Cultivate Calm Yoga

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Cultivate Calm Yoga

Relax your body, calm your mind, soothe your soul. We specialise in yoga and meditation for stress

Cultivate Calm Yoga is a small, community yoga studio in Brisbane which arose from the desire to help people understand and manage the stress in their life. People often become accustomed to stress and anxiety in their life and need help to relax, unwind and de-stress. Cultivate Calm teaches busy people how to use their body as a tool to calm their mind. We offer affordable yoga classes in Brisban

e as we want everyone to enjoy the benefits of yoga. We offer Yin yoga, Vinyasa yoga and meditation classes to suit all ages and levels of fitness from the beginner through to intermediate students of yoga.

21/08/2025

How Sound Healing Affects the Brain and Nervous System

Sound has a direct influence on our nervous system and brain activity.

When we’re stressed, our brain tends to operate in faster brainwave states (like beta, associated with alertness, thinking, and sometimes anxiety).

Slowing the brainwaves down into alpha or even theta states allows us to feel calmer, more relaxed, and more receptive.

Alpha waves (8–12 Hz): A relaxed but alert state, often linked with meditation and creativity.

Theta waves (4–8 Hz): A deeper meditative or dreamlike state, associated with intuition, rest, and emotional release.

Sound healing works through a process called entrainment, where the brain naturally synchronises its frequency to an external rhythm or vibration.

When exposed to slow, steady tones (like those from crystal bowls), our nervous system shifts away from stress and towards relaxation.

Crystal singing bowls are made from quartz, which naturally amplifies vibration.

Each bowl is tuned to a specific frequency that corresponds with a musical note, often aligned with the chakras.

Our bowls are tuned to 432 Hz — a frequency many practitioners believe is more “in tune” with the natural rhythms of the earth and the human body (sometimes called the Schumann resonance).

Listening to or being bathed in these tones can:

-> Encourage deep calm by slowing down mental activity.

-> Support emotional release and nervous system regulation.

-> Help shift from a fight-or-flight response into rest-and-digest.

When you lie down in a sound healing sesssion and allow yourself to receive the vibrations:

->Your breath naturally slows, aligning with the slower rhythm of the sounds.

->Your heart rate and blood pressure can decrease.

->Your body releases tension and stress hormones.

->Your brainwaves entrain to the slower frequencies, allowing you to drop into a meditative or even dreamlike state without effort.

In essence, sound healing with crystal bowls creates an environment where your nervous system feels safe enough to relax deeply.

By slowing your brainwaves and bathing your body in soothing vibrations, sound becomes medicine for mood, stress, and inner balance.

Not all crystal bowls are the same - ours are especially large and powerful - we have three 16 inch bowls, two 14 inch and one 12 inch.

While small bowls may sound nice, they don't offer the vibrational healing of the larger bowls.

Our next Inner Circle will offer Yin Yoga and Sound Healing and best of all, it's FREE for our members.

https://www.facebook.com/share/19fDcj3bTR/

20/08/2025

THE ISSUES IN YOUR TISSUES

If you’ve ever gotten angry in a Yoga class or shed a tear, you’re not alone.

Sometimes the body lets go before the mind can make sense of it.

One moment you’re holding a pose. The next, your chest tightens or your heart aches, and the tears come, often without a clear reason.

This is one of the quiet truths of yoga: the body REMEMBERS what the mind forgets

It STORES the things we didn’t have time, space, or support to process.

Anger, grief, sadness, tension, rage, they settle into our shoulders, hips, chest, jaw.

This is what people mean when they say we carry issues in our tissues.

Yin Yoga works deep into the fascia, the connective tissue that holds everything together.

But fascia doesn’t just wrap muscles and bones; it holds memories, emotions, and old stories, too.

When we soften into stillness, when we stay and breathe and stop bracing, the body feels SAFE enough to let go.

And sometimes what it lets go of… is EMOTION.

Crying, shaking, sighing, it’s all part of the release.

You don’t have to understand it.

You don’t have to explain it.

You don’t have to apologise for it.

