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Namaste Yogis & Yoginis
Welcome to 2009! I love the new year, not for the parties, but for the wonderful opportunity it provides to pause and reflect, to check in and evaluate. Almost every culture over thousands of years has some kind of celebration marking the passing of time. If we didn’t time would just float past, and before we know it, life would have drifted by without achieving as much orlivingit as fully as we might have. Today life coaches and time management consultants recommend regular time to re-evaluate and re-assess. I love it. I love to know where I’m at, whether my life is heading in the right direction, or if not, to have a chance to notice and make plans to bring it back to balance. Although this seems simple and should be a regular part of living, it often isn’t, it’s too easy to get busy, distracted, caught up and just forget. Remember the old taxi example; if you can’t tell the driver where you want to go, how will you get there? You don’t want to be driving round aimlessly either, just hoping to hit on the right spot! So if you haven’t had a chance to feel into your life this New Year season, take time now. Pause, reflect, observe. Is the way you are living taking you where you want to go? Helping you to be the person you want to be? Of course I always recommend yoga as part of any journey, towards health, mindfulness & happiness. It will also help keep you on track more often. Observe how it has helped you and remember to make room for a regular practice in your life in 2009!- Suzanne
COMING UP
- Australia Day Mon Jan 26th:8.15 am, 10.30 am & 6pm classes only! See you there!
- Last year I was lucky enough to spend about 4 months away, most of it on sabbatical visiting other yoga centres and immersing myself in practice again. The centre I enjoyed most on my travels was the Power Living studio in Neutral Bay, Sydney, where I continue to drop in when in Sydney. I have been to several different teachers there and enjoyed every one of them! I find Power Yoga offers a clean strong asana practice with a great blend of philosophy and internal observation. I’m excited to let you know the founder of the centre, Duncan Peak, is coming up to run a workshop here at the centre. Duncan is a popular presenter at the Australian Yoga Expo and at the Evolution yoga expo in Hong Kong. I found his talks at the Yoga Expo forum to be inspiring and enjoyed renewed enthusiasm for my practice in the classes. It will be a one day workshop on Sunday February 15th with an introduction to the power yoga style in the morning and inversions work in the afternoon. Book early as places are limited!!
- We also have some other really interesting new workshops this year as well as some old favourites. In March we have Indian Musical Professor Dr Harreharren for a concert and healing sounds workshop, as well as private appointments in vedic astrology. April sees the return of much loved Clive Sheridan as well as Glenn Ceresoli later in the year. We will also be running the Saturday afternoon technique sessions and philosophy talks again.
BITS & PIECES
With the hot season well & truly here please remember to bring a towel and use it over blankets. You can also flip your sticky mat over the blankets. Please also remember to use the black rubber mats under your sticky mats. They help provide stability in your pose, reduce wear & tear for your mat and help us keep the yoga centre tidier as they reduce pilling from the sticky mat rubbing against carpet. Thick grey VB mats are excepted.
Also please remember we are a fragrance free zone! This means no perfumes, oils or strong smelling aftershave or deodorant. Please arrive 5-10 minutes before class whenever possible, and let the teacher know of any injuries or conditions you may have. The yoga room is a place of sanctuary, so no chatting in the yoga room, place your equipment down quietly, and refrain from vigourous warm ups when others are relaxing before class. Relaxing before class is important, both to quieten the mind, and to prepare the body. A quiet mind and relaxed body makes you more receptive to the benefits of yoga. If you have any questions please feel free to ask your teachers. Feel free to catch up in the reception area but be mindful of noise if a class is in progress. Thank you for your help in making the centre a more enjoyable, restorative place for everyone!
EXCITING NEWS!! – Kam has turned techno pro/movie director & editor and has put together 5 great videos on youtube. You can access them most easily by going onto our website and following the youtube link, or by watching them from our videos page. This is a new modality we hope to continue sharing yoga & inspiration with. Keep checking the sites for updates! Thanks Kam!!!
Also check out some new photos on Mark & Dan’s bios on the website.
TheASHTANGA INTENSIVE was a great success again. Those who have attended before enjoyed the progress in strength and freedom of practice an intensive can bring. New attendees understood why it’s called an intense-ive! The aim is progress by increasing the intensity, turning up the heat so to speak (the alchemy of fire); but just as valuable is learning through that intensity where our weak spots and habits are that we might get away with under normal circumstances, but not when the heat is turned up. This gives us great food for thought in how we approach our practice, where we need to be more mindful, and where we might need to pull back. Always feel free to speak with your teachers if you need guidance!
I have been road testing the new divine goddess cross back tops (hard job but someone’s gotta do it!) and I have found them to be the most comfortable yoga top I have worn! Check them out and some of our other great new products including organic cotton singlets (& soon tees) for the guys.
SIMPLE RELAXATION; It can’t be overemphasized strongly enough how important it is to relax and have some quiet time to restore on a daily basis. Many of today’s major illnesses are influenced by or related to stress & lifestyle factors, and can be greatly alleviated by the simple practice of daily relaxation. Of course your yoga practice provides a great opportunity to release stress and restore, but if you can’t get to class or you are particularly tired/stressed, include an extra savasana every day or try this simple relaxation. Lie down in a comfortable position, making sure you have something under your knees if your back is sensitive, and a folded towel under your head to bring it in line with the rest of the spine. Place your hands on your belly and breathe into your hands filling your belly with breath. Exhale and consciously release all tensions and stress. You might even mentally repeat a word like “relax”, “surrender” or “let go”. As you breathe into the belly, try to feel the breath into the lower belly, pelvis & kidneys. After about 5/6 of these releasing belly breaths, you should feel calmer and softer in body and mind. Release your hands beside you palms up, and simply watch the breath gently fill the body as you inhale and relax the body on the exhale. Try to feel the whole body breathing and let the breath create a gentle rhythm that massages away thoughts and tension. Let yourself float away and lay in this simple relaxed position for as long as you feel comfortable (try for at least 10 mins). Feel as if your body has been soaking in a bath of healing restorative prana/energy and awaken feeling restored and refreshed!
QUOTE; “Nothing will benefit human health & increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet” – Albert Einstein |
