Joanne Heath Wellness

21/06/2025

International Yoga Day is observed on June 21 each year, promotes the practice of yoga as a tool for physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. It highlights yoga’s global relevance and ancient Indian origins, serving as a reminder to integrate mindfulness and wellness into daily life. This year’s theme—“Yoga for One Earth, One Health”—stresses harmony between humans, the environment, and overall wellness. The 2025 celebrations emphasise yoga’s unifying role in balancing personal health with planetary health. Photo at National Institute of Naturopathy, Pune, India, June 2025

17/08/2024

12/08/2024

A classic yoga pose, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog Pose) is a key part of the Surya Namaska sequence.

Surya Namaskar is the Sanskrit name for a specific sequence of twelve yoga asana (postures). The term comes from two Sanskrit roots; surya, meaning “sun” and namaskar meaning “greetings” or ‘salutations’”.

Traditionally, the practice of Surya Namaskar was used as a means of paying respect to the sun. In Indian culture from which the practice came, the sun is regarded as the source of all life, and therefore of great importance.

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana is an energy-boosting posture that may help relieve lower back pain and strengthen your shoulders, arms, and back muscles.

This powerful posture also counteracts slouching and kyphosis (the abnormal curvature of the spine), and the effects of prolonged sitting while boosting mood, energy and confidence.

Rather than relying on your back muscles, focus on staying active through your legs—pressing down with the tops of your feet and lifting your thighs to gain more length in your spine – see illustrations attached.

Note: the blue muscles are contracting, and the shade of the blue represents the force of the stretch and the force of contraction. Darker = stronger.

· Contract your triceps to straighten your arms
· Press the base of your index fingers into the mat
· Draw your shoulder blades toward your midline
· Open the front of your chest
· Press the tops of your feet into the mat
· Lengthen your spine and activate your glutes

If you’re new to yoga, your upper back is tight, you have a lower back injury, or this pose causes any pain or discomfort, modify with a gentle Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose - Pic. 2), keeping your knees and thighs on the ground, dropping your shoulder blades down, lengthening your head away from the top of your shoulders and squeezing your elbows into the side of your body. To provide some cushioning for the front of your hips, place a folded blanket under your hip bones.

📷:
Illustrations: Chris Macivor

09/08/2024

The August Northern Rivers Community Wellbeing Workshop booked out before I had a chance to post it! Shout out to all the local media and community pages for helping spread the word. Special thanks to the for the extensive editorial coverage over the past few months. Places are still available for the Sept 26 workshop 😌

Proudly brought to you by and , this not-for-profit community wellbeing initiative is designed to make learning how to self-manage stress and live a more balanced lifestyle in a beautiful retreat setting more accessible to locals from both a financial and time perspective.

Based on supporting the 4 Pillars of Wellbeing – movement, mindfulness, nutrition and sleep, the program includes gentle yoga, controlled breathing techniques, meditation, mindset coaching, visualisation, free dance and guided relaxation.

September 26 workshop is now open for bookings
Time: 9:30am – 2:30pm.

Open to Northern River’s residents 16+.

Limited to 20 guests.

Tickets $39 to cover refreshments and lunch. Take-home notes included.

Accessible to all locals from both a financial and time perspective it’s an incredibly valuable day. Excellent for yourself, or for someone you know who might appreciate some nurturing and connection to community.

Enquiries email info@joanneheathwellness.com

To book visit www.bluegreensanctuary.com.au/communityworkshop

08/08/2024

We can also learn a lot by looking to the “blue zones” on our planet – regions where people have exceptionally long lives beyond the age of 80.

Currently leading the way
is Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Icaria, Greece and Loma Linda, California. In these regions, people are living longer primarily due to a lifestyle combining
physical activity, low stress, rich social interactions, a local whole-foods diet and low disease incidence.

It’s never too late to address the main threats to lifespan - an unhealthy diet, smoking, alcohol and drug use, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Letting go of past
resentment, enjoying the moment, being flexible in body and mind, and focusing on all that is good and right in your life will also set you up to live longer.

Read the full article on my website or