Archive for year: 2014

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new-years-resolutions-2Carmen Lee-Schneider

BLOG: What are your New Year’s resolutions?

It’s been an amazing year of growth, persistence and experimentation. I have achieved a lot and been able to reach my goals with a lot of help and belief from the people around me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I look forward to all the challenges, fun and excitement to come in the new year. Have you set your goals for the new year yet? I would strongly urge you to find the time to do a list of what you want to achieve, the easy way is to divide it into these categories:

  • Health & wellbeing
  • Career
  • Money
  • Relationships
  • Personal desires
  • Material things

 

Get clear about the things you want in your life and work towards them. With a little focus, a bit of help from friends and family there is truly no limit to what you want t achieve. And don’t forget to use the magic word “abracadabra!” 🙂 Magic is all around us, if you choose to see it.

May 2015 bring everyone lots of joy, happiness and adventures.

Namaste,
Carmen

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BLOG: I don’t see Yoga is a religion. It is a science, science of well-being, science of youthfulness, science of integrating body, mind and soul.

I have decided to share this because I have faced this situation lately. I have a long term practitioner who has decided not to continue practicing yoga. I totally respect her decision but I am just feeling upset because she has enjoyed it so much and she could see lot of benefits of it. I will respect her and and sincerely hope that  she is feeling relieved and happy now after all she has been through this hard time to face this situation inside herself.
In my opinion, I don’t see Yoga is a religion. It is a science, science of well-being, science of youthfulness, science of integrating body, mind and soul. I am not thinking to choose yoga or religion because i have decided to keep them separate. I don’t focusing on any religion topics in my classes, all I am focusing on is just physical workout and doing it right in order to have a healthy living.
The Yoga practices of self-awareness, self-training, and self-discovery are non-sectarian, and are compatible with all religions. If you are familiar with the differences between Yoga and religion, it is easy to keep them separate, or if you prefer, to integrate them. The choice rests with each person as an individual.

I have came across to this site and would like to share it here. It is good to read.
http://www.swamij.com/religion.htm

Namaste,

Carmen

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YOGA PRACTICE: 15 mins Chair Yoga with Carmen Lee-Schneider

Need a quick yoga workout? Reduce your stress without even leaving your chair! Here is a gentle and accessible chair-based yoga sequence for everyone.

– Try to hold each pose for 4-5 deep breaths(around 20 secs).

– Repeat the same sequence for the second side.

– Meditate for at least 3-10 mins. ( keep your eyes closed, slightly tuck your chin towards your chest to lengthen the back of your neck, rest your hands on top of your thighs, sit up tall on the chair, empty your mind and focusing on your deep breathing inhale and exhale though your nose.)

Happy Chair Yoga! 😉

Namaste,

Carmen Lee-Schneider

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BLOG: “Learn to appreciate what you have, before time makes you appreciate what you had.”

I am proud and vocal about what I do to be a fit mama of two!
I believe that happy kids make a happy mama and vice versa. And I also believe that fit and healthy mama makes a happy family!
For years, I didn’t understand that happiness is something you create and are uniquely responsible for. Until I became a mother and I asked myself a question how I can raise a happy children with an optimistic view of life, the answer I realise began with happy parents.
One of the first few things I have learned is I can actually choose to be happy, I need to develop habits that cultivate happiness. I started focusing on a healthy lifestyle and also gratitude practice.Happiness starts with recognizing the value and goodness in our own lives, which is in essence gratitude.
Gratitude sets the foundation of happiness as you begin to see the joy in the every day. Happiness ceases to be an experience you seek or a thing to be attained. How many times have you thought, if I just had A, then I would be happy, like more money, a house, more holidays, a better relationship. But even if you attain A, then there is B and the cycle repeats itself. Studies have proven more stuff doesn’t make us happy, although we do need a baseline level of material comfort by way of food, clothing, shelter… freedom from poverty. To be Gratitude sets the foundation of happiness as you begin to see the joy in the every day.
I am very luck to have a loving husband, two healthy kids and doing what I love. Life is always busy and time is always ticking, learn to appreciate what you have, before time makes you appreciate what you had.  No matter how busy life is, I will always find the balance in life and being able to stay fit and healthy in order to look after people around me, I will always find the play time for my kids and letting them know that I am there for them with real laugh and fun. I also want to show them to see the joy every single day because we are lucky to have each other.
Namaste,
Carmen Lee-Schneider
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8 Things to Consider When Practicing Yoga

1) Avoid coming to class with a full stomach

It is best to wait 2 hours after eating to practice yoga. You may have a light snack like a banana prior to doing yoga. When you have a full stomach, not only are most yoga poses uncomfortable, but blood supply is funneled to your stomach to process the nutrients from your food, leaving your muscles shortchanged on the energy they need for a successful practice.

