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If the thought of coming home from a day at the office and being whisked away on a Balinese yoga retreat appeals to you… then this is the next best thing! Filmed in the midst of a serene Balinese backdrop, Eoinn Finn’s 6 DVD Blissology Project contains a Vinyasa Flow yoga and meditation routine for each weekday and one for the weekend, and at just $30 from Amazon it’s a real bargain! Each day focuses on a different area of the body and mind to guide you through the week.

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Eoin is a well-known Canadian yogi and surfer who has studied and taught yoga and meditation for many years. He regularly teaches workshops and holds retreats as well as having a line of DVDs. Eoin was also one of Lululemon’s first ambassadors!

He describes Blissology on his website as “the art of consciously finding the balance between one’s personal desires and our impact on the web of life. It is not just a brand but a way of being. It is a path of interconnectedness and love.”

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Eoin approaches yoga holistically, encouraging us to adopt its philosophy into our everyday lives. There is no reason not to get some yoga practise in every day with this DVD set, with each weekday disc giving you the option of a ‘quickie’ (usually around 30-35 minutes)if you’re strapped for time, or a longer routine of around 45-55 minutes if you are after a more intense session. If you’re new to the world of yoga there are beginner’s options throughout, as well as a reference guide to help you perfect those postures.

If you are looking for more of a challenge, there are alternatives during each session to help you push yourself further. Every routine also finishes with a 10 minute meditation to keep you grounded, present and feeling like you don’t have a worry in the world.

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Practising yoga at home with the assistance of a DVD is a great complement to your usual yoga or fitness routine, and is an excellent option for those of us who don’t always have time for classes before or after work, or who may not be in a position to commit to a full membership or course.

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If you are a true beginner this is an enjoyable introduction to the yoga lifestyle, however I would recommend that you do combine your at-home practise with some guided sessions at your local yoga studio in order to truly understand and master the various postures and sequences, and of course to avoid injuring yourself.

You can even pop the DVD into your laptop, take it outdoors and practise in the park or at the beach… I can’t think of a better way to shut out the world and get some quality me-time in!

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The DVD can be purchased in-store at Lululemon, or online at Amazon. You can also find Eoin’s range of other videos on the Blissology website, which can all be downloaded straight to iTunes.

I’d love to hear if you’ve tried the Blissology DVD’s, or are keen to, and what your favourite yoga DVD’s are at the moment – so leave a comment below!

Review by Alice – yoga-lover who would really like to attend a retreat in Bali sometime soon!

Be well,

xoxo

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One of my favourite things to do is to get a whole stack of health & fitness magazines and spend the evening poring through them, making notes on ideas for Wellness WA articles. Wellness nerd!

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A super kind card from my friend Haley from Peachy Clean Organic Beauty Boutique when I was feeling stressed! You get one of these cuties every time you make an order and I’m slowly adding to my collection, hopefully one day I’ll have them all!

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After hearing many raves about the Artisana products from American health bloggers, I was thrilled to see this at the Subiaco Farmers Market a few weeks ago. It’s very sweet and a lot different to pure coconut oil, it has the coconut flesh mixed in too. Very yummy and decadent – a sometimes treat!

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Another farmers market find! A 6 day old baby lamb (it looks so much like a goat!). This poor babe had been abandoned by it’s mama and adopted by human parents. What a sweet heart!

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A really easy and yummy salad I threw together, chopped spinach, avocado, cherry tomatoes, quinoa & sesame seeds. I probably put a drizzle of olive on too. YUM! + fresh orange for dessert.

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Hooray for Amazon orders! I picked up (L-R):

♥ Tamal Dodge’s Hatha & Flow Yoga for Beginners (2 classes, 1 easier, 1 stronger): I really like this class and instructor, he has a very soothing voice. I finish the classes feeling great and stretched out. Slightly challenging but not too hard!

♥ Crunch Candelight Yoga with Sara Ivanhoe – this is my favourite of the three! It’s suitable for all beginners and is a very gentle and restorative practice with variations for different skill levels. There’s also a bonus 15 minute energising routine included Highly recommended, and it’s only $6.36 on Amazon!

♥ Yoga for Stress Relief – this DVD has over 20 sequences to choose from. It is very heavily focused on calming breathing and slow movements. If you have injuries, are very stressed out or are not looking for any kind of workout from your yoga, then this will be a good one for you.

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Here’s a healthy crumble I whipped up in a jiffy. A large tin of pears (preferably in juice, not syrup), half a cup of frozen mixed berries, some steel cut oats, crushed walnuts, cinnamon, wheatgerm & flaxseed meal. Baked for about 20 minutes at 180 (or til the top starts to look golden). Serve with greek yoghurt & some extra cinnamon if desired. So quick, easy, tasty & healthy

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My final crush for this week is this outstanding vegetarian gnocchi with semi sun dried tomatoes, rocket & parmesan from The Trustee on St Georges Terrace. Absolutely divine. At about $32 for the above size, it’s not your everyday lunch meal, but for a treat I can highly recommend it. I’m dreaming of going back now!

Let me know what your week of wellness consisted of in the comments below! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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♥ My Diamond Days

I’ve been talking about the benefits of meditation a lot lately, here on Wellness WA, as well as going on about it to my friends a LOT! I’ve also been creating a few little morning rituals for myself – 2 sets of sun salutations followed by a couple of minutes meditating, and it’s incredible how much better I feel on the days that I do this.

