Today I am just grateful...

It’s been almost two years since we have moved up here to the mountains and I would not change it for anything...yesterday I was thinking how happy I am here...after those 11 years being away from my home country, I finally feel I belong somewhere...I feel I am not a stranger here anymore...I love the life in a smaller community and that everyone knows everyone, or at least through another person...I guess being a yoga teacher and having more and more people from around here coming to my classes makes it easier too, to create new connections...and I feel so privileged to have met some super crazy awesome interesting people through teaching yoga who are now dear friends of mine...

Today I am just grateful...for taking a chance on yoga...and for finding myself in this happy place (not even knowing how it has all happened), surrounded by beautiful people and living a life full of meaningful adventures...thank you for being a part of my journey 🌷 🌿

The question is if we are ready to take a leap and taste that freedom...

It still amazes me that I decided to become a yoga teacher and work with new and new people on daily basis, while I’m quite a shy person and an introvert (yep, that was a super big secret and now you know it! :-)). Most people who meet me in my yoga classes wouldn’t say I am shy...but I am. It’s been almost three years that I have been teaching yoga but there are still moments when I feel vulnerable when I am supposed to step in front of the class and teach. Sometimes I even do crazy dances in the Blue Spirit yoga studio before starting teaching a class (before my students arrive) to release the nervous energy, and my partner who comes there with me just laughs...we made some hilarious videos as well but believe me you don’t want to see them...lol :-)

I guess the reason why I am writing this is that if I haven’t allowed myself to be vulnerable again and again I would not be able to live a life I wanted to live...I would not be able to do things in my life I wanted to do, I wanted to experience, to do things I love and to meet a bunch of amazing people along the way...there’s always a risk...a risk that things will go bad, people will judge me, laugh at me, etc....but I know the risk I am taking day by day will never be as big as the fulfilment I feel when I follow my heart (and it’s not an easy thing to take a risk, for someone who was raised with a belief that to be loved I have to be great..not that my beautiful parents and teachers ever aimed this to happen...but it has happened...yep, second secret, here you go! :-)). We all have some areas where we don’t feel comfortable, where we feel exposed...we all have things that challenge us in one way or another...the question is if we are ready to take a leap and taste that freedom when allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and real, rather than staying in a "safe place" and not feeling really happy there...I wish you to be brave and real in the adventures that come your way 💚🌸🌻

Yoga Sutras...:-)

So...this gorgeous gift came this morning...something my amazing Kamcha ordered for me for my “name day” which we celebrate in my home country at the beginning of February...awww, I’m so in love and I can’t wait to dive into it and share with you a bit more on yoga philosophy in my classes this year...also huge thanks to you Paul @paulfrechtlingo :-)...thank you so much for sharing the podcasts with me which has led me to buying them anyway together with those books...they are really AMAZING! 💜

If you’re into yoga, mindfulness or self-development, these are really gorgeous books and podcasts, I can’t recommend them enough...they are created in such a way so that they make you think about your own experiences...helping you to become a little bit more conscious and guiding you how to make some changes in your life to live with greater sense of fulfilment and contentment.

P.S. 😉 This is not an advertisement for these products, I am not paid for sharing those...I just really believe they can bring a lot of understanding into your own life and help you grow...plus yoga philosophy is so amazing :-) Happy Wednesday gorgeous people!

You are me, and I am you...

Hi beautiful people, all the yoga classes are back on from this week :-) You can find the timetable here http://www.treeloveyoga.com/when-and-where/ I’m SOOO looking forward to seeing you in class and giving you a huge hug 🌸💕

Plus a little poem for you, something I love, with heaps of wisdom in those few lines…enjoy 💜

INTERRELATIONSHIP
by Thich Nhat Hanh

You are me, and I am you.
Isn’t it obvious that we “inter-are”?
You cultivate the flower in yourself,
so that I will be beautiful.
I transform the garbage in myself,
so that you will not have to suffer.
I support you;
you support me.
I am in this world to offer you peace;
you are in this world to bring me joy.

If I trust my heart...

Sitting here and smiling, observing the intimate play of the sunrays and the fog, I am thinking what this year will bring along...what there is for me to notice, to realize, to experience...I don’t know...but I know that if I trust my intuition, my heart, my light, I will be always drawn to the experiences and people who will take me forward in my journey...

