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November 2023 newsletter

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Welcome to Autumn; crisp mornings and beautiful colours.

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Kim Mackie

As well as a change in the seasons and the clocks, we also have lots of changes at the Yoga and Therapy Centre. Our wonderful Kim Mackie who has been teaching Ashtanga Vinyasa for the last 8 years ever since we have been open, is changing her classes to Classical Yoga, a Viniyoga approach which she has been studying now for several years. This change will take place in November with slight changes in timings too so please check the timetable.

All good teachers are constantly training and constantly learning, and changing not only their own practice but their teachings for their students so that it is appropriate. The ancient yogis based their concept of physical fitness and health on an entirely different set of criteria to modern times:

  • a feeling of lightness in the body
  • an ability to withstand change and
  • a stable body and focused mind ready to sit for pranayama and meditation.

They understood that our physical needs change and so they developed the science of asana practice as a way of promoting the balanced growth of a body into old age. From infancy to senior years the physical yoga practice should change according to the individual: constitution, place, season, gender, time, age, capacities, aspirations and activities. For Kim’s students this change will be no surprise as they will all have been changing and developing along side one another.

Photo 2023 03 17 18 43 30

Year One of Our Viniyoga Therapy Course

Both Kim and Arianna and myself have just finished Year One of our Viniyoga Therapy Course, a traditional teaching based on Patanjalis yoga sutras and also on an ancient model of health from the Taittiriya Upanisad, which has been transmitted by word of mouth from student to teacher over thousands of years. Our students I am sure will all be reaping the benefits of these teachings from the three of us!!

Ness Sherry - Yoga Portrait

Ness Sherry

For those who love their Ashtanga practice we are pleased to say that a class will remain on a Saturday morning at the slightly later time of 10.30 – 11.45am with new teacher Ness Sherry. A big warm welcome to Ness. Watch this space as she hopes to offer more classes in other aspects of yoga too.

Rowan Woodhouse

Rowan Woodhouse

A big warm welcome to another new teacher, Rowan Woodhouse, who will be offering a weekly evening breath class. He is initially offering 4 weeks in November, starting on November the 9th at 8.00 – 9.15pm, with tasters of his breath work. He will then start a regular Thursday evening class in January.

Vedic Chanting for Peace

For this month’s Vedic Chanting Class donations will be for will be for Medecins Sans Frontieres and we will be specifically chanting for peace in the world, all welcome even if you have no experience.

Vedic Chanting for Peace, with Sarah Ryan
Saturday Nov 4th, 12.00 – 1.00pm

No previous experience necessary.

When people come together with a common purpose, it can be very powerful. Please come and join us as we chant for peace in the world.

Rachel

November Highlights

We are excited to have experienced Iyengar teacher Rachel Lovegrove coming to the yoga centre. Rachel is offering a weekend of Iyengar Yoga, although you can book each day as a stand alone if you can’t make both days.

We are very pleased to have Magdalena back with her Drums and Chanting monthly workshop, Kim Jones with her Menopause Yoga Workshop and a Gong Bath and Kundalini Yoga Workshop for Anger with Arianna Puran Udini. 

We have lots of lovely Yin and Restorative Workshops to help you slow down, and embrace the inevitable onset of Winter, the dark part of the year: the darker evenings, the later dawns,  the storms of winter, and hopefully time for stillness and a more internal focus. Stillness brings tranquillity, which in turn brings insight, leading to understanding, wisdom and a new sense of purpose. 

View Our Workshops

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Welcome Melina

As well as new yoga teachers we have a new member in our Therapy team, welcome to Melina who will be offering Swedish massage Reiki and Rahanni Healing. She is taking bookings from the beginning of November.

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Looking Ahead to December

We are pleased to have Dominique Preston back again with her lovely Yin Fascial Yoga Workshop – Roll Release and Relax, the first Sunday of December 2.00 – 5.00pm.

And an exciting workshop called Awakening The Dancer in You with Bowen Therapist Melanie Philip.

