The key aspects of the meditative state

This is one of my favourite postures to practice on the beach. My legs are in the lotus posture so it’s quite hard to balance on the knees alone. But in the sand it can sometimes make it a bit easier. On the hard ground I mostly have to move my knees back and forth to stay balanced. Here on …

Simon on “Health Regained”

Listen to Simon as he discusses the important questions on health, fitness, wellbeing and longevity with Harold Haskin on his podcast “Health Regained”. This episode is packed full of knowledge everyone can apply. If you are into fitness and health you will want to listen to what Simon says in this podcast. He has been studying yoga for over 50 …

SIMON’S TOP 22 FOR OPTIMAL HEALTH

In my experience, here is what I suggest people should work work towards in achieving optimal health. Of course some of these things may seem odd to some people but this is a summary that is written with most people in mind and of course there are always special exceptions for certain people. As always, any changes in lifestyle (especially …

Cardiovascular work is very important

Cardiovascular work is very important. But many people have it the wrong way. Cardiovascular health is when the blood flows and circulates very easily but the heart hardly has to beat. Many people, especially in Australia, shorten and abbreviate words and by calling ‘cardiovascular exercise’ simply ‘cardio’ this puts the emphasis in the wrong place. The emphasis should be on …

Yoga synergy Blog headstands

Preparations and pre-requisites for headstand

In traditional yoga teaching you could only progress to a more advanced posture after you had satisfactorily demonstrated to your teacher that you could do the postures that have come before it. This guarantees that the new more advanced posture can be performed safely. To be adequately prepared for the Headstand (Sirsasana) you have to have first mastered  the ‘Shoulderstand posture’ (Salamba …

What to do Before, During and After a Yoga Practice

This blog is based on  a video  interview I did with my dear friend and film maker Erick Joseph at the Bali Spirit Festival last year. You can also read the article i wrote about it recently. “There are certain things we should all be doing before, during and after our yoga practice on a physical (anatomical), energetic (physiological) and emotional level. …

Traditional Yoga For the Modern Body

In these two short videos physiotherapist and Yoga Synergy Director Simon Borg-Olivier explains how to practice traditional yoga if you have a body that does not have natural features inherent in the bodies of traditional cultures, such as the ability to squat and sit cross legged on the floor. Differences between the traditional body and the modern Western body are …