Lucy O'Brien Yoga

Lucy O'Brien Yoga Lucy is a certified yoga teacher based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. She teaches in studios and also online via www.aliveyogi.com

Sharing inspiration on all things yoga; meditation, inspiration, asana, techniques for living gently.

I’ve never known a love quite like this one. My greatest teacher 🙏🏽
29/11/2022

I’ve never known a love quite like this one. My greatest teacher 🙏🏽

I’ve spent a lot of time lately reflecting on my yoga practice, and it’s become more clear than ever that yoga goes so f...
21/06/2022

I’ve spent a lot of time lately reflecting on my yoga practice, and it’s become more clear than ever that yoga goes so far beyond the mat and the walls of a studio.

I‘ve known this to be true for a long time, but throughout the last year, this practice has been my life raft when my only two options were to sink or swim.

There were moments in my pregnancy that were entirely stressful, to say the least. And the stress and worry continued postpartum as we spent a lot of time in hospital with our beautiful girl.

The physical yoga was there, but what I’m really talking about are the breath and mindfulness practices.

In the depths of some of the most challenging moments of my life, these were what got me through.

They helped me muster a strength from deep within, a perseverance I desperately needed, and a deep trust that everything would be as it was supposed to, when the distance between my baby and I felt immensely big and scary.

I’m grateful for all of the times I showed up when I wasn’t sure if I needed to, because all of the practice gave me tools to embody in some of my most vulnerable moments.

Our journey is not over yet; we have some big, challenging times ahead. And return I will, again and again, to yoga, in whichever form I need. Today I will roll out my mat with a deep bow to for creating a studio and a community I felt safe in for a long time to keep showing up. 🧡

I know I am not alone in saying that Lauren profoundly impacted my life. Her light shone bright and far, and her absence...
10/06/2022

I know I am not alone in saying that Lauren profoundly impacted my life. Her light shone bright and far, and her absence will be felt deeply by so many. My heart and all of the love I can muster is with her beautiful girls, Ryan, and their new baby girl. What a devastating loss 💔

06/10/2020

SLEEP HYGIENE ~ who has some hacks??

I’ve fallen out of some really good habits this year when it comes to getting quality sleep. I’ve put it down to full time study, a busy schedule and just a generally big year (personally and globally), but there are definitely some things I can take control of to help me sleep well and therefore, human well 😊

Here’s my list of habits I’m building - maybe some of these will resonate with you and help you on your sleep journey too 💤

🌞 Daily sunlight exposure - a key driver of our circadian rhythms.

⏰ Fixed bedtime & waking time for body clock consistency.

🚶🏼‍♀️ Daily exercise.

📖 30-60 mins before bed, no screen time (incl laptop, TV, phone) - the screens & blue light promote mental stimulation.

💦 Evening ritual. I have a pretty good one at the moment with skincare, but would like to include some other sensory delights like oils and calming music.

😌 A clean and serene sleep space.

🤲🏽 AND something I’ve been doing lately that is so simple and effective: once in bed, one hand on belly and one hand on heart, 3-5 long, deep breaths. This initiates the relaxation response.

Feel free to share any tips you have on promoting healthy sleep 🙏🏽

Sweet dreams friends 🌙 ✨

30/09/2020

Ooofff that was the first time I’ve moved my body like this in a long time - I consciously switched off my study brain, set up the space, and gave myself 75 mins. Best thing I have done in a while. I used to do this all the time, but I’ve lost my flow of late. I chose not to be guided, I didn’t set out to practice a particular style, and I made sure I couldn’t be reached in that time. I tuned in and really listened to what my body wanted (without ego getting in the way), and found some energy I didn’t know I had. It felt so good I literally cried in savasana. This practice. It wins, every time.

What if we measured the success of our days not by our productivity levels, but by our presence?We are conditioned to (a...
22/09/2020

What if we measured the success of our days not by our productivity levels, but by our presence?

We are conditioned to (and rewarded for) striving, for working towards a moment in time that does not yet exist. This is important for sure, but if we don’t teach ourselves to Be Here Now, how will we ever know when we’ve reached that moment? For we will be devoted to the next, and the next, and the next...

Each experience is enriched when we drench it in our attention. 🍯 Get c u r i o u s ~ tune in to your senses ~ breathe deeply. Hang around with kids! They are so connected to this moment. 🌟

R📸 by for

I have felt out of flow in a lot of ways lately, especially in my yoga asana practice. It was so nice to get back on the...
20/09/2020

I have felt out of flow in a lot of ways lately, especially in my yoga asana practice.

It was so nice to get back on the mat today and move with the guidance of .of.sal on A Live Yogi.