Warm wishes, from Sharon et al

November Courses & Workshops

Breathing and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button
Friday 3rd, 6.30-7.30pm

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Saturday 4th, 10.30-11.45am

Vedic Chanting N.B. Special Peace Chanting with Sarah Ryan
Saturday 4th, 12.00-1.00pm

Menopause Yoga with Kim Jones
Saturday 4th, 2.00-5.00pm

Drums and Chanting with Magdalena Atkinson
Friday 10th, 6.30-8.30pm

Iyengar Yoga with Rachel Lovegrove
Saturday 11th, 11.00 – 4.00pm

Iyengar Yoga with Rachel Lovegrove
Sunday 12th, 10.00 – 2.00pm

Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button
Sunday 12th, 2.30 – 5.00pm

Restorative Yoga For Deep Rest with Tracey Boast
Friday 17th, 6.00 – 8.00pm

Tuning Forks For Stress Relief with Nicki Greenham
Friday 17th, 7.00 – 8.30pm

Gong Bath For Anger with Arianna Puran Udini
Saturday 18th, 10.00 – 12.30pm

Iyengar Yoga with Cheree Low
Saturday 18th, 1.00 – 4.00pm

Sacred Space Fun Workshop with Sharon Bentley
Sunday 19th, 10.00 – 12.00pm

Yin Yoga Workshop with Chrissie Haskett
Sunday 19th, 2.30 – 5.00pm

Mini First Aid with Sue Fisher
Wednesday 22nd, 10.30 – 12.30pm

Yin Yoga with Toni Franklin
Friday 24th, 6.00 – 7.30pm

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with Sarah Ryan
Saturday 25th, 10.30 – 11.45pam

Vedic Chanting with Sarah Ryan
Saturday 25th, 12.00-1.00pm

Reiki Share with Sharon Cox-Button
Saturday 25th, 2.00 – 3.30pm

Saturday Soundbath with Bex Leonard
Saturday 25th, 5.30 – 6.45pm

Pilates More Core for Men with Sharon Morgan
Sunday 26th 11.00-12.00pm 

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”
~ Rachel Carson ~

October 2023 newsletter

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September was a busy and very thought provoking month. We held the 2nd module of the 3 year Viniyoga Therapy Course in which 3 of our teachers are participating in.

Viniyoga Therapy Course participants

Talking about Vasanas

One topic from these 10 days was talking about Vasanas (Sanskrit word for impressions). These impressions accumulate over our life time; traumas, thoughts, conditioning from family and society and create the Samskaras, the patterns within which we live our lives. We cannot change these impressions but we can become aware of them, and then change the Samskaras. We can stop constantly repeating the negative patterns that have evolved and made us who we are. Indeed the practices of yoga help us to do that: with mantra, visualization, breath and meditation.

The Miracle and Meaning of this life

At the end of the month we had Derek Thorne from the Vedantarama Advaita Centre in Somerset, who spoke about the Miracle and Meaning of this life. It left me with a sense of how exciting life is and what a great time it is to be alive. Yes there are always terrible things happening, such is the nature of life and human existence, but when you think about how many people exist side by side in peace and harmony on this planet and the acheievements of humanity, it is quite amazing. For several years now I have stopped watching the news or reading the newspapers, as I don’t want those images and patterns to be the predominant ones in my thoughts, thereby creating and shaping the life I lead.

Quantum physics tells us that the the entire Universe emerged from thought. You create your life through your thoughts. What you are thinking now is creating your future life. So think the life you want to live, think positively don’t dwell on the negative!

Child thinking positively

A Fairwell to Ed Mitchell

The yoga centre will be 8 years old this Autumn, and throughout this time Ed Mitchell has been beside me helping with the website and the newsletter. The day has finally come when Ed has to move onto other things, so thank you Ed for being such a rock by my side, for being calm and intelligent and funny, I couldn’t have done it without you. And also thank you for finding your replacement and delivering me into the hands of Beccy. A big welcome to you Beccy!

October Highlights

We have some really interesting workshops this month:

Parentmed Newborn Navigation Course

Surviving and thriving in the fourth trimester!

A comprehensive, session covering newborn health matters, helping parents and caregivers understand what to expect in the first life-changing months and when to seek further advice and support. Delivered by experienced NHS Paediatric Consultants.

Sacred Space Fun Workshops with Sharon Bentley

Sacred Space Fun Workshops to reduce Anxiety and stress, balance your energy, transform heavy energy into lightness, joy and happiness, find that childlike playfulness within… using EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique / Tapping), Flower Essences, sacred energy and sound.

An Intro into Authentic Relating with Nichola Motley

Authentic Relating is a set of simple yet profound practices and skills, which help us have more open and vulnerable connections with others and also with ourselves.

Introduction in the Art of Being One with Life with Christian Probst

The important things in life are simple. We just don’t experience it this way. Parts of us complicate things more than they are. But it is more to our life than we usually have in our mind. And there are parts of us which know that too. So, how do we dance with all these parts of us?

