Come and visit our friendly Yoga Centre in Marton
Director and head teacher Ali Hale Tilley has taught yoga for 16 years. Ali also has an extensive background in Health and Fitness. She can teach to all levels.

– part of Sadhana Yoga Ltd –
Written by Ali Hale Tilley
Many of us thrive on stress. We can define stress as physical and mental reactions to any flight-fight response. These lifestyle responses stimulate brain chemicals, such as adrenaline, cortisol, and dopamine. However, the two types of stress – ‘good’ stress and ‘chronic’ stress – can make us react in different ways.
‘Good stress’ involves moderately challenging, short-lived stimulus, which can release adrenaline, making us feel motivated, focused, and accomplished. Good stress can provide us with a sense of leading an exciting, meaningful life.
On the flip side, chronic stress or being in a state of continual distress can release cortisol as stress hormone, which makes us feel restless, irritated, overworked, and exhausted.
Moreover, studies show that cortisol, our chronic stress hormone, makes us more sensitive to dopamine the chemical that makes us crave pleasure and reward. As a result of chronic stress, we may develop intense cravings, seeking addictive behaviours such as eating sweets, watching mindless entertainment, and gambling. Some people also use addictive substances, such as alcohol, nicotine, and painkillers to help dampen the effects of cortisol.
Consequently, when we are physically and mentally stressed we may crave substances and use addictive behaviours to help counter the negative physical and mental/emotional effects of stress.
To further help identify the differences between good and chronic stress we can look at stress in terms of 6 categories:
Debbie Mandel, author of Addicted to Stress, claims “A stress addict is looking to feel numb through distraction to avoid dealing with the source of unhappiness and loss of control.”
Furthermore, an article from Verywell Mind presents 6 questions to help us identify whether we are suffering from chronic stress: (https://www.verywellmind.com/chronic-stress-3145104)
“Negative life events such as loss of parent, parental divorce and conflict, low parental support, physical violence and abuse, emotional abuse and neglect, isolation and deviant affiliation, and single-parent family structure have all been associated with increased risk of substance abuse.” In this regard, early life stress can lead to chronic stress experiences and seeking addictive rewards.”
You may not be able to avoid stress in your life, but you can employ daily strategies to stop feeling the negative effects of stress. Remember if you are chronically stressed try one strategy each day to see which one makes you feel better.
At the end of each day reflect on what you’ve accomplished and acknowledge the good parts of your life
Learn to say “no” to demands that are time-consuming or energetically taxing
Practice 5 minutes a day of breathing exercises (4 in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold) followed by clearing meditation
Spend time with people who keep you calm, make you happy, and provide emotional support.
Make time instead engaging in interesting hobbies such as reading, listening to music, and painting, designing, or even gardening.
Use calming essential oils, adding a drop or two on a tissue and tucking it under your pillow before bedtime.
Go for a 20 minute walk daily to boost your overall mood
Practice self-care by eating healthy, putting your feet up at night, and getting enough sleep.
Try to avoid negative self-criticism and practice positive self-talk instead
Find outlets for high stress by engaging safely in high intensity or explosive activities such as martial arts, golf, H.I.T or even building something useful
Hello and welcome to the 2020 YOGA & WELL-BEING CHALLENGE.Ali Hale Tilley, director of the NZ Yoga Centre, will kick start the next challenge to inspire you to get the most of your pre-summer cleanse. You can join remotely from anywhere and get same the benefits as group practice. The overall challenge is FREE to participate. Scroll down for challenge updates and registration details.
https://sadhanayoganz.com/30-day-yoga-challenge/
Start Up Class – Sunday 15th Nov. 9.30 am-11 am (doors open at 9.25 am)
We will kick off our 30 day Yoga Challenge with a systems cleansing yoga class, followed by an informal gathering strategizing how to get through the next 30 days following a strict yogic lifestyle. Please note, remote attenders can join us by Zoom if required. This is a great opportunity to get to know your fellow challenge participants so that you can each offer encouragement along the way.
Bring a plate of fresh fruit, or healthy home cooking sweet or savory, or raw juice, or a fresh beverage to share with challenge members. Also we will encourage you to share ideas, recipes, or your journal insights. Please note, in keeping with good karma yoga practices, everyone will be expected to help tidy up and do any dishes before leaving.
With uninterrupted views of National Park, and Mounts Ngāuruhoe and Ruapehu,
our Eco Lodge was the perfect setting for a yoga retreat.
This was 3 days and 3 nights of blissful yoga, with 9 stunning women.
2020 wahine yogis
The deck spanning the Eco Lodge faced due East, making it the perfect setting for morning and evening practice.
the view from our lodge
During morning practice, we watched sunrise in perfect silence, with bird song rising out of the surrounding bush and trees.
In the day there was free time to explore the natural beauty of the area.