It’s not weakness.

It’s healing.

This is why Yin Yoga is a powerful practice, not just for the body, but for the HEART.

It gives us time. It gives us space. It helps us feel what’s been stored away.

It reminds us that we don’t always need to push through.

We can soften.

We can feel.

We can let go. So if the tears come, let them.

Your nervous system is recalibrating.

Your body is clearing space.

Your tissues are releasing issues they’ve held long enough.

This is Yoga doing its quiet work.

Curious about Yin Yoga? Come find us, we’re Brisbane’s favourite Yin Yoga studio.

And if you’ve ever gotten emotional in class, leave a comment below 👇

12/08/2025

Can you help us?

Lately, Facebook and Instagram have been showing our posts to people in the US and overseas, and hardly anyone local is seeing them.

We love that yoga is universal, but our mission isn’t to be a global yoga studio.

We’re here to make a difference in our own neighbourhood.

To help the people of Brisbane breathe easier, move better, and feel calmer in their everyday lives.

The frustrating part is, if you don’t regularly see or engage with our posts, the algorithm assumes you’re not interested… and then we disappear from your feed.

So if you value what we share:
whether it’s a tip for calming your mind or a bit of yoga philosophy to carry through your week, here’s how you can help keep us from disappearing:

💛 Like or react to our posts

💛 Leave a comment (even just a “yes” or “thanks” helps)

💛 Save the ones you want to come back to

Every time you engage with us online, you're helping us reach more local people, including those we offer scholarships to.

We don’t want to lose touch with you.

Your little clicks, comments and taps mean we can keep showing up in your feed, and keep showing up for you on the mat.

🙏 Thank you for helping us stay local and connected.

10/08/2025

BACKBENDS + MOOD: How Bending the Spine Can Shift the Mind

Let's be honest, backbending Yoga poses are rarely our favourite poses.

It's unlikely that we'll be practising them regularly at home.

But there's something special about backbends...

They have a powerful effect on our mood.

When we feel low, down or depressed, our posture collapses.

We curl inward.

Our chest collapses, our shoulders round, our head drops forward and our breath gets SHALLOW.

Backbending Yoga poses reverse that depressive shape.

They open up our chest, draw the shoulders back, lift our throat and open up our lungs.

And this physical shift sends signals to the brain: SOMETHING HAS CHANGED.

They interrupt the feedback loop between low mood and slumped posture.

A 2007 study found that practising backbends and inversions helped reduce depressive symptoms, even in those with chronic treatment-resistant depression (Sharma et al., 2007).

Another study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry showed that regular yoga practice led to significant decreases in symptoms of depression and anxiety, with posture-based practices playing a key role (Streeter et al., 2017).

Beyond the clinical evidence, backbends are energising and boost our mood.

There’s something healing in letting the spine be long, the chest be broad, the breath be full.

Backbends invite us to take up space again when we’ve been shrinking.

Backbends can release the hardened shell we've developed around our heart.

When my Dad died, I adopted a daily backing practice to help me process the grief.

And they've remained a part of my practice ever since, even though I don't physically like them.

They're probably my least favourite pose, but they feel better AFTER.

Even through all my mastectomy and reconstruction, I maintained some backbending practice because I know how much it helps my mood.

Of course, if you’re navigating depression, the goal isn’t to force yourself into the biggest backbend.

It’s about moving with curiosity and care.

Maybe that’s cobra. Or sphinx. Or bridge with a block.

It doesn’t have to be fancy to be effective.

These shapes remind us of resilience.

They help us feel strong.

Awake.

Alive.

And sometimes, that’s the spark we need.

References

Sharma, M., & Haider, T. (2007). Yoga as an Alternative and Complementary Treatment for Depression: A Literature Review. The Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 12(3), 359–365.

Streeter, C. C., Gerbarg, P. L., Saper, R. B., Ciraulo, D. A., & Brown, R. P. (2012). Effects of yoga on the autonomic nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and allostasis in epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2, 1-17.