October Workshops and Courses

We hope some of thsese will help you change your thought patterns for a more positive life!

Restorative Yoga for Deep Rest with Tracey Boast
Sunday October 1st, 10.00 – 12.00pm

Pilates Short Course with Sharon Morgan
Sunday October 1st, 10.00 – 11.00am

Breathing and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button
Friday 6th October, 6.30 – 7.30pm

Parentmed with Dr Clare Hollingsworth, Dr Will Verling, Dr Munisha Balain
Saturday 7th, 10.00 – 12.00pm

Sacred Space Fun Workshop with Sharon Bentley
Saturday 7th, 2.00 – 4.00pm

Yin Yoga Workshop with Chrissie Haskett
Sunday 8th, 2.30 – 5.00pm

Tuning Forks for Stress Relief with Nicki Greenham
Friday 13th, 7.00 – 8.30pm

Yoga sutra of Patanjali with Sarah Ryan
Saturday 14th, 10.30 – 11.45am

Vedic Chanting with Sarah Ryan
Saturday, 12.00 – 1.00pm

Iyengar Yoga with Cheree Low
Saturday 21st October, 1.00 – 4.00pm

Introduction In the Art of Being One With Life Christian Probst
Sunday 22nd October, 10.00 – 1.00pm

Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra
Sunday 22nd October, 1.30 – 4.00pm

Yin Yoga Monthly with Toni Franklin
Friday 27th October, 6.00 – 7.30pm

Authentic Relating with Nichola Motley
Saturday 28th October, 2.30 – 5.00pm

“Learn to become still, and to take your attention away from what you don’t want, and all the emotional charge around it and place the attention on what you wish to experience… Energy flows where attention goes.”
~ Michael Bernard Beckwith ~

September 2023 newsletter

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lake
We hope you have had a wonderful Summer, enjoyed the outdoors and relaxed. I was lucky enough to swim in beautiful clear mountain lakes,  walk in the pure fresh air of magnificent mountains and have some time with old friends on my Summer holiday.  It relaxed me, recharged me, it allowed me to shift gears.

man on a mountain

Taking in the views, swimming, reading novels, cooking and enjoying simple camp food felt like one long meditation. A meditative connection with my surroundings, allowing me to shift from the rush of everyday life… a shift to a low vibrational state of peace that immersed me and connected me deeply with nature. I observed others on holiday busy, with a need to do this and go here and there… and was thankful for my own situation. My daily yoga practice was mostly pranayama; I had time to explore my breath in a deeper way, reaping the benefits, helping me slide effortlessly into relaxation.

The coming month is a time to move into a calmer pattern and more regular rhythm after the high energy and excitement of Summer. We hope some of our workshops support you in finding your rhythm. Meanwhile, all our regular classes resume and as we settle back into our routines.

As ever, the details are below and in the calendar – please check it!

With best wishes from Sharon and all the teachers and therapists at Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre

Dr Kausthubha Desikachar photo

We have a busy September kicking off with the second module of the 3 year Yoga Therapy Course with Dr Kausthubha Desikachar. Dr Kausthub Desikachar is the current lineage holder of the classical Viniyoga tradition of T Krishnamacharya & TKV Desikachar. He is an acclaimed yoga teacher, yoga therapist, healer and spiritual adviser. We are very lucky to have him.This module is for 10 days which will mean that some of our weekly daytime classes will not run so please check the calendar or contact your teacher to see if your class is affected.

He will be able to offer one to one yoga therapy sessions for anyone who is interested. Contact Sarah Ryan for more information or to book a session.

derek thorne photo

We are delighted that Derek Thorne is visiting the Yoga Centre in September. 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.

Derek leads the Vedantarama Community (formerly YogaLiving) and has over 25 years experience guiding and directing people in applying the profound teachings of Vedanta in daily life and navigating this human experience.

The session will include discourse, simple guided meditation and the opportunity for Q & A. Suitable for all levels of experience. Derek will be teaching on the theme of “The Miracle and Meaning of This Life”.

To book please contact Nancy Chantrell:

New classes, workshops and courses for September

We are delighted that Sarah Ryan is teaching a monthly Vedic Chanting class. This will take place after the monthly Yoga Sutra class, a donations based class depending on what you can afford going towards a local charity.

Sarah Burt is offering a short course on Iridology, an ancient method of diagnosis how studying the eye can offer insights into health.

Sharon Morgan is offering a short Pilates course, with a free session for anyone new to pilates and would like to find out more about it.