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2) Don’t forget to breathe

Focus on breathing. Simply breathe in and out through the nose, maintaining a slight contraction in the back of the throat. The first thing you need to think of especially in the challenging poses.

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3) Avoid pushing yourself too hard

Being honest to yourself and avoid to push yourself too hard. Yoga should never feel painful. If it starts to, back off. Yoga is all about awareness, about listening to your body’s subtle signals, and responding accordingly.

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4) Empty your mind

It is hard to clear our mind and not to think of the things are happening around us. A lot of questions are keep floating in our head all the time. One of the top reasons why people practice yoga, is to learn to make an effort to quieten their mind. Sacrificing both your form and the mind-body connection that comes with a focused practice. By concentrating on your body and your breath, you can help tune out the distractions in your head.

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5) Don’t rush into advanced poses

Being able to complete the foundational ones helps to ensure you have the strength, balance, and flexibility needed to tackle more advanced moves. When you rush into advanced poses, it’s very difficult to hold the correct posture, meaning you won’t use the right muscles, and you can risk injury. Remember, the basics poses are great strengtheners in and of themselves. Try to take advantage of them.

 

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6) Don’t compare yourself to others

People are practicing at different levels in every class. “Every body is different, and yoga is about treating your individual body,” Focusing on your body and allowing yourself to grow your own practice. It is your journey, you choose to where to do and enjoy every moment.

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7) Find the right yoga class with the right instructor

There are a wide range of yoga levels and styles out there that may or may not suit your needs and preferences. I believe everyone is searching for different types of yoga to practice, some people are looking for intensive yoga practices but others prefer relaxing and gentle. Take your time to find the right class and check with the instructor if you are not sure.

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8) Enjoy the cool-down

By focusing on stretching postures and deep relaxation, the cool down can help prevent muscle soreness, enhance flexibility, and slowly lower your heart rate and blood pressure to prevent dizziness. Normally we will do some easy spinal twists and few seated poses. There are always just a few minutes left in class for Savasana. It is usually the last pose done and the most important part of a yoga practice. So allowing yourself in this precious moment to let go your thought and enjoying this final relaxation.

 

Namaste,

Carmen Lee-Schneider

 

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Yoga doesn’t make me soft but makes me stronger everyday.

Yoga is not just making me soft.
It makes me softer from the inside but stronger from the outside.
Sometimes we need to learn to pause, to feel our heart beat and listen to our body. Yoga is not just a physical workout, it helps us to deepen our connection between soul, mind and body. We learn when to stop and reconnect to ourselves again without distraction from the outside.
We learn to focus and listen to our inner self, which is guiding you into the right direction.
The body is not just a shelf, it’s yours. Don’t just focus on the physical appearance of you body but connect with it, feel it and create balance between body and mind.

namaste,

Carmen

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BLOG: Yoga is not about being bendy.

YOGA IS NOT

about being bendy…

It’s about showing up to your mat consistently not knowing

what is going to happen and being ok with that.

It’s about rehabilitating yourself and not believing the “expects”

when they say you are too injured or too old.

It’s about believing that you can do anything even if it’s the scariest

impossible thing you could ever dream of.

It’s about uncovering who you really are.

It’s about being kind to yourself so that you can then be kind to others.

Yoga is about discovering that most of the crazy thoughts in your head are not true.

It’s about being healthy without pushing yourself to your limit.

It’s about slowing down to get strong.

It’s about breathing and moving and smiling on the inside.

It’s the hardest thing I have ever done, but also the best.

an-inspirational-new-yoga-practitioner-sharing-her-experience-2

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE: An inspirational new yoga practitioner sharing her experience

If you had only one word to describe what yoga is to you, what would it be?

“Peacefulness. I am 38 year old woman who lives on a property in the bush, outside of Bundaberg. I am a Mother, first of my two teenage children, and second I work as a Teacher Aide in a Prep-Year 12 Campus, where I manage the Resource Room & School Library. When not tending to my children or at my work, I spend time maintaining my property, tending to my vegetable garden & caring for all our animals – cattle, horses, dogs & chooks.”

