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September 2023 newsletter

Posted on by admin

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 ~

December 2022 newsletter

Posted on by Edward Mitchell


Half of the teachers at Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre
At our last teachers meeting in September we grouped for a photo. There are 24 of us in total; there are 13 in the photo as 11 teachers couldn’t be there.

We have been operating throughout this year offering a wide range of classes. We would like to thank you all for supporting the centre, attending our classes and workshops and generally making the centre feel like a positive and calming place in Dorchester. 

Not forgetting our 15 therapists offering their wonderful services in the therapy room, if I can ever get them all together I will hopefully get a photo of them too!!

From us all,  we wish you a Reflective Winter Solstice, a Merry Xmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Yoga reverse chair pose

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

December Garden Meditations


Give yourself time this Xmas for reflection and meditation.

Step into your garden or the countryside around you and sense the peace.

Everything is going to sleep; mammals are tucked away, perennial plants die back to their roots and insects snooze in hollow stems or piles of dry leaves. Feel the slumber and think about the fact that nature needs this period of deep rest, and that we are part of it, and we do too. We are at the darkest end of the year, when there is more night than day. 

Step out in the early evening as night falls and look up at the stars and think about how the piece of earth on which you stand now is tipped way from the sun and towards the dark and the cold. Look up into the eternal night sky, look back to the beginning of time. 

And know also, as you gaze into the endless dark and cold, that we are at the turning point of the year. After the Winter Solstice this month, the northern hemisphere will start to slowly tip back towards our warm, welcoming, lifegiving sun. The gardens, the creatures and the plants will immediately sense it and within weeks will start to rouse themselves. 

This point in the year may be the darkest, but it is a moment for great hope and rejoicing. 

It all gets lighter after this. There is much to look forward to.

river frome in dorchester in winter


Classes, Courses and Workshops: December

Breathing and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with Sarah Ryan

Qoya with Vikki Smisek

Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button

Mini First Aid with Sue Fisher

Iyengar Yoga with Cheree Low

Saturday Soundbath with Bex Leonard

Restorative Yoga for Deep Rest with Tracey Boast

Om Shanti/Kirtan with Magdalena Atkinson

Yin Yoga with Chrissie Haskett

Candlelight Winter Solstice Yoga with Kim Jones

“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind.
To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy,
is to have the real spirit of Christmas.”

~ Calvin Coolidge ~

November 2022 newsletter

Posted on by admin

Halloween, Costumes, Bonfire Night, the time of year is awash with lights and fire and spooky excitement. As our  skies darken and our clocks change I will be celebrating the older festival of Samhain. The 31st October is the night when the worlds of the living and the dead were deemed closest and the souls of the departed were said to return for one night only.

red funghi in woodland

The theme of this festival is how we view death and how we honour our ancestors. Themes of death and resurrection are common in old myths and legends as people come to terms with the onset of winter.

Winter was a time when inevitably people had to face their own mortality, as not everyone would make it through the harshness of the season. We don’t think like that in our modern life indeed some might say we have created an unhealthy distance from thoughts like these. But the presence of death is still always around, is it is a natural part of life.

The dark evenings bring us a time for stillness and reflection, to remember those we have lost. Maybe with a fire or a lighted candle and an internal focus to sustain, bring understanding and wisdom and with that a new sense of purpose. The days are for slowing down, breathing, and opening our eyes to the beauty of Autumn.

woman playing musical bowls autumn woodland

Just like last month, a lot of our workshops are  slow, nurturing and sustaining, helping us adjust to the time of year. They will help you as you balance the light and the dark, the slowing down and the busyness. Enjoy whatever you choose.

people doing restorative yoga pose woman doing restorative yoga pose

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

Looking ahead

Some of you may remember Vikki Smisek who taught Qoya at the centre a few years ago.

She is back from her travels and is offering a workshop on Saturday December 3rd.

Workshops: November

Pilates for Endurance with Sharon Morgan

Breathing and Yoga Nidra with Sharon Cox-Button

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with Sarah Ryan

Iyengar Yoga with Cheree Low

Restorative Yoga with Sharon Cox-Button

Menopause Yoga with Kim Jones

Saturday Soundbath with Bex Leonard

Pilates for Menopause with Sharon Morgan

Pilates for Balance with Sharon Morgan

Om Shanti/Kirtan with Magdalena Atkinson

Birth Preparation with Kim Jones

Yin Yoga with Chrissie Haskett

Restorative Yoga for Deep Rest with Tracey Boast

Gong Bath with Arianna Puran Udini

Reiki Share with Wrio Russell

Shakti Dance with Magdalena Atkinson

In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me,
an invincible summer.
~ Camus ~