Hannah Lovegrove

We are pleased to have Hannah Lovegrove (pictured), an experienced Dorset Iyengar teacher, offering workshops throughout the Autumn. The first one is at the end of the month.

To celebrate the Autumn Solstice we have a drumming workshop with Nicki Greenham who has recently joined us with her wonderful monthly Tuning Fork workshops.

Jane Collison is starting  an exciting new weekly group called Heart Healing. This will initially run for 4 weeks.

Classes, Courses and Workshops: September

Breathing and Yoga Nidra Sharon Cox-Button

Gong Bath with Arianna Puran Udini

Mini First Aid with Sue Fisher

Tuning Forks for Stress relief with Nicki Greenham

Heart Healing Group with Jane Collison

Satsang with Derek Thorne

Iyengar Yoga workshop with Cheree Low

Solstice Drumming with Nicki Greenham

Free Taster for Pilates Short Course with Sharon Morgan

Yin Yoga Monthly with Toni Franklin

Parentmed

Yoga Sutras with Sarah Ryan

Iridology Short Course with Sarah Burt

Vedic Chanting with Sarah Ryan

Reiki Share with Wrio Russell and Karen Giles

General Yoga Workshop with Hannah Lovegrove

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
~ Lao Tzu ~

July 2023 newsletter

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sunrise at burton-bradstoc beach in summer solstice 2023

We have passed the Summer Solstice. I watched the sunrise on the 21st June with my dog on Burton Bradstock beach and did some walking meditation. In the afternoon I met a friend at The Kingston Russel Stone Circle. Prehistoric stone rows, stone circles and standing stones are littered across the West Country. If you can get to them, they make a nice pilgrimage for midsummer celebrations. Being in their presence not only makes you wonder what our ancestors felt and did during solstice festivities, but the considered placement and their ability to withstand millennia of change can be very inspiring.

These moments make us stand back from our daily routines.

There is a sense of time standing still. This gives us time to pause and examine our lives; both reflecting back and looking forward to what we want to manifest.

This can be a relief when our lives are otherwise in a state of constant busyness.

Like nature we must learn when to expel our energy in the act of creation and when to rest and be still.

While the turning of the year back into the dark half half can feel a little sad, for some it can be a relief to step away from the long hours of light and the frenetic pace of life. There is a sense of the calm returning. Although the days are getting shorter, there is plenty of summer still head of us. Many weeks ahead of fun, relaxation, reading books, sunshine, good food, hanging out with friends and family, and enjoying nature, the sea, and all that our beautiful countryside has to offer.

backbend yoga pose

Summer is a great time to do work on deeper backbends, as we feel flexible with the hot weather and active with the long hours of sunlight.

  • Backbends are invigorating and strengthening.
  • They stretch the quads and hip flexors and help open up the shoulders and chest, an area where lots of us hold tension.
  • They build strength and power in the legs, arms and back muscles.
  • By increasing mobility and awareness of the spine, backbends improve posture and can help to alleviate some kinds of back and neck pain.

As backbends open the chest and upper body they stimulate the Heart chakra (Anahata) allowing us to open more fully in our lives too; to our emotions, experiences and in our relationships.

Have a wonderful Summer enjoy all that it offers, and enjoy all that we have on offer too.

There will be no newsletter in August so both July and August workshops and course dates are below. As ever, the details are below and in the calendar – please check it!

With best wishes from Sharon and all the teachers and therapists at Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre

Hengefest 2023

Home of Hillforts & Henges is an exciting event from 28th to 30th July that will celebrate Dorchester’s neolithic, bronze and iron age landscape, rich in earthworks and the people that have lived here for over 6,000 years.

hengefest dorchester

We are taking part in the final day of the Hengefest festival again this year in Maumbury Rings. We will be offering free classes throughout the day:

  • 10.00 am:  Meditation with  Sharon Cox-Button
  • 10.45am: Gong Bath with Bex Leonard
  • 11.30am: Tai Chi with Tim Button
  • 12.15pm: Tuning Forks with Nicki Greenham
  • 1.00pm:  Gentle Yoga with Helen Heger
  • 1.45pm: Tai Chi with Tim Button
  • 2.30pm: Gentle Yoga  with Kim Jones
  • 3.15pm: Tuning Forks with Nicki Greenham

hengefest dorchester

Classes, Courses and Workshops: July and August

~ ~ July ~ ~

 