08/08/2025

THE ISSUES IN YOUR TISSUES

If you’ve ever gotten angry in a Yoga class or shed a tear, you’re not alone.

Sometimes the body lets go before the mind can make sense of it.

One moment you’re holding a pose. The next, your chest tightens or your heart aches, and the tears come, often without a clear reason.

This is one of the quiet truths of yoga: the body REMEMBERS what the mind forgets

It STORES the things we didn’t have time, space, or support to process.

Anger, grief, sadness, tension, rage, they settle into our shoulders, hips, chest, jaw.

This is what people mean when they say we carry issues in our tissues.

Yin Yoga works deep into the fascia, the connective tissue that holds everything together.

But fascia doesn’t just wrap muscles and bones; it holds memories, emotions, and old stories, too.

When we soften into stillness, when we stay and breathe and stop bracing, the body feels SAFE enough to let go.

And sometimes what it lets go of… is EMOTION.

Crying, shaking, sighing, it’s all part of the release.

You don’t have to understand it.

You don’t have to explain it.

You don’t have to apologise for it.

It’s not weakness.

It’s healing.

This is why Yin Yoga is a powerful practice, not just for the body, but for the HEART.

It gives us time. It gives us space. It helps us feel what’s been stored away.

It reminds us that we don’t always need to push through.

We can soften.

We can feel.

We can let go.So if the tears come, let them.

Your nervous system is recalibrating.

Your body is clearing space.

Your tissues are releasing issues they’ve held long enough.

This is Yoga doing its quiet work.

Curious about Yin Yoga? Come find us, we're Brisbane's favourite Yin Yoga studio.

And if you've ever gotten emotional in class, leave a comment below.

07/08/2025

If you think you can just come in here, lie down and take deep breaths—

You’re absolutely right.

See you on the mat.

06/08/2025

How to Teach Compassion to Your Inner Critic

We’ve all got one.

That voice that pipes up just when you're starting to feel good about yourself.

“Not good enough.”

“You effed up again.”

“Why even bother?”

It's exhausting.

Most of us have been listening to this voice for so long that we don’t even notice it anymore.

It’s just the background noise of daily life.

But that doesn’t mean it’s harmless.

This inner critic can chip away at our confidence, our sense of safety, and our ability to feel at home in ourselves.

And here's the paradox: we think if we just work harder, or try harder, we'll finally feel better.

But we don’t.

Because punishment doesn’t lead to peace.

What Yoga teaches us is that there's another way.

A way rooted in ahimsa, the Yogic principle of non-harm.

Ahimsa isn’t just about not hurting others.

It starts with us.

With the tone of our inner voice.

With how we speak to ourselves in the quiet moments, the messy ones, the human ones.

So what if instead of criticising, you listened?

Instead of pushing, you paused?

Instead of judging, you offered care?

This is what compassion looks like in practice.

Not a big warm fuzzy feeling.

Not a motivational quote on a fridge magnet.

But a moment of choosing not to hurt yourself further when you’re already in pain.

Compassion is a foundation of Yoga, not just in theory, but in daily practice.

Every time you step on the mat, you get to explore:

Can I be here with myself, as I am?

Can I feel what I feel, without needing to change it straight away?

Can I soften, rather than brace?

Over time, something changes.

Not because you’ve “fixed” yourself.

But because you’ve stopped trying to.

This is the quiet revolution of Yoga.

It’s not about getting more flexible, it’s about becoming more accepting.

Not about performing poses, but meeting yourself inside them.

If criticising ourselves worked, we wouldn't need to do it all the time.

True healing happens when we swap criticism and hatred for acceptance and compassion.

Instead of being our best selves, it's about accepting and learning to love ourselves at our worst.

The inner critic doesn’t disappear overnight.

But with compassion and patience, its voice fades.

And another voice, steady, kind, and wise, emerges.

05/08/2025

What Happens When Anxiety Meets Yoga

Anxiety is loud.

It buzzes in the mind, clenches the jaw and tightens the chest.

It fills the body with adrenaline and urgency.

It tells you to do more, try harder, keep going, even when you’re already running on fumes.