I may feel challenged, I may feel vulnerable, I may feel lots of various emotions throughout this year but to feel whole and be able to grow, I can’t close myself off from this world...I know I have to find the courage, step in and open my heart to whatever is supposed to come my way...at the end of the day I know, that I can only live my life fully if I stay open, honest to myself, and brave...present with compassion to the subtle signs and shifts, to the light within...may this year be full of growth and awareness towards a kinder and more beautiful world 🌲🐦🌸🌞

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year gorgeous people!

Thank you so much for all the support throughout the year, for your kind hearts and your beautiful energy…without you I would not be able to teach and grow on the path I am walking, I feel so grateful to have you in my life…I feel so lucky and privileged to have the opportunity to meet so many beautiful souls every day in my classes and to be able to do what I love, teach yoga and share my knowledge. So THANK YOU so much for making last year so amazing and I can’t wait to see you again in yoga or elsewhere soon :-)

May this new year be filled with great experiences, love, joy, peace, harmony, connection, fun and adventures, anything you like…

Much love to you all,
Vercha 🌸💕

P.S. All classes will resume on the 17th of January...

Move forward with ease and enjoyment...

The end of this year is approaching and I’m thinking, “What a year it has been!” A year full of love, happiness and harmony but also sadness, fear and doubts…but what this year has been really full of was compassion and understanding...letting myself be myself and learning to accept what is with peace...all of those things and feelings we experience are a regular part of each of our lives and we can either let them to take power over our decisions and over how we feel about ourselves and our world or we can give ourselves time to just notice them...and over time see that we don’t have to fight or give up or create stories about them...we can see more clearly for what they really are and just let them be and go with the flow...

There’s so many powerful lessons in those quiet moments...when we don’t rush, when we observe, when we just are...it’s in those moments when we are really building patience, perseverance, determination and truly achieving our dreams...because if we can learn to take power over any moment we experience and see that moment for what it really is, we can overcome any obstacle, no matter how big or small, and move forward with ease and enjoyment🌷 🌸 🌿

Be the eye inside that storm...

“If there must be madness and time crunches and chaos in your life, then let there be chaos. But find the strength and stillness to be the eye inside that storm. These things are happening around you; nothing is happening to you.” (by Amy Jirsa)

The tiniest moments in our lives are full of beauty...

A beautiful memory of winter and of our gorgeous baby Nico who was still tiny those few months ago...when I look at this picture I’m filled with gratitude and love...and I am thinking how the tiniest moments in our lives are full of beauty...how a captured moment can make me feel that I don’t need anything else in my life...how many similar moments do we experience in a day which we don’t even notice or appreciate? How much happier would we be if we were present to all the beauty and love surrounding us...instead of constantly chasing happiness while it’s already here and now🌸 🌿 🌻
 

Ripples towards a more loving and caring world...

I love this place...I love Blue Mountains...I love the fresh air and the texture of sandstone underneath my feet...I love the sunsets and rain, clouds and cockatoos flying on sunrays...being here and noticing the life to go by without being disrupted by the negativity and fear that has flown over the world during last week has made me realize how lucky I am to be here and find this peaceful moment...and that in the end, it is who we are and what we do as individuals what brings a change...everything starts with a tiny little thing...both good and bad things...there is a huge power in every decision we make and what we do and what we don’t do as individuals...because often, things don’t stand alone...everything is interconnected...and what I do right now or what I don’t do right now, what YOU do right now or what YOU don’t do right now, will reach someone else...everything we do or don’t do has a ripple effect and will influence some other beings...sometimes the ripples are tiny, sometimes they are huge...this gives me hope...because I know that as an individual I can still make a difference...by living, breathing and being the values that are important to me...love, connection, compassion, harmony...my hope is that the ripples I make will create some more beautiful and meaningful ripples towards a more loving and caring world🌱 🌲 🌸 🌞

If we let go for a moment...

This morning I spent a moment going through photos I have taken this year...reminiscing about my time with my family, my furry babies, friends, time in nature, little cute details captured not to be forgotten...and among all those beautiful memories, I came across this picture from Autumn I had taken a few months ago...it has filled me with joy...

