Stillness covers the land as we enter December. The earth’s energy draws down the life force of trees and plants, nourishing and supporting their roots for a well-earned rest. The long hours of darkness encourage us to do the same, so dim your lights, sit in candlelight or the light of the fire. Kim Jones is offering Candlelight Yoga on 13th December to get you in the mood.
Winter is our natural rest and restore season. Eat nourishing soups and stews. It is a time that reminds us of the impermanence of physical life, the cycle of birth and death, and the need to rest in order to rise again. As the outer world surrenders its light, our inner worlds can sparkle and shine, let your yoga practice be quiet and slow and meditative, bringing healing and health. It’s a time to reflect and let go of patterns and habits that don’t serve you and to make room for the new.
The Winter Solstice is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year, and when the Sun is at its lowest daily maximum elevation in the sky. Sian Lalita Alcock is offering a wonderful celebration of the day – Honouring The Winter Solstice. We have many nourishing and restful workshops throughout December to help you find some stillness, we hope you enjoy them.
A Winter Solstice Practice
Exhale and drop your mind energy down into your heart space. Exhale and drop your heart energy down into your lower belly space. Exhale and drop your lower belly energy down and out through your legs and into the earth. Inhale earth energy through the soles of your feet. Let it connect, heal & replenish your entire body.
From us all, thank you for sharing the year with us, seasons greetings, happiness and good health.
In October we were bendy like the tree branches in the wind, Cheree Low showed us how to work up to getting our feet behind our head in her Iyengar Yoga workshop; Bhairavasana, such fun, something I hadn’t achieved in a while.
Ness Sherry encouraged her students to find an easy approach to Padmasana, (lotus pose) whatever their level.
This month Ness will be looking at the art of headstands, a workshop dedicated to transforming anyone’s headstand practice. The session will dive deep into self-supporting alignment techniques, by building a strong and centred foundation to lift into a headstand with lightness and control.
There are so many wonderful workshops to choose from this month: Lifecoach Lilu Lelew is offering a “Mind Body Reset”.
Bowen therapist and Healer Melanie Philip invites you to “Lose Yourself To Dance”, by embracing the journey of discovering and expressing the free-flowing you.
We also welcome back Dominique Preston with one of her “Somatic Flow and Fascia Roll” workshops, always lovely at this time of year.
Sharon Morgan is doing her yearly workshop supporting “Movember “ the leading charity raising awareness and changing the face of men’s health. She is offering a Pilates class for men. A “More to core” workshop for strength and flexibility for men of all ages and abilities.
As well as all our regular monthly workshops listed below, yes there is far too much to choose from!!!
November’s mantra is ‘let go and release’. Do as nature around you is doing, boldly step into a place of surrender… be like the trees that drop their leaves, and just let go of anything that no longer serves you. We don’t want to take anything into the nurturing darkness of winter that will take root in the unconscious. We want to pick out our metaphorical weeds before they spread, we don’t want them popping into our lives again in Spring. As Patanjali says in sutra 1.12 abhyasa vairagyabhyam – the state of yoga arises out of practice and detachment. Letting go of attachments to lifestyle habits and choices, that inhibit our capacity to grow and discover our seed potential.
The Trees Said
November – on this earth this year reflecting back each leaf a memory gone to ground streams always finding their course branches reaching up as if the answers are in the sky the light softer now days shortening sleep beckoning like tiny footsteps on broken bark shadows rest like ink smudged on skin if you only knew how easy it is to grow one day at a time I was once a promise in a nut shell I was once as small as that dream you hold
Polly Hall
New Classes
We have three new classes starting this month to help you with your practice.
Fortnightly Meditation with Lilu on Thursdays 6.30-7.30pm, see website for dates
Beginners Yoga with Claire Jones on Sundays 5.00-6.15pm
Evening Ashtanga Vinyasa class starting on Tuesdays 6.15-7.30pm with Ness Sherry.
Enjoy this beautiful season,
From us all at the Dorchester Yoga and Therapy centre, and here are some of us at our teachers breakfast meeting last month:
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 11.30 Ahimsa-satya-asteya-brahmacarya-aparigrahāh yamāh
Non-violence, truthfulness, not-stealing, moderation in our actions and not accumulating are the five social constraints which are part of the Eight Limbs of Yoga that help us in our search for a meaningful and liberating life.
At Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre this month we have been deeply ensconced in the philosophy of yoga, reminding us that yoga is not just an exercise system but a philosophy to help alleviate suffering. Those of us involved in the 10-day yoga therapy course with Dr Kausthubha Desikacar have chosen a Yama: to live it for the next six months until we meet again in March 2025 (although as yogis we should be constantly living the yamas) and to see how it changes us, to live it in terms of thought, word and action…. Why not join us?
Last Saturday Derek Thornes and Vedantarama captivated us by taking us on an enquiry into the true spiritual nature of ourselves. “From the unreal to the real. What am I and what is this all about?’ By applying the Advaita Vedanta vision in a modern setting, we had an inspiring, emotional, thought-provoking and joyful discussion. Beginning with and concluding that we and the world we live in are stunning.
As Autumn approaches we look forward to the rest that the darker evenings bring, to walk in the beauty of nature, to our yoga practices that help us to slow down, withdraw and to enjoy the coziness of the fire.
Enjoy the beauty of Autumn, practice one of the yamas, and know how stunning you are.
Warm wishes, Sharon
Looking ahead to November
For those of you interested in expressing your body in a different way we are excited to have Melanie Philip (who does Bowen and Energy healing in our therapy room) offer a dance workshop: Lose Yourself to Dance. No dance experience necessary, this is a small group (limited to 10 people) exploring movement to rid the body of numbness and dissociation. More information on our website.
I hope everyone has had fun, relaxed, enjoyed the outdoors, the abundance of nature and the long hours of daylight. Tim and I have been in the countryside of Mid and Southern France, practising our yoga and tai chi respectively, swimming in rivers and lakes, reading and eating delicious food. Perfect restoration, recharging our batteries and giving us space and time to appreciate all that we have.
One of the books I took with me was the Bhagavad Gita, The Song of the Lord. It is a classic yoga book and probably the best-known of all Indian scriptures. The backdrop is a battlefield, which seemly is about a war but it is really about the battle within us, the exploration of consciousness, the struggle for self-mastery, to live a life that is meaningful, fulfilling and worthwhile. An early and universal message written down to inform us that there is more to life than the everyday experience of our senses, it asks and answers questions about how to live effectively in a world of challenge and change, and so despite being written maybe 1000 years BC it is universally relevant to us all.
In the dialogue between Arjuna the warrior and Krishna an incarnation of God, Krishna says
“On this path (of yoga) effort never goes to waste, and there is no failure. Even a little effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest fear” 2:39.
New Classes & Courses
As the evenings draw gently in and we settle back into our daily rhythms of work and school, the teachers and therapists at the Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre resume their weekly and monthly offerings, and the timetable is full once again. As always there are changes and classes that come and go and we are pleased to offer a new beginners class on Monday evenings with Claire Jones, and welcome a new teacher Maxine Craig teaching Zen Yoga on Monday mornings.
We are very excited to have Dr Kausthubha Desikachar with us again in September to teach the 3-year Viniyoga Yoga Therapy Course.
We have 5 teachers involved in this Advanced Level traditional training, Kim Mackie, Fred Burnham, Arianna Moretti, Sarah Ryan and myself. This will bring some disruptions to the timetable whilst it runs from the 5th to the 15th of September. But as with the last year and a half, the centre will be filled with Vedic chanting and a marvellous energy, the teachers will deepen their knowledge, and everyone will be the better for it! If anyone would like to have a private session with Kausthubha please contact Sarah Ryan at saryan6630@googlemail.com
We are also very happy to welcome back Derek Thorne. 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 (vedantarama.com) and has over 30 years experience guiding and directing people in living and applying the profound teachings of Vedanta and navigating this human experience.
Marj Snape writes: “Derek has been my teacher for 25 years. This influence and the application of the Vedanta teachings have brought great spiritual stability and security into my busy, engaged life. If you are at all curious about spirituality, meditation and the deep underlying philosophy of Yoga join us for this morning of dynamic and exciting teaching.”