When anxiety walks into a Yoga class, it doesn’t suddenly disappear.

In fact, it often gets LOUDER before it softens.

You might lie down in savasana and feel your heart racing.

You might close your eyes in a breathing practice and feel like you’re crawling out of your skin.

You might feel agitated by the quiet.

Irritated by stillness.

Convinced you’re doing it wrong.

That’s okay.

In a world that rewards constant doing, anxiety has become a SURVIVAL strategy.

It’s your body’s way of trying to stay safe, stay productive, stay in control.

So, when we ask it to pause? It might resist.

But here’s the thing:

Yoga doesn’t judge your anxiety.

Yoga meets it, gently, quietly, compassionately.

Instead of trying to get rid of anxiety, Yoga offers a RELATIONSHIP with it.

A space to notice.

To breathe. To stay.

To explore the sensations without running from them.

This isn’t a quick fix. It’s a slow unravelling.

At first, you might only get a moment of relief, one exhale that feels a little softer.

One forward fold where your nervous system lets go, just a little.

One class where you walk out feeling more human than before.

Over time, those moments GROW.

Your breath becomes an anchor.

Your mat becomes a refuge.

Your body, once clenched and braced, starts to feel like home again.

And something begins to shift.

You learn that anxiety doesn’t mean you’re broken.

It means your nervous system is overburdened.

Yoga doesn’t just soothe the symptoms; it teaches your body a new rhythm.

A new possibility.

Where effort meets ease.

Where urgency softens into presence.

Where doing gives way to being.

So what happens when anxiety meets Yoga?

It’s welcomed.

It’s witnessed.

And slowly, patiently, it begins to loosen its grip.

If you want to change your relationship with anxiety, come find us.

02/08/2025

HOW YOGA REWIRES YOUR BRAIN

You already know that yoga helps you feel calmer.
But did you know it actually changes your brain?

Here’s how:

When you practice yoga, especially breath-focused, slow, mindful movement, you activate parts of the brain responsible for:

✔️ Emotional regulation (so you don’t spiral as hard when life gets tough)

✔️ Attention and focus (so you’re less scattered and more present)

✔️ Self-awareness (so you can notice and shift patterns that don’t serve you)

At the same time, yoga helps deactivate the overactive fear centre of the brain (amygdala) that keeps you stuck in worry, fear, or overwhelm.

Studies show that regular yoga can actually shrink the amygdala (the brain’s fear centre) and thicken the prefrontal cortex, the part responsible for decision-making, calm responses, and insight.

In simple terms?

Yoga teaches your brain to feel SAFE and CALM.

It strengthens the part of you that knows how to respond rather than react.

It gives you tools to ride the waves, rather than getting pulled under by them.

And right now, when so many people are burned out, overstimulated, and stuck in survival mode, that kind of brain shift is life-changing.

Not just for your stress levels.

But for how you show up in your relationships.

Your work.

Your self-talk.

Your choices.

Yoga isn’t about stretching or flexibility.

It’s about reshaping your brain and nervous system so you can live with more clarity, calm, and compassion.

You just have to begin.

Come find out why we are Brisbane's Best Yoga Studio for Beginners.

Reference:
Villemure, C., Čeko, M., Cotton, V. A., & Bushnell, M. C. (2015). Neuroprotective effects of yoga practice: age-, experience-, and frequency-dependent plasticity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, 281.

01/08/2025

Why Yin Yoga Supports Deep Healing
(the link between fascia + your nervous system)

If you’ve ever wondered why you feel so different after a Yin class:

->calmer
->clearer
->softer

You’re not imagining it.

Yin works on more than just your muscles.

It reaches the deeper layers, physically and EMOTIONALLY.

Here’s how:

🌀 Fascia- your body’s inner web

Fascia is the connective tissue that wraps around your muscles, bones, and organs.

It’s incredibly sensitive; it holds tension, trauma, posture, and even emotion.

Long-held Yin poses gently stretch and hydrate the fascia.