Feeling connected to a part of myself I’d forgotten about for a little while there. Grateful for this practice and the coming home, again and again. 🙏🏽

These words by have been circulating in my mind all week & fit perfectly in my yin class for the wood element tonight ~...
13/09/2020

These words by have been circulating in my mind all week & fit perfectly in my yin class for the wood element tonight ~

3 steps to living a good life:
1. Enjoy your life
2. Look after your body (because when you look after your body it’s much easier to enjoy your life)
3. Help others enjoy their lives

🌸 🌱 🤲🏽

As we step into this new season of Spring ~ a time of growth and expansion... may we embody the qualities of wood: strength (to get through the challenges) determination (to continue in the direction of our dreams), adaptability (for when the seasons change) and flexibility (in body and mind - to be able to bend and sway with the wind in the storm).

May we always remember that a beautiful forest is not formed by one tree alone, but many standing side by side... look out for your neighbour, and offer a branch to lean on if they need it. 🌳

This simple graphic here represents the most fundamental principle, and one of the most complex concepts in Chinese Medi...
22/08/2020

This simple graphic here represents the most fundamental principle, and one of the most complex concepts in Chinese Medicine (and yoga too): Yin Yang ☯️

Yin and Yang are two opposing yet complementary forces. Their qualities are vastly different; Yin is associated with the moon 🌒 and Yang with the sun 🌞. Yin is also feminine (not female), nighttime, cold, restful, soft, flexible, inward, calm and receptive. Yang is masculine (not male), daytime, heat, movement, logic, external, giving and vibrant.

While the two halves are opposite, they also depend on one another to create a balanced whole 🌎. This is evident in every corner of nature, in our bodies, minds and lives.

We can sense into the interdependence of Yin and Yang in our daily experiences; without periods of activity, we can’t fall into deep rest, and without deep rest, we can’t commit fully to the activity. Usually the quality we are avoiding is the one we need the most. If you’ve been ticking things off your to do list since the beginning of time, without a moment of pause, it’s time to be still. If you’ve been stagnant and lacking motivation, now is the time to get active in the sun, get some oxygen into your lungs, and do something that makes you feel alive 🔥.

I’d love to know, do you think you are more dominant in yin or yang? And do you have a practice to help you find balance?

Image & artist: 🎨🌹

27/07/2020

If you’d asked me a few years ago how I determined if I was healthy or not, I would have told you that I would look at how much I was eating and how often I was exercising. If I was eating lightly and exercising enough to ‘undo’ the weekend’s damage, I would have considered myself healthy.

Over the last 5 years, my view on what it means to be in good health has changed. Don’t get me wrong, eating well and exercising are vital to good health, but they aren’t the whole picture. If I’m feeling unwell, stressed, agitated or unhappy... I ask myself the following questions:

Am I eating foods that nourish me? 🥘

Is my exercise routine balanced - am I doing enough yin (calming) practices to balance the yang (energising)? 🧘‍♀️ 🏃🏾‍♀️

Am I going to bed early and sleeping well? 🌒

Have I had enough sunshine? ☀️

Drunk enough water? 💧

Spent time in stillness / silence (device free)? 💭

Done something that challenges me, and something that brings me joy? 🌷

Spent quality time with quality people? ❤️

Usually, the reason for the dis-ease I’m experiencing lies in there somewhere. Our physical, mental and emotional bodies are not independent of one another - they in fact rely on one another. While each of these things may seem small on their own, they are each an important piece of the puzzle.

This time five years ago I was on a solo journey to India to undertake my first yoga teacher training.I had no real unde...
21/06/2020

This time five years ago I was on a solo journey to India to undertake my first yoga teacher training.

I had no real understanding of what yoga was beyond physical postures and self discipline; I just knew I wanted a challenge, to learn, to grow and to do it in a foreign land ~ and so India called.

I’m so grateful to my 25yr old self for embarking on that adventure - one that has lasted well beyond the 30 day training and marked a solid turn in my path for the better.

Yoga has and continues to teach me so many lessons and practices that I will be forever integrating and re-integrating; it’s a lifelong practice that is continually evolving as I do.

Big love and gratitude to each of my teachers along the way ~ ~ ~ what a gift it is to share this path with you. 🙏🏽

09/06/2020

I’ve spent many hours of late deep in the internet watching, listening, questioning, learning, growing (in more ways than one). I recognised myself feeling pretty heightened by the end of last week with information overload amongst other feels, so I took Saturday morning off for some alone time (away from social media and other sites), walked my dog, meditated, and practised with online.

I’m super grateful to have had access over the past few months to some super star teachers online; as my home practice has been my only practice, and has allowed me to grow in ways I wasn’t expecting. (of course) is my number 1 go-to, via for five element flows, for handstand play, and for some delicious movement alongside live music.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed / lost in all the information / helpless / tired, please take some time and care for yourself. Rest is important too. You don’t have to do yoga; you could sit in the sun, practice breathing deeply, or spend time with someone who lifts you up. Big love to everyone right now and thank you for doing your best ❤️

PS thank you for this beautiful mat. I LUVE it 🙏🏽.

PPS Time-lapses are really not a great representation of the practice, it was a slow and juicy class 😅

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Sunshine Coast, QLD
4551

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