“I always leave a session feeling like I am walking on water and I have new energy.”

When did you start doing yoga and what makes you want to continue?

“I started practicing with Carmen in April 2014, during the Easter School Holidays. I continue to practice yoga because it makes me feel good. I always leave a session feeling like I am walking on water and I have new energy. When doing yoga I use that time to concentrate on me and to let go of everything else outside of me. The time is used getting to know me & where I am at, going inside myself, feeling me, loving me, being me.”

How often do you attend Carmen’s yoga classes?

“I attend classes twice a week. If l lived closer I would definitely attend more often. Since I started practicing yoga regularly I feel more balanced in all areas of my life. I have better clarity (my mind is clearer) and my body feels more alive. I listen more to my body & work with it. I am more in touch with myself. I have lost some weight, my body is becoming more toned in areas, I feel stronger within my mind and body, and I am more aware of my posture. I feel healthier.”

What is you next goal or challenge?

“I am presently working on the tripod headstand and the crow. I like to challenge myself because it is fun and it feels great within myself each time I achieve a small step towards a pose. When I find balance it is a good feeling, to be able to get there and hold the pose in a controlled manner. It takes a lot of ones own discipline. I attempt these poses because they teach me control, to listen to my body & it is a good feeling. My daughter also encourages me because she is a great believer in that everything is possible. The first time I managed to do my first tripod headstand, even though it is only at one of the first stages, it made me feel ecstatic. I was over the moon about it because at one of my very first yoga lessons, Carmen showed us how to do a tripod headstand and I couldn’t even put my head on the ground. I had fear that I was going to topple over, I never thought I would be able to lift my feet up off the ground if I could never get my head down. At the moment I can only hold the tripod headstand at a beginner stage for a short period of time, but I find great achievement in this. I feel good inside myself and have gained confidence that one day it is possible that I will do a tripod headstand all the way with my legs straight in the air with total control.”

“Carmen is magnificent. She is like a breath of fresh air. Carmen is inspiring, energetic, patient, understanding.”

“Carmen has inspired me greatly in my yoga journey. Through her inspiration, encouragement, experience and knowledge, I have gained faith that with patience and practice I will be able to succeed at learning new poses and building on them to different stages. Just to watch Carmen completing different poses and flows is inspirational. Carmen is magnificent. She is like a breath of fresh air. Carmen is inspiring, energetic, patient, understanding……she is truly wonderful. She takes the time to assist you in different poses at whatever stage or level you are at on your yoga journey. Carmen is an inspirational, amazing yogi.”

Would you like to share something with those who might be thinking about doing yoga in the near future?

“If you haven’t done yoga or attended one of Carmen’s classes then now is the time to do it. Don’t just attend one class before you decide whether it is for you or not, attend a couple of classes and give your body time to adapt to this wonderful new journey. I remember attending one of my first classes thinking “Oh no this is too hard.” But I have overcome that fear, to breath through different poses and learned to work with my body and where I am at in my journey. Everyone is different and we should learn to appreciate that.”
Brenda Grills
Bundaberg, QLD

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BLOG: Is Yoga for Everyone?

I am often asked if beginners can join my yoga classes.

My yoga classes are for everyone. During a class, classic yoga poses are practiced with an emphasis on alignment and options for modifications. It is appropriate for people brand new to yoga as well as folks who have been practicing for some time. You who have been practicing with me know that I always provide variations for beginners and advanced ones.

Even if you’re brand new to yoga, come join my “Rise&Shine” & “Yin&Yang” classes to learn the basics of the practice, and at the same time explore some new moves which you might thought you were never able to do. There might be some confusion at the beginning but that only makes it more fun practicing as you are learning and exploring something new.

Yoga is not about competition or comparison. When practicing yoga one goes within, becoming aware of what is happening inside the body. Whatever the body can do in a yoga session is exactly what it should be doing. One accepts without judging. Most importantly, listen to your body and take this time to deepen the connection to your inner self.

See on the mat soon!

Namaste,
Carmen

yoga-outdoor

Video: Yoga with Rhee Tae Kwon Do Bundaberg.

A huge thank you to Rhee Tae Kwon Do Bundaberg for having me over for a wonderful yoga session with a group of lovely people.

Namaste,

Carmen

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