Mixed Ability Vinyasa Thursdays with Toni Franklin

Breathing and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button

Venture into Alignment with Ruth Mitchell and Ness Sherry

Tuning Forks for Stress Relief with Nicki Greenham

Restorative Yoga for Deep Rest with Tracey Boast

Gong Bath – Arianna Purna Udini

Yin Yoga with Toni Franklin

Reiki Share with Wrio Russell

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with Sarah Ryan

~ ~ August ~ ~

 

Summer Iyengar Yoga Workshop with Hannah Lovegrove

Yin Yoga Workshop with Chrissie Haskett

Yin Yoga with Toni Franklin

 

“The success of Yoga does not lie
in the ability to perform postures
but in how it positively changes the way
we live our life and our relationships.”
~ T.K.V. Desikachar ~

June 2023 newsletter

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statue of hindu god Siva

I have been catching up with my study of the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, after a busy few months. The sūtras are the most important source for any yoga teacher to refer to. They present the entire yoga system, its core philosophical principles and deep insights into the many practices. In the monthly class we are studying chapter 3 with my teacher Sarah Ryan. This is the chapter for the yogi who has achieved samādhi (meditation) and wants to explore the mind further.  It is the first chapter though, Samādhi -pāda, which is more suitable to those of us  with a reasonably stable mind who are trying to achieve the first goal of yoga, spiritual absorption, (no not touching your toes!!).

And I find myself this morning at sutra 1.33:

“maitrī karunā munditā upeksānām sukha punya apunya visayānām bhāvanātah citta prasādanam.”

“Develop friendliness towards those who are happy, compassion to those who are suffering, appreciation of those who do good and non-judgementalism towards those engaged in ignoble actions, the mind (will then find) tranquility.”

This is an important sutra in that Payanjali doesn’t offer a choice here, but says we must develop these 4 attitudes if we want to reach the state of yoga:

  • maitrī – friendship
  • karunā- compassion
  • muditā- appreciation
  • upeksānām- non judgementalism

Workshops in June

We have many wonderful workshops this month to support our health, alongside our usual monthly yoga workshops. The two introduction workshops to Kinesiology and Iridology are a repeat from previous months due to their popularity.

Come and explore these complementary health systems: Kinesiology: an introduction with Jane Collison and Introduction to Iridology with Sarah Burt.

There is also a new workshop called Tuning Forks Stress Release with new teacher Nicki Greenham which is being offered in the daytime and evening.

close up photo of an eye

And from eyes to feet, our newest therapist to join us at the centre is Susana Woods, who will be offering reflexology in the therapy room.

Susanna Woods-photo

 

New classes and courses in June

As ever, the details are below and in the calendar – please check it!

With best wishes from Sharon and all the teachers and therapists at Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre

Classes, Courses and Workshops: June

Gong Bath with Arianna Puran Udini

Tuning Fork Stress Release with Nicki Greenham

Post natal course with Kim Jones

Breathing and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button

Introduction To Iridology with Sarah Burt

Restorative Yoga For Deep Rest with Tracey Boast

Tuning Fork Stress release with Nicki Greenham

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with Sarah Ryan

Iyengar Yoga with Cheree Low

Mini First Aid with Sue Fisher

Menopause Yoga with Kim Jones

Saturday Soundbath with Bex Leonard

An Introduction to Kinesiology with Jane Collison

Yin Yoga with Toni Franklin

Coming in July

Venture into Alignment with Ruth and Ness

This 3 hour workshop is a journey to a frequency gateway, aligning body and spirit using the energetics of yoga and powerful energy activations. If you’ve ever wondered “Why am I here?” “What was I born to do?” or “What is my purpose?” or if you are ready to commit to who you really are and what you came here to do, this workshop is for you.

May 2023 newsletter

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We’ve just passed Beltane, the Gaelic May Day festival that marks the beginning of Summer.

Trees are bursting into blossom and glorious shades of bright green are appearing all around, and… dare I say it some sunshine.

All the seeds of Winter’s dreaming can begin to gather strength, draw energy and start to grow.

Workshops in May

We have some really special workshops this month and next month, that offer the chance for lots of growth, and we are very excited to have old teachers rejoining us with new classes.

Victoria Smisek, who used to teach Qoya at the centre, is offering a Women’s retreat day with Mindfulness and Qoya.

victoria-smisek-photo

Jane Collison is offering a 3-hour introductory kinesiology workshop for the first time. She has taught Foundation and Practitioner courses at the centre, but is offering this workshop to anyone, so that you can use the techniques at home to help your own health. You will have the chance to learn how to muscle test, to find out what supplements you need, what foods agree or disagree with you and what flower essences may help your emotions. This workshop will be repeated on June 25th.

