Last week, Australia witnessed the 2nd Yoga Aid Challenge. At over 11 locations throughout Australia, over 1,000 yogis saluted the sun 108 times!

I was there in Byron Bay, where we had a lovely sun rise over-looking the bay. There was a variety of Sun Salutes in different forms. In Sydney, over 200 yogis showed up where it was teeming with rain. Instead of the salutes there was a series of 108 chants of OM. All the participants got sponsors to help raise money for charity.

The Yoga Aid Challenge raised over $133,000 for various charities. It is still not too late to sponsor a yogi, just go to www.yogaaid.com.au

The challenge is becoming a world wide event with events in the US, Asia and the UK.


Rachel Zinman leading a creative salute

This past Sunday was the 5th Annual Sydney Yoga Expo. It just gets bigger every year! I remember the first one back in Padington Town Hall. It was just a small little family event with a few stalls and now, 5 yoga stages, speakers, panels, and even coffee! It was a great oportunity to get the yoga comunity together and take a few yoga classes.

I took part in the class with Twee Merrigan, who was teaching her yoga flow which was like nothing I have ever done before! First we expanded our concsiousness from the breadth in ever increasing space till we were part of the entire universe! Then we moved our bodies to music, attempting to feel what we needed to be doing and not simply taking our usual poses which we have done over so many lives. The practice was all about feeling what needed to be felt and not about what we were being told.

Then there was the usual yoga demonstration by Simon Borg-Olivier, who earlier confided in me that what he really wanted to do was have a restorative practice. We both agreed that watching him in childs post for 30 minutes would probably put the audience to sleep.