In the later afternoons we settled in for 2 hours of silence, giving us a chance to be creative or rest as we wished.
At night people sat round the table for 3 course vegetarian meals. I was chef and got some amazing help when the pressure was on.
On night 2, we had a wild fancy dress to let off steam, with a in-house show, which had us all in fits of laughter and pure enjoyment.
On the final night, a deep red moon rose up into the expanse of the Milky Way, offering us majestic reverie and solidarity.
Nine women worked like a dream, participating in yoga, meditation, silence, and sharing of insights.
The next yoga retreat will be in April 2021, and then again in October 2021.
Don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like to join is for the next one.
Contact Ali at nzyogacentre@gmail.com or call 06 327 4108 to find out more about future retreats
The Guru full moon often takes place in July on any given year. The guru full moon is meaningful to me because it is one day on the moon calendar where I know enlightened teachers, gurus, dedicated students, and spiritual ancestors can come together for meaninful interaction and discussion.
Many religious traditions give meaning to this day. Yet, for many, this day is about remembering the wisdom, love, and teachings of your personal guru. It is also about checking in with members of your spiritual community and rekindling connections.
Whether our spiritual community is a community of yoga practitioners, meditators, satsang attendees, or tribal members, the rising of the guru full moon dispenses blessings and tranmits shared meaning so we can remain awakened and deeply reflective.
Wairakei Thermal Pools Taupo
On our yearly pilgrimage to Wairakei Thermal Pools, just north of Taupo, we met with snow. As we travelled north from Marton, we saw snow drifts as far south as Taiahape. Cows and sheep in icy fields grazed carefully through the snow drifts. Everywhere was bright and cold. Clouds lifted to show a clear blue sky!
From the deep snow drifts of the Desert Road, Mounts Ruapehu and Ngāuruhoe ruled supreme. We pulled over on the Turiko Mountain Road and I ran joyously into the snow drifts and paid homage to the mountains.
At the hotpools, we soaked in temperatures ranging from 30 degrees celcius to 40.6! The silica infused waters were sublime, all fed from a natural geyser only a few hundred metres away. Members of the group and I soaked and chatted and spent quiet time taking in the amazing setting. Such an amazing place! We will do it all again next year … fingers crossed!
Why not join us next time? Email Ali at sadhanayoganz@gmail.com or call 06 327 4108 for more info.
Covid-19 Snakes & Ladders - April, 2020 - © Ali Hale Tilley
During Lockdown I designed and painted a new Snakes & Ladders board. Digital prints of the game are avaialble for $10. If you would like a full size digital copy, just email me at nzyogacentre@gmail .com or message me on https://www.facebook.com/NZYogaCentre/
The proceeds of digital sales go towards 3 families I support in India: Ravi’s extended family of 9 who live and work in their own Laundry business in Haridwar; Ratu’s extended family of 10 who live in a small villiage near Barsana; and, my guru bais, Sukanand, Ramdevanand, and Ravianand who have a humble ashram near Barasana.
Thanks for supporting the NZ Yoga Centre once we are in Level 2
While we were all in Lockdown the world changed. We all had to follow new rules on personal hygiene, social distancing, and contact-tracing. As a result of these changes, there will no longer be casual class attendance available. This allows each of us to practice good contact-tracing. Each class will now have its own bubble for each month.
During Lockdown, businesses like ours were forced to shut our doors. The only way we could trade was by doing classes on Zoom that excluded all physical contact. To comply with new Health & Safety regulations for businesses, we have put new rules put in place around hygiene, social distancing, and general conduct. Here are the Top 9 tips. You can read the full complience of Health & Safety on our Homepage. Look for the Covid-19 tab.
A limited number of handtowels will be available for $2 if you forget to bring one. This covers laundry fees. If you use the bathroom please spray all touched surfaces with disinfactant provided and always wash your hands. Also if you have been in public spaces prior to class please wash your hands.
If you miss class, you can make up a class during the set month by attending another class at the studio or by Zoom. However if you can’t do a makeup class, for whatever reason, you may need to forfeit the missed class. So we can maintain efficient business practices, no classes will be carried over to the next month. Payments need to be made in advance by the 1st of each month.
If you know in advance you are going away, and you are a class regular, please let us know in advance so we can accomodate your schedule, and if necessary adjust your monthly class fee. Thank you for your compliance.
Look forward to having you back in yoga classes soon! And, if you can’t see your class on the timetable, let us know and we will put the class back on once 7 people are keen to go!
My new podcast series ‘Lifting the lid!’ weaves together an autobiographical account of my life, with art appreciation, mythic narratives and wild, wild adventure.
Listen along as I run you through hidden symbols of each painting and show how these symbols tie into different aspects of my wild wild life.
Over the next few days and weeks I’ll be adding more art works to this page. Feel free to drop in and leave your comments if you enjoy these podcasts — Ali
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