Jane-collison-photo

Kim Mackie is offering the chance to learn Sun salutation to suit you as a daily practice.

kim-mackie-photo

New classes

We are so pleased to have back two of our old teachers:

Toni Franklin is offering a monthly Yin Workshop on the last Friday of the Month, 6:00 – 7:30pm

Toni Franklin photo

Jess Obermeier will be teaching a weekly Balance Relax Yoga class starting on 12th May on Fridays 9:15 – 10:15am

jess-obermeier-photo-penyfan
As ever, the details are below and in the calendar – please check it!

Enjoy all that DYTC has to offer and all that nature has to offer too!

With best wishes from Sharon and all the teachers and therapists at Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre

Classes, Courses and Workshops: May

New balance Relax Yoga class with Jess Obermaier

Breathing and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button

Womens’ Retreat: Mindfulness and Qoya with Victoria Smisek

Saturday Soundbath with Bex Leonard

Surya Namaskar Workshop with Kim Mackie

Yoga Sutras with Sarah Ryan

Iyengar Yoga with Cheree Low

An Introduction to Kinesiology with Jane Collison

Mini First Aid with Sue Fisher

Yin Yoga Monthly Workshop with Toni Franklin

Yin Yoga Workshop with Chrissie Haskett

Reiki share with Wrio Russell and Karen Giles

“Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers,
the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters,
and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.”
~ John Lubbock ~

April 23 newsletter

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Yoga Therapy class photo of pupils in Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre

For the past 10 days the yoga centre has been full of the sounds of Vedic chanting as myself and two fellow teachers Kim Mackie and Arianna Moretti have been immersed in the first seminar of a 3 year Viniyoga therapy training taught by Dr Kausthubha Desikachar and chant teacher Sarah Ryan (who teaches our monthly class of Yoga Sutras of Patanjali).

In many traditional cultures the use of sound is a significant aspect of spiritual practice. In Indian tradition sound is exalted second only to the Supreme.

The term “Veda” implies “that which can be known”, it is a vast collection of hymns, the authoritative source of many significant schools of Indian wisdom and philosophy, they expound upon the practical ways of meeting human needs while living meaningfully, and lead to personal and spiritual transformation.

There are several benefits of reciting the vedas. The mantras within them are powerful sounds which when produced in the right manner and with the right intention produce specific vibrations in our body. These vibrations have the ability to positively influence our physiological state, thereby improving physical, mental and emotional health. They also bring the mind to complete attention, making it a meditative process in itself.

It is an intense training including all the wide range of yogic tools: postures (Asana), breath regulation (Pranayama), meditation (Dhyana), dietary recommendations (Ahara niyama), lifestyle suggestions (Vihara niyama), chanting (Mantra) visualisations/affirmations (Bhavana), energetic seals (Mudra) symbolic gestures (Nyasa), and self enquiry (Svadhyaya). By undergoing this intense journey teachers may then facilitate others in the journey towards self-empowerment, healing and personal transformation.

For this training we have been joined by students from the USA, Israel, Spain and Germany; a wonderful International community chanting and learning together.

There is still a chance to join this Yoga Therapy course if you are interested, you can contact Sarah Ryan email: saryan6630@googlemail.com

The clocks have changed, Spring has Sprung, we have it all to look forward to.

We wish you a Happy Easter and remind you to check the calendar to see when your teachers are taking an Easter break.

As ever, the details are below and in the calendar – please check it!

With best wishes from Sharon and all the teachers and therapists at Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre

New Classes and Courses

 

Mixed Ability Yoga Class with Katie Pitney (suitable for beginners)

  • Friday mornings 9.00-10.15am.
  • More about Mixed Ability Class with Katie Pitney

The first class will be the 21st April and you can email Katie on bodyofgrace108@gmail.com if you want any more information or to book a place.

5 week Post natal Yoga Course with Kim Jones

6 week IAIM Baby Massage Course with Sharon Cox-Button

Classes, Courses and Workshops: April

Restorative Yoga for Deep Rest with Tracey Boast

Saturday Soundbath with Bex Leonard

Postnatal Wellness course begins

IAIM Baby Massage course begins

Breathing and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button

Drum and Chant with Magdalena Atkinson

Iyengar Yoga with Cheree Low

Mini First Aid with Sue Fisher

Gong Bath: Overcoming Your Stress with Arianna Puran Udini

Yoga Sutras with Sarah Ryan

Looking ahead to May

Women’s Retreat

  • Mindfulness, Qoya and Journalling with Victoria Smisek

“You are the gardener of your mind,
and you are sowing seeds every moment of every day
with the thoughts you think and the actions you take.
The seeds you plant today will determine tomorrow’s harvest.
Choose mindfully.”