There’s something magical about Autumn...maybe it’s the feeling of letting go...the feeling of ease...the feeling of freedom...the feeling of being happy with what is and just enjoying the simple things...the warmth, light breeze, the colours, the moment...sometimes I feel we hold too tight on our lives and on what our lives should look like...but maybe if we let go for a moment, our lives would unfold in the most magical ways and we would find happiness in places and moments we would never be able to notice and experience otherwise 🍁🌳🌞💕

"People can only meet you, as deeply as they've met themselves..."

“Remember: despite how open, peaceful and loving you attempt to be, people can only meet you, as deeply as they’ve met themselves. “ (by Matt Kahn) I love this quote...we often feel when people don’t treat us in a loving way that it is because there’s something wrong with us...we don’t realize that their reaction comes from their own experiences and often mirrors how they feel about themselves and their world...and that these insecurities they are carrying deep inside arose through interactions with people in which they themselves hadn’t felt treated in a loving way...how sad it is that often we can only see the surface and feel judgemental, not seeing deeper into that pain of that person he/she has gone through...

In many cases when we happen to be around people who make us feel challenged, our instant reaction would be to “attack”...to fight for OUR reality and OUR values...and to continue in this cycle of judgement and separation...I find it so interesting that doing exactly the opposite, which is so unnatural for us - offering love and connection, understanding and compassion, providing an ear that listens and trying to understand where they are coming from - may totally change how we perceive them and how they perceive us...by providing calming compassionate energy, their energy would reflect ours...

Throughout my life I would generally try to avoid situation where conflict might arise...these days I feel though that interacting with people that make me feel challenged in some way or the other, is one of the most beautiful opportunities to learn to be compassionate...and also for them through this "safe" experience have an opportunity for growth in their our journey...when we "attack", there’s no space for growth...when we don’t, we give ourselves and the other person time to gain more understanding and find compassion for each other...if there’s a way our world can change to be a more peaceful place, it is through ourselves and OUR interactions with other people...you may not change the perspective of every person that crosses your path, but by being open, loving and compassionate, there's a chance that your beautiful energy will touch some hearts 💜

Allow yourself to just be...

To me the best way to live is to just allow myself to be ❤...to breathe, to be curious and open to whatever comes my way, to surrender and find beauty in every moment...to connect to myself and “move to places” where I feel nourished, where I feel nurtured...where I feel free...

It’s been a few weeks when I was sitting in the garden and reflecting on why we lose this connection...why we don’t feel free all the time...why we don’t feel whole...and I think I found it...expectations!!!...we create expectations around ourselves, our lives, people who are close to us, our work, our goals...they are everywhere!...many times when we feel challenged, when we feel resistance within, we had unconsciously created expectations about how things should be...next time when you find yourself with some uncomfortable emotions, see if you can take a moment to notice what is really happening...maybe you’ll find that your mind is creating a story about how things could, might or even should be better...maybe...in those moments we stop being kind to ourselves and our world (and if not aloud, at least in our heads)...

The good thing is that sometimes as little as bringing a bit more awareness into our lives so that we can bring a bit more light onto what is really happening, can help us to take our power back and see deeper into our experience...and enjoy those moments anyway...it is also often the smallest moments in our lives that can totally change how we perceive our reality again and again and who in the end we become...💖

(P.S. I am the queen of wanting things to be perfect and for everything to go according to my “super plan” 😉. I am still learning to accept things as they are but I do believe I am getting a little bit better with practice and I am able to find those moments of stillness, presence and appreciation more often...good luck to us all 😘)

Free Yoga Class for New Students

Hi gorgeous people,

Have you ever wondered what all the yoga fuss is about or you used to do yoga but life kind of got in the way? Come to class and enjoy a beautiful Vinyasa flow yoga class with me for free :-) 

My dream is to be able to provide yoga classes for free so that everyone who wants to come to practice, find a safe place, open through their body and connect to their light, could just come and have some beautiful quality time with themselves. And while at the moment I cannot afford to teach all my classes for free (our two big furry boys eat a lot! :-)), what I can at least do is to offer the first class for free to anyone who has never been to my class before and who would love to give it a try…hopefully one day, I could open a regular free/charity class…or a few…:-)

So if you have never been to my class and would like to give it a go, you are most welcomed to try a class for free, I am looking forward to meeting with you :-)

Yoga has totally changed my life. Not only I feel so much stronger both physically and mentally but I have also learnt to appreciate who I am every day and open my heart to all the experiences, even the challenging ones. I feel a greater sense of harmony and peace, and connection to myself and the world around me. Come to practice and experience the beautiful benefits of yoga on your body, mind, health and all aspects of your life.

