Bryony Lancaster - Egg of the Universe: From the community kitchen cafe and yoga studio

For the sky and the earth, wind and rain of this ancient beautiful land we have the privilege to work and live upon, in particular the Gadigal and Wangal people of the Eora Nation on whose land our sites dwell. We acknowledge and pay our respects to elders - past, present and emerging.

Egg of the Universe is a true sanctuary offering refuge from the city rush and activation of body and mind through yoga and wholefoods. An integrated yoga studio and wholefoods caf with various venues, Bryony and Harry Lancaster have run Egg of the Universe for the past 15 years, growing it into the special community business it is today. Everything on offer at Egg is an extension of their practice at home; from yoga and meditation to the sustainable wholefoods served in the cafs.

WARNING: YOGA AND WHOLEFOODS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO CAUSE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS

Introduction

We remember the day we dreamt up Egg of the Universe. We were sitting in our little flat in London, gazing out a window overlooking the park. We imagined a place where we could combine our passions of yoga and good food, a place where you could go for a yoga class then enjoy a nourishing meal afterwards, where you felt a sense of genuine community and could practise the art of combining modern science and ancient wisdom in a lighthearted and fun way.

We were both very young when we first met, just 22 and 23 years old. At the time we werent at all into pickling vegetables, eating seasonally, yoga or self-development. We were more interested in the next great dance party or debaucherous dinner with friends. But we were then and still are seekers, searching for that elusive inner peace, expansiveness and, ultimately, freedom. This pursuit led us from the dance floors of London to yoga and meditation and, eventually, to the opening of our studios and cafs in Sydney. After 15 years filled with many ups and downs from moments of pure celebration and clarity, to nights when we couldnt sleep because of the pressure weve succeeded in creating what we dreamed up all those years ago.

Whats kept us going, and what keeps us getting out of bed each day, is both the enjoyment of what we do and a real sense of purpose. We continue to be inspired by seeing happy people enjoying lunch in the sun or learning how to pickle their veggies in one of our workshops, and watching the daily transformations of our students as they grow and find more freedom through yoga and meditation. We genuinely feel delight in having centres like ours in the world where people can connect, laugh and heal, so that healing can spread into our families, workplaces and wider communities.

We want to help make the world a better place, one person at a time. But we also believe wholeheartedly that the greatest transformation needs to begin with us. Everything that we offer at Egg of the Universe is an extension of what we practise at home. From the way we eat, to the practices we teach, we aim (not always successfully) to take what we learn on the yoga mat into our lives, in the way we parent and run our business, and how we are with each other in our relationship. The idea for us is to live a more grounded life one full of joy and celebration in everyday moments, and which harnesses tools to navigate the more challenging terrain thats present in any modern life.

The intention behind this book is to provide more tools for finding better balance and to put some pillars in place for you so life feels more enjoyable, healthy and fun. Health and wellness for us isnt just one thing, and there are no shortcuts. In our experience, its more like having many spokes on the wheel.

Our pillars: yoga and wholefoods

Yoga and wholefoods, as practices, are slow medicine. It takes time, patience and dedication to bring the seeds of these practices to fruition. But they do work, and have done for many thousands of years, for millions of people before us. There is a Sanskrit word, patheya, that means provisions for a journey. Thats what we feel this book is for: to deliver provisions for a life that enables a deeper connection to the world around and within us. A life in which we can be tuned into the changing seasons, combining the elements of movement, breath and meditation along with nourishing wholefoods to help us feel more grounded.

Often we think of yoga as just bendy bodies and stretchy pants, but at its core its about following an invitation of systematised practice to move from distraction and separation towards nirvana, or Samadhi. Nirvana aside, yoga is said to improve sleep, decrease levels of the stress hormone cortisol in our body, and increase flexibility, muscle tone and, ultimately, happiness no wonder its becoming so popular! For many people, yoga is also a way to manage anxiety and depression, as well as to help carve out a path towards meditation. Above all, though, and especially for us, yoga is a way of feeling part of something bigger than ourselves.