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Namaste Yogis and Yoginis
I have been doing a lot of Savasana this month. Not only because it is incredibly restful, restorative and rejuvenating. Not only because it is said to be one of the most powerful poses in restoring the nervous system and alleviating stress. I also love it because it takes you away from the external world and reconnects you to the inner. The place within you that is steady, clear, strong, serene. Where you can contact the highest, most noble version of yourself. The place you can connect with the divine, whatever that means to you – Life, Mystery, Truth, God, Goddess, Love. I seem to have needed that more than usual this month. With all the tragedies going on in the global arena, I have needed to arm myself with faith, centeredness and strength. When I am filled up, I then have some chance of helping others, whether by action, meditation or prayer. I can keep up with my duties to try and make sure what I am able to contribute to the collective experience is the best it can be. I also love Savasana because it feels like it opens me up to the Universe itself, and that is important because, to me, that is where all guidance comes from. To quote Dr M.Lakshmi Kumari “it is the tuning up of the chords of one's being so that it chimes in harmony with the music of the cosmos”; and that is what I wish for each of you.
Om Shanti
(peace)
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With Blessings,
Suzanne Gray | |
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CALENDAR DATES |
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CALENDAR DATES |
Sunday 27th March, 6 pm - the divine Lucknow Project return for our monthly Kirtan night. All welcome whether you can sing or not. Something harmonic happens when voices merge, weak or strong, one beautiful unified sound comes out. Recommended donation $10, ifyou can't afford that, come anyway. All money raised goes to band.
Friday April 1st – Meditation for Global Healing. 6pm. Our regular meditation night will have a special focus, sending healing especially to Japan and all suffering from recent disasters. This is also a FUNDRAISER with all proceeds going to Earthquake disaster relief so please come along, tell your friends, or feel free to donate to our charity jar this month. (last month went to NZ)
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Sunday April 10th – the wonderful Clive Sheridan returns. Yoga workshop with asana, afocus on pranayama and a satsang (discourse) from12-6pm, with a tea break. Cost $125. Bookings with deposit essential as Clive is one of our most popular guests and will book out. | |
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DID YOU KNOW.....Yoga improves your posture!
Many back, neck and other muscle and joint problems can be caused or made much worse by poor posture, something that yoga can very effectively improve. Think of your head as a big, round, heavy bowling ball. It takes much less effort for your back/neck muscles to hold that bowling ball up when it is balanced directly over the spine than if it sits forward, a common problem. The head forward position can contribute to back pain, headaches, arthritis, carpal tunnel and fatigue – holding that bowling ball up takes a lot of extra energy when it isn't balanced! More surprisingly, there's even scientific evidence that poor posture leads to premature death. A study of 1300 older patients with kyphosis (C-shaped slump of the upper back) found that slumpers were 44% more likely to die over the duration of the study – and those with poor posture were 2.4 times more likely to die of atherosclerosis- related conditions putting poor posture up there as a risk factor with smoking and elevated cholesterol. The exact mechanism of why this is so is unclear but possibly has to do with the yogic belief that slouching compresses the heart and potentially compromises its bloods supply. The lungs also have less room to expand which means you can't bring as much oxygen into the body to fuel the heart (and other organs).Never fear – the American Journal of Public Health suggests a 12 week program of yoga postures modified to meet the patients needs improves posture, postural awareness, height, head position, functional skills, and wellbeing in women aged sixty and over with kyphosis. We also know ongoing yoga prevents poor posture developing and maintains good posture (and health) your whole life!! (modified from Yoga as Medicine Dr Timothy McCall)
FEATURED PRODUCT OF THE MONTH
Somnologix Yoga Nidra CD's. To help you access the savasana state, deep relaxation and all its benefits, try these fantastic cd's by Philip Stevens (Swami Satyananda). Philip has PhD studies in how breathing and yoga effects the brain, and I don't know if that makes a difference, but I have found his cd's to induce a very deep relaxation. Best of all there is a 10 min option. That means there are no excuses not to include this essential practice in your day. I have “prescribed” this cd to many students over the years with some remarkable results. There is also a cd with longer options if you have more time. In our Yoga Shop now.
FEATURED PRACTITIONER OF THE MONTH
Christine Allgaier runs Holistic Massage Therapies in Coolangatta. I have known Christine for almost 10 years and she was a fantastic practitioner even then. Since that time she has continuously worked on deepening and expanding her skills to include a range of massage therapies including lymphatic drainage, Cranio Sacral and Kahuna. She is also trained in a number of Ayurvedic therapies including Bhasti, Shirodahra and Ayurvedic facials. She handpicks the therapists who work there, and the prices are extremely reasonable. To book56057946.
YOGA TIP - GET ON THE MAT
As Pattabhi was known to say “just do, all will follow” But how do you get on the mat when you just don't feel like it? Sometimes we are avoiding practice because we are avoiding what is arising in our practice, or avoiding change. Sometimes our minds are full and distracted. Sometimes we overwhelmed by everything we have to do, and sometimes we just feel resistant. Discipline is not always about doing hard practice. Sometimes it's just about showing up on the mat. So simply to step on the mat is one way of starting. Getting yourself to the class even if you don't feel like it. Other methods I use when particularly stuck include giving myself full permission to stop at any time. To rest at any time. To do savasana at any time. Often this permission is enough to give me the space to step into my practice and I find it flows from there. Sometimes I have to be a bit more cunning. “Ok I'll just do 3 salutes and then see how I feel, and maybe stop”. After 3 salutes I say “ok well maybe I could just hang forward in Uttanasana for a minute and then see”. And so it goes until I reach the point where it flows, or until it really is time for savasana. Sometimes putting on yogic music helps. The mind is soothed and resistance can melt away. Other times it's like doing the housework- you have to put on some rock and roll to get you moving. (at home I strangely like Urge Overkill's “Sister Havana “– works every time – don't know why!). Whatever method I use, I am always glad afterwards, always grateful for the benefits my practice has brought me. 9 times out of 10 I was just avoiding in some way. Of course you should always listen to your body on that 10th time -if you are genuinely exhausted or unwell. In that case savasana, meditation, or simply rest might be the best practice for that day.
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY
“Herein lies the secret of life, the key to evoke the tremendous potentialities hidden in all of us. This inner bliss is so large compared to the happiness we derive from external sense objects that the desires for sense enjoyment automatically get reduced. Here starts the real renunciation. Not only does the burning desire to get more and more get reduced, but also the usual sense pleasures appear to be too small in comparison to the bliss within. Then, our system automatically chooses the higher bliss, more lasting bliss. A new way of life emerges. Irrespective of what we have or do not have, we live a satisfying, happy life. That is the YOGA way of life.” -Dr .H.R.Nagendra | |
