Studio Spotlight: The Light Practice
The Light Practice studios are situated in Richmond and Moorabin, Victoria and offer yoga, gong baths, somatic experiencing, feminine embodiment, breathwork, sound healing, meditation, mantra and movement.
Established in 2021 by Prue Barnes and Elisa Silbert, The Light Practice came into being within a pulse centred around light and sound.
Tell us about your studio, what was the inspiration behind it?
Our two INCREDIBLE female owners came together to create one of the most unique yoga studios in Melbourne. The Light Practice was forged from a dream (literally in her sleep) Prue had, that showed her the vision of everything down from the lights, the colours, the offerings. From there, she met Elisa who combined her passion of Nervous System work with the physical practice of yoga. Once Prue and Elisa met it was clear they shared a common goal of creating a space that offered movement as well as subtle body work, sound and light. Our goal is to share the sacred offerings of the practice with everyone and aim to provide a safe environment.
What type of practice do you focus on and why?
We offer so many different classes and practices! Including vinyasa, slow flow, restorative yin, breathwork, Sound, Feminine Embodiment and Somatics. We believe in “doing the work” - discovering parts of yourself, healing wounds, and calming the body and mind. So we offer all these types of practices to give the community a chance to dive deeper into things they might not realise they need! Whether they want to move their bodies in a quicker, more challenging way, or if they want to slow it down and connect to breatheE and rest a little more in the poses, we always have something for everyone!
What do you love about your community? How would you describe the overall vibe?
Literally everything! We have such a broad range of students and it makes us so happy. They are all so open to everything we offer, they’re all committed to helping themselves through the practice and they continue to show up day after day most importantly the energy they bring into the space is unmatched by anything we’ve experienced. You walk into the studio and instantly feel at ease. It’s super special to find somewhere that can be both.
What can people hope to find in the space you’ve created?
We feel like we’ve created a safe space for people from all walks of life to come together and share this sacred practice. We want people to feel like they can be vulnerable but held in all of our classes. To be able to move at their own pace and relax, but to also be challenged when they need to. We’ve set up the most beautiful lights, incense, sounds, plants and teas to make the whole place and experience, so that as soon as you enter the space you feel at peace, like you’ve stepped into your little sanctuary away from the chaos of outside. We hope that everyone finds a sense of belonging and community in our studio like they’re coming home each time they walk in.
Tell us how you each ‘Own The Morning’ ?
As teachers, our mornings are so sacred to us. We both start our day with meditation and breathwork. Even if we are teaching early classes, we make sure to carve out time beforehand to ground ourselves for the day ahead. We then fuel with water, coffee and something warm and hearty for breakfast. A cold shower each morning to wake the body up and get the nervous system pumping is a must! Will then do a dry brush of the body and a tongue scrape to get rid of any toxins. We all LOVE morning movement, so will either get on our mats for a yoga practice or else head out for a walk to get some Vit D, pilates or boxing. We hold so much energy and space for people each day, so it’s so important that we take the mornings for ourselves and have these energising routines.
How did you each find movement and what led you to it?
I (Liz) come from a health and rehab background, originally being a physio, so it has always been ingrained in my life. I’ve used movement as medicine for as long as I can remember. I came into yoga as a way to shift the body and focus the mind after a breakup and then realised the endless list of benefits it gave me and never stopped! Prue grew up surfing and surrounded by nature and so that went hand in hand with an active lifestyle. She has practised yoga and pilates for most of her life, using it as a way to connect to the subtle body and shift the stagnant energy of the body. We both have injury backgrounds, so using the anatomy of yoga has been such a vital part of our lives, to help ease our issues and prevent more!
If you would say something to someone who hasn’t found their groove yet in practice / looking at giving some of your classes a go, what would you say to them?
I like to use the analogy of running - no one expects to be able to go out and run 10km on their first run. And yoga is the same! It is a practice and it’s about learning and showing up each day and sticking at it even when it gets hard. There is no right or wrong way to do yoga, it’s about feeling and trusting your body. I would recommend new students start with something slow and restorative and then build from there. And always ask questions, we love to teach and help people on their yoga journey, so the more questions, the better!
Is there anything specific you want to share with our audience?
The best advice I have for people is to just get on the mat and see what happens. Even if you have to convince yourself to go, you will never regret doing it. Each time you show up you learn something new, not just about yoga, but about yourself and how you’re genuinely feeling. I think that is such a gift, to have something that lets you crack into your heart, rather than your busy mind! So just do it, even when it feels hard, sit on your mat and wait.
Visit THE LIGHT PRACTICE to learn more about them and their classes.
Also check out their instagram @thelightpractice