A lot of people think that they have to be flexible to come to a yoga class but this can’t be further from the truth. Yoga is really for everyone. And especially if you don’t feel flexible or you hold a lot of tension in your body, yoga is perfect for you, and it can really help you in a long run to prevent injuries and keep your body young, healthy and supple. Plus it is such a beautiful way how to find some time for yourself in our busy world, learn to de-stress and release whatever you need to release, calm down with your breath, connect with your beautiful self, and find yourself relaxed, rejuvenated and happy after class.

I teach dynamic and energizing Vinyasa flow yoga classes in Leura and Katoomba, you can read a bit more about what to expect from your yoga class here http://www.treeloveyoga.com/styles/ The classes cater for all levels, from beginners to advanced students, no prior experience is needed. You can take it at your own pace and rest as much as you need during the class. I always give enough variations so that everyone can choose what they need on that particular day - a gentle or a stronger practice.

Here is a link to one of my videos, it can give you some idea what to expect from the class :-) Full Body Vinyasa Flow Yoga - 35 Minutes
 

WHEN AND WHERE

TUESDAY 8-9am
FRIDAY 9-10am

Blue Spirit Yoga Studio
18 Murray St, Leura
$15 per class, $130 for 10 class pass                       

 

TUESDAY 5:30-6:30pm
SATURDAY 9-10am

Anytime Fitness in Katoomba
1/44 Wilson St, Katoomba
$15 per class, $5 for members of Anytime Fitness

 

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What to bring?

All you need is your shining energy, a water bottle, a small towel and comfy clothes that will allow you to freely move (if you have your favourite yoga mat at home and want to practice on it, feel free to bring it along :-)).

WHAT PEOPLE SAY?

“I have been attending Veronika’s yoga classes for five months and I’m so glad to have found her. Veronika is a wonderful yoga teacher. Her classes are the perfect blend of support, challenge, progression and relaxation. Veronika always offers her students the option to challenge themselves or to take a more gentle approach. She encourages us to listen to our bodies and work at our own level. Her beautiful words and joyful nature lift the spirit and leave me smiling through the rest of my day.”  Elka, Woodford

"I’ve been searching the Blue Mountains for a teacher like Veronika. She offers a beautiful Vinyasa class that is supportive, nurturing and light hearted so that I feel able to practise to my own ability while also being challenged every week."  Michelle, Katoomba

READ MORE HERE...

Come to class and have fun…looking forward to meeting with you :-)

Enjoy time with yourself 🌸

This morning is just perfect...I am sitting in the garden, soaking up the sun, feeling the wind in my hair and the warmth of sunrays on my back, listening to the wind interrupted by an occasional snore from my furry boys :-)...and just enjoying this moment...I feel happy...I feel grateful that I can sit here today and enjoy this quiet moment with myself...it’s interesting to realize how often the simplest moments can be full of life, fulfilment, joy and peace...and it’s nice to see that I can be here today and not feel the urgency that there is something that needs to be done...in the world we live today, full of things to be achieved and completed, it’s precious and so beautiful to learn to be with yourself alone and just notice things around, with all the senses and with your heart...and then take this in your everyday life...to live moment from moment, to really notice and stay open to whatever unfolds and trust that whatever is happening in the present experience has a deeper meaning for you...🌸💕

Live from your heart...

"Maybe it isn’t about whether or not you succeed. Maybe it’s about whether or not you give effort towards something that is meaningful to you.” (by Brendon Burchard). A quote I came across this week while another similar one popped up just a few days ago “Inner fulfilment is more important than achievement.” (by Tony Robbins). It’s interesting how two words, yet very close, they have a very different warmth/energy to them...success & meaning...achievement & fulfilment...the second ones, meaning and fulfilment, are full of soul and aliveness while I don’t feel this way about ‘success’ and ‘achievement’...