The session will include discourse, simple guided meditation and the opportunity for Q & A. Suitable for all levels of experience. Derek will be teaching the ” The Mystery of Perception: What am I and what is all this?”. For more information and to book: https://www.dorchesteryoga.co.uk/courses-workshops/#the-mystery-perception
Kundalini teacher Arianna Puran Udini is bringing a change to her monthly Gong baths, as she is excited to share her new Crystal Singing Bowls with you in September’s and October’s Sound Bath, making a change to the Venus Gong. The bowls are all tuned to the frequency of 432Hz so they resonate together. This frequency can help to reduce stress and anxiety, enhance mental clarity, promote healing and pain relief amongst others, and is the perfect antidote to overthinking, overwhelm, and emotional turbulence. The Venus Gong is back in November!!! For more information: https://www.dorchesteryoga.co.uk/courses-workshops/#healing-sound-bath
Looking Ahead to October
My Restorative and Yoga Nidra workshops start back in October to take us through the Dark half of the year, if you want to be on the email list for information about these workshops please let me know.
Tim Button is starting a monthly Pushing Hands Workshop on Saturdays from 9.30 to 11.00 am. This will be ‘invitation only’ depending on experience, if you are interested and have experience please contact Tim: at 1timbutton@gmail.com.
Marj Snape is starting an Advaita Vedanta Yoga Philosophy Group in October. She is holding a preliminary/introductory meeting in September for those wishing to know more, and find out what it involves. Contact her if you are interested or curious at marjsnape@gmail.com.
All our usual lovely monthly classes resume, you can find all the details below, we can’t wait to have you all back again.
“You have the right to work but never to the fruit of work. You should never engage in action for the sake of reward, nor should you long for inaction. Perform work in this world. Arjuna, as a man established within himself – without selfish attachments, and alike in success and defeat. For yoga is perfect evenness of mind.” ~ 2:47-48 The Bhagavad Gita ~
This newsletter will cover July and August’s news and events and then there is no newsletter until September.
We have passed the longest day of the year, and many of you may have celebrated the Summer Solstice enjoying the long light evenings. Although the days are becoming shorter and we turn toward the darker part of the year, I love the calmer energy of July and August. Summer becomes lazy rather than frenetic. I for one am looking forward to lazy days of reading and drinking tea in the garden, going to the beach, swimming and camping rather than all the rushing around of the past few months.
The emotion of love is universal and if approached skilfully and mindfully, love has the power to heal and nourish on a deep and profound level. The ancient yogis saw love and devotion to be such a powerful tool they created an entire branch of yoga called Bhakti yoga. Here are some inspiring quotes of yoga and love to inspire your practice throughout the Summer both on and off your mat.
“You are loved for being who you are, just for existing. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. Your shortcomings, your lack of self-esteem, your physical imperfections, your economic success – none of that matters. No one can take this love away from you, and it will always be here” – Ram Dass
“To love, we need to be sensitive to those around us, which is impossible if we are racing through life engrossed in all things we need to do before sunset. In fact I would go to the extent of saying that a person who is always late will find it difficult to love; he will be in too much of a hurry” – Eknath Easwaran
“Learning how to love is the goal and the purpose of spiritual life – not learning how to develop psychic powers, not learning how to bow, chant, do yoga, or even meditate, but learning to love. Love is the truth, Love is the light” – Lama Surya Das
“To love those that love you is easy. To love those that love you not is not so simple. If you want to change anyone set a better example. Show more kindness, more understanding, more love. That has a sure effect. To those who are not kind, show kindness. To those who are mean, show bigness of heart” – Paramahansa Yogananda
“Understanding someone’s suffering is the best gift you can give another person. Understanding is love’s other name. If you don’t understand, you can’t love” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“Everyday, think as you wake up, and say, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can” –The Dalai Lama
It is a quieter time at the yoga centre in August for us, as many students are on holiday or enjoying the outdoors and many teachers take a break too. Having said that, we never shut our doors, and throughout the Summer there are still plenty of classes and workshops. If your teacher takes a break, you can always find out what else is on by having a look at the calendar on the website:
Our therapy room remains busy throughout the Summer, and our in-house massage specialist, Melina, is offering a 10% summer discount on all treatments in July. Why not treat yourself to a full body Swedish massage combined with energy healing for soothing, relaxing and opening to the high summer energy. She also offers relaxing reiki sessions for cleansing and recharging as well as breathwork sessions for deeper journeying and connecting with self. The offer is open until the end of July.
