Retreat Here, Wellness Travel Specialist Australia

While in rest mode, a healthy breath pattern means you inhale and exhale about 8 times per minute. When we breathe too fast and too high up in our chest, we can activate our fight and flight response (sympathetic nervous system). Rather than spending tons of money on oxygenated face serums and oxygenated health elixirs, you are better off breathing correctly and save your money for one of my retreats (I know, cheeky b!tch). An IDEAL breath allows your abdomen and chest to expand at the same time, and contract at the same time due to the up-and-down movement of our diaphragm.

In reality, we are lucky if we’re able to retreat once a year, and cultivating a well-balanced lifestyle with healthy habits that are sustainable is therefore more important. In a world where we spend the majority of our day seated (at our desk, dinner table, sofa or in the car) movement is PARAMOUNT to staying fit, healthy and happy. We are of course a little biased, but we think yoga is a wonderful way to counteract the health hazards that come with prolonged sitting. Cooking your favourite meal, taking a bath or enjoying meditation just before bed will also improve the quality of your sleep.

These days, I have a morning ritual that gives me energy, keeps me grounded and truly sets me up for the day. It also gets our blood flowing, and in turn gives our energy levels and mood a boost. This one is probably the hardest, but I’ve noticed a huge increase in energy when I limit my social media access and phone usage in the morning. Staring at digital devices literally drains the energy out of you, and starting your day scrolling your morning away

Office workers in particular suffer from tight hips as prolonged sitting causes the hip flexors to shrink and shorten. This affects our range of motion and hip flexibility, and also causes bad posture and lower back strain. This week, I’ve created a short hip opening yoga flow that links breath to movement and stretches and strengthens your hips. There are of course many more yoga poses to target your hip flexors, but this video is a great and safe way to start working on more flexibility.