There are snowdrops appearing, and the daffodils and tulips are shooting closely behind. With the excitement of Spring just around the corner, there is also dismay of our natural environment suffering.

Since the 1930s there has been a steady decline in biodiversity in this country. According to the charity Plantlife, 97% of UK wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s. A lot of that would have happened during and after the war, and land that might previously have been left as meadows would have been given over to intensive farming and pesticides.

Now we are not used to seeing wildflower meadows, something that would have been so common to our grandparents. Wildflowers are the food plants for so many invertebrates, and they in turn provide food for birds and mammals. Without these plants, there is no life. The functioning of the planet and our survival depends on plants. Encouraging wildflowers to grow on our own patches of green, however small, is a wonderful way of keeping in touch with the wild on our own doorstep.

Whats grabbing your attention?

We live in an ‘attention economy’. Attention is now a prime commodity, which can be bought and sold by advertisers and corporations. Everybody wants our attention. Intention follows attention. Our attention shapes our perception of the world, our actions, and the reality that we want to create. With our attention, we decide who we want to hear, and see, and how we want to spend our time. Our ability to respond to the earth’s suffering demands a capacity to keep returning to it, even when there is so much to distract us from it.

Yoga helps us reclaim our attention, attention thankfully can be replenished. Mindfulness practices encourage us to experience the sights, smells and sounds of our immediate surroundings. Training our attention in meditation deeply enriches our experiences of life. When we look with different eyes at the already familiar, it generates wonder, and compassion, which in turn generates more attention, more love for the world and more joy in relating to it. Deep attention calls us into deeper relationships, which leads to a great sense of belonging and connection.

There is an urgent need to understand ‘attention’ as a valuable resource for social and environmental regeneration. Where we can and do place it, matters more and more.

So decide where you want to place your attention, maybe start with flowers in your garden, on your window sill, or in the pavement cracks as you walk along. Notice the wildflowers that grow in any tiny scrap of spare land, let your attention wander in nature all around you, feel the joy, the compassion, the wonder…

New teachers and classes

We are pleased to announce two new teachers who are joining us. They are both newly qualified but come with lots of enthusiasm and eagerness, and step into previously popular classes that have been missed.

Claire Jones will be offering a Sunday afternoon class, and we know that many of you enjoyed a late Sunday afternoon class previously so I am sure it will be popular. A Yin and yang class offering a stretch but also some quieter poses to end with to prepare you for the week ahead!

And Fred Burnham is offering a Men’s Yoga Class on a Wednesday from 4.45 to 6.00 pm. Our previous Men’s class came to an abrupt halt due to personal reasons so I am sure there will be great delight that there is one back on the timetable, we welcome you both to the team!

A special class new fortnightly class with our therapist Melina James, called Sister Circle, will be held on Tuesday evenings from 6.00 – 8.00 pm. This is a unique opportunity to receive ongoing support throughout the year from a group of women committed to growth and self-empowerment. See our website for more information.

In the journey of the Wheel of the Year, it is Imbolc or Candlemas, a time to look back at what has served you well and be rid of anything that hasn’t and then look forward to Spring, and the year ahead. We have two wonderful workshops celebrating Imbolc:

Breathwork, Yoga Nidra and Gong Bath with Tracey Boast and Arianna Puran Udini
Friday 2^nd February 6.00 – 7.30 pm

Honouring Imbolc Workshop with Sian Lalita Alcock
Saturday 3^rd 2.00 – 5.00 pm

Enjoy the lighter days and the awakening earth throughout this month.

Sharon and the team!