In September, we have a new Beginners class starting with Claire Jones on Mondays at 7.30pm. If you would like to book this class or get more information please contact Claire on 07841 112686 or email clairejones663@gmail.com
In the Autumn, beginning Sunday 13th October Marj Snape is offering an exciting opportunity to deepen into the authentic spiritual practice of Advaita Vedanta. A 3-year course, meeting 4 times a year exploring progressively the wisdom teachings of Vedanta and the great questions of life. Who am I? Why am I here? What is this experience? The sessions will include meditation, discourse, teachings from Vedantic texts of The Bhagavad Gita and The Upanishads and supportive group discussion. Excellent resources are available for private study and reflection as you absorb the teachings and integrate them in a practical way into daily life. A genuine programme of spiritual awakening suitable for all levels of experience and students new to meditation and spiritual enquiry. For more information contact Marj at marjsnape@gmail.com or call 07747 429559.
And a reminder of our new monthly class Conversations with Chris, on the first Wednesday of the month.
Oh, do not tell the priest our plight For he would call it a sin But we’ve been out in the woods all night, a-conjuring summer in We bring you good news by word of mouth, Good news for cattle and corn Sure as the sun come up from the south, By Oak, and Ash, and Thorn Sing Oak, and Ash, and Thorn, good sirs All on a midsummer’s morn Surely we’ll sing of no little thing
In Oak, and Ash, and Thorn Rudyard Kipling/Peter Bellamy
Midsummer Celebrations
June 21st is when we celebrate midsummer or the summer solstice. As feels very appropriate on a sunny day, traditional midsummer celebrations centre around the figure of the solar god archetypes and the coming of full strength. The word solstice comes from the Latin solstitium describing the apparent stillness of the sun as it hangs steady in the sky for a few days. This sense of time standing still for a moment can be something of a relief for we are at our busiest, filling the long days and light evenings and being our most energetic. Hopefully, you can find a spot of beauty, the sea or a stone circle and enjoy some stillness.
International Yoga Day
June 21st was also chosen by the United Nations in 2014 as International Yoga Day. It was considered important by the UN to globally promote this wellness practice, and to recognize around the world that Yoga exercises have shown significant benefits for physical and mental well-being and thus many celebrations of yoga can be found around the world on this day. Indeed this is a time in the Northern Hemisphere when we can take our yoga practice outside and celebrate in parks, gardens, festivals, beaches and on paddle boards!!
Ellen Wells – Sound Healing
Ellen Wells will be offering a Sound Healing with Crystal Bowls on the evening of the 21st June, for more information visit: Sound Healing with Crystal Bowls
New Classes
Many of you will know Christopher Matthews who is a regular attendee to many classes at the yoga centre. Christopher has a long-standing spiritual and meditation practice and is sharing his wealth of knowledge by offering a new monthly class ‘Conversations with Chris’. These Conversations are designed to allow students to look at the shared ideas at the root of all religions and of the non-religious approach to spirituality which is common today. The first class will be Wednesday, July 3rd 5-6pm. For more information visit: Conversations with Chris.
We hope you enjoy and celebrate yoga and the long hours of light this month,
From Sharon and all at the Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre
May brings us Beltane, a genuinely ancient Celtic celebration marking the end of Winter and the birth of Summer, more recently celebrated as May Day.
Unite and unite and let us all unite, For Summer is acome unto day, And whither we are going we will all unite, In the Merry morning of May”
The Padstow May Night Song
The sap that lay dormant in nature in the dark of Winter, has risen through early Spring and exploded into green. Beltane is about joy, ecstasy and love and so reminds us all to get back in touch with our own sense of delight. To do what brings us pleasure, and to remember what a gift it is to be alive. There is a lovely May Day celebration at the Cerne Giant reenacting the vibrant May Day tradition, when the Morris Dancers and villagers gather at dawn on the Trendle, the original site of the village Maypole at the top of the Cerne Giant. It’s an early and steep start to get up to salute the sunrise, but it will certainly be joyful to celebrate the start of summer with a barrel of Beltane Beer!
We are so used to working hard and being responsible and sensible that we can forget to do the things that bring us pure joy. Beauty and joy and laughter are necessities of our being, and nature brims with them… In May flawless blue skies, vibrant green fresh shoots, smells of bluebells and wild garlic in the hedgerows, lilac bursting from buds, cacophony of the dawn chorus and the lushness of fields all around.