If you’d like to start meditating but are not sure how, then you need to check out My Diamond Days, a delicious program which gives you access to a large variety of high-quality guided meditations that you can listen to on your computer, MP3 player or smart phone whenever you want. My Diamond Days sends you a daily email with a new guided meditation, so you never get bored, and there’s such a big variety of meditations that if you’re not so keen on one, then you can easily go through the archives to find one that suits whatever you need at that point in time.

I like to listen to mine before bedtime using their mobile app, that 5 or 10 minutes helps calm my mind and ensure a great nights sleep. Highly recommended! Find out more at www.mydiamonddays.com

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♥ Style Your Hair

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend the launch of a brand new smart phone and tablet app that promises to make the downtime between appointments at the hairdresser less of an ordeal. Enter – Style Your Hair.

Promising to teach you how to whip together a salon-worthy hairstyle in just a few minutes with its easy to follow videos, this app was created by two of the award-winning hairdressers from local salon Chilli Couture.

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There are 67 videos in the paid version ($2.99) and there is also a free lite version which gives you a taste of the program! Available for both iPhone & Android products, this is one to check out if you need a little extra help keeping your follicles in check.

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♥ 2 x Yoga in a Row

While I’m not quite at the level of the lass in the picture above… I’m a pretty big fan of yoga. You might know this by now. If you ever want to have a chat about yoga, get in touch! I’m lucky enough to go to a gym that has fairly plentiful, high-quality yoga offerings available, in fact it was the deciding factor in me signing up! One such yoga offering comes on a Sunday afternoon in the form of two yoga classes in a row. Most people attend one or the other, but there’s a few of us who’ve cottoned on to the fact that each class is different and that double yoga = double the benefits.

I can turn up frazzled and stressed, and walk out of class two hours later with a significantly lighter mind. A cheaper option is to do two different yoga DVD’s in a row – both are sure to have different focuses, and you’ll get a double hit of stress dissolving goodness. Let me know if you try it!

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♥ AEOS Beauty Body Shower

This organic/biodynamic body wash contains the gem & crystal essences. Yep. Amethyst, turquoise, emerald, quartz and more. AEOS stands for Active Energised Organic Skincare, and these guys know how to make some truly great, and very natural, products.

“A gentle cleansing wash for the body, containing a blend of organic and biodynamic essential oils, plant extracts and the energies of gems and crystals. Rich in rosemary, white birch and gardenia to leave the skin feeling fresh and soft, whilst the scent of lemon myrtle transforms your showering ritual in to a refreshing and uplifting experience.”

I’ve been enjoying using this in the mornings, and even though I don’t really know how the whole gemstone/crystal thing works, I can’t help but think it makes my mood a little more sparkly. Available for $18.50 from Be Genki Shop.

What’s making your beauty & wellness world spin this week? Share your crushes below, I’d love to hear them!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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Picture a leisurely getaway, the gorgeous late spring warmth and sunshine on your skin as you take part in a beachside morning yoga class before revelling in the delicious heat of a detoxifying sauna, drinking a fresh green juice and then sinking into massage heaven and relaxing by the indoor or outdoor pool for the rest of the afternoon. Sound like much needed bliss?

Infrared Sauna = ultimate relaxation

You’d be forgiven for thinking I’m talking about a Balinese retreat. Thankfully this one is closer than you think! We are incredibly lucky to have Leisa from Embracing Health Retreats making the trip over to WA to host one of her world renowned 8 day ultimate wellness and relaxation retreats in Busselton from the 23rd of November til the 1st of December.

Leisa is a leading Australian naturopath, live and whole (raw) foods expert, fatigue specialist and detoxification expert who is dedicated to making you feel vibrantly alive and renewed during her retreats.

The retreat is being held at the local Grand Mercure Apartments at Geographe Bay, Busselton in November, and offers a week of fun, relaxation and world class health education.

An example of the amazing raw food that will be giving you loads of energy!

“My passion”, says Leisa, “is to bring together groups of people and teach them how they can use everyday foods to improve their health. With the rise of chronic diseases such as obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, there has never been a more important message than how what you eat can change your life.”

And changing lives is what the Embracing Life! Retreat is all about.

So what does this amazing oh-my-god-book-me-in-right-now retreat include?

♥ Luxury accommodation for eight nights
♥ All food and drinks from Friday evening to Saturday morning
♥ All activities including Yoga classes
♥ Two x one hour healing therapeutic massages
♥ Two food preparation classes with our Raw Food Chef Extraordinaire
♥ One magical Art Therapy or Sound Healing Class
♥ A Wu Tao Dance Class
♥ Unlimited use of Sunlight Sauna (bliss!)
♥ Unlimited use of resort facilities
♥ Options for booking extra Day Spa treatments and Colonic Irrigation where applicable
♥ All workbooks and lecture notes
♥ A gift bag on arrival containing lots of free goodies valued at over $100!

Check out the Embracing Health website for more details, including cost and how to book in!!

And tell me…

Have you ever been on a retreat before or wanted to? Did it change you in any way?

I’d love to hear from you!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

This is a sponsored post.