June 2025 Newsletter – Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre

The gardens are blooming, and the meadows are peaking; they are as colourful and teeming with life as they are going to be!

The summer solstice on the 21st marks the height of the sun’s radiance in the northern hemisphere. The days are long, the nights short, and life is for living to the full. Now is the time to embrace dreams that were seeded in Winter.

Midsummer can sometimes feel overwhelming, as there is so much to enjoy. Of course, we can’t capture midsummer just as we can’t hold winter back – it is as fleeting as all the other moments of the year, but we can make sure we soak it in. Sit in it, savour it, don’t rush around trying to do too many things, hold the feelings within you and enjoy them.

The Dance of the Sun and the Moon

The sun and the moon will enjoy a beautiful dance this month, something that happens every 18.6 years. Just as the sun reaches its highest point, the full moon will be at its lowest, looking extremely large, as it does when it is close to the horizon. When the sun is so high dusk stretches deep into the evening, and it is worth staying up with the moths and the bats, and as the sun finally sets, look to the opposite part of the sky to catch the beautiful low moon, a phenomenon that will have been enjoyed by many for thousands of years as they have gathered at stone circles.

Viniyoga Travels

Quite a few of our teachers will be training in Thailand in June, so the timetable will be slightly reduced. Kim Burnham and I are doing an advanced teacher trainer course with Dr Kausthubha Desikachar in the Viniyoga tradition, and then Fred Burnham, Sarah Ryan, Arianna Puran Udini and I will take part in a worldwide celebration of Viniyoga. We hope to come back and share it all with you!

Dr Kausthubha’s teachings are deeply rooted in the philosophy of the Yoga Sutras, to reduce human suffering and to help us become the best of ourselves. He talks about 8 uncomfortable truths that we need to accept about ourselves, the first one being:

The only one who can change you is YOU! 

Just as you are responsible for your happiness, you too are responsible for your own personal growth and development. The moment you stop living in denial and open your eyes to your flaws and toxic traits, the sooner you stop making the same mistakes over and over again. Everyone in your life may be aware of it already, but until you call yourself out, it will not make much of a difference because the only person who can make any real, lasting change in your life is you.

Kausthub Desikachar reading at his workshop

Self-growth, Healing and Activation

Two of our newer workshop leaders, Rachel Tapping and Lucy Bowtell, have joined together to bring a workshop called ‘Self-growth, Healing and Activation’, the first one being at the end of the month – find out more here.

We have many of our usual workshops, although as we head to Summer, some will take a break until the Autumn.

Looking ahead to July

Sharon Morgan is running a taster session for an early morning pilates class 8-9 am on Wednesday 16th July, please contact Sharon (sharon@westdorsetpilates.com) if you are interested.

Cheree Low’s Iyengar workshops are finished now until September, but we welcome Rachel Lovegrove again, who is offering an Iyengar workshop on the 12th July.

We are delighted that leading Advaita teacher, Derek Thorne, is visiting the Yoga Centre again on the 19th July. Derek leads the Vedantarama Community (vedantarama.com) and has over 30 years of experience guiding and directing people in living and applying the profound teachings of Vedanta and navigating the human experience.

Deeply established in the teachings of Advaita Vedanta (the oneness at the heart of all things), Derek is able to bring clear, insightful and inspiring vision to these timeless teachings and to articulate them with clarity and flair. This public session is open to all genuine seekers curious about their true identity and the reality of this experience. Derek will be talking about the “Wonder of Consciousness: Knowing Your True Self” – Dorchester Satsang – Vedantarama. Suitable for all levels of experience. For more information and to book, please contact Marj – marjsnape@gmail.com, mobile 07747429559, or Nancy Chantrell – nancychantrell@outlook.com, phone 01305 750174.

And finally, on the 20th July, Kim and Fred Burnham are doing a workshop “Yoga for Spine Health”.

All the above details are on the website.