I just had to introduce you to this beautiful soul, healthy foodie, yogi and dear friend of mine. I met Candi along my travels over 3 years ago now in South East Asia and have continued to keep in contact online and even managed to meet up in Bali earlier this year as a delightful unexpected coincidence.

This girls kind heart, free spirit, strength and bravery inspire me as I have watched her grow, adventure and follow her dreams. She posses a beautiful energy and I believe we can all take something from her outlook on life.

I also have found many on my clients and myself included  find shutting down at night rather challenging, so was excited to have Miss Candi share with us a few simple yoga poses we can incorporate into our night time routine to rejuvenate, relieve stress and tension and release toxins out of the body.

Name: Candi Combes

Occupation/studies:

Yoga Instructor, Lifestyle energiser

A few of your favourite things:

There’s so many! I love going on barefoot adventures and exploring new land, spending time in the sunshine and ocean, visiting markets for fresh local produce and funky knick-knacks, inspiring conversations with beautiful friends, and of course… yoga!

What does happiness mean to you?

Happiness to me is a way of life. There will always be high moments, and more difficult challenges. As a whole though, happiness is that overwhelming sense of contentment, a beautiful bliss found when life’s ups and downs balance out. It’s is a peaceful mind, a present body, and a smiling heart.

What does your morning routine look like?

“Start your day in a positive way” I believe the morning is an opportunity to set the flow for the entire day. I try to maintain a morning meditation and yoga practice most days, always listening and allowing my body to move however it needs. If the sun’s out I’ll be in the ocean, there’s nothing quite like a morning dip to refresh the soul. Then it’ a green tea with lemon and a big bowl of muesli and fruit to energize, and I’m ready for whatever the day may bring!

Your most life changing adventure?

I recently returned from 3 months of travel around Asia. It was a beautiful, challenging, solo exploration guided purely by intuition. I visited yoga studios wherever possible, tasted amazing foods and discovered some incredible places on the coastlines of Indonesia, the jungles of Sri Lanka, and the islands of the Maldives and Thailand. In the challenging moments, I often found myself having to surrender and trust that the universe will look after me. There’s something quite beautiful about not knowing where you are or where you’ll be tomorrow. The people, the experiences and the places made this adventure completely life changing in the most positive way.

Any exciting plans ahead? 

My next exciting venture forward is focused around a vision that has been building for some time. Combining all the elements of a healthy holistic lifestyle and sharing with people my love of delicious healthy foods and yoga. At the moment my concentration is on creating great connections and developing the skills necessary to bring this vision to life… watch this space!

An inspiring quote close to your heart:

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Theodore Roosevelt.
This quote resonates with me because of it’s simplicity and utter truth. Opportunities will present themselves every day, being able to identify and embrace them is the key to moving forward toward your passions.

Shutting down at the end of the day can often be challenging. Can you share with us a few simple yoga poses to help us wind down at night?

Viparita karani, otherwise known as legs up the wall.
This is a beautiful restorative posture to practice in the evening. It rejuvenates the body by allowing fresh blood and oxygen to flow from the legs toward the heart. Place an eye pillow on, perhaps with the hands on the belly and simply allow the body to feel the weight of gravity.

Restorative pigeon pose.
With a bolster or large pillow, support the inside of the body in this beautiful hip opener. After a long day, its possible to hold a lot of tension and emotion in the hips, so being able to breathe into this supportive posture can be helpful for a comfortable sleep. In Yin styles of yoga the pose can be held anywhere up to 7 minutes. Remember to give yourself plenty of support and try to forget about flexibility.

Laying twist
There’s nothing quite like a spinal twist in the evening. Simply lay on the back, arms extended at shoulder height with the knees bent, and allow the legs to fall to one side. Cross the top leg over for a slightly more intense release and allow the spine to release with the breath. This posture is a wonderful way of releasing any excess toxins and maintaining a healthy spine.