This unwinds not only physical tightness, but emotional holding patterns too.

Sometimes, tears surface.

Sometimes, you just feel spacious.

That’s your body releasing.

🧠 The nervous system link

The stillness and deep breathing of Yin sends a clear message to your brain: “You’re safe.”

This activates your parasympathetic nervous system, the one responsible for rest, digestion, and healing.

In a world that constantly activates stress, this shift into calm is profoundly therapeutic.

So when you lie there in a Yin pose, breathing into the tightness, you’re not being lazy.

You’re repairing.

Restoring.

Returning to yourself.

You’re giving your body the time it needs to let go of what it’s been holding.

Yin isn’t just stretching. It’s somatic and emotional healing.

And if you're burned out, emotionally overwhelmed, or just craving some softness, it's the medicine you didn’t know you needed.

We offer DAILY Yin classes at our Studio.

You don’t have to be flexible. You just have to show up.

31/07/2025

Emotions = Energy in Motion
(and what happens when they get stuck)

Have you ever noticed how a tight chest can hold sadness...

Or how your jaw clenches when you’re angry…

Or how your shoulders creep up to your ears when life feels overwhelming?

That’s not random.
That’s your body storing unprocessed emotion.

Emotions are energy in motion.

They’re meant to move through us, to rise, be felt, and eventually released.

But when we suppress, override, or numb them, that energy doesn’t disappear. It settles in the body.

Over time, these stored emotions show up as tension, fatigue, shallow breathing, anxiety and even burnout.

The good news?

Your body also holds the key to release.

Movement, especially slow, intentional practices like yoga, breathwork, and somatic awareness, helps unlock what’s stuck.

It creates space for you to feel what’s been buried, without being overwhelmed by it.

It’s not about “fixing” anything, but about allowing the energy to MOVE again.

Sometimes, the tears come out of nowhere in a hip opener.

Sometimes, you feel 10kg lighter after a good savasana.

That’s healing.

That’s regulation.

That’s your body letting go.

You don’t need to talk your way through it.

You just need to MOVE it

If this resonates, come join us on the mat.

At Cultivate Calm Yoga, we’re more than a stretch.

We shift energy, unravel tension, and make space for you to feel more like you again.

30/07/2025

There are no mirrors in the studio, here's why

You may have noticed that there are no mirrors in our Yoga studio.

That’s not an accident.

It's intentional.

In a world that constantly pulls our attention outward, towards appearance, performance, and comparison, we created an intentional space that invites you inward.

No mirrors means:

->You don’t have to worry about how you look in a pose.

->You’re not distracted by anyone else’s shape, size, or flexibility

->You can feel your way through the practice instead of performing it

When there’s no mirror, you tune in.

To your breath.

To your body.

To the subtle language of sensation.

You learn to listen.

To trust.

To honour what your body needs.

Our Yoga isn’t a performance, an aesthetic or about nailing the perfect shape.

It’s about coming home to yourself, your body, your breath.

In this mirrorless space, you are free to be real.

To soften.

To not get it “right.”

Because healing doesn’t happen in the performance.

It happens in presence, when we meet ourselves in the pose.

Address

963 Stanley Street East

4169

Opening Hours

Monday	10:00 - 21:00
Tuesday	10:00 - 19:30
Wednesday	06:00 - 19:30
Thursday	06:00 - 21:00
Friday	06:00 - 11:00
Saturday	07:00 - 17:30
Sunday	08:30 - 17:30

Telephone

+61406476950

Website

https://cultivatecalmyoga.com.au/

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Brisbane’s home of relaxation

We teach busy, stressed and anxious people how to relax and unwind.

We’re experts on stress management and our Brisbane yoga classes will teach you how to relax the body and calm the mind. The yoga we teach is so much more than a stretch – we show you how to settle your nerves, release chronic tension and clear out the mental clutter.

Our style of yoga is really accessible and beginner-friendly and we focus more on the mind and how we feel on the inside rather than the shapes we make with our body.

Stress and anxiety doesn’t have to be the norm - there is an alternative and we can teach you.