~ Unknown ~

March 2023 newsletter

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Aesculus hippocastanum

Our March newsletter is a celebration of the two wonderful Horse Chestnut trees that have graced Dorchester town centre for many years, companions outside the Yoga Centre since it opened.

They have guided us and our practice through the seasons for nearly 8 years.

From the excitement of the vibrant green new shoots in Spring, the glossy mature darker leaves of Summer, and the exuberance of the amazing white flowers with a yellow to pink blotch at the base of the petals. The fruits that develop from these flowers are green spikey capsules containing nut-like seeds which of course we know as conkers.

With the trees being eye level to the yoga centre it was absolutely fascinating to see the flowers slowly turn to these seeds, and fatten into hard shiny conkers. Then there were the beautiful Autumn colours, and watching the leaves fall to finally the stark bare branches, occasionally covered in snow.

I know that many of you will really miss these magnificent trees, but even in their ending they continue to teach us.

As well as the cycle of Spring to Winter it teaches us the cycle of life. We feel sadness, grief, we have to practice non attachment as we let them go, and then we look forward to new life, of the new trees that will be planted by The Town Council and that we will have the delight of watching grow.

Spring Equinox

A moment of balance will occur this month. On the 20th March the earth will be half in shadow, half in sunlight. We are all looking for balance in our lives, but the spring equinox reminds us that balance is not a stable state, the moment of balance is brief in any extreme, a tiny sliver of time. Moments later the energy of Summer will get stronger, the evenings longer, the bursting of shoots more vigorous.

Like standing on one leg, we have to concentrate our mind,  we have to work at it, practice and more practice, and always adjust to the constant changes.

As ever, the details are below and in the calendar – please check it!

With best wishes from Sharon and all the teachers and therapists at Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre

Classes, Courses and Workshops: March

Breathing and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button

Introduction To Iridology with Sarah Burt

Prepare to Birth Confidently with Kim Jones

Mini First Aid with Sue Fisher

Drum and Chant with Magdalena Atkinson

Yoga Sutras with Sarah Ryan

Yin Yoga with Chrissie Haskett

Break Out of Your Depression – Gong Bath with Arianna Puran Udini

Iyengar Workshop with Cheree Low

Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button

Yoga Therapy Course with Kausthub Desikachar

Reiki Share with Karen and Wrio

 “Life is made up of a collection of moments that are not ours to keep.

The pain we encounter throughout our days spent on this earth comes from the illusion that some moments can be held onto.

Clinging to people and experiences that were never ours in the first place is what causes us to miss out on the beauty of the miracle that is the now.

All of this is yours, yet none of it is.
How could it be? Look around you.
Everything is fleeting.

To love and let go, love and let go, love and let go…it’s the single most important thing we can learn in this lifetime.”

~ Rachel Brathen ~

horse-chestnut-bud

February 2023 newsletter

Posted on by admin

We have had another snap of very cold weather but I have been amazed at the dedication of our students who have turned up on the coldest, frostiest days and nights with such enthusiasm. Thank you.

stuart-blanket

It seems that we are desperate for our sangha, our yoga community, especially after the cruel periods of lockdown.

Lockdowns created isolation from our social and working worlds. The latest report from MIND states that:

“… Isolation and loneliness have made people’s mental health worse – with young people particularly badly affected. Similar can be said for older people especially those in care homes. The unintended consequences of removing activity, family and social interaction from the elderly may be more serious than the direct disease consequences of covid.”

Coming together to share our hearts and minds, is what makes us glad to be alive, whether it be yoga, our reading group or walking the dog with a friend.

Dr Kausthub Desikachar says in his latest viniyoga newsletter:

“… In a time when we are driven by a consumer culture where we tend to put products before people, it is a timely reminder that we need to change this and put people before products. Coming together to connect with our hearts and experience the authenticity and presence of each other is far more valuable than the hoarding of products in our closets…. It reminds me of why my father T.K.V Desikachar chose the title of his book, The HEART of Yoga…as it is indeed the heart connection that is the centre of life. A heart connection to those who matter to us, a heart connection to life and a heart connection to the divine.”

There are still a few places left on Dr Kauthub Desikachar’s 3 year Yoga Therapy Course starting here at The Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre on 16th March.

As ever, the details are below and in the calendar – please check it!

With best wishes from Sharon and all the teachers and therapists at Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre

New Class

Saira Francis doing yoga
We are very pleased to welcome Saira Francis to the Yoga centre. She has been teaching in Dorset for many years and we have finally found a slot for her to come and join us.

She will be teaching a Vinyasa class on Mondays 7:45 – 9:15pm. Please contact her if you would like to join her class.

Looking ahead to March

eye-detail
Sarah Burt is offering a short introduction to Iridology, with the view of running a longer course in the Autumn if there is enough interest. Iridology, the study of eyes to diagnose health, is a fascinating subject. And Sarah Burt, who has more than 20 years experience in this field as a naturopath, will have lots of useful tips to keep you healthy.

Workshops and Events: February

Breathing and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button

Free Yourself From Fear Yoga Workshop with Gong Sound Bath with Arianna Puran Udini

Yoga Sutras with Sarah Ryan

Iyengar Yoga with Cheree Low

Holistic Yoga with Duncan Hulin

Saturday Soundbath with Bex Leonard

Drum and Chant with Magdalena Atkinson

Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button

Menopause Yoga Workshop with Kim Jones

Shakti Dance with Magdalena Atkinson

Restorative Yoga For Deep Rest Tracey Boast

“The success of yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures but in how it positively changes the way we live our life and our relationships.”

~ T.K.V. Desikachar ~

January 2023 newsletter

Posted on by admin

Welcome to 2023!

We welcome you back to our centre, after the break. We encourage you to come back mindfully. It is so normal for us to hit the ground running in January, stop for a Summer break and then on until Xmas, where inevitably many people crash!

Unlike the birds, flowers and trees, we are forever on! But let the natural year guide you. January is a very good to place to start!

If you look outside, you will find there is very little activity. Lots of plants and animals tucked away, conserving energy. It is a time for laying foundations for the year ahead, from a place of rest and recuperation.

So continue to take opportunities for calm and reflection wherever you can find them.

Close your eyes, breathe deeply, enjoy the peace and quiet. Cook stews, sleep more, dream and make plans, lay the foundations for your year to come. The light will come soon enough, don’t fight the darkness!

As ever, the details are below and in the calendar – please check it!

With best wishes from Sharon and all the teachers and therapists at Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre

New classes and courses

Classes

 

Courses

 

 

Workshops: January 2023

Breathing and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button

Iyengar Yoga with Cheree Low

Restorative yoga and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button

Drum and Chant with Magdalena Atkinson

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with Sarah Ryan

Pilates Classes on Sundays with Sharon Morgan

Pilates for balance, bone health, menopause, mindfulness

  • Sunday 15th 9.15-10.30

Pilates for flexibility, strength, and functional mobility

  • Sunday 15th 10.45-12.00

Explore Pilates

  • Sunday 15th 12.15 – 13.30

Yin Yoga with Chrissie Haskett

Pilates Classes on Sundays with Sharon Morgan

Pilates for balance, bone health, menopause, mindfulness

  • Sunday 22nd 9.15-10.30

Pilates for flexibility, strength, and functional mobility

  • Sunday 22nd 10.45-12.00

Explore Pilates

  • Sunday 22nd 12.15 – 13.30

Restorative Yoga For Deep Rest with Tracey Boast

Shakti Dance  with Magdalena Atkinson

Reiki Share with Karen and Wrio

 

Pilates Classes on Sundays with Sharon Morgan

Pilates for balance, bone health, menopause, mindfulness

  • Sunday 29th 9.15-10.30

Pilates for flexibility, strength, and functional mobility

  • Sunday 29th 10.45-12.00

Explore Pilates

  • Sunday 29th 12.15 – 13.30

Mini First Aid with Sue Fisher

Looking ahead to February

We have Duncan Hulin from the Devon School of yoga coming to teach one of his wonderful holistic yoga days on the 11th February.

  • Booking is essential as this is always popular.

Arrianna Puran Udini who teaches our Kundalini classes and Gong workshops is offering some extended gong workshops in the Spring.

  • The first one will be on February 4th, Releasing and Overcoming Fear.
  • Please keep an eye on the website for up and coming information

“Yoga is an exercise in balance. Practicing yoga allows us to create harmony and balance in our bodies and minds,
and learn to live with ease.”
~ Amber Wolf ~