Practices such as mindfulness, yoga and meditation are life-changing tools that help bring us into the present moment — the only place that truly exists. This publication offers information and inspiration on how to integrate these practices into your daily life, whatever your experience level. While they all take different pathways to presence, they ultimately lead to the same destination: a place deep within you where you can seek refuge, feel calm and, ultimately, cultivate contentment.
Editor’s letter
Introduction
Presence
What is mindfulness? • “Your life requires your mindful presence in order to live it. Be here now.”
What is yoga? • “Yoga takes you into the present moment, the only place where life exists.”
What is meditation? • “Meditation practice does calm us down — and this is important, but it is much more than a tranquilising technique. Meditation is a powerful way of getting deeply in touch with your life at its most essential level.”
Impermanence
Importance of mindfulness • “Collect moments, not things.”
Being mindful: Interview with Michael Dunstan • For Michael Dunstan, meeting the moment with presence is at the heart of living well. From mindful movement to conscious conversations, we discover how the folk artist holds the wisdom of mindfulness close to his heart as he adventures through life.
Importance of yoga • “The purpose of yoga is not to put your foot behind your head. Or do the splits. Or perfect a handstand. Yoga is about more than pretty poses. It’s about healing. Thriving. Understanding what it means to be truly alive.”
Embracing the moment: Interview with Ryan Mannix • Ryan Mannix is as calm and grounded as you would imagine the Surf Coast yoga teacher to be. The community-minded yogi and cofounder of yoga studio It’s All Yoga sheds light on how we can cultivate everyday enlightenment on and off the yoga mat.
Importance of meditation • “The purpose of meditation isn’t to be peaceful, to be better than where you are now, or to get away from everything. It’s to be present. Present with whatever is.”
Practising presence: Interview with Bryony Lancaster • Bryony Lancaster is a walking, breathing embodiment of mindfulness. The author, yoga teacher and yoga studio owner reveals the powerful ways in which we can lean into the practice of presence, and why it is a valuable tool we can use to navigate the uncharted waters of life.
How to practise mindfulness • “You can’t stop the waves but you can learn how to surf.”
How to practise yoga • “True yoga is not about the shape of your body, but the shape of your life. Yoga is not to be performed; yoga is to be lived. Yoga doesn’t care about what you have been; yoga cares about the person you are becoming. Yoga is designed for a vast and profound purpose, and for it to be truly called yoga, its essence must be embodied.”
How to practise meditation • “Practise and all is coming.”
Insight • A moment to be…
Mindfulness journalling • “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. And when we bring what lies within us out into the world, miracles happen.”
Yoga journalling • “A journal is another prop — like a block, a blanket, a strap — for you to use in your yoga practice.”
Meditative journalling
Mindfulness Yoga & Meditation