The ocean’s waves lap the beach and a gentle breeze caresses your cheeks. Your hands unfurl upwards like leaves stretching for sunlight. You root your feet in the ground, keeping your posture firm and steady. Beyond the sand you can see surfers paddling the waters and hear birds in the sky. The cares of the world wash down your back and a warm inner contentment radiates from your chest.
We all need space. The poet Wordsworth used to go on long nature walks to ‘enter the quiet stream of self-forgetfulness.’ Caught in a barrage of distractions – phone, email, internet – our capacity to enjoy the moment gets stretched thin. Yoga at a luxury resort such as Qualia , included in our Australia Icons Luxury Tour, is a wonderful way to carve
out that breathing time in our busy lives. Located in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, Qualia is a sun-drenched, world-class resort where everything is meticulously considered so you can spoil your senses. Here you can unwind from the day’s cares with a personal yoga lesson, tailored specifically to suit your body’s needs.
This tailoring matters. One of the best ways to reach what psychologists call ‘flow’ – the deep engagement in an activity, when we lose track of time – is to do something you love at a level that’s challenging but not too hard. A tailored yoga lesson means you’re challenging your body’s specific needs without having to conform to a class average, so you can reach flow faster. After your class, wind down with a refreshing dip in the beautiful Barrier Reef, or detox with a hot stone massage using 300 million year old stones. For the more adventurous, why not try a helicopter tour of the Reef, snorkelling and diving , a trek through the world’s oldest rainforest or even a short yacht cruise .
Taking care of our bodies reminds us of a simple truth: that the power of anything is within us. Like a pebble thrown into a pond, our lives ripple out into concentric circles. As individuals we’re connected outward to humanity and the environment; the earth we live on is a small pinprick in the grandeur of the universe. Our lives may be short and extinguishable, yet in this moment we also have the power to achieve remarkable things. So why not seize that moment, now ?