What is a Kundalini Awakening?
The energy of the rising sap in nature has many similarities with the rising of the energy of kundalini. In Sanskrit, kundal means “coiled snake.” Kundalini refers to the feminine energy that is believed, in tantric yoga tradition, to be present within each of us since birth and coiled at the base of the spine. Kundalini energy is considered to be the ultimate life force and the source of our creative power, spiritual gifts, and shakti, or divine feminine energy. Tantric tradition holds that when dormant kundalini energy is unleashed through yoga practice, it flows upward through the seven chakras (energy centres) to the crown of the head, balancing the energetic body and accessing expanded consciousness.
It is believed that your entire being—mind, body, and spirit—goes through a massive energetic shift, causing you to move through life in a very different way. A kundalini awakening is a powerful experience in enhanced self-awareness. According to tradition, an awakening can instigate long-term changes, including: feelings of blissfulness, enhanced psychic abilities, more compassion and empathy, increased creativity, increased spiritual connection, feeling aligned and ‘in the flow’.
But yoga is never about results, and this may never be achieved. The purpose is the practice itself, which will help you understand where you need to focus your energy, when you need to find more compassion for yourself and others, and how to become more aware of your own needs.
Your own kundalini awakening could be as soft and gentle as sitting in quiet meditation for 15 minutes and experiencing more peace than ever before or it could be a more emotional process.
The point isn’t the actual moment of the kundalini awakening. It’s the continued awareness that accompanies the practice of yoga and the growth that accompanies it. Yoga is practice, keep practising.
Changes to Classes
Kim Mackies Wednesday Classical yoga at 6pm is changing to an Advanced Practitioner class only (not suitable for beginners) – you must have some knowledge of traditional Yoga texts, Sanskrit, Prānāyāma techniques and at least five years of regular practice. Booking is essential, no drop-in option unless agreed with the teacher.
Kim is also offering a Sun salutation workshop which will be fun and may also help you to establish a regular practice, you can find more information here.
Ness Sherry is extending one of her Saturday morning classes in May and offering a yoga workshop on Magical Alignment.
Sarah Burt taught a course on Iridology (study of eye for health) last year, it was very popular and she is hoping to do the same this Autumn. She is offering an Introduction To Iridology so that you can find out more.
All our regular workshops are below, I hope they bring you much joy, laughter, delight and practice,
There is much-needed blue sky and sunshine out of the window as I write this. As much as I appreciate all weather, the rain has been very testing and we are all ready for some sunshine. Despite the weather, there are beautiful signs of Spring.
Viniyoga Therapy Training
Our Yoga Therapy Viniyoga training group have finished the first 10 days of the second year.
We always have a pink day, as part of our 10-day training, as it makes us feel so good, and here we are:
The closing ceremony at the end of our 10 days consisted of the New Zealand “hongi “, a traditional Māori greeting performed by two people pressing their noses together, and touching foreheads. The meaning of ‘hongi’ roughly translates to the “sharing of breath”. With this powerful practice of sharing of breath, we offered a flower or piece of fruit, to someone along with the offering of what we had learned from our yoga therapy practice that day.
My Daily Mantra
From this, I have established a daily mantra, that before I get out of bed, (and when I go to bed and any other time I feel I need it), I say or feel my mantra. I am joyous and grateful for all I have and for the people in my life. And I don’t just recite this mantra, I feel it in my body – it helps to smile at the same time! I have encouraged some of my students to do the same and invite you all to try it. This is a powerful practice, the modern science of epigenetics describes it as revealing how our thoughts, emotions and environment can influence the activity of our genes, ultimately shaping our health, behaviours and experiences. Of course, the ancient yogis always knew that we are masters of our own destiny.
Reiki Gokai (Principles)
I would like to say a big thank you to Wrio Russell who has been travelling a great distance to take our Reiki Share gatherings for the last couple of years. As well as sharing his great wisdom and experience of Reiki from his teachers, he introduced us to the Reiki Gokai (principles) which we chanted before our Reiki Share. They too make a lovely daily mantra:
Kyo dake wa (just for today) Ikaru na. (do not be angry) Shinpai suna. (Do not be anxious) Kansha shite. (Be grateful) Gyo o hage me (do your duty) Hito ni shinsetsu ni. (Be kind to others)
Wrio feels it is time to hand the baton over, don’t worry our Reiki Share will continue, and details will be in the next newsletter.