It is unfortunate that in the world we live today, filled with competition and constant comparison, it is easy to forget who we are...it is easy to be dragged away from our path and make “superficial” choices and chase things because we think we need to be something more (and by these “superficial” choices, I don’t even mean chasing material things in our lives...I mean choices that are made from a desire of feeling important, from a desire to be “someone”)...I feel the biggest treasure today is to know yourself...because only when you connect to your heart, you can make choices that are meaningful to YOU...and find fulfilment in every day of your life no matter how big or small things you achieve...because if you do things that are meaningful to you, the result doesn’t really matter...

This year, for me, has been about living from my heart and following things that resonates with me...there were heaps of opportunities that came my way, promising exciting future but I didn’t follow them...because I knew in my heart that it was not my journey...when you know yourself it is easy to let go of “opportunities” which on the surface offer a great future but you know deep inside that this future wouldn’t make you feel happy or fulfilled...more and more I am realizing what a gift it is to be able to become still and observe my inner world...because if there are things to be found, they are definitely within, not outside...❤

Every single day can be a better day if we try...

"Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky, we fell them down and turn them into paper, that we may record our emptiness” by Kahlil Gibran. There’s so much nonsense happening in this world and even though it may feel rotten sometimes, it is still beautiful on so many levels and in so many places. I am lucky to know heaps of gorgeous people who are really trying to do their best to save this beautiful planet...and these may be the tiniest steps but it all counts and it’s so beautiful to see so much care and love 💕.

Sometimes, when I look at our world, I wish we could all become kids again…I feel that then, we were more connected to our inner wisdom and we knew somewhere deep inside what was right…that plants are to be admired not cut, that animals are our friends, not our food and that a big smile can dissolve any problem in the world…somewhere through our lives, we lose our gentleness, our compassion, our connection to what is around us…and we make choices we would cry about if we were kids again…so today, just look around yourself and appreciate the beauty this crazy gorgeous world still contains…and just know every single day can be a better day if we try…much love to you all ❤

Awareness changes everything that needs changing...

"Awareness is the key to life and it changes everything that needs changing.” (from the book ‘Happiness and How It Happens’ by The Happy Buddha - I can’t recommend this book enough, it’s aweeesome 😀). We often look for ways to change our outer world and change ourselves to have better lives and to become better people with hope that when it happens we will be finally happy...but in the end it is a chase we can never win...because our outer world will never be perfect, neither we’ll be. We often believe that we will feel happy when we have more...more things, more knowledge, more success, more people who love us...but even when we have more, we still feel unfulfilled and incomplete...we feel we are still missing something...

But the good thing is that we don’t have to feel this way and we can be happy right now...without actually needing to change anything at all, as the change will happen by itself...it’s all about learning to be present...and being aware of what is happening from moment to moment...allowing and accepting everything that comes as it is...

A really great tool to bring more awareness into our lives is through practicing meditation...I have been meditating on and off for a year, trying to incorporate it into my life on a more regular basis...it has helped me to be more ok with who I am and where I am in my life right now...it has helped me to see a bigger picture of things and not to get caught up in momentary reactions as often...I am not perfect and I will never be...but I am no longer striving to be perfect...I am more compassionate towards myself, and not only on those good days but also on days when I don’t feel like I am the best version of myself (why would I even try to be the best version of myself)...I feel more often a sense of wholeness and freedom...

I really believe we can change the world...but to be able to do that we have to start from ourselves...and paradoxically by trying to accept ourselves and our world fully instead of trying to change anything...this is what will help us to connect with our inner place of harmony, peace, joy and wisdom and only from there the right change will occur 🌸💕

Everything that you want, you already are...

"The Universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself; everything that you want, you already are." - Rumi

New Yoga Video - Heart Opening Vinyasa Flow (20 min)

Yay, I can't even tell you how happy I am to finish this video!...2 weeks of work in between teaching and practising yoga and finally it's alive :-) Thanks Kamcha for all your help!

It's a super beautiful sequence (I have actually fallen in love with it :-)) and I hope you will feel as amazing as I did after the practice. Enjoy :-)