient that helps ward off anxiety and depression. Some studies have found that maca root is just as useful at fighting depression as prescription antidepressants, since it contains so many mood enhancing nutrients. Another plus is that maca root is natural and does not have as many of the risks and side effects prescription anxiety medication. Maca root powder can be made into a tea or sprinkled over other foods to give you the maximum health benefits. You actually need very little—I add half a teaspoon to my smoothies.

6) Spinach: This lean, green leaf is high in magnesium, improves your body’s overall response to stress and stops your blood pressure from spiking.

7) Sunflower seeds: Sunflower seeds contain a high source of folate, which help your body produce the feel-good brain chemical, dopamine. Normal levels of dopamine help control of your emotional responses.

8) Walnuts: It has been shown that eating at least one ounce of walnuts a day can prevent your blood pressure from rising and keep your anxiety levels in check. If you tend to have higher levels of adrenaline and anxiety, make sure you get some of these delicious nuts into your diet so you’re not make your heart work more than it needs to. Walnuts can be a great addition to any salad or salad dressing.

26 Oct 2012