then there is the heat
Pause and try this:
Breathe in, and close your eyes.
Breathe out, and smileeeeee (cheesier the better, too!)
I’ve been coming back to this over the last little while, not as a concept, but as something my nervous system just keeps asking for.
Last night, I joined Jane’s gentle vinyasa on Zoom, live from the studio (a picture of my set-up at the very bottom of this email, and yes, I am just straight up bragging at this point, but dont get too jealous, what you can not see in this photo is the giant ants and exceptionally persistent mosquitoes).
Slow. Intentional. Spacious (and full of twists). I’d just arrived at my mum’s place a few hours beforehand in Innisfail, North Queensland, after seven days on the road. We took the road trip slowly (no more than five hours of driving a day, if that's considered slow?), but even so, the movement and stillness of that class landed.
Like a soft exhale after a longgggg inhale.
Then there’s the heat. You’ve got it in Sydney, too, right, and we’ve got it up here, tooooooooooo! That kind of heat where your body physically won’t let you rush. Where the only real option is to stop, take a full breath, reassess, possibly have your third cold shower because, for some reason, your mum still doesn't have aircon after a decade living here, and just move slower than you originally planned. Heat has a way of stripping things back to what’s essential.
And last Thursday, Karen shared a reel that stopped me mid-scroll,l too, a simple reminder to step away from doom scrolling and breathe into the belly. Nothing flashy. Just a pause. And it worked. I put my phone down. I breathed. I noticed how tight I’d become without realising it.
All of these moments have felt like small invitations to take a moment.
So if things feel loud, fast, or a bit much right now, maybe that’s your cue too? You don’t need to fix anything (I know right! I need reminders for that one too).
Just pause. Breathe. Maybe even chuck on that cheeky smile ;)
We’ll keep holding space for these moments in community, exactly as we always have.
Annika xx
P.S. Our Yin Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training begins Friday, 27 February, running Fridays from 6–9 pm over 13 weeks. It’s a slow, steady, and reflective training — open to those curious to deepen their practice, with the option to teach if that path calls to you. If it feels aligned, you’re welcome to join us.
P.P.S We have two new yoga classes starting this week, 6:30 am Tuesday and Wednesday, Vinaysa Yoga with Jessie on Zoom. We also have a new reformer starting 9:15 am Sunday with Cat (her pretty face pictured below!), starting in a couple of weeks.
