Yogi Kate Kendall reveals how to lead a meaningful, mindful life

Sydney yogi and author Kate Kendall balances work with raising her 15-month-old daughter Alice with rugby league legend Andrew Johns. She says in our social media focused world, we need to put away our phones and connect with others again.

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It’s no secret that our lives are more connected than they’ve ever been before. You don’t even need to pick up the phone to see what your friends or family are up to, you can simply scroll through your social media feed and catch up on it all in seconds.

So why is it, then, that many of us are feeling more disconnected than ever before? And that Facebook, Instagram and products like them have begun to feel more like anti-social media?

The solution, says well-known Sydney yogi and author Kate Kendall, is to disconnect to reconnect. Put down your phone, tablet or laptop, and focus on connecting person to person instead.

Kate Kendall believes people should put their mobile phones away to reconnect with others. Picture: Aidan Williams

“We have so many ways to connect with people, and yet we’re still feeling disconnected,” she tells Health Hacker.

“We’re always comparing ourselves to what we see online, saying ‘look what I did’, or ‘look what they did’.

“They say that comparison is the thief of joy, so if we can put our phones down for a little while and just chat, it makes us feel good. It’s so simple.

“I think now more than ever, people are craving authentic connections. We’re sick of going to dinner parties and just having surface conversations. I want to know what’s really going on with you. That’s what really interests me.”

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Ms Kendall is a well-known figure in Sydney’s ever-growing yoga community, and is one of those people who seems to have more tasks to complete than there are hours in the day.

She’s the co-founder of Flow Athletic in Paddington, author of the new book Life In Flow, and mother to Alice, her 15-month-old daughter with rugby league legend Andrew Johns.

Kate Kendall leads a busy life but always finds time to exercise. Picture: Aidan Williams

But when life becomes too busy, or too much, Ms Kendall says she simply goes back to basics.

“It’s been quite a year,” she says.

“Every time we turn on the television it’s more bad news.

“I’m working part-time, I have a 15-month old baby and it was all starting to get to me.

“But then I get outside, cycling, swimming in the ocean, going on these long hikes, it’s amazing how it makes you feel. It’s healing, it’s undeniable.”

FAST FACTS ON … A MORE MINDFUL LIFE

1. Let it breathe

“Breathing is like medicine,” Ms Kendall says.

“You can use certain breathing techniques to create a desired effect. It might be calming, to help you go to bed, or for energising yourself when you wake up.”

2. Stay connected

“A yogi is anyone who practices presence in one way or another,” Ms Kendall says.

“Even having a connected conversation with someone, where you’re not checking your phones or looking to see who else is around, that’s a form of yoga, too.”

3. Keep it moving

“Whenever you’re feeling isolated, a great thing to do is just to get moving,” Ms Kendall says.

“It’s very hard to feel down all the time if we’re moving, we’re getting outside into the healing power of nature, and just moving in a way that feels good.”

Adam MacDougall speaks to Kate Kendall about leading a more mindful life. Picture: Aidan Williams

ASK ADAM

Question: Hi Adam. I keep hearing people talk about meditation but it feels a bit like hocus pocus to me. Do you really think there’s a benefit to it all?

Answer: Great question. And I can answer it by saying that, in my job, I’m fortunate to speak to some of the most successful and inspirational sports people, celebrities and business leaders in the country, and they all have one thing in common — they all meditate in one way or another.

I meditate, too, and I recommend it to everyone I speak to.

* Send your questions to [e-mail]

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Originally published as Yogi Kate Kendall reveals how to lead a meaningful, mindful life