Adore Yoga Blog

Maurice takes his yoga seriously, but his personal warmth brings great lightness and humour into his classes. It’s a compelling combination that has created a loyal following of happy students! A native Chilean, Maurice has lived in Australia for 27 yrs and has been teaching his extremely popular Hatha, Vinyasa and Ashtanga style classes at Adore Yoga since 2006.

When and why did you start doing yoga?
 
Way back in 1995 I found myself going through a tough time! I had a friend who told me that yoga was a fantastic way to see things as they really are and that it was a great way to find clarity and meet beautiful genuine people. This was the beginning of change for me as it helped me realize my full potential as a person and realize how much I was able to improve myself so I could become a better man!

Since then I did yoga teacher training at Qi Yoga, where Nikola Ellis was one of my trainers, and became a Yoga teacher in 2005. I undertook an apprenticeship with Debra Grant and have pursued endless further studies and workshops on Meditation, Pranayama and Asana, including ongoing further training the Eileen Hall (certified Ashtanga Teacher/ Mentor) in Sydney.

What do you love most about yoga?
 
I love everything about yoga, how I am able to integrate every breath with every single movement, how it brings me into stillness and the peaceful feeling that fills me physically and mentally after every practice session. I love the discipline that it's required of me to put myself on my mat and the results that I have been able to achieve as a person - mentally, spiritually and physically.

Yoga helps me every day. It has made me a better listener and has helped me be more compassionate. It has greatly improved my level of tolerance and it has opened my heart to give and receive love, understand and to forgive! And it helps me everyday to let go of what has happened and learn to live the NOW and to always do things with integrity and with good intentions!

Teaching allows me to share every single thing I have learned and felt through my own practice:  the joy and happiness, achievements, feelings, thoughts, disappointments and how important it is to teach with safety and integrity whilst respecting boundaries and allowing time, dedication, patience and discipline to guide you through this beautiful journey.
 
What advice will you give to a beginner student?
 
To learn to let go of the ego (Yoga's worst nightmare!) Yoga is not about being flexible but rather we are here to teach the mind how to be still! Yoga is about inner observance and inner acceptance - it is ok not to be flexible. Yoga is about finding your own inner boundaries and respecting these boundaries. Physical flexibility is an extra added bonus that will eventually happen with time!

Maurice teaches the following classes at Adore Yoga: 

Friday 9.15am Hatha, Friday 10.30am Vinyasa, Saturday 7.45am Ashtanga style, Saturday 9.15am Hatha. BOOK NOW

Mysan Sidbo is the sportsperson’s yogi. A former professional snowboarder, qualified personal trainer, massage therapist and kayak instructor Mysan’s approach to health bridges the body-mind gap. 

When did you discover yoga? 

I started doing yoga about 12 years ago in the Alps in Europe were I lived at the time. I started yoga because I was a professional snowboarder and skier and had spent years putting my body through heavy training sessions, pressure, stresses and injuries. 

I had also put my mind through a lot, being in a space where I needed to always be totally focused as well having adrenaline constantly pumping through my system. I needed a change, for my body and mind.

How did you go from being a professional snow boarder in Europe to teaching yoga in Australia?

I’m originally from Sweden and came to Australia when I was 28 to study. Since I had been a skibum for years and my body was totally broken, I needed to get an education and change things up!  I did a bachelor of business and a master of commerce and after finishing my studies I worked very briefly for a recruitment firm but I quickly realised that was not for me.  So I came back full time to fitness and kayaking and completed my Hatha Yoga Teacher Diploma. As soon as I started teaching yoga, I knew I had found my passion! 

What do you love about yoga?

I come from a professional background of sport and remedial massage which, along with my many own sport injuries, has made me passionate about creating better bodies through yoga. I have a great curiosity about how the body works- the mechanics and anatomy.  Linking it all - body, mind, heart and breath – through yoga has helped me, and my students, get happy and healthy.

Yoga helps me in my every day life, in stress full situations, when in need of peace, when in need of focus. And, as a very active sports person, it has helped me achieve better results, reach and last longer, and be at the top of my ability - so awesome!

What advice would you give a sports person starting yoga? 

It would depend on that persons needs, but most sports people needs to create balance in their training. That’s what yoga has done that for me and many others through my Yoga for Sports trainings. When you add the yogic knowledge of the body, breath and mind to any sport, great success follows!

Mysan Sidbo at Adore Yoga:

Core Strength Yoga Workshop: Saturday 19 May, 12-3pm. BOOK

Yoga for Sports Workshop: Saturday 16 June, 12- 3pm. BOOK

Mysan is available for private yoga lessons, specializing in sports and rehabilitiation, Monday & Wednesday evenings, weekday mornings and Sundays. Appointments essential 1300 844 693.

Kevin Peckham, our Men’s Yoga specialist, has been teaching his special brand of mindful yoga with Adore for 5 years, but his personal practice goes back over 30 years. This interview reveals Kevin’s greatest influences and passions in the world of yoga.

I practice yoga because

Yoga is my ‘home base’. The demands of every day life can sometimes seem overwhelming. Yoga offers a way to tap into the quiet space inside which is you minus the madness …  Yoga = You – Madness! 

I also love feeling my body move without restriction. 

I started practicing when

I had been meditating for a couple of years when a friend suggested trying a weekend Massage and Yoga workshop. I was hooked on asana right away and for 6 months I did 2 hours practice every day. That was over 30 years ago and although I still have a strong practice, I also have two young children and don’t have quite so much time on my hands! 

My greatest influences in practising have been 

My partner Nikola Ellis, who runs Adore Yoga where I teach, has been a great inspiration. She introduced me to Michael de Manincor’s classes and the tradition of Krishnamacharya. Through Michael I learnt about ‘Viniyoga’ which is not a style but loosely translates as ‘yoga which is appropriate to the person’. 

I have also been influenced by the Iyengar tradition, which  appeals to my analytical side and by Yoga Synergy which I love for it’s physicality. 

The changes I’ve seen in my yoga practice over the years are 

When I was 22 and stronger I could flip up into headstand without thinking about it. I remember hovering in Parshvakakasana (Side Crow Pose) and the teacher gently pointing out that everyone was waiting for me. 

After a break of 20 years, I walked back into a Yoga class and instantly remembered how good it made me feel. I also noticed that headstands took a whole lot more technique than I remembered!

Yoga practice has helped me with 

Confidence. For example, I used to think I’d rather die than talk in front of a crowd. Now I stand up in front of people and teach!  

I’ve also gained great insights from Swadhyaya – self observation, which of course arises out of meditation. I love that Yoga is diagnostic as well as therapy. “How am I feeling today, strong or in need of restorative poses?” 

My advice to beginners who want to start their own practice is

Take it easy!  If any part of your body is uncomfortable, take your awareness there and begin with simple movements to free up any tension around it.. Watch how a cat stretches after inactivity … every single time!

If someone says to me that they can't find time to do yoga, I say

Begin simply. As with kindling, the fire builds from small beginnings. When you get out of bed in the morning, you yawn or instinctively stretch. Yoga can be an extension of that impulse.

What happens on the days when you just don’t feel like practising?

I’m not religious about my practice, and I don’t always do a strong practice; sometimes it’s more appropriate to roll around on the floor like my 4 year old. I’ve found that forcing it can lead to injury. Even on days when I don’t feel like practicing, I know I always feel refreshed after getting on the mat and that motivates me.