With the lighter mornings, the promise of Spring, and the clocks changing, it is the perfect time to try the new early morning Pilates session with Sharon Morgan (Wednesdays 8.00 – 8.45 am). This new 45-minute session is most suitable as an introduction to Pilates, a before-work session or to aid recovery from illness or life in general.
We also have a new afternoon class starting in April with Sam Stevens. Some of you have requested more options in the afternoon as this is your only time between work and/or picking up children. Sam Stevens will start a Mixed Ability class on Monday the 15th of April at 1.30 – 2.45 pm.
New Teacher – Ellen Wells
We are also very pleased to welcome a new teacher, Ellen Wells, who will offer two monthly Sound healing classes with Crystal Bowls (a daytime and an evening class).
Two Special Events
As well as our usual monthly workshops we have two special events.
Embodying Menopause with naturopath Sarah Burt and Qoya teacher Victorai Smisek.
The Alchemy of Sound Healing, a chance to learn how to play Tibetan bowls, tone your voice and create your own sound journey. An amazing half-day special with Rj Noble – Sound Bowl Master/teacher and healer from Sweeping Sounds, and Magdalena Atkinson – singer/songwriter, music teacher and Shakti Dance yoga of dance facilitator.
Enjoy April whatever the weather, from all at Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre.
“True yoga is not about the shape of your body, but the shape of your life. Yoga is not to be performed; yoga is to be lived. Yoga doesn’t care about what you have been; yoga cares about the person you are becoming. Yoga is designed for a vast and profound purpose, and for it to be truly called yoga, its essence must be embodied.” ~ Aadil Palkhivala ~
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!
Claire Jones
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!
Fred Burnham
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.
Melina James
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:
“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 ~
I would like to start January’s newsletter with an ancient universal prayer, which is part of the Pavamana Mantra from the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad. The translation of the entire mantra is:
“Lead us from ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light and from death to immortality.” It is used as a purifying prayer which is chanted for the wellbeing of oneself or for humanity.
Om asato ma sadgamaya Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya Mrtyor ma amrtam gamaya Om shanti shanti shanti
ॐ असतो मा सद् गमय तमसो मा ज्योतिर् गमय मृत्योर् माम्रतं गमय ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः
What’s happening in nature?
Our December newsletter began with an observation of what was happening in nature, and this newsletter continues with the same theme. There can be a lot of pressure to jump into the New Year with new resolutions and suggestions to try new things, new diets, get fit… with lots of energy, and push, but this is just getting back onto the treadmill.
We are still in the depths of winter, take a moment between times to look back at the year that has passed and to let go of what is no longer serving you. It is a time to look forward to what you would like to see in your life ahead, a time for observation and introspection. Nature is still sleeping, it throws up the odd snowdrop, and primrose, but there is still a long time before Spring is here. Take your time, there is no rush, keep your yoga practice slow, and nourishing and supportive, there is no need to end your period of rest and recuperation. Our workshops this month still offer plenty of opportunity for this. And our weekly classes are trickling back to a full timetable by the time we are half way through January.
New therapist Lauren Watson
We offer a big welcome to Lauren Watson, who is joining our wonderful team in the therapy room. She is offering her Spirit Ayurveda. Ayurveda is considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means “The Science of Life.” Ayurvedic knowledge originated in India more than 5,000 years ago and is often called the “Mother of All Healing”, and naturally goes hand in hand with yoga. It stems from the ancient Vedic culture and was taught for many thousands of years in an oral tradition from accomplished masters to their disciples.
Ayurveda allows us to access our inner healer, change our actions, and, in turn, transform the world! We are so pleased to have Lauren offering her skills at the yoga centre. You can read all about Lauren here.
The Ayurvedic Doshas
New Class: Well Woman Yoga
Kim Jones is offering a new weekly evening yoga class for women.
Well woman yoga offers women tools to stabilise fluctuating hormones, build pelvic strength and improve vitality through every cycle of life. Whether its menstruation or postnatal recovery to the menopause and beyond. Experience a blend of restorative yoga postures, gentle flows, and rejuvenating breathing and relaxation techniques to help harmonise your mental, emotional and physical states.
